ã€ŠDungeon Makerã€‹


 prologue

    LNB is delighted to announce a new project, <strong>Dungeon Maker</strong> by <strong>Chwiryong </strong>to the Bastion. Some of you may already be familiar with the author who also wrote <strong>Breakers </strong>which has also beenpletely tranted recently.

    The project will be headed by none other than <strong>jennchan!</strong> She isn¡¯t new to the novel trantion scene and also trantes another fun series titled <strong>The Skill Maker </strong>over at <strong>knoveltrans</strong>. Check it out!

    If you¡¯d like to see more trantions for <strong>Dungeon Maker </strong>and would like to support jennchan¡¯s quality trantions, please consider pledging to her Patreon at (Dungeon Maker specific patreon)

    Without further ado, let¡¯s begin our new journey here.

    When I was 15-years-old, during the year that I graduated from middle school, my father told me this.

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s blood runs in our family.¡±

    To this day, I think it was good that I heard that story during myst year in middle school. It¡¯s scary for me to even imagine what would happen if I heard that while I was in high school.

    Anyways, my father probably noticed that I wanted send him to a mental hospital, so he immediately showed the 15-year-old me proof, that what he said was true.

    I still couldn¡¯t forget about that day.

    The day when blue mes bloomed out of my father¡¯s eyes.

    However, I wasn¡¯t sure if I should¡¯ve felt relieved or worried because that was the only skill that my father had.

    My father exined that it¡¯s because there was too much human blood within him, which caused the Devil¡¯s blood to thin out.

    ¡°But, there¡¯s a thing called atavism. This may be my only power, but it¡¯s impossible to know what kind of power you or your children might have. That¡¯s the reason why I told you about our family.¡±

    After seeing the way my father suddenly told me about this, it must¡¯ve been a characteristic that¡¯s been passed down for generations.

    Of course I couldn¡¯t sleep that night. I was curious as to what kind of powers I would gain, so I ended up staying up the next couple of days.

    And couple of days, I finally realized something.

    Even if the Devil¡¯s blood was running through our veins, my father, who had the ability to turn his eyes to a bluish color, was just an owner of an ordinary chicken restaurant and I was just a son of that owner who happened to be a bit stronger than most kids my age.

    But, five yearster.

    There were people that came and looked for me.

 Chapter 1

    The simrity between a guy that attended an all-boys middle school, high school and majored in Engineering was very simple.

    Since they barely had any interaction with the opposite sex, they couldn¡¯t talk properly in front of them.

    But, Chun Yong-Ho. The son of the neighborhood chicken restaurant was a bit different. Even though he couldn¡¯t speak well, he had a good mindset.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the family name died out?¡±

    Yong-Ho was sitting in front of aputer while wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and asked the two that were sitting behind the monitor.

    One of them was a grey-haired old man that would make one think that he was a butler and the other was a youngdy that was wearing a suit.

    Just from looking at him, one could tell that the old man wasn¡¯t human. His wrinkled face was red and in-between his white hair, two horns were sticking out of them. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if he had a tail sticking out of his butt.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re the descendant of a great figure. Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Maimon, who was the Demon of Greed, his blood will die out. Don¡¯t you think this is really tragic?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯tpletely died out because Chun Yong-Ho is still here.¡±

    The old man sounded like he was going to cry while he was talking, but thedy¡¯s cold voice interrupted him.

    Thedy had a soft, chocte-covered skin with silver hair. It wasn¡¯t because Yong-Ho was majoring in engineering, but if she were to stand in public, people would do a double-take because of how beautiful she was.

    Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and in-between the loose strands, right above her ears, were two horns that were the size of a thumb. Like an elf, her ears were pointy and just like the old man, she probably wasn¡¯t human.

    Yong-Ho was about to look at thedy, but immediately turned his attention to the old man and coughed. He calmed down after taking in a deep breath.

    ¡°Let me go through it once more. Maimon, who happens to be one of the demons of the Seven Deadly Sins, his blood is dying out. A demon, no, if the head of the dungeon isn¡¯t there, then it¡¯ll die. If the dungeon dies, then the spirits that are residing there will die as well. So after searching for Maimon¡¯s descendant, you came to me so that I could be the head of the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are quite intelligent. You are no doubt the descendent of Maimon.¡±

    The old man looked as if he was touched. Yong-Ho was a bit suspicious by the old man¡¯s reaction and turned his attention to thedy.

    And like Yong-Ho had expected, she started speaking in a cold tone.

    ¡°Out of the all descendants that are alive, your blood is the strongest. And also...¡±

    ¡°Also?¡±

    ¡°The only one that has the power to be the head of the dungeon is you.¡±

    It didn¡¯t make sense that Yong-Ho was the only surviving descendant of Maimon. His father was still alive and well.

    ¡®I understand, but.¡¯

    Out of all the descendants, Yong-Ho was the only one who could be the head of the dungeon. That¡¯s why they came all this way to talk, no, to kidnap him.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t suspect that the two figures that were standing in front of him were demons. A blue portal that you would see in games, suddenly opened in the middle of the room and they walked through it.

    While Yong-Ho was in a daze and finally came to his senses, he was in a room that he had never seen before.

    Hisputer and desk were still there, but that was it. The gloomy room was made out of stone and the two figures were the only ones that were in the room.

    Yong-Ho did his best to calm down.

    If his father didn¡¯t tell him about the Demon¡¯s blood when he was younger, he probably would¡¯ve suddenly acted out. Either screaming because he was scared or beg to stop talking nonsense and to send him back home.

    Yong-Ho took another deep breath. He had to pay attention.

    ¡®I¡¯ve already been kidnapped.¡¯

    They were speaking formally, but it was only after Yong-Ho was forcefully taken to a space that he was unfamiliar with. This even might be the Demon¡¯s Dungeon that they were speaking of. Seeing the gloomy, square room made it possible that this was it.

    What would happen if he declined and said he didn¡¯t want to do it?

    The dungeon would die and the spirits that reside within the dungeon would die as well.

    If this story was true, then the two figures that were in front of him would lose their lives. There were no rules that told him that he couldn¡¯t make any extreme decisions.

    The descendant of a demon.

    The head that controls the dungeon.

    If it was five years ago, he was positive that he would¡¯ve epted on the spot. During that time, after finding out that he was the descendant of a demon, that¡¯s all he ever thought about.

    But now, it was different. Honestly, he still had an odd fantasy about sitting on a demon¡¯s throne, but there were several requirements that came with that position.

    ¡°Will I be able to return?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Even if I be the head of the dungeon, will I be able to return to the house that I lived in? Like taking a vacation once in a while and going back home.¡±

    Surprised by Yong-Ho¡¯s exnation, the old man let out a sigh of relief. Thedy spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely possible. And...since you have human blood as well, you can¡¯t stay in this world forever. You do need to be with other humans once in a while.¡±

    He can return home.

    If what she said was true, no one could stop him from returning home.

    Yong-Ho rolled his eyes again. The old man looked nervous while thedy stood still like a rock, but both of them looked really worried. It wasn¡¯t a lie when they said they could die.

    Descendant of a demon.

    Maybe the wish he so wished for when he was in middle school was being fulfilled now.

    ¡®Am I thinking too positively about this?¡¯

    He was taken to an unfamiliar ce and the two that were standing in front of him would have a limited amount of time to live if they didn¡¯t find someone to take over the dungeon. He only had one choice in this situation.

    He was destined to walk this path.

    And he didn¡¯t want to be dragged into that position.

    If he¡¯s going to ascend to that position, he wanted to do it with his own two feet.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    After hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s answer, the old man started crying tears of joy. Thedy ced her hands on her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

    Seeing how their reactions were simr to a human, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    Nothing will happen just because he ascends the throne, right? Yong-Ho was a descendant of a demon!

    There was a time where Yong-Ho thought that way.

    ***

    With a dumb look on his face, Yong-Ho sat on the Demon¡¯s Throne. It was just a simple throne made out of stones without any decorations.

    The demon¡¯s room was also pretty bare. The square, gloomy room was made out of stones as well. Between the throne and the door, there was a red carpet, which was the room¡¯s ¡°color.¡± Of course there weren¡¯t any windows either.

    ¡°How did the previous head die?¡±

    ¡°After realizing that they weren¡¯t invited to the Demon Banquet, they felt humiliated andmitted suicide.¡±

    Maimon¡¯s family failed.

    No, to be exact, they haven¡¯t failed entirely, but were on the verge. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what kind of difference there was between them.

    There were a lot of demons in this world. They say that there are roughly a dozen of them and those demons had their own dungeon and once every couple of years, they gather at the Demon Banquet.

    The fact that he was a descendant of a demon that was one of the Seven Deadly Sins wasn¡¯t really surprising to him.

    Being looked down upon by the other demons was the reason for the Maimon family¡¯s downfall. It was also an example for others so that they wouldn¡¯t go down the same way.

    Therge dungeon was on the verge of crumbling down and there weren¡¯t any spirits that were taking care of the ce.

    Currently, the only spirits that were in the dungeon were the guard, Catalina, and the butler, Eligor.

    When the previous head passed away, most of the spirits either moved to a different dungeon or became a wandering spirit. Catalina exined that they couldn¡¯t leave because they belonged to this family.

    Yong-Ho decided to think positively.

    He felt proud of the fact that he was a descendant of the demon, Maimon, but his situation and Maimon¡¯s situation were different. Today was also the first time he heard about Maimon being one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    That¡¯s why, there was really no need to feel humiliated by the fact that they weren¡¯t invited to the banquet and it didn¡¯t make sense that theymitted suicide because of it.

    When he decided to ascend to the throne, there were several things he had expected, but had to give up on. Rather than being identified as a demon, he felt morefortable being called ¡®the chicken restaurant¡¯s son¡¯ or ¡®theputer science freshman.¡¯

    Seeing how Yong-Ho¡¯s reaction was calmer than what they expected, Catalina let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡®My first impression of him was that he was a cold, ruler, but now that I think about it, he seems to be a very simple person.¡¯

    Even if he said he wasn¡¯t going to do it, wouldn¡¯t they have just given up and cried until they died?

    After shaking his head to get rid of the pessimistic thoughts, Yong-Ho asked Catalina.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Eligor?¡±

    As soon as Yong-Ho said he would take ascend the throne, he started cheering, but soon disappeared. Catalina exined in low voice.

    ¡°He went out to meet the dungeon¡¯s merchant. In order for you to really be the head of the dungeon, you¡¯ll need the merchant¡¯s assistance.¡±

    ¡°Um...what do you mean?¡±

    He¡¯ll need the help of a dungeon¡¯s merchant in order to be the head of the dungeon?

    Does that mean he had to purchase some kind of entrance ticket from the merchant?

    As if he had read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind, Catalina started shaking their head.

    ¡°In order to be the head of the dungeon either the previous head or the current head of another dungeon must witness the ceremony. But, as you already know, Maimon...¡±

    ¡°Since hemitted suicide, there isn¡¯t anyone else we can invite?¡±

    Instead of answering the question, Catalina put on a sad expression. She seemed very simple-minded.

    ¡°Is this merchant the head of a dungeon as well?¡±

    He voice sounded tired. After biting her lips a couple of times, she looked at Yong-Ho and answered.

    ¡°They¡¯re not. They...I¡¯m sorry, but the ceremony that we¡¯re holding today is a bit, you can say, unofficial.¡±

    After seeing her fidgeting her hands and feet, she probably thought he would back out on bing the head after telling him about the ceremony.

    ¡®At least Catalina and Eligor won¡¯t be killed.¡¯

    He thought positively again regarding this situation, which caused him smirk. Rather than being the head of Maimon¡¯s family, being the chicken restaurant¡¯s son or the future of the restaurant was a more promising future.

    ¡°I think they¡¯re here.¡±

    Catalina spoke after carefully observing Yong-Ho¡¯s reaction. As if she had sensed someone¡¯s presence, as soon as she said that, the door suddenly opened.

    <Ascend to the Throne> End.

 Chapter 2

    Behind Eligor, a woman dressed in revealing clothing was walking towards them slowly.

    The way her long, red hair was flowing smoothly reminded him of silk. Her white skin was enveloped in a purple dress, which revealed her shoulders and neck, but her full breasts were partially sticking out of the dress. Beneath her thin waist, the slit of the dress revealed her thighs.

    ¡°I have met the descendant of the great Maimon. My name is Sitri, the dungeon merchant.¡±

    After Sitri gracefully bowed at him, he was close to extending his face towards her cleavage, but Yong-Ho managed to maintain his posture.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Sitri. My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I¡¯ll be taking Maimon¡¯s ce as the head of the dungeon.¡±

    He felt the need to say something, but since he couldn¡¯t start talking informally to her right away, Yong-Ho decided that it was best to answer by doing a nd introduction. Saying his name will eventually reveal the fact that he¡¯s a ¡°human,¡± so he contemted whether he should say it, but he didn¡¯t have the time to contemte for long.

    If humans couldn¡¯t be the head of the dungeon, then Catalina and Eligor wouldn¡¯t havee up to Yong-Ho.

    After hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s nd answer, Catalina let out a sigh of relief and Eligor smiled with satisfaction. Sitri looked at Yong-Ho for a moment and smiled seductively.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the House of Maimon is being filled with luck again.¡±

    Some might think that it¡¯s an insult towards the previous owner, Eligor was just enjoying the moment. Catalina wasn¡¯t smiling like Eligor was, but she seemed to agree as well.

    ¡®Did they have something against the previous owner?¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know the details, but he somewhat understood their feelings. Because the previous ownermitted suicide, Eligor and Catalina was on the verge of dying with the dungeon.

    ¡°I will now being the ceremony. Sir Chun Yong-Ho, please wear this ne.¡±

    Sitri pulled out a ne from her cleavage. It was a gold ne that had a green gem attached to it, which was as big as two fingers put together.

    Yong-Ho just found out that Sitri was going toe so he didn¡¯t have any information regarding the ceremony. He had no idea what the ne was used for and what Sitri was going to do. No, he was about to lose his mind because of Sitri¡¯s cleavage.

    After seeing how nervous Yong-Ho was, Sitri tildted her head. Then, she smiled and asked.

    ¡°Oh my, do you not know anything about the ceremony?¡±

    Yong-Ho was a youthful, young man that attended an all-boys middle school, high school and majored in engineering. Seeing a seductive woman ask with a smile made him realize that he had low tolerance against women to properly lie to them.

    After revealing that he didn¡¯t know with an awkward expression, Eligor looked at Catalina as if he was going to eat her at any moment. He looked at her as if he was asking why she didn¡¯t exin it to him.

    Catalina turned back into a klutz and she tried to make an excuse, but all she could do was keep her mouth shut. No matter what she did, it¡¯ll only embarrass her even more since Sitri was there.

    Sitri stood close to Yong-Ho and exined.

    ¡°The ceremony that we¡¯re about to perform skips all the formalities and will only perform the necessary steps. By wearing that ne, the two servants and I will perform a consistent magic ritual, which will allow you to awaken as a demon.¡±

    After hearing the word, ¡°awaken,¡± Yong-Ho gulped. Sitri of course noticed it. She continued talking with a seductive voice.

    ¡°The owner of the dungeon. Within the demon world, the head of the dungeon are a special figure amongst the family. Especially you, Chun Yong-Ho, because the blood of Maimon runs through your veins. You¡¯ll definitely receive a great power. This ne not only helps you awaken, but it¡¯ll tell you what kind of power you¡¯ve awakened to.¡±

    When Sitri finished talking, the ne was already around Yong-Ho¡¯s neck. Eligor quickly spoke.

    ¡°A title that matches with your power will appear on the gem. Like The Demon of Magic, or The Demon of Magic, or The Demon of Magic.¡±

    It was obvious what kind of title Eligor wanted me to have. With a nervous expression, Yong-Ho looked at the gem that at the end of the ne.

    ¡°Let us begin the ceremony.¡±

    The throne was just located on the t ground, so when Sitri stepped away, there was a bit of distance between her and Yong-Ho. Catalina and Eligor stood next to Yong-Ho.

    After facing Yong-Ho, Sitri closed her eyes and quietly spoke words that he didn¡¯t quite understand. Catalina and Eligor followed by raising their voices and Yong-Ho felt the same fear that he felt when he first entered Maimon¡¯s dungeon.

    It was the fear of change.

    This fear appeared due to the fact that he was going to be something different.

    His blood boiled. The louder their voice got, the more his body started heating up. It was difficult to stay sane. This was the first time he felt this kind of pleasure, which caused him to lose his mind.

    Momentster.

    Yong-Ho breathed out. At the same time, the heat was released and Yong-Ho felt himself breathing differently than before. His eyes changed. A green, emerald-colored light appeared and a message appeared.

    The power obtained through awakening.

    It was the message that represented the current Yong-Ho.

    <The Demon of Evolution>

    ¡°Pant... pant.......¡±

    Yong-Ho raised his head as he breathed heavily. Now that he officially became the head of the dungeon, he was able to somewhat feel Catalina and Eligor¡¯s feelings.

    Eligor was feeling extremely excited. It was safe to say that he almost trembled. Despite of the fact that it wasn¡¯t the title he had hoped for, he was still excited.

    Unlike Eligor, Catalina was a lot calmer and genuine. She felt relieved and excited.

    He understood why she felt relieved. She was relieved because she had a ce to return to. But, excitement? Why was she feeling excited?

    With his green eyes, Yong-Ho saw Sitri. He couldn¡¯t read her feelings. But it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t see her purple eyes that was lit with brilliance.

    The Demon of Brilliance.

    That wasn¡¯t it. With the awakening, there was another power that would be partially revealed.

    <Seven Deadly Sins - Greed>

    This was the real reason why Eligor and Catalina were feeling excited. Maimon¡¯s power haven¡¯t been revealed for the longest time.

    Yong-Ho looked back on himself. He wanted to know the power he had obtained.

    But, it happened the moment he looked into himself. In his head, he heard the voice of a girl that sounded familiar.

    [An intruder appeared within the dungeon!]

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes tightly and opened them. The moment he awakened as a demon and became the head, the Spirit of the Dungeon connected to him and told him what he had to do.

    When he opened his hand, arge window of light appeared before him. It was like aputer screen and in that screen, it provided an aerial view of the dungeon.

    As one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Maimon was definitely a great figure. Even if he was ruined, the Maimon family¡¯s dungeon wasrge.

    ¡®It¡¯s useless.¡¯

    Out of the entire site, half of thend couldn¡¯t be used. Either the roof caved in, the wall crumbled or the ground was destroyed. Even the remainingnd wasn¡¯t in the best condition. Almost 4/5th of thend were ¡°unactivated.¡±

    Since mana wasn¡¯t supplied for the longest time, the room didn¡¯t contain anything.

    It was different from the empty stone room he first saw. Despite of the fact that the empty stone room¡¯s rank was the lowest, it was an ¡°activated¡± space. He couldn¡¯t even approach the ¡°unactivated¡±nd.

    If the Maimon family¡¯s dungeon site had 100 rooms, then only eight of them were useable.

    Most of them were empty stone rooms.

    Yong-Ho felt like he was scammed, but decided to suppress that feeling by zooming into the spaces that he could use. He wasn¡¯t sure whether the system was originally created this way or if it was made just for him because it was like using a smartphone.

    Eight tiles were connected together. The second room from the left was the one that Yong-Ho was in and the entrance of the dungeon was located at the far right.

    There was just one being that intruded the first room from the far right.

    ¡°Crimson Ogre!¡±

    It seemed like Catalina and Eligor were able to see the window as well. Yong-Ho frowned after hearing Eligor¡¯s frustrating cry. The Spirit of the Dungeon gave him new information.

    [From the screen, the room that¡¯s located on the far left is the Heart of the Dungeon. Once the heart is destroyed, the dungeon will lose its life.]

    He wanted to say that it didn¡¯t make sense because the dungeon was an inanimate object, but he didn¡¯t. The reason why Catalina and Eligor came to Yong-Ho was because the dungeon was going to die if it didn¡¯t have an owner.

    After passing the first room, the Crimson Ogre moved on to the second room. He wasn¡¯t sure whether its goal was to attack the ce or if it just got lost, but if he didn¡¯t do anything, the ogre would eventuallye into this room. The family¡¯s shabby dungeon had a single path.

    ¡°Do-don¡¯t worry. Many traps have been installed within the dungeon!¡±

    Eligor shouted quickly. Like he had stated, the window marked all the traps that were installed in each room.

    [Drop Trap - A straw mat has been ced over a deep hole and it¡¯s known to be the most basic trap.]

    [Arrow Trap - Dozens of arrows are shot unexpectedly to kill the enemy.]

    [Fire Trap - The me was created with the power of magic and it exterminates the enemy.]

    They were the traps that were installed in each room and it started from the second room to the right.

    Now this is what you call Demon¡¯s Dungeon!

    But, Yong-Ho¡¯s excitement didn¡¯t evenst five seconds.

    The Crimson Ogre fell for the Drop Trap. But, the trap only came up to the ogre¡¯s waist and after moving around a bit, they were able to get out of the trap.

    ¡°W-wecked manpower while digging the trap...¡±

    Ignoring Eligor¡¯s excuse, he looked at the third room. Unlike the exnation, not one arrow was released.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t have any arrows...¡±

    This time, Catalina gave her excuse.

    Yong-Ho was patient. And as soon as the Crimson Ogre passed the fourth room without any issues, he released a deep sigh.

    ¡°The mana that can activate the trap is....¡±

    The Crimson Ogre intruded the fifth room. Instead of covering his face with his hands, he decided to keep his hopes up by looking at Catalina, the guardian of the dungeon.

    ¡°Catalina, can you defeat that ogre?¡±

    Before, speaking informally was a bit awkward, but now, it was natural for him to speak that way. Maybe it was because he officially became the head of the dungeon.

    Catalina¡¯s face was filled with fear as she nced at the screen, but as if she made up her mind, she spoke while clutching her fists.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll put my life on the line...!¡±

    She looked like she was going to cry.

    The Crimson Ogre passed the fifth room and was about to invade the sixth room. They were running out of time. Instead of looking at Sitri¡¯s calm expression, he looked at the screen. He put together all the information that the Spirit of the Dungeon told him and devised a n.

    He demanded the required information from the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    [In order to active a room, 10 mana point is required.]

    [The path from the Heart of the Dungeon to the entrance must be connected.]

    Yong-Ho quickly waved his hand. Since he awakened as a demon, the mana that he released from his hand was marked on the screen. It was only 100. However, in the current dungeon, there was only 10 points, sopared to that, he had ten times more.

    It was impossible to set a trap in the sixth room now. Excluding the fact that mana was required to install the trap, he needed manpower to install them and didn¡¯t have the time.

    What kind of strengths did Maimon¡¯s dungeon have?

    Arge portion of the plot was useless. A lot of the spaces weren¡¯t activated because there was nothing there.

    Yong-Ho raised his finger at the inactivated room that was located right below the room he was in. After using his mana to activate the room, he moved his finger right next to the entrance, and in total, seven rooms were activated.

    70 mana points were used. But, he still had more to do. Using his hand, he deactivated the sixth room, which was the room that was between him and the Crimson Ogre. And just like that, the door that was in front of the throne disappeared. It was because the sixth room was deactivated.

    He turned his attention back to the screen. He saw a surprised ogre when it noticed that the door disappeared.

    ¡®Please, please!¡¯

    The Crimson Ogre didn¡¯t turn back to leave. Instead, it violently opened the door that appeared on the left wall.

    At that moment.

    He kept on pressing his finger. As soon as he activated the sixth room again, he inactivated the ¡°new sixth room¡± that was created.

    He obeyed the rule about how the Heart of the Dungeon and the entrance needed to be connected.

    He was so close.

    Not noticing that the door disappeared, the Ogre entered the new room and after inspecting it, instead of exiting through the door it came in, it moved towards the room that was connected to the entrance of the dungeon.

    Catalina and Eligor¡¯s eyes widened. Yong-Ho forgot to breath as he watched the ogre¡¯s every move.

    ¡°Oh! The Crimson Ogre is fleeing!¡±

    It¡¯s probably just leaving, not fleeing!

    But, he didn¡¯t criticize Eligor for jumping around happily. He was busy catching his breath while sitting on the throne.

    He was lucky.

    Since the Crimson Ogre wasn¡¯t nning on attacking the dungeon and just lost its way, he was able to lead it outside.

    Since a majority part of Maimon¡¯s dungeon was empty, he was able to create a path by activating and deactivating them. If a trap was installed in the sixth room, then he wouldn¡¯t have used this method.

    The Crimson Ogre left the dungeon. And as if it infected Catalina and Eligor, the Spirit of the Dungeon started speaking in a bright tone.

    [First Victory]

    [You have driven out the intruder that entered the dungeon!]

    [Items Obtained: - ]

    [Mana Obtained : - ]

    Of course he didn¡¯t obtain anything. Instead, he used up most of his mana.

    Anyways, he did end up winning. This was his first victory as the owner of the dungeon.

    ¡®It¡¯s an odd victory though.¡¯

    Yong-Ho¡¯s body was already stretched on the throne, but in order to stretch out even more, he started moving his body. That¡¯s when Yong-Ho noticed Sitri.

    She was smiling.

    It was a bright smile that didn¡¯t go well with her alluring beauty.

    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho. Her bright smile was reced with a seductive expression and she started speaking.

    ¡°Valued customer, I look forward to seeing you again very soon.¡±

    Sitri wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. After grabbing one of his hand softly, she kissed the back of his hand. She turned around gracefully and left the dungeon like the wind.

    Couple of secondster.

    As if Catalina and Eligor had nned it, they kneeled in front of Yong-Ho. They spoke in an honest tone.

    ¡°Catalina, I swear my allegiance to the owner of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Eligore, I swear my allegiance to the owner of the dungeon.¡±

    A clumsy guard and a dull butler.

    It was such a ridiculous dungeon that it was on the verge of losing its life because of a lost ogre.

    ¡®I just want to give up on being the owner.¡¯

    But, he didn¡¯t say it out loud. After awakening as a demon, he knew. He was the owner of the dungeon and this dungeon was a part of Yong-Ho. It wasn¡¯t something he could easily throw away.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho smiled weakly. He acknowledged the two servants¡¯ allegiance.

    Chun Yong-Ho, the Demon of Evolution.

    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, he obtained Greed¡¯s power.

    He took his first great, yet dangerous step.

    If you enjoyed this chapter and would like to support Jen and her trantions, please consider pledging to her Patreon @

 Chapter 3

    <The Demon World¡¯s Labor Market>

    Let¡¯s say that yourst year in middle school, you were told that you weren¡¯t an ordinary human and that the blood of a demon was running through your veins.

    And there was a skill that somewhat proved that statement.

    For the past five years, you imagined yourself as a demon for hundreds, no thousands of times, but is that a normal thing to do?

    Yong-Ho imagined it.

    He imagined himself as a demon and reigning over a feast.

    In reality, he was someone that attended an all-boys middle and high school and majored in engineering. On top of that, finishing his military service will be added to the list. Despite that, Yong-Ho still imagined it.

    Of course when a person gets older, the amount of times they use their imagination lessens and although it made them delusional, he still imagined it.

    And Yong-Ho became a demon.

    Although, his idea of the demon¡¯s position was different than what he had expected.

    ¡°It was during the youthful age of seventeen. I imagined a slender, nude Subus lying next to me when I woke up.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.

    When he woke up a beautiful, chocte-colored woman with silver hair was lying next to him.

    But she wasn¡¯t naked and she wasn¡¯t lying on the same bed as Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Hey, hey. Hey!¡±

    Mammon¡¯s dungeon had an issue where itcked mana and this was the room that provided a good amount of mana.

    Inside the demon¡¯s room where the demon¡¯s throne was located, a shabby, red carpet was ced from the entrance to the throne. On top of that, there was a straw mat that was too shabby for it to be called a nket.

    And there were two people that were lying on top of it.

    One of them was Yong-Ho, who sat up, and the other was Catalina, who was enveloping their body with a cloak that was made out of a monster¡¯s skin.

    Catalina whimpered and writhed in pain when Yong-Ho started shaking her shoulders. Since she was a mix between a Subus and a Dark Elf, she was weak in the morning.

    ¡°Ahhhhh.......¡±

    Catalina opened her eyes halfway and closed them while moaning. Her moaning was seductive and on top of that, the way her face poked out of the cloak made her look beautiful, causing Yong-Ho to take a deep breath.

    He thought he had gotten used to it, but Catalina was too beautiful for a guy that attended an all-boy¡¯s middle and high school and majored in engineering to not think much about her.

    In the end, Yong-Ho gave up on waking her up and stood up from his seat while scratching his head. The dungeon¡¯s butler, Eligor, woke up early and went out to get some water.

    ¡®Yeah, get water. The water to fill the jar.¡¯

    The dungeon was in such a bad state that it caused Yong-Ho to let out a deep sigh again, but there was nothing he could do.

    ording to Catalina and Eligor, it wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning.

    When the previous owner was alive, it maintained a noble appearance despite the fact that the word, downfall, followed them around.

    ¡®After the ownermitted suicide...a lot of things changed.¡¯

    The summary of the story that Eligor told while crying was as follows.

    First, the spirits that left the dungeon and changed jobs took the dungeon¡¯s assets and made an excuse saying it was their retirement allowance.

    Second, after the owner died, since there wasn¡¯t anyone that could provide mana, they had no choice but to reduce the size of the dungeon. Unlike the other spirits, Catalina and Eligor belonged to this dungeon and couldn¡¯t leave, so their life was on the line.

    Third, a new owner and it took a long time for them to find Yong-Ho. During that time, they were trying to save their mana as much as they could, so that¡¯s why they were in this state.

    With a nk expression, Yong-Ho looked around the demon¡¯s room. Since it was the demon¡¯s room, it was quite big. It might not be as big as a ser field, but people would have no trouble ying volleyball in here.

    ¡®Just doing a small touch-up will make a huge difference. At least they don¡¯t have any debt.¡¯

    Yong-Ho managed tough after thinking positively. Instead of sitting with a nk expression, he inspected to see what should be done.

    As of right now, returning home was impossible.

    In order to open the door that connected this world and the world that Yong-Ho lived in, it required an immense amount of mana.

    ording to Catalina and Eligor¡¯s exnation, they opened the door with the thought that they could possibly lose their lives.

    If Yong-Ho didn¡¯t decide to be the owner, they would¡¯ve either threatened him or fell to the ground and started crying.

    Anyways, it was impossible to go back or call home right now. Eligor excitedly exined that once they install a permanent doorter, then he¡¯ll be able to go home without using a lot of mana, but after seeing Catalina¡¯s expression, he wondered whether that day would actuallye.

    Yong-Ho made a decision.

    In the demon world, the dungeon was his home. He nned on remodeling this entire ce so that it was good enough for him to live in.

    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat and moved to the only item he considered as furniture. The throne. As soon as he sat on the throne, a new Spirit of the Dungeon was born and greeted him.

    ¡°Hello, master. It¡¯s a great morning.¡±

    As if to prove that they were just born, it was the voice of a young girl. After nodding his head and greeting them back, Yong-Ho waved his finger.

    [Maimon¡¯s Dungeon]

    [Owner : Demon of Evolution, Chun Yong-Ho]

    [Dungeon Rank : -]

    [Remaining Dungeon Mana : 30/300]

    [Mana Points Produced Per Day : 30]

    This situation would make anyone feel uneasy, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t breakdown this time either.

    ¡®The dungeon was crumbling away because it didn¡¯t have an owner. Now that the owner is back, it¡¯ll be good as new.¡¯

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes again. He decided to inspect the resources he had right now.

    The spirits, Eligor and Catalina.

    It was safe to say that Eligor, the butler, didn¡¯t know much aboutbat. However, he had the ability to take care of one¡¯s life. ording to him, he worked as a butler, a cook and a teacher for the previous generation.

    Catalina, the guard, was the only soldier the dungeon currently had. However, he couldn¡¯t help but doubt Catalina¡¯sbat skills.

    ording to Eligor¡¯s evaluation, she¡¯s not that weak and on top of that, she informed us that the Crimson Ogre was a strong monster. She seemed so powerless during the first day that he couldn¡¯t really rely on her.

    There were only two spirits.

    The remaining mana was 30.

    And the mana points it can produce per day was 30 as well. If Yong-Ho himself bes stronger or if the dungeon¡¯s rank increases, then the amount it produces per day will increase as well.

    A jar to fill with water.

    A shabby, red carpet.

    A throne.

    He was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. One suit that the previous owner left. The desk that came with theputer.

    He wasn¡¯t sure when it will be revealed, but for now, he was sure that he received the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    And onest thing.

    This might be the most valuable asset that Yong-Ho currently has.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He recalled the Demon of Evolution¡¯s skill.

 Chapter 4

    <The Demon World¡¯s Labor Market #2 >

    Evolution meant change.

    Adapting to the environment, changing to be more suitable.

    It was a bit different.

    The skill that Yong-Ho had didn¡¯t have the same exact meaning as the dictionary.

    It was taking it a step further.

    It doesn¡¯t differentiate between the body and spirit and activates the potential power that one has. It allows one to develop through it and provides the power to take a step further.

    If they wanted it to be faster, it¡¯ll be faster

    If they wanted it to be firmer, it¡¯ll be firmer.

    If they wanted it to be stronger, it¡¯ll be stronger.

    It guides them down the path.

    It brings out the power that¡¯s hidden within. It awakens them as a new being.

    That¡¯s the power of evolution.

    The almighty power that one receives after awakening as a demon!

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He awakened the consciousness that was sleeping deep inside him. And he thought.

    ¡®So what does it all mean?¡¯

    The Power of Evolution.

    He had a vague idea, but he wasn¡¯t sure what kind of power it was and how he could use it. If this was a game, a tutorial would pop right up and would exin the power, but unfortunately, this was reality. That¡¯s why, Yong-Ho thought about this himself.

    ¡®So, a ss change...no, does it mean that this power will increase the ss?¡¯

    If it was a game, it was like promoting a goblin to a hobgoblin and a soldier to a higher ranked soldier.

    He had a better idea than before, but he didn¡¯t think he understood the entire concept. In that case, he would be known as the Demon of Advancement, not the Demon of Evolution.

    And unless this was a game, it didn¡¯t seem like the title, ¡®Upper ss,¡¯ was really used here.

    ¡®Anyways, so it¡¯s a power that helps evolve.¡¯

    Yong-Ho thought about the games he yed in the past. Even in strategy simtion games, there were levels within each unit. If the character lived long enough and obtained experience, they would level up and the unit that increased their level was stronger and more useful against the opposing units that were weaker than them.

    Of course it won¡¯t be exactly the same as that game. No, Yong-Ho¡¯s power wasn¡¯t as simple as just leveling up because he had the ability to develop and to make things better.

    But, it was enough for him to get an idea.

    As an engineering student, he didn¡¯t like the fact that there wasn¡¯t a way to perfectly process this, but he decided to be satisfied with the information that he had.

    It¡¯s not like he was going to lose his power, so he decided to find out little by little by testing it out.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. And he saw Catalina, who was wrapped in a cloak and was rolling around on the floor.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Smoke started rising from her body. But the colors were very different.

    First, the smoke had five different colors.

    Red, Blue, ck, Yellow, and Purple.

    The five different colors were rising towards the ceiling in simr sizes. The smoke didn¡¯tbine and each of the five colors weren¡¯t mixing with one another.

    Yong-Ho blinked. Every time he blinked, the color of the smoke would get lighter and not long after, it wouldpletely disappear as if he had been imagining it.

    Instead of being shocked, Yong-Ho thought about it.

    Why did he suddenly see that weird smoke?

    Is the source of this change from himself or from Catalina?

    Yong-Ho stood up from the throne and approached Catalina. She had the tendency to sleep in for a long time and as before, she moved around in her cloak, but it didn¡¯t look like she was going to wake up anytime soon.

    Yong-Ho assumed that the source was him.

    Then, what was different from before?

    It was simple. The Power of Evolution.

    Yong-Ho sat down in front of Catalina and gulped. He closed his eyes again and tried to awaken his power.

    His assumption was correct. Once again, the five colored smoke started rising again.

    What did the smoke mean?

    ¡®This isn¡¯t it.¡¯

    It was too vague. Yong-Ho needed more detailed information.

    Being used to it rather than wanting it. Something that¡¯s easier to understand. Information that he could understand at once.

    His power reacted to his wish.

    The power that was within Yong-Ho started taking form and above the colored smoke, words started appearing.

    [Name : Catalina (F)]

    [Race : Half Subus / Half Dark Elf]

    [Main Elements : Wind / Darkness Secondary Elements : Lightning / Water / Earth]

    [Main Stats : Subus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Courageous]

    [Development Rate : 31/100]

    Yong-Ho looked around. There were a couple of bright letters and he saw square-shaped, bright boxes. On the boxes, different letters were lined up.

    [Subus : Specialized Charm | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Dark Elf : Specialized Agility | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Hybrid | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Subus : Specialized Mana | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Dark Elf : Specialized Courage | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    He made an assumption. It disyed basic information for evolution.

    It disyed what kind of skills they had and what kind of hidden skills they had.

    The colors represented their attributes. The box was the direction of the evolution. It could be seen as a Technology Tree.

    In which direction will he evolve her? Which skill will he activate?

    Yong-Ho gulped.

    If he activated his Power of Evolution, what would happen? If he chose one out of the five boxes, what kind of changes will Catalina show?

    He wanted to know.

    He wanted to test it.

    He wanted to use his power.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Yong-Ho quickly retracted the hand that extended towards Catalina without him knowing. He quickly moved back and kept his distance from her.

    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t something he could do so easily. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he used this power. Testing on Catalina without knowing exactly what would happen was dangerous, a mistake and overall just crazy.

    ¡®On top of that.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know if the power would activate for ¡°free.¡± It was just his assumption, but after witnessing the events up to this point, in order to activate the power, there¡¯s a high chance that mana is required. Yong-Ho¡¯s mana level was really low due to yesterday¡¯s event. It was best not to overdue it.

    ¡°Mas...ter?¡±

    It seemed like Catalina woke up from the sound that Yong-Ho made because she poked her head out of the cloak. Her eyes were half-closed, which meant that she wasn¡¯t fully awake.

    The smoke that was rising out of Catalina¡¯s body was getting lighter. Yong-Ho smiled and spoke as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Are you awake now?

    Instead of answering, Catalina rolled her eyes and pulled her head back into the cloak. She moved around in there for quite a while, which probably meant she was organizing her clothes. She stood up and cleared her throat. Maybe it¡¯s because her ears were long, but she barely had earlobes, but he noticed that it turned red.

    If he continued staring at her, he felt like he would turn into the engineering student that stared at pretty girls, so Yong-Ho stood up from his seat and walked towards the throne.

    .

    Eligor returned not too long after.

    &

    ¡°It¡¯s different from Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    Instead of answering Eligor¡¯s question, Yong-Ho slightly opened his eyes.

    Catalina nd Eligor were different.

    Five different colors rose out of Catalina¡¯s body, but for Eligor, a red and ck smoke rose out of his.

    [Name : Eligor (M)]

    [Race : Red Demon]

    [Main Elements : Fire / Darkness]

    [Stats : Red Demon - Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 62/100]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Specialized Stamina | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Specialized Mana | ¡ï (1)]

    The information was different. There was a slight difference in the Technology Tree as well.

    However, the category that caught his eyes was the Progress Stat. In order to evolve them, filling up the Progress Stat was necessary.

    ¡®The problem is, how am I going to fill that up?¡¯

    He stillcked information. The information was different, but it wasn¡¯t like a game where it provided an exnation regarding the skill.

    Catalina and Eligor didn¡¯t know much about the Demon of Evolution skill.

    A demon¡¯s power was only given to demons.

    This was what differentiated the demon and the demon race.

    That¡¯s probably why they barely knew about it. No one would show off and tell others about their strongest weapon.

    They¡¯ve seen the previous head use their power often, but they didn¡¯t know how it was activated, its function or its weakness since it was always kept as a secret.

    The mana of the Demon of Mana was powerful. The Demon of fire controlled fire and this type of information was what Catalina and Eligor knew.

    ¡®I¡¯ll just take my time in learning it.¡¯

    Yong-Ho shook his head after he finished thinking. He naturally changed the subject.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. You still have to eat in the demon world, huh?¡±

    The three of them were gathered in a circle in the center of the room and were eating pancakes and vegetable soup. Both of them were prepared by Eligor.

    Catalina flinched at what Yong-Ho said and spoke with the same serious face she had when they first met.

    ¡°After breakfast, I¡¯ll go out for a hunt. I¡¯ll put my life on the line and will bring you some meat no matter what.¡±

    Despite the fact that she was overflowing with beauty, after finding out about her true character, he saw her in a different light. It seemed like he could hear her asking herself what she should do if she can¡¯t bring any meat.

    ¡®She¡¯s a clumsy soldier...¡¯

    If he said something, he knew she would just start crying, so Yong-Ho decided to keep it in his head. After nodding his head, he turned his attention towards Eligor.

    ¡°Is it okay to increase the family members in the current situation?¡±

    The inheritance that the previous head left wasn¡¯tpletely gone. The ¡°Last Inheritance¡± remained, which was used as ast resort when Catalina and Eligor would wee a new family member.

    The remaining inheritance wasn¡¯t much and reflected the miserable Maimon thatmitted suicide, but money was money. But, Eligor suggested that they use the money to invest.

    ¡°In order to develop the dungeon, spirits are required. A dungeon without workers doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    Eligor answered with a serious expression. He wasn¡¯t wrong. They needed to gather resources and have workers work on various parts of the dungeon.

    ¡°This is thebor market in the demon world.¡±

    Yong-Ho looked towards the owner¡¯s throne.

 Chapter 5

    < The Demon World¡¯s Labor Market #3 >

    Yong-Ho sat on the throne and wore an unrefined, ck bracelet on his wrist. It was one of the items that Sitri left.

    Eligor exined.

    ¡°Through the dungeon¡¯s spirit, if you connect to the dungeon¡¯s shop, the spirit thate out of the shop will guide you.¡±

    The dungeon shop was a ce where the dungeon merchants gathered and it was such arge group that it took up arge portion of the dungeon.

    The dungeon shop sold items that helped maintain, erge and pay for the dungeon. In the list of items, ¡°workforce¡± was also included.

    The dungeon shop had many branches within the demon world. But, they also had a ¡°Virtual Space¡± that¡¯s been created out of magic.

    The head of the dungeon is able to ess that space through the dungeon shop¡¯s artifact. All items that are distributed to the shops are stored in the Virtual Space and even if the demons don¡¯t visit the branch, they¡¯re able to look at the items within the dungeon shop.

    ¡®In simple terms, is it like an online shopping mall?¡¯

    Just like how there was a master in all things, purchasing from Virtual Space wasn¡¯t simple and easy.

    The buyers that use Virtual Space needed a lot more money, mana and sometimes needed to make payments through other methods.

    Truthfully, it¡¯s safe to say that the House of Mammon was crumbling down, so using Virtual Space could be considered a luxury. But, Eligor suggested that he use Virtual Space instead of visiting the branch office.

    There were different reasons.

    The first reason was that the House of Mammon was located on the outskirts, so it took a really long time to go to the nearest branch and the second reason was that the demon world outside of the dungeon was extremely dangerous.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t want to step outside of the dungeon just yet, so he agreed with Eligor.

    ¡°Master, we will connect you to the dungeon shop. It may sting a little, but it¡¯s only for a short while, so please rx.¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke in a cute voice.

    It¡¯s safe to say that Spirit of the Dungeon was the demon¡¯s alter ego. He was suspicious about whether a cute girl was really somewhere inside him, but he somewhat epted it. He decided to ept it as a good thing.

    Yong-Ho had his eyes closed, so he couldn¡¯t see anything. But the darkness that enveloped everything onlysted for a moment. Yong-Ho saw a familiar figure that was standing in a white space.

    ¡°Hello, valued customer.¡±

    The dungeon merchant, Sitri, greeted in an old-fashioned manner and bowed. The only thing that changed about her outfit was that it was now blue, but because everything else was still the same, Yong-Ho tried his best keep his attention towards the sky.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Sitiri.¡±

    It was worth looking at Catalina¡¯s face for most of the day. It¡¯s because he was able to greet the beautiful Sitri with confidence.

    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho and a smile appeared on her face. She took a step towards him and spoke.

    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re thinking about.¡±

    Sitri was there when they had the ritual for him to ascend the throne. And Sitri was waiting here for Yong-Ho too.

    But Sitri shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the official dungeon merchant of Maimon¡¯s house. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but it¡¯s already been over 1,000 years since Maimon was one of the Seven Deadly SIns. And-¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    When he asked back, Sitriughed slightly mischievously. She spoke after winking to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°I¡¯m more important than you think.¡±

    Just how was he supposed to respond in a situation like this?

    While Yong-Ho was thinking about what he should say, Sitri continuedughing. She took a couple more steps and stood next to him. She hugged Yong-Ho¡¯s arm.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time that someone with human blood ascended to the throne. However, within the demon world¡¯s long history, it¡¯s only happened a couple of times. And among them, there hasn¡¯t been one person that had the blood of one of the Seven Deadly SIns.¡±

    The way her breasts felt through his arm was so amazing that he couldn¡¯t express them in words. With a dumb face, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help but enjoy that feel. He was swept into an unusual situation, but Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t stupid. Even though they pressured him into bing the head of the dungeon, Yong-Ho made the decision to be one.

    The biggest reason why Eligor rmended the Virtual Space was.

    The fact that the House of Maimon had a new owner and that the new owner was human hasn¡¯t been known in the demon world. It¡¯s safe to say that Sitri was the only one that knew about it.

    It wasn¡¯t time yet. It wouldplicate things if the other demons knew the truth about Yong-Ho ascending to the throne.

    Eligor didn¡¯t clearly say the most important reason. It wasn¡¯t because he was trying to hide it. He was scared that Yong-Ho would be afraid.

    Yong-Ho somewhat knew what Eligor was feeling. Since he belonged to his dungeon, it was hard for him to keep a secret from Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho looked at Sitri¡¯s face. Sitri looked at Yong-Ho with her purple eyes. Her red lips whispered.

    ¡°Be careful of the purebloods.¡±

    The amazing touch that he felt through his arm disappeared. Sitri moved like the wind and stood in front of Yong-Ho with her back turned and as she waved her hands in the air, arge window of light was created.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a big difference between the low level demons that work in the dungeon. Also...considering the current state of the dungeon, the demons will most likely be low leveled ones. There won¡¯t be much of a difference.¡±

    You get what you pay for.

    This isparing apples and oranges.

    Since it was true, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t feel disappointed. Also, Sitri wasn¡¯t saying those things to provoke Yong-Ho.

    Sitri turned around again. With the window of light behind her, she put on a seductive smile.

    ¡°But, the Demon of Evolution, valued customer. Everything isn¡¯t the same to you, is it?¡±

    Yong-Ho thought about how he should react this time too. Sitri gave him a hint and ever since he connected to the Virtual Space, he confirmed that it was possible.

    ¡°Then, I shall take my leave now. Valued customer, please enjoy shopping.¡±

    After bowing gracefully, Sitri disappeared like she said she would. In the white room, all that was left was therge window of light that Sitri opened and Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho first let out a big sigh.

    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯

    She was a very beautiful woman, but she was difficult to handle. Just from her gestures and speech, it looked like she had feelings for Yong-Ho, but it was hard to confirm it. He thought it would be best to maintain a certain distance from her.

    Yong-Ho shook his head. He was delusional ever since he was in his third year in middle school, but it¡¯s only been two days since he became a demon. On top of that, the demon form he imagined was very different from his current form.

    It was true that he was feeling uneasy and scared.

    But, like always, Yong-Ho tried to find the positive side of things. In order to resolve the issues that were in front of him, he looked into reality.

    Therge window of light that Sitri created was like aputer screen. There were two options on the window.

    [Dungeon Shop Demon Catalogue]

    [Low Level Worker Demon List (No Stars)]

    [Skeleton]

    [Goblin]

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help butugh. He heard it from Eligor earlier, but seeing the words that usually appear in video games on the window made it feel odd.

    ¡®Do I have to go for the Goblin?¡¯

    The good thing about the undead monster, Skeleton, was that they didn¡¯t need to be fed. Whenpared to the other option, they were more useful when it came to how long they¡¯re able to work.

    However, the Skeleton required that much more mana in order to maintain them. The House of Maimon¡¯s dungeoncked in many things, but among them, the thing theycked the most and needed the most was mana.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air and when he selected Goblin, the window of light changed. Dozens of rooms appeared and a Goblin was in each room, making it look like a character selection window from a game.

    The price of one Goblin was 20 Gold.

    Eligor already paid 40 Gold to the dungeon shop, so he could choose two among them.

    Then which Goblin should he pick among them?

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He activated his Power of Evolution.

 Chapter 6

    < The Demon World¡¯s Labor Market - #4 >

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes changed to green. It didn¡¯t stand out as much as his father, but one would be able to see the change if they looked deeply into his eyes.

    Yong-Ho slowly breathed in. As time passed, he could feel his mana being used up. The amount that was being used was small, but since Yong-Ho¡¯s current mana condition wasn¡¯t that great, he felt sensitive even from the smallest amount.

    ¡®Let¡¯s not rush.¡¯

    He still had a good amount of time. Yong-Ho raised his head and looked at the Goblins that were inside the screen.

    [Race: Goblinn (M)]

    [Specialized Strength: | ¡î]

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    This was the first time he¡¯s seen the Goblin, but it had letters of light and a box. Their information was embarrassing topare to Catalina and Eligor.

    Why is that?

    Is it because they were inferior whenpared to Catalina and Eligor?

    They had potential. But he thought of a proper reason.

    ¡®They aren¡¯t my spirits.¡¯

    Catalina and Eligor were Yong-Ho¡¯s spirits. On top of that, they were subjugated spirits where their spirit and body belong to Yong-Ho.

    The fact that both of them were higher ranked than the Goblin was one of the reasons, but he thought that subjugated spirits had higher potential.

    ¡®At least I have some information to go off of.¡¯

    After finding the positive part of this situation, Yong-Ho continued inspecting the Goblins.

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡ï (1)]

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡î (0.5)]

    [Specialized Stamina | ¡î (0.5)]

    There was a difference. It was a difference he could see all at once.

    ¡®Even if the race is the same, the area where they¡¯re able to evolve is different, right?¡¯

    It was reasonable. Even if their race was the same, they couldn¡¯t all be exactly the same.

    ¡®Are the number of stars their potential power? Even if they both evolved at the same time, the results wouldn¡¯t be the same.¡¯

    A smile automatically appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face. The more he understood about how to use the Power of Evolution, the more it felt like he was ying a game.

    ¡®Catalina wasn¡¯t a total clutz after all.¡¯

    Despite the fact that they were both Goblins, one of them only had one route to evolve their potential power, while the other had two.

    But, Catalina had five routes total and even though three stars was the lowest she had, her potential powers were that much greater.

    Just from their current status, it¡¯s safe to say that Eligor was on the same level as Catalina, but he had three routes total and he had two stars total. After considering all of that, Catalina¡¯s power was stronger than Eligor.

    ¡®They wouldn¡¯t go on a rampage once their powers awaken, right?¡¯

    When he thought about Catalina¡¯s crying face, he wondered whether it was a possible future, but he couldn¡¯t help the fact that his expectations were increasing.

    Yong-Ho came back to his senses after having a pleasant dream. He didn¡¯t have time to waste. Even in this moment, his mana was depleting because ofmunication and power maintenance.

    There was a total of 30 Goblins within the screen. Yong-Ho quickly checked the information of all 30 Goblins. He narrowed it down to ones that had multiple routes or a lot of stars.

    [No 04.]

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡ï (1)]

    [Specialized Stamina | ¡ï (1)]

    [No 17.]

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [No 22]

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Specialized Stamina | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    ¡®Wow, this is pretty hard.¡¯

    He could only pick two out of all of them.

    In the end, their diversity and speciality became the standard for picking.

    ¡®There¡¯s not enough information.¡¯

    It was difficult to tell whether choosing a Goblin with specialized strength was more efficient or one with specialized stamina. It¡¯s possible that he was overthinking the situation when he was just picking one worker. If what Eligor said was true, he would have to control at least 20 workers.

    Still, he couldn¡¯t just pick one without thinking.

    If this was a game, this was just the beginning. Every worker was valuable and depending on the worker that¡¯s chosen, it can decide the progress rate in the beginning.

    Yong-Ho stretched out his hand after contemting. He touched one of the Goblins that appeared on the screen. He then took a step back after being surprised.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s hand left a mark on the box where development was possible and the Goblin started changing its form. To be exact, a semi-transparent silhouette appeared on top of the Goblin.

    Yong-Ho had a hunch. After gulping, he stretched out his hand and tried touching one of the boxes.

    The shoulders of the Goblin with specialized strength changed into a bulky inverted triangle. The arms and legs of the Goblin with specialized agility became longer and the body of those with specialized stamina became robust.

    It was just a silhouette, but it was enough. It was enough to see how they evolved.

    ¡®I should¡¯ve tried it on Catalina and Eligor too.¡¯

    However, the two of them weren¡¯t here and what Yong-Ho needed was two workers. Yong-Ho contemted between the specialized strength and specialized stamina Goblin, but he made his decision.

    ¡°You have chosen No. 17 and No. 22.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, valuable customer. It will take one to two days to deliver them to you.¡±

    After seeing the cheesy sentence that¡¯s usually used by online malls, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help butugh again.

    Yong-Ho picked one specialized strength Goblin and one specialized stamina Goblin.

    He felt a bit disappointed by the fact that it wasn¡¯t the most efficient, but he felt that gathering samples for his Power of Evolution was the most important.

    ¡°Would you like toplete the transaction?¡±

    [Yes / No]

    He already used up a good amount of his mana. There was no reason to use his mana onmunicating when he was done with his purchase. Yong-Ho pressed ¡®Yes¡¯ without hesitation and opened his eyes after a slight twitch. The space was now filled with the dull throne room instead of the white room.

    ¡°Did you purchase some workers?¡±

    Eligor asked Yong-Ho while maintaining a good distance. From his expression, he could tell that Eligor was in a hurry. He didn¡¯t notice it at first since it was his first time entering Virtual Space, but he spent over an hour shopping for Goblins.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and answered.

    ¡°Yeah. I bought two Goblins. They¡¯ll be here tomorrow, or the day after.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh...there will finally be workers in the dungeon...you¡¯ll be able to strengthen the traps and install other facilities.¡±

    He said it in a way where it wouldn¡¯t be weird if he started crying.

    Yong-Ho somewhat understood why Eligor was touched. It¡¯s been almost a year since the previous ownermitted suicide. During that time, the House of Maimon kept on copsing, but now that it was getting back on its feet, he was thrilled about it.

    ¡°But, how exactly do they deliver the Goblins?¡±

    Eligor wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and instantly answered Yong-Ho.

    ¡°A delivery driver that¡¯s affiliated with the dungeon shop wille. They¡¯re fast and always on time.¡±

    ¡°It seems like both worlds get excited when they see a delivery driver.¡±

    There are times when waiting for the package right before ites is more fun than when the package is actually delivered.

    There was also more good news.

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    Yong-Ho and Eligor both looked towards the door when they heard Catalina¡¯s excited voice behind the door. And about three secondster. She mmed opened the door and walked in. She walked in with a wild boar on her shoulders and he wondered where all her strength came from because she had a frail looking body.

    ¡°I caught a wild boar! I caught one!¡±

    Her bright expression was filled with happiness and pride. Her expression was so bright that Yong-Ho and Eligor couldn¡¯t react right away.

    When the two didn¡¯t react, she felt embarrassed and immediately ced the wild boar on the floor. Then, she tried to act cool about it. But it was toote.

    Yong-Ho ended upughing out loud. He stood up from the throne andplimented Catalina, who was feeling embarrassed.

    ¡°You did well Catalina. You did really well. You did well as the guard. You¡¯re definitely the best guard in our dungeon!¡±

    Despite hispliments, Catalina maintained a calm expression and tried to maintain her manners, but her long ears started pping like a puppy¡¯s tail.

    How was he supposed to react in a situation like this?

    Eligorughed quietly and Yong-Ho tried not tough. Heplimented the clutzy guard again.

    And that night, it¡¯s been two days since he ascended to the throne.

    Yong-Ho tasted the meat of the demon world for the first time.

 Chapter 7

    <Chapter 3 - The Power of Evolution>

    On the day they held the ceremony, Yong-Ho felt a change.

    The word, awakened, wasn¡¯t enough to describe it.

    He was reborn as a demon. Of course a lot of things were different from before.

    The first difference was how his body became stronger.

    His physique was improving day by day. No matter how hard he worked out at the gym, he never got the six pack he had now and the muscles in his arms and legs increased a lot.

    It¡¯s because he obtained mana. It¡¯s safe to say that among the demons, the body of the demon king was a ball of mana. Eligor exined that the stronger the mana gets, the more a body¡¯s performance increases as well.

    ¡®Eligor is out getting water.¡¯

    Just like yesterday, Catalina was sleeping while being wrapped up in her cloak. Yong-Ho contemted momentarily whether he should wake her up, but ended up walking towards the throne. He checked his own stats by activating the Power of Evolution.

    [Name: Chun Yong-Ho (M)]

    [Race: Half Human, Half Demon - Demon King]

    [Main Element: Fire / Darkness]

    [Specialized Strength| ¡ï (1)]

    [Specialized Stamina| ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Specialized Mana| ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Specialized Charm| ¡ï (1)]

    [Specialized Agility| ¡ï (1)]

    [Specialized Skill| ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Seven Deadly Sins| ???]

    He was satisfied by the fact that there were many routes in which development was possible, but he expected more stars. He was a demon king and thought it was a bit unfair, but there was still a lot of things he didn¡¯t know about the Power of Evolution. Even though he didn¡¯t see the effects very often, there were a lot of opportunities where evolution could take ce, so it could get strongerter on.

    ¡®The one that¡¯s getting to me the most is the Seven Deadly Sins.¡¯

    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Mammon¡¯s power was greed.

    Just because he was a descendant of Mammon didn¡¯t mean he could use the power of the Seven Deadly Sins. The reason why Catalina, Eligor and even Sitri was surprised was because Yong-Ho had the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    ¡®The previous generation of owners couldn¡¯t even control it.¡¯

    But, Yong-Ho had it. It hasn¡¯t been awakened yet, but it was a power he could use someday.

    After controlling the smile he had on his face, Yong-Ho coughed once and connected his conscious to the spirit of the dungeon.

    There was a lot to do today.

    &

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this ce is located at the most southern part of the demon world, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. You can call it the outskirt. During Mammon¡¯s era, all of the southern region belonged to the House of Mammon...¡±

    While talking, tears started filling up Eligor¡¯s eyes. This demon cried pretty easily.

    Yong-Ho thought Eligor was just an old demon that missed the magnificent past, but Eligor wasn¡¯t even born during Mammon¡¯s era. He turned his attention from Eligor to the window of light.

    ¡®It¡¯s wide.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t just wide, but extremely wide.

    He didn¡¯t have any information to base it off and was solely making assumptions, but it seemed like it was wider than the United States.

    From there, Yong-Ho¡¯s dungeon, the House of Mammon, was located at the most southern part. Like Eligor mentioned, it was a suburb. If this were a game, it was a border that had plenty of space around it.

    After wiping his tears with a handkerchief, Eligor spoke again.

    ¡°Currently, in the demon world, the great powers can be divided into six. You can say that they¡¯re kings of the demon world.¡±

    Within thisrge world, after the borders were drawn, thends were divided into seven different colors.

    In the past, it belonged to the House of Mammon, but now, it was a wastnd in the south that didn¡¯t have an owner.

    The powerful demon kings control the sixnds and theymand the owners within thosends.

    Since the demon world itself was pretty big, the nearest ¡°King¡¯s Land¡± was pretty far. In Yong-Ho¡¯s perspective, despite him starting out with just two demons, there maye a time where he has to meet them.

    It was best to look into the situation.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t going to leave the dungeon in its current condition. As he gets stronger, the day when he¡¯ll have to face them wille, even if he doesn¡¯t want to.

    That¡¯s why Sitri¡¯s warning was important.

    He didn¡¯t need her to exin more. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t a full-blooded demon. From the perspective of the other demon heads, this kind of irregrity was rare. There is a high possibility that the others might not like Yong-Ho.

    ¡®That¡¯s why Eligor hid me.¡¯

    There were two reason why he called the dungeon merchant, Sitri, during the ceremony instead of an owner from a different house.

    One was that there were no demons to call and the other reason was to conceal the fact that Yong-Ho ascended to the throne.

    The dungeon was such a mess that when one Crimson Ogre entered, they were on the verge of being killed. If a full-blooded owner from a different family decided to attack them now, they would be done for.

    He had a lot of things to do the more he thought about it.

    Being the owner of a chicken restaurant seemed more promising than being the owner of a dungeon.

    But Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help but smile. His bravery, no, it might be drunken courage, but despite the fact that the situation wasn¡¯t looking so good, he thought of it as a challenge.

    Eligor had a satisfied smile after seeing Yong-Ho and continued exining.

    ¡°The first thing that must be done is to recover the dungeon¡¯s function.¡±

    The window of light suddenly disappeared and an aerial view of the dungeon appeared. Most parts of Mammon¡¯s dungeon were either inactive or destroyed.

    ¡°This is embarrassing to say, but Mammon was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but out of the owners that took over the dungeon, none of them were able to revive the dungeonpletely. Just finding the hidden facilities within the destroyed areas will help you in targeting the dungeon and getting the results that you want.¡±

    In simple terms, it meant there were dungeons within the house that needed to be targeted.

    ¡®It sounds good, but it also sounds fishy.¡¯

    Seeing as how the previous owners weren¡¯t able topletely obtain Mammon of Greed¡¯s power, this wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task. Eligor noticed Yong-Ho¡¯s intentions and spoke.

    ¡°First, it¡¯ll be better to develop the upper level, since it¡¯s safer, and go from there. It¡¯ll be better if you repel the neighboring low-level demon and increase your power.¡±

    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m currently the low-level demon here.¡¯

    Thew of the jungle applied in the demon world. shing with other demons couldn¡¯t be avoided.

    ¡°Eligor, out of the strength type and stamina type, which do you like better?¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    Eligor blinked due to the random question. Instead of exining, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. He wasn¡¯t nning on testing it out on Eligor, but he wanted to see how he would change if he were to use it.

    [Name : Eligor (M)]

    [Race : Red Demon]

    [Main Elements : Fire / Darkness]

    [Main Stats : Red Demon - Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 62/100]

    [Specialized Strength | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Specialized Stamina | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Specialized Mana | ¡ï (1)]

    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air. He lightly touched a box of light that couldn¡¯t be seen by others and above Eligor¡¯s body, a faint silhouette appeared.

    ¡°Ohh.¡±

    No matter which route he took, Eligor would transform into a buff demon, which was different from his current form. He couldn¡¯t be sure since it was just a silhouette, but his wrinkled face might change as well.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    Not knowing what was going on, Eligor looked at Yong-Ho worriedly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Yong-Ho deactivated his power and moved on. Then, they heard a voice on the other side of the door.

    It was the voice of Catalina, who seemed to be extremely excited.

    ¡°Delivery! The package is here! It¡¯s here!¡±

    Both demons and humans get excited when they get a package. Yong-Ho and Eligor looked towards the door with a bright smile.

    &

    Currently, the House of Mammon had eight rooms made out of stones.

    In order to receive the package, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have to run to the dungeon¡¯s entrance. As soon as the demon king¡¯s room opened, Catalina entered with a cart that carried tworge boxes.

    ¡°Sir! It¡¯s here!¡±

    She normally acts calm, but a bright smile was on her face and she couldn¡¯t hide her happiness.

    Just like before, her long ears were pping like wings.

    Catalina pulled the cart in front of the throne and after getting up from the throne, Yong-Ho instinctively petted Catalina¡¯s head. It seemed appropriate.

    ¡°The box is smaller than what I imagined.¡±

    The cart could only carry one box, so it couldn¡¯t be considered small, but like he had said, it was smaller than what he had imagined. It looked just as big as those wooden boxes that are often found at docks.

    ¡°Goblins are small. And they¡¯re probably curled up in that box.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re curled up in there?¡±

    He thought it was absurd how they delivered a living being in a wooden box like that.

    However, Catalina and Eligor didn¡¯t seem bothered by it, so Yong-Ho didn¡¯t say any more.

    He used his eyes tomand Catalina to move the boxes down.

    Using her thin arms, Catalina easily ced the boxes down on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯ll open them now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    As soon as Yong-Ho confirmed, Eligor ripped the seal of the Dungeon Shop that was stuck to the box and used a crowbar to open the box. As if the box had some sort of device, the entire box broke apart and revealed what was inside.

    Like Catalina and Eligor mentioned, a Goblin was curled up inside. It had green skin, arge head, a long, big nose and the knuckles on its hands and feets were bulging out.

    The Goblin just stayed there as if they were frozen and when Yong-Ho looked at them worriedly, Eligor exined.

    ¡°Once you inject mana after registering them with the dungeon spirit, they¡¯ll start working. They¡¯re currently frozen due to the dungeon shop¡¯s magic.¡±

    [Will you register the Goblins as dungeon spirits?]

    The Spirit of the Dungeon asked Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho nodded his head without any hesitation.

    [The two Goblins will be registered as dungeon spirits.]

    As soon as the voice of the dungeon finished speaking, a red pentagram appeared on top of the Goblins.

    Yong-Ho gulped. It wasn¡¯t because he had high expectations of the Goblins.

    He felt the mana¡¯s movement.

    He felt it from himself, to the dungeon and from the dungeon to the Goblin.

    Momentster, the Goblins¡¯ bodies started shaking. Theirrge eyes suddenly opened and the stood up from their seat. They looked up at Yong-Ho with a nk stare.

    They were probably 120cm tall? They were about the same height as an elementary student.

    ¡°They may be small, but they¡¯re talented workers. They¡¯re the best spirits since they don¡¯t eat a lot, but work hard.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s not childbor?¡¯

    After seeing Eligor¡¯s satisfied face, Yong-Ho turned his attention back to the Goblins.

    The Goblins were still out of it. It wasn¡¯t because they¡¯ve awoken, but as stated in the manual, they were usually out of it.

    ¡°Sir, please give them your first order. Anything is fine.¡±

    Eligor spoke and Catalina looked back and forth between the Goblins and Yong-Ho. It seemed like she was expecting something, but she wasn¡¯t in the position to say what she was expecting.

    Yong-Ho continued looking at the Goblins and then shook his head.

    ¡°No, not yet. If I use them like this, it seems like childbor.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    Eligor asked with a shocked look on his face. But, instead of answering, Yong-Ho took a deep breath.

    He activated the Power of Evolution.

    <Chapter 3 - The Power of Evolution> End.

 Chapter 8

    < The Power of Evolution - #2>

    [Race : Goblin (M)]

    [Main Element : Earth]

    [Main Stats : Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    [Strength | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Stamina | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    After officially being registered as a spirit, the categories he wasn¡¯t able to see back at the shop could be seen. Luckily, both the Goblin¡¯s development skill was already at 100. It¡¯s most likely because they were the weakest spirits.

    Eligor and Catalina continued looking at Yong-Ho nervously. Instead of exining to them, Yong-Ho raised his hand. A box of light appeared on top of both the Goblin¡¯s heads.

    The Power of Evolution was the demon king¡¯s power.

    A power that awakened from Yong-Ho¡¯s spirit and was Yong-Ho himself.

    That¡¯s why, it naturally activated. Fire rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s green eyes and mana was released through the tip of his hand.

    The Goblins started shaking. Eligor held his breath as he felt Yong-Ho¡¯s mana being infused into the Goblins. Catalina looked at Yong-Ho with an uneasy expression.

    Momentster.

    Green sparks enveloped the Goblins. The Goblins¡¯ scream filled the room.

    Cough!

    Yong-Ho coughed roughly and took a step back. It was difficult. It felt like all the energy within his body was being drained out of him.

    But, Yong-Ho still smiled. Both of Eligor¡¯s hands were covering his mouth while his eyes turned red like all the other times, and Catalina quickly helped Yong-Ho. Her eyes widened when she saw the Goblins.

    The Goblins transformed.

    The Goblin with specialized strength grew at least 15 cm. Their frail shoulders grew two folds and their upper body transformed into the perfect inverted triangle.

    Even though their legs were short, their arms were huge and strong. It was like looking at a baby gori.

    The Goblin with specialized stamina transformed as well. Their entire body became well-bnced and muscle appeared on their thin arms and legs.

    They were shorter than the other Goblin, but after their crooked back had been straightened, they seemed taller than the Goblin with specialized strength.

    ¡°Th-this is The Power of Evolution!¡±

    Eligor was thrilled. Catalina were still looking at the Goblins with a shocked expression.

    Yong-Ho smiled and gathered the remaining mana. He wanted to lie down and fall asleep, but he activated The Power of Evolution once again and looked at the Goblin with specialized strength.

    [Race : Goblin (M)] [Level One Spirit]

    [Main Element : Earth]

    [Main Stats : Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Strength | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Stamina | ¡ï (1)]

    [Intellect | ¡î (0.5)]

    A category that wasn¡¯t there before appeared. That wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed. Above the two boxes, arge box of light appeared. The words that appeared in it made Yong-Ho feel excited.

    [Promoted Status : Hobgoblin]

    Promoted Status. Transcend. ss change, no, ss promotion!

    Anything was fine. If they evolved once more, the Goblins that were in front of him would go beyond being a Goblin. He would be satisfied if their actual ss increased as well.

    ¡®In the end, they¡¯re just Goblins that evolved into Hobgoblins.¡¯

    Despite being pessimistic, he couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off of his face.

    What¡¯s after a Hobgoblin? Goblin King? High Goblin? Are Catalina and Eligor capable of getting promoted like that?

    ¡®Now that I think about it.¡¯

    That was when Yong-Ho realized that Catalina was hugging him and got worried. Maybe it¡¯s because he came to a realization, but he was able to really feel her presence through her arm, waist and chest.

    Even though he was reborn as a demon king, Yong-Ho was still shy around women.

    ¡®I do like it, but.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t have any energy. However, leaning his body against Catalina was a natural act.

    That¡¯s what Yong-Ho told himself and he epted it. With that, he leaned against her even more without any hesitation. Then, Catalina yelled.

    ¡°Oh, my! Is, is that a horn?¡±

    Yong-Ho flinched at Catalina¡¯s sudden remark, which caused Eligor to yell as well.

    On the Goblins¡¯ foreheads, a small horn, no almost a rock, was sticking out and Eligor looked at them with tearful eyes. He copsed to the floor and was crying tears of joy.

    ¡°Ohh...Oh mighty Maimon.¡±

    Now, he was just bawling. That¡¯s why Yong-Ho chose Catalina since she was able to hold a decent conversation.

    ¡°Catalina, is it that big of a deal that the Goblins have a horn on their forehead?¡±

    Catalina looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. They were close since their body was next to each other and because of that, Catalina¡¯s pretty face was right in front of him.

    Catalina breathed heavily. After looking at him with a dumbfounded expression, she yelled out loud.

    ¡°It-it¡¯s amazing! Amazing indeed! N-no. You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    She yelled due to being over excited, but when he saw her trying to calm herself and change her speech, he thought she was definitely a clutz. Instead of making fun of her or criticizing her, he asked once more.

    ¡°Why is it amazing?¡±

    Catalina had a nk expression. But, it was only for a moment. To demons, it wasmon knowledge, but she realized that Yong-Ho has only been a demon for three days, so this was all new to him.

    After helping Yong-Ho sit on the throne, she started catching her breath. She exined in her calmest manner.

    ¡°In the demon world, a horn represents strength. A demon¡¯s horn ys the role of gathering mana that exists in the world. The stronger their mana is, the demon obtains more andrger horns. Of course having a lot ofrge horns is ufortable, so most usually use magic to hide it or condense it, but...an-anyways, that¡¯s why a horn is important. You can assume a demon¡¯s mana level based on the number of horns they have.¡±

    Even though she was calmer than before, she spoke pretty fast. It seemed like she was out of breath because she stopped to gather her breath. She continued exining after swallowing her saliva a couple of times.

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to increase the number or strengthen a horn. Most demons keep the same horn they were born with. Strengthening the mana is the only way to strengthen or obtain more horns. It¡¯s different for each case. B-but.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    Catalina closed her eyes shut once after hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s question. After gathering her breath again, she spoke with a calm expression.

    ¡°Goblins originally don¡¯t have horns. There are special Goblins that are born with a small horn, but it¡¯s very rare. Goblins don¡¯t really have mana, so it¡¯s pretty much impossible for them to obtain more horns.¡±

    ¡°But, but you made the horns appear, sir. Having horns on those Goblins...¡±

    Eligor spokest. Since he was still crying, his voice was shaking while he talked.

    He had an idea.

    Why Catalina was so surprised and why Eligor was so moved by it.

    ¡®The Power of Evolution.¡¯

    He remembered how Sitri¡¯s eyes sparkled. She introduced herself as being an important figure and he had an idea why she was impressed by him.

    Yong-Ho looked at the Goblins again. Maybe it¡¯s the effects of evolution or the horns that they acquired, but they looked more intelligent than before. When their eyes met, they kneeled down and started stammering when they spoke.

    ¡°Sir, sir.¡±

    ¡°We, we. Pledge allegiance. To You.¡±

    Catalina opened her mouth wide this time. Eligor was getting ready to cry tears of joy again.

    After seeing their reaction, he assumed that Goblins talking was an amazing thing.

    Yong-Ho sat back down on the throne. He asked Catalina, who was still shocked.

    It was about the horns.

 Chapter 9

    < The Power of Evolution #3 >

    ¡°Howe I don¡¯t have a horn?¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s question was very simple.

    Why he didn¡¯t have a horn.

    If having a horn is that important to a demon and if it¡¯s rted to the mana that they have, then howe Yong-Ho, who was a demon king, didn¡¯t have one? Was it because he was half human?

    Catalina had a surprised look on her face and her eyes started blinking. Eligor also looked at Yong-Ho with a surprised expression.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Well...you see...you do have a horn.¡±

    Yong-Ho blinked his eyes after Catalina quietly answered him.

    Catalina carefully raised both of her hands and pointed to the small horns that were located above her ears.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the same location as mine.¡±

    Yong-Ho was really shocked. But, he somewhat understood it.

    Yong-Ho noticed that he hadn¡¯t seen a mirror once since he became the owner of the House of Mammon.

    He did feel something when he was washing his hair, but he didn¡¯t think those were horns.

    ¡®This damn dungeon doesn¡¯t even have a mirror.¡¯

    Yong-Ho followed Catalina and ced both of his hands above his ears. He asked.

    ¡°These are horns?¡±

    Instead of answering him, Catalina nodded. It¡¯s because Yong-Ho¡¯s face and voice were filled with disappointment.

    ¡®I¡¯m a demon king and yet, I only have two horns?¡¯

    They were really small too. They were more like rocks than horns. No, not even rocks. It was more like his bones were slightly sticking out. No wonder he wasn¡¯t able to recognize it before.

    ¡°It¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t been that long since you became the owner. The dungeon¡¯s power will soon be yours. When the dungeon grows, your powers will grow stronger as well. It applies both ways.¡±

    Eligor quickly exined. Catalina nodded her head once and turned into the cold, intellectual woman he met during their first meeting.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that one obtains more horns the more powerful they be. However, the number of horns and their sizes don¡¯t necessarily represent one¡¯s power.¡±

    Yong-Ho knew that behind that cold mask, she was a clutz, but since she was speaking with a straight face, he decided to take her seriously.

    ¡®Well, there¡¯s still a lot I need to work on.¡¯

    All he had to do was get stronger, like Eligor mentioned. It was too early for him to feel disappointed.

    After calming himself, Yong-Ho looked at Catalina again. It¡¯s because he was getting more curious.

    ¡°You said that demons tend to reduce or hide their horns, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Yong-Ho continued looking at Catalina and thankfully, Catalina understood what Yong-Ho meant. She spoke again after clearing her throat.

    ¡°Ahem. I will now open the mana.¡±

    Since there was no reason to stop her, Yong-Ho crossed his arms and nodded. Catalina took a step back and after breathing in deeply, she released her power.

    The Change in Mana. Open.

    This was the mana of the spirit that was connected to the dungeon.

    Yong-Ho definitely felt it. It felt like he was seeing it with his eyes. Catalin¡¯s mana. Her spirit. The mana and spirit¡¯s color and attribute.

    ¡°Haaa, ha...¡±

    Catalina stood up straight after catching her breath. Above her two long ears, yellow horns that were the size of a thumb and index finger added together grew out.

    As expected, they weren¡¯t that big. It looked more like an elephant¡¯s ivory rather than a deer¡¯s antler.

    Maybe it¡¯s because she released her power, because there was a different aura around her. She seemed more keen.

    After staring at her horns, Yong-Ho stood up from the throne and asked.

    ¡°Hey, can I touch them?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, master.¡±

    Catalina¡¯s face turned red. But it felt strange.

    She slightly tilted her head down with two fists clenched. She lightly bit her lips and the way her eyes moved made it seemed like she was filled with nervousness, anxiety and a bit of fear.

    Yong-Ho gulped after catching onto the odd feeling. He slowly extended his hand and touched Catalina¡¯s horn.

    When his hand touched it, Catalina flinched and her shoulders shook a bit, but that was all.

    The horns were cold, soft and hard. It was true when they said that the horns were connected to one¡¯s mana because every time he moved his fingers, he felt Catalina¡¯s mana. The reason why Catalina was flinching was because she felt the mana¡¯s movement.

    ¡®I-I should stop.¡¯

    He felt like he was getting addicted to it. As someone that attended an all-boys school, this was too much.

    Yong-Ho quickly pulled his hand away and stepped back. Catalina let out a small sigh of relief. Yong-Ho felt like an employer that was using their power to control their employees.

    And then.

    ¡°You can touch my horn as well.¡±

    Eligor pushed his head towards him and spoke. Unlike Catalina, his horn was a light grey horn and was located on his forehead. It resembled a rhinoceros¡¯s horn.

    Remembering how Catalina reacted when he touched her horn, instead of touching Eligor¡¯s horn, he stepped to the side. He looked at the two Goblins and spoke.

    ¡°Anyways, you two now have horns.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°I can give you two names, right?¡±

    Yong-Ho ignored Eligor¡¯s question once again and asked. The Spirit of the Dungeon answered.

    ¡°Would you like to register the dungeon spirits¡¯ names?¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded his head instead of answering and thought for a moment.

    If what Eligor said was true, then there will be more of these guys within the dungeonter on. However, since these two were the first ones, he wanted to give them special names.

    ¡®Whatever. I¡¯ll just give them any name.¡¯

    As long as they¡¯re easy and unique names. On top of that, since they were names that the Goblins had to memorize, using easy names was the best.

    ¡°Your name is Jon and you¡¯re Ron.¡±

    The Goblins blinked after hearing the names and a wide smile appeared on their faces.

    ¡°Jon, Jon.¡±

    ¡°Ron, Ron.¡±

    The power type was Jon and the stamina type was Ron.

    The two Goblins repeated their names several times and bowed their heads towards Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Master, thank you, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Happy, happy.¡±

    ¡°The spirits are happy. The employee¡¯s satisfaction level has increased.¡±

    A smile appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face as well. This time, Catalina asked.

    ¡°Excuse me, master.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Are you able to use the Power of Evolution on anyone?¡±

    He was expecting her to ask that question and Yong-Ho was prepared to answer.

    But, Eligor was different. Eligor looked at Catalina fiercely and Catalina¡¯s eyes widened as she flinched. After realizing what kind of question she asked, she kneeled down right away. She tilted her head down in front of Yong-Ho.

    ¡°I apologize for overstepping the boundary. I ask that you forgive me.¡±

    Her ears were shaking and he felt bad about it. Yong-Ho was shocked, but he understood why this happened.

    For a demon king, their power was their strongest weapon. Catalina was only a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, but she was requesting him to tell her his biggest secret.

    ¡®It seems like the previous owner wasn¡¯t reallyid-back.¡¯

    After letting out a deep sigh, Yong-Ho lowered himself and helped Catalina stand up. She still couldn¡¯t look at Yong-Ho, so he spoke to her as calmly as he could.

    ¡°Well, you know. You two are spirits that belong to the dungeon. Unlike the other spirits, you two are special. So, asking questions like that is fine.¡±

    ¡®The satisfaction level doesn¡¯t increase?¡¯

    He expected them to say that their impression of him increased, but the Spirit of the Dungeon didn¡¯t answer. However, since Eligor and Catalina both looked touched, Yong-Ho was satisfied.

    He continued talking with a smile.

    ¡°I can use the Power of Evolution on you two as well. You two might be stronger.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you asked that question before.¡±

    Eligor spoke quietly as if he suddenly remembered it. It seemed like he remembered the time when Yong-Ho asked whether strength was better or stamina was better.

    ¡°Catalina, would you like me to evolve you as well?¡±

    Catalina¡¯s face turned red at Yong-Ho¡¯s question, but it was only for a moment. She quickly turned her attention to the Goblins and answered nervously.

    ¡°Hav-having arge body is a bit...¡±

    As a female, it seemed like she didn¡¯t like it. Yong-Ho jokingly moved his finger and even though she closed her eyes shut, she didn¡¯t move a muscle. Yong-Houghed out loud and lightly flicked Catalina¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it right now. When you¡¯ve fulfilled the requirement, I¡¯ll let you know. Also...there are different ways you can be evolved.¡±

    When she felt Yong-Ho¡¯s hand, Catalina slightly opened her eyes and nodded her head. Her two ears were of course drooping.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be addicted if I don¡¯t be careful.¡¯

    Pulling pranks on her was fun.

    Yong-Ho turned his attention from Catalina to Eligor. And as if he was waiting, Eligor spoke. He looked prepared.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡±

    Since his expression looked so serious, Yong-Ho¡¯s expression became serious as well. As soon as Yong-Ho nodded his head, Eligor spoke.

    ¡°We still have some emergency funds left. It¡¯s not the House of Maimon¡¯s asset...they¡¯re assets that I saved up in case of an emergency.¡±

    As soon as he finished talking, Eligor took out a small bag from his chest. Catalina looked like she didn¡¯t know about this at all, because her eyes widened due to the shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s not much. But, you¡¯ll be able to purchase a one-star spirit with it. For low-ranked spirits like the Goblin, you¡¯ll be able to purchase three...no, four of them.¡±

    Eligor pushed the bag towards him. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure what to do during this situation, so Eligor ced the bag in Yong-Ho¡¯s hand and bowed his head.

    ¡°Please forgive me for being disrespectful. This old spirit was hiding this money all this time so that it can only be used during an emergency. But, I was sure of it after seeing your power. You¡¯re the only one that can revive the House of Maimon.¡±

    As always, tears filled both of his eyes. Catalina was also on the verge of crying.

    ¡°I beg of you. Master. Please use this money. The dungeon needs more spirits right now.¡±

    He understood why Eligor gave him the money now.

    Yong-Ho lightly bit his lip. He honestly didn¡¯t like these melodramatic situations. But, he understood how Eligor felt.

    What were they thinking when they first visited Yong-Ho?

    Were they dreaming of the moment when the House of Maimon would be revived again?

    That¡¯s probably not it. All they wanted was to extend the time before the dungeonpletely died.

    But, Eligor was now dreaming of the moment when the House of Maimon would be revived.

    Honestly, he felt pressured by Eligor. He did this in order to be more cautious and even though it was his own money, the fact that he was hiding it seemed a bit disgraceful. But that didn¡¯t meant that Yong-Ho disliked Eligor.

    In the end, Yong-Ho put on a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ve epted it, Eligor.¡±

    Today as well.

    In order to enter thebor market, Yong-Ho sat on the throne.

    ¡°This is an unexpected visit.¡±

    < The Power of Evolution - #3 > End.

 Chapter 10

    < The Power of Evolution #4 >

    ¡°Oh my, this is an unexpected visit.¡±

    As soon as he entered the white room, Sitri greeted him with a surprised expression. This time, she was wearing a red dress instead of her usual purple dress, but the degree of exposure was still the same.

    Anyone could tell that she was acting, so he intentionally acted like he was rxed.

    ¡°I think you said you weren¡¯t fully in charge of this ce.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s eyes widened and she put on the most charming smile. It felt like her smile could melt away any evil ns.

    Yong-Ho tried to remain calm, but it was difficult. Since Yong-Ho was weak against women, just being within Sitri¡¯s presence made him weak.

    But it didn¡¯t mean that he was staring at her with his mouth wide open. He felt his earlobes turn red and he coughed a couple of times.

    Sitri smiled again. A white table appeared behind her and she leaned her butt against it and spoke.

    ¡°Just because I¡¯m an important figure, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m always busy. And honestly, I had a feeling.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re contradicting what you said earlier.¡±

    Sitri was a beautiful woman and she knew just how beautiful she was. Because of that, she disyed a beautiful smile after hearing Yong-Ho¡¯sment. Momentster, the table transformed into a chair and as she sat on the chair, she crossed her legs. She was staring at Yong-Ho.

    ¡°You¡¯ve used the Power of Evolution.¡±

    Yong-Ho was inexperienced. That¡¯s why, he flinched and couldn¡¯t hide his nervousness.

    But, Sitri was satisfied with that. Yong-Ho just recently ascended to the throne. Making a big fuss and notpletely showing his emotions was enough.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be on your guard. Other than me, no one else knows that my lovely customer has be the head of the Family of Mammon or that you¡¯ve be the Demon of Evolution.¡±

    He wanted to ask whether it would be noticeable if he used the skill, but decided not to. Instead, he asked something else.

    ¡°Do you know of any other Demon of Evolution besides me?¡±

    Sitri didn¡¯t answer right away. She changed her position and ced her chin on the back of her hand.

    After thinking for a bit, spoke.

    ¡°It happened a long time ago. But, the person that I know of and your evolution skill isn¡¯tpletely the same. It¡¯s safe to say that the power is the Demon King¡¯s soul.¡±

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t ask more questions. Sitri was kind and beautiful and although she seemed to like Yong-Ho, she wasn¡¯tpletely on his side. Yong-Ho could only trust Catalina and Eligor.

    When Yong-Ho didn¡¯t ask more questions, Sitri stood up from her seat. She approached Yong-Ho and stood about three steps away from him. A small, white table appeared before Sitri and Yong-Ho.

    ¡°I would like to provide you with a small gift as a way to apologize for my rudeness. Are you okay with it?¡±

    ¡°Go on?¡±

    Between her cleavage...It seemed like there was some sort of bag between her cleavage because she took something out of therest time too...she took out three small, leather bags and ced them on the table.

    ¡°Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed has deep rtionships with wealth. If I were to use an expression from your world...you¡¯re lucky when ites to money.¡±

    Since he was the Demon of Greed, it made sense. She ced her long, slim finger on top of the leather bags. She caught his attention.

    ¡°Among them, there¡¯s a coupon that allows you to purchase a Rank Two spirit. If you can find it with just one try, I¡¯ll give it to you as a present. And if I were to give you a hint...don¡¯t think about it. Grab the bag that you want.¡±

    Sitri put on a smile after she finished talking. Yong-Ho looked at the bags and immediately grabbed the bag that was in the middle.

    Yong-Ho was surprised by how he grabbed it without any hesitation. It was as if his hand had a mind of its own.

    Sitri opened the bag in front of him. A green gem, that was as big as a thumbnail, was inside the bag.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡±

    And then, she opened the other bags to let him check. They were empty.

    Luck in wealth.

    It was definitely useful. It was a good skill. But, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help but be a bit disappointed.

    Is having luck in wealth the only power that Greed has, despite it being one of the Seven Deadly Sins?

    Sitri noticed. She waved her slim index finger in front of Yong-Ho.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the only power Greed has. This is just a small portion of its power. Don¡¯t be disappointed by it.¡±

    What she said was helpful, but the fact that she was able to read his mind made him feel ufortable.

    Yong-Ho grabbed the green gem that Sitri ced on the table and spoke.

    ¡°Thank you for your service.¡±

    The information regarding Greed¡¯s power and the coupon that allowed him to purchase spirits.

    Sitri was satisfied when he thanked her for her service. This time, she pulled out arge book from thin air and ced in on the table. It was extremely big and thick, which made him think of an English dictionary.

    ¡°Unlike the low-level spirits that you purchasedst time, for spirits that are at least Rank One, we provide a catalogue like this. And there are two types within the catalogue. A Free Labour Market and a ve Market.¡±

    Out of all the words that he heard after stepping into this world, it was the darkest word, and yet, it felt natural for them to have one.

    Sitri exined.

    ¡°Spirits that are registered in the Free Labour Market are spirits that are trying to find a master to serve. Even if there¡¯s a spirit that you want to employ, you may not be able to employ them. The spirits are given the chance to choose their master.¡±

    ¡°And the ve Market doesn¡¯t have that?¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s correct. Like the name, they¡¯re ves. Spirits are usually sent to this market because they¡¯re not smart, are self-conscious, were created and for other reasons as well. The Free Labour Market has a variety of spirits and are a lot smarter and stronger, but in the ve Market, there are times when you get your money¡¯s worth. You don¡¯t need to negotiate with the spirit andpared to the Free Labour Market, the spirits are a lot cheaper, so there are a lot of owners that prefer to use this market.¡±

    Yong-Ho looked at the green gem that was in his hand.

    ¡°And I can only use this in the ve Market, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart, my lovely customer.¡±

    It wasmon sense to figure these things out. In the current situation, there probably won¡¯t be any spirits that would be willing to form a contract. On top of that, if he hired those spirits, then rumors about the House of Mammon having a new owner will spread.

    Sitri turned the book around so that Yong-Ho could read it. This was the first time he¡¯s seen this world¡¯s letters, but the moment he saw it, he was able to understand it.

    [Rank 2 Spirit Catalogue - ve Market]

    ¡°Have fun shopping, my lovely customer.¡±

    With a smile on her face, Sitri took a step back and just like before, disappeared into thin air.

    And couple of secondster.

    ¡®She¡¯s a tiring one. I miss the simple-minded Catalina. I miss her.¡¯

    Yong-Ho yawned due to his tiredness and sat on the chair that appeared behind him.

    ¡®Great.¡¯

    Anyways, it was free and if he gets lucky, he¡¯ll get his money¡¯s worth. No, he would be satisfied with an ordinary spirit too.

    Yong-Ho opened the catalogue.

    &

    He didn¡¯t think he would be able to obtain a Rank Two spirit for free.

    But, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t enter Virtual Space to shop impulsively.

    He originally was going to purchase a Rank One spirit.

    He had a n.

    First. Purchase a spirit for battle.

    Two. Obtain a low-level spirit that will strengthen the military power.

    Currently, Catalina was the only soldier that could actually fight. If there was really a battle, he was going to use the two Goblins in battle and he was going to fight as well, but using the workers as defense was thest resort.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho inspected Catalina first.

    Since she was a half Subus and half Dark Elf, Catalina was able to use daggers, arrows and throwing knives. She was an attacker that could do both close and long range attacks, but whenparing to an MMORPG, her ss would be a thief.

    The new spirit he was going to purchase would act as a dungeon¡¯s shield and will be working with Catalina. That¡¯s why, he needed to purchase one with Catalina¡¯s weakness in mind so that they could work together as a team.

    What would an attack need from the defense line? Another long range attacker?

    ¡®A tanker is the answer.¡¯

    They¡¯ll be working as the dungeon¡¯s gatekeeper anyways, so mobility wasn¡¯t that important. What he needed was a spirit with arge build and had the potential to develop further.

    ¡®Let¡¯s check it out anyways.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t cost money to go eye shopping. If he observed the spirit that he was going to purchaseter, it¡¯ll help him with his purchase n.

    He was honestly nervous. Even in games, he would get nervous when he was asked to choose characters for a team.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    The spirits¡¯ names and physical looks were definitely different.

    A Hellhound that spit out fire.

    A Bugbear that had arge build and had superhuman strength.

    Arge Slime that used strong acid.

    He couldn¡¯t use the Power of Evolution because he had to save his mana, but just looking at the catalogue was quite fun.

    On top of that, the spirits weren¡¯t just printed on a piece of paper. Every time Yong-Ho turned the page, arge screen that was floating in the air would disy the spirit. Yong-Ho was able to see the spirits in their natural state and it was like looking at a hologram.

    ¡®There¡¯s not a lot I can choose from though.¡¯

    Even though he took his time looking at the catalogue, it didn¡¯t take him long to finish it. Under the Rank Two spirits, there was a total of 15 species. Like Sitri exined before, most of them were either self-conscious or weren¡¯t that smart.

    ¡®Hm, I guess they don¡¯t have an Elf.¡¯

    No one was in that room, but Yong-Ho coughed and after waving his finger, three spirits that he saved before were disyed on the screen.

    He activated the Power of Evolution.

    < The Power of Evolution #4 > End.

 Chapter 11

    < The Power of Evolution #5 >

    [No 03.]

    [Race : Skeleton Warrior (Gender : - )]

    [Specialty : Defense]

    [Bone Solidity | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]

    [Agility | ¡î (0.5)]

    [No 09.]

    [Race : y Golem (Gender : - )]

    [Specialty : Striking]

    [Strength | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]

    [No 15.]

    [Race : Treant (M)]

    [Specialty : Vine Binding]

    [Vine Binding | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Physique | ¡ï (1)]

    [Agility | ¡î (0.5)]

    This was different from the time when he picked out the Goblins, because there wasn¡¯t a variety of species, so all he had to do was pick one out of the three.

    There were of course pros and cons to each one.

    The Skeleton Warrior was about two meters tall and as an undead, they didn¡¯t require food. Since their body was made out of bones, other than their bones breaking, they won¡¯t really get injured.

    Their main weapons were a sword and shield, and although it made them look like a clutz, they were wearing a helmet and armor. Because of this, it made them look like your ordinary tanker.

    However, in order to maintain them, it required a lot of mana. The dungeon solely relied on Yong-Ho, so getting a Skeleton Warrior was too much for him to handle.

    The y Golem was made out of y, like their name stated. Like the Skeleton Warrior, they didn¡¯t require food and the amount of mana it took to maintain them was lower than the Skeleton Warrior.

    They were almost three meters tall. Since they had broad shoulders, they would be able to block paths.

    The downside was that their movements were slow, but when thinking about using them to defend themselves, it wasn¡¯t a big issue. They¡¯ll end up sitting in the middle of the road within the dungeon and endure the enemy¡¯s attacks.

    The y Golem looked as if it was created by a child and they didn¡¯t use any weapons.

    Thest spirit was the Treant.

    It was a tree monster that had its face right in the center of the bark and the vines were extended out like arms and legs.

    Out of the three, this spirit had thergest figure. The vines extended out above its head as well, so it was difficult to determine how tall they were, but they were definitely over three meters. Its body was so thick, that two grown men wouldn¡¯t be able topletely hug it.

    Since it could nt itself into the ground like an ordinary tree, they didn¡¯t require food. All they needed was a decent amount of nutrients and water and since they were a spirit that lived in the dungeon, they didn¡¯t require a lot of sunlight.

    ¡®Mobility is an issue though.¡¯

    Its mobility was worse than the y Golem, but the fact that it can move the vines like a tentacle all throughout the dungeon was charming. If it nted itself in the middle of a walkway, it can extend its vines and create a strong shield.

    ¡®The Golem or the Treant?¡¯

    Without their special skill, they would be nothing more than an ordinary spirit, but since they both had different skills, Yong-Ho had to choose based on their specialty and stats.

    Yong-Ho looked between the two spirits. He saw their development route and imagined howpatible they would be with Catalina.

    Secondster.

    Yong-Ho made his decision.

    &

    He opened his eyes after it twitched a bit. He raised his dizzy head and came back to his senses. Near him, he saw Catalina and Eligor looking at him worriedly.

    ¡°Ha...Ha.....¡±

    He had no energy. It felt as if he ran a 100 meter dash several times.

    ¡°Sir, are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?¡±

    Catalina carefully asked while wiping the sweat off of Yong-Ho¡¯s forehead with a handkerchief. Eligor also spoke with a worried expression.

    ¡°You¡¯ve used too much of your mana and you also stayed at Virtual Space for too long.¡±

    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho was catching his breath. After Catalina wiped off the sweat, he took a step back and spoke. His throat was pretty dry.

    ¡°How long...was I there?¡±

    ¡°About two hours.¡±

    Eligor answered immediately. Yong-Ho closed his eyes again and sat on the throne. When the cold stone touched his body, he felt better.

    ¡®I used too much mana.¡¯

    The fact that he spent two hours in that ce wasn¡¯t the issue. The problem was that after he evolved the two Goblins, he used the Power of Evolution to observe the spirits.

    ¡®I have a long way to go.¡¯

    Yong-Ho was contemting about his development route, but it seemed like he had to increase his mana first.

    After catching his breath more, he opened his eyes. He saw the two Goblins, who were mumbling their names, and Catalina and Eligor. He looked at them one by one and then smiled.

    Even though they were worried about his condition, it was obvious that they wanted to ask about the spirits that he purchased. However, since the owner¡¯s body wasn¡¯t in the best condition, they held back.

    Yong-Ho spoke with a smile.

    ¡°The Treant is what I purchased.¡±

    Catalina and Eligor didn¡¯t react right away. Catalina blinked herrge eyes and Eligor asked with a shocked expression.

    ¡°Sir, the Treant is a Rank Two spirit...¡±

    ¡°Do you know who I am? I¡¯m the demon king that obtained the Power of Greed.¡±

    Yong-Ho exined everything that happened between him and Sitri.

    There was no need to hide it from them and there was a need to share this information since both Catalina and Eligor belonged to the dungeon.

    The fact that Sitri liked him has be a big help, but Yong-Ho couldn¡¯tpletely trust her. He couldn¡¯tpletely open up to her in order to gain something that onlysted for a moment.

    ¡°Eligor, I used half of the money that was registered into the dungeon¡¯s shop. Since I purchased two additional Goblins, it¡¯ll increase the development speed. They gave me a Skeleton for free for purchasing a lot.¡±

    When Yong-Ho spoke with a smile, Eligor looked as if he was deeply moved. He knew what Eligor was going to do next, so Yong-Ho decided to intercept. He stood up from the throne and spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m excited for the next delivery. Shall we eat?¡±

    Even though he spoke confidently, his body reacted differently. Before he could finish talking, his legs started shaking and almost caused him to copse. Catalina quickly rushed to his side and helped him up and Yong-Ho saw Catalina¡¯s worried face.

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely morefortable.¡±

    He was able to read her thoughts just from seeing her expression. Even though the were both beautiful, Catalina¡¯s mentality was a lot healthier than Sitri.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, you¡¯re just cute.¡±

    Three days ago, he had trouble just looking at her face because she was beautiful.

    As Yong-Ho shook his head, he leaned his body against hers even more. Yong-Ho spoke to Eligor and the Goblins that were watching from behind.

    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s eat. Let¡¯s eat and rest.¡±

    There was no need to push himself any further. Eligor, Catalina and even the Goblins quickly started their tasks.

    It¡¯s been three days since the new owner entered the House of Mammon.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon was regaining its past glory.

    It was a small amount and very slowly, but surely, it was regaining it.

    < The Power of Evolution #5 > End.

 Chapter 12

    <The Heart of the Dungeon #1>

    Laws exist within the demon world. But one can¡¯t expect the demon world to havews as a civilized nation.

    No, even in advanced countries, they used cruel violence instead of thew.

    Thew of the jungle.

    Survival of the fittest.

    In the demon world, a fist was more powerful than thew.

    It didn¡¯t matter to low-ranked spirits like Goblins. As the lowest being in the pyramid, they were satisfied with just being alive.

    However, as the demon king and the owner of the spirits, it was a different story.

    They needed to get stronger in order to survive. It wasn¡¯t a choice, but a necessity.

    &

    ¡°Whew... Ha.......¡±

    Yong-Ho was breathing heavily while sweating. After awakening as a demon king, his body did get stronger, but he didn¡¯t be a wless superman.

    The room that was located in front of the demon king¡¯s room.

    Yong-Ho leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He used the trick that Catalina taught him on how to circte the mana that was within his body.

    It was safe to say that a demon king¡¯s body was a lump of mana. Just circting the mana that was within his body will resolve the fatigue that his body was feeling.

    ¡®Do they not get tired?¡¯

    Yong-Ho had a bitter smile on his face as he looked straight ahead. His soldier, Catalina, and the Rank Two spirit, Treant, were currently sparring with each other.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to beat me if you keep that up.¡±

    Catalina spoke as if she was making fun of them. Her opponent was the Treant that nted its roots in the middle of the room.

    Catalina¡¯s act of provocation was more effective because it was different from her usual clumsy personality.

    Her attack was fast and sharp. Honestly, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have the confidence to dodge that attack. On top of that, there were no less than four vines.

    However, Catalina maintained her smile. Instead of stepping back and dodging them, she ran towards the vines. The way she dodged the vines was so natural that it looked like he was seeing a feather ride the wind.

    As she got closer, the Treant tried to attack, but it was no use. After jumping off of the ground, Catalina disappeared. Or, that¡¯s what it looked like in their eyes.

    After breathing in.

    Catalina appeared again. She appeared behind the spirit and using the sheathed sword that was in her hand, she gently tapped the Treant¡¯s body.

    ¡°With this, it¡¯s 10:0.¡±

    If the Treant grabbed or touched Catalina with their vines, it was their win.

    If Catalina dodges the vines and touch the Treant¡¯s body, then Catalina wins.

    It was a very simple rule and like Catalina had mentioned, this was her 10th win.

    Catalina was spinning around with a smile while the Treant was shaking in anger. After seeing Yong-Ho, she bowed politely. She looked like a magician that bowed to the audience after performing their magic trick.

    Even though Catalina had a clumsy side, that was just one part of her.

    The House of Mammon was still a family even if they experienced a downfall. Catalina was the guard of this house and had the skills to match it.

    ¡®But. Why am I in a bad mood?¡¯

    No, to be exact, he wasn¡¯t in a bad mood. It¡¯s more like he could rte to the Treant more than Catalina.

    Catalina had a calm face while her ears were pping and was waiting for Yong-Ho topliment her, but Yong-Ho saw how defeated the Treant looked.

    ¡®I will definitely try...no, I¡¯ll evolve your vines. Hang in there, Treant. You¡¯ll beat her next time!¡¯

    Before that, Yong-Ho had to develop himself first.

    It¡¯s been six days since he became the head of the house.

    Catalina has been teaching Yong-Ho how to fight during the past three days. Since he¡¯s never fought before, it wasn¡¯t easy, however, he wasn¡¯t beingzy about his training.

    ¡°Have you gotten used to the training?¡±

    He wiped off the sweat using the water that was in the room and when he walked out, Eligor greeted him with a smile. The clothes that Eligor brought were ordinary clothes that he bought from the dungeon shop and was made for human-like spirits. It was an ordinary gray outfit that didn¡¯t have any designs. Yong-Ho changed into them and answered.

    ¡°Somewhat. It¡¯s kind of fun moving my body around.¡±

    ¡°I was worried about Catalina¡¯s training...but it¡¯s a relief that you¡¯re very smart. This is a blessing from Mammon himself.¡±

    Eligor must¡¯ve not trusted her as well. With a bitter smile, he followed Eligor to the king¡¯s room.

    It was to see how the Goblins were working.

    There was a total of four Goblins within the dungeon.

    Jon was the one that specialized in strength and Ron specialized in stamina.

    The two additional Goblins that he purchased haven¡¯t been developed yet since he had to save his mana, but they specialized in agility and intellect.

    He didn¡¯t know what kind of development would be most effective for Goblins, so he chose them in order to gather data.

    ¡°Of course the warehouse would be the first ce.¡±

    The first thing the Goblins did was building the warehouse. It was called a warehouse, but it was just a room and after activating it, all they did was stack various resources.

    Eligor started exining while pointing to various wood and stones.

    ¡°In some ways, the dungeon itself is another spirit. You cannot install all the facilities with just mana alone. You need wood, stone, metals and other ingredients as well. The dungeon shop sell these ingredients, but if we can obtain them from around us, that¡¯ll be better.¡±

    They needed to save as much as possible.

    Yong-Ho asked after looking at the materials again.

    ¡°What are you thinking about building next?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be the one to decide, but I personally would like to suggest building a prison.¡±

    ¡°A prison?¡±

    It was something he hadn¡¯t thought about, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask loudly. Eligor answered calmly.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s safe to say that there aren¡¯t any dungeons that doesn¡¯t have a prison.¡±

    The games that Yong-Ho yed had dungeons as well. No, when he thought about the word, dungeon, not having a prison seemed odd.

    ¡°No, but still. A prison is used to lock up prisoners...there¡¯s really no reason to that, right?¡±

    He doubted they could capture a prisoner now and on top of that, he was busy taking care of the others.

    Eligor had a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Oh...so you won¡¯t let the prisoners have a chance to live. It¡¯s the right thing to say as the demon king and this old man has been touched.¡±

    Instead of contemting about what he said, a frown appeared on his face. Eligor continued talking.

    ¡°A prison isn¡¯t just used to keep prisoners in. It can be used as a punishment for spirits. In order to control feeble-minded spirits, like the Goblins, you need both carrot and stick.¡±

    Yong-Ho briefly thought about how the Goblins and Catalina would cry if they were put in the prison and nodded his head. He still wasn¡¯t sure if it was necessary, but Eligor knew more about the dungeon and the demon world, so his judgement was most likely correct.

    ¡°Okay, then begin the construction. Also, give me data on the types of traps and dungeon facilities that can be created in our current situation. I¡¯ll check when Ie back.¡±

    Eligor briefly wondered what he meant when he said he would check when he came back. He asked with a bright expression.

    ¡°Will you be starting today?¡±

    ¡°Might as well start as soon as possible. I already told Catalina to get ready. Since we¡¯re just starting, it probably won¡¯t be that dangerous.¡±

    Most of the functions within the dungeon were inactive. The activated functions didn¡¯t even make up 10% of the inactive functions and if he considered the underground area, the current dungeon was just the tip of the iceberg.

    Because of that, he needed to explore the dungeon. It was to acquire the House of Mammon¡¯s hidden inheritance.

    ¡®It¡¯s a bit odd that I¡¯m putting my life on the line to explore my own ce.¡¯

    Out of the previous owners, not one of them were able topletely reactivate the dungeon because it was too big. However, this wasn¡¯t the only reason.

    Exploring the dungeon was dangerous. Within the dungeon, a good amount of Mammon¡¯s inheritance was hidden and at the same time, unknown traps existed as well.

    High risk, high return.

    Yong-Ho made the decision to recover the House of Mammon¡¯s power.

    ¡®I¡¯m not nning on overdoing it from the start though.¡¯

    First, he was nning on reactivating the areas that the previous owners discovered and then decided to grow his mana and gain experience in the development skill. He could explore the depths of the dungeon after he gets stronger.

    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s a ce I would like for you to visit first. It¡¯s been six days since the dungeon has been reactivated, so I¡¯m sure it has regained its form.¡±

    Yong-Ho tilted his head.

    ¡°Regained its form? What are you talking about?¡±

    Eligor had a soft smile on his face. After Yong-Ho ascended to the throne, he was informed about it on the first day, but it was a ce he never visited.

    ¡°It¡¯s the core of the dungeon. I¡¯m talking about the Heart of the Dungeon.¡±

    <The Heart of the Dungeon #1> End.

    If you enjoyed this chapter and would like to support Jen and her trantions, please consider pledging to her Patreon @

 Chapter 13

    <The Heart of the Dungeon #2>

    In the demon king¡¯s room, behind the throne, there¡¯s a door. When he pushed the curtain to the side, a small, but sturdy door appeared.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve exined before, the dungeon isn¡¯t simply a building, but a living being that you can call a spirit.

    Like the name suggests, the Heart of the Dungeon is the heart of all living things.¡±

    ¡°It provides mana instead of blood?¡±

    When Yong-Ho added to his exnation, Eligor smiled and answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±

    The room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located wasn¡¯t different from the other rooms. It was a square room that was dark and hard.

    One thing that was different was that in the middle of the room, on top of a shabby altar, there was arge marble.

    It was arge, green marble that was a bit bigger than a human¡¯s head. As the owner that¡¯s connected to the dungeon¡¯s spirit, Yong-Ho realized something as soon as he looked at the marble.

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    That was the Heart of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Hello, master.¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if they were waiting for him. Since this was the Heart of the Dungeon, he expected the spirit to appear as a hologram, but he only heard their voice.

    Yong-Ho suppressed his disappointment and asked the spirit.

    ¡°Is that marble your main body?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s small now, but it will berger soon.¡±

    Yong-Ho walked closer to the marble. Inside the emerald-colored marble, there was a me that was dancing inside it.

    Eligor, who was quietly watching him from behind, spoke.

    ¡°There are many different ways to grow the dungeon, but in the end, it can be condensed into one sentence. Providing mana.¡±

    Yong-Ho turned around and Eligor continued his exnation.

    ¡°All living things within the demon world have different levels of mana. It even applies to the low-level spirits that don¡¯t have horns. And the more horns that a spirit has, the more mana they have. We call that lump of mana extract.¡±

    Yong-Ho was able to sense a lot of things from Eligor. He was able to sense the emotions Eligor disyed on his face, his spirit and the flow of his mana.

    The mana that flowed all throughout his body started from the center of his chest and ended there as well.

    ¡°When a demon family dies, the lump of mana will naturally disperse like water or wind. However, if it hasn¡¯t been that long since the family died, that mana can be recalled.¡±

    ¡°And you pour that mana into the Heart of the Dungeon?¡±

    Eligor smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. You have a good understanding.¡±

    He had a basic idea. If this were a game, it would be like investing into the Heart of the Dungeon with the experience that you gain by killing a monster.

    ¡°There is one simple, but extreme method.¡±

    When Eligor spoke, Yong-Ho understood.¡±

    ¡°You can extract mana from the Heart of the Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. That¡¯s the biggest reason why ¡®dungeon hunting¡¯ or ¡®dungeon wars¡¯ ur.¡±

    Eligor emphasized several times about how the dungeon was a spirit. If mana can be gathered from a demon family, then it¡¯s only right for demons to be able to extract mana from the Heart of the Dungeon.

    ¡°There is a massive amount of mana that can be extracted from it. The bigger and older the dungeon is, the more massive the dungeon¡¯s mana is.¡±

    What he was saying wasmon sense. But, Yong-Ho felt out of ce by what he just said.

    He asked Eligor.

    ¡°Can the mana only be extracted while the owner is still alive?¡±

    Yong-Ho was getting ahead of himself, but Eligor understood. He spoke with a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart. That isn¡¯t the case. If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon will die as well, however, the Heart of the Dungeon itself will not die.¡±

    ¡°That sounds a bit odd.¡±

    It¡¯s been over a year since the previous owner of the dungeonmitted suicide.

    The mana can be extracted from the Heart of the Dungeon even if the owner is dead.

    If what he said were true, then there was one question.

    How was the House of Mammon kept safe all this time?

    ¡°The reason why the dungeon was safe during the past year is fairly simple.

    Eligor approached Yong-Ho. He politely pointed at the Heart of the Dungeon.

    ¡°There¡¯s a protective film around it and it protects the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s mana. It¡¯ll require a lot of mana to break the barrier with strength. However, once the owner dies and the Heart of the Dungeon goes into the resting stage, the barrier will be weaker and weaker.¡±

    ¡°Then, until the barrier weakens, the other owners, no, the weaker demons, are waiting for the right opportunity?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Right now, this dungeon is...I¡¯m sorry. Even though we¡¯ve fallen, the dungeon¡¯s history is well-known within the demon world. Since the barrier bes stronger depending on the dungeon¡¯s history, the weaker demons won¡¯t think about getting near it.¡±

    He somewhat understood. Also, Eligor and Catalina wouldn¡¯t just stand by and watch the other demons take the mana.

    But, he still had questions.

    ¡°Then, what about the other demons?¡±

    A frown appeared on Eligor¡¯s face.

    ¡°Even though the barrier is strong, it¡¯s been awhile since the dungeon fell, so there isn¡¯t much mana to extract.¡±

    ¡°To them, it¡¯s weak.¡±

    To the weaker demons, it was a prize worth stealing, but the barrier was too strong.

    To the strong owners, there wasn¡¯t much they could take, so it wasn¡¯t worth the effort.

    Yong-Ho understood the current situation. He asked about what should be done from now on.

    ¡°How long does it usually take for that barrier to weaken?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different depending on the dungeon, but usually, it drops to about half after a year.

    ¡°If the weaker spirits were really waiting...¡±

    Eligor didn¡¯t answer, but he knew what Yong-Ho was thinking just from his expression. If the spirits fought against each other to get the mana, then this was the best time for them to attack the Heart of the Dungeon.

    ¡°We need to strengthen the defense as soon as possible.¡±

    No matter how he thought of it, being the son of a chicken shop was better than being the owner of the House of Mammon.

    But, he already epted it. Instead ofining, Yong-Ho checked the things he had to do.

    ¡°Strengthen all three traps so that they¡¯ll work properly. And like I¡¯ve requested before, give me a report of all facilities and traps.

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    Eligor answered with respect. After taking a deep breath, Yong-Ho walked around the room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located in.

    Enemies would eventually enter this ce.

    Comining about a future that won¡¯t change is something that a dummy would do. The only thing the owner of the dungeon can do is to do their best.

    ¡°Great. Shall we go look around?¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke energetically and walked out of the room.

    It was time to explore the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    &

    Yong-Ho crossed his arms. He looked down while standing in a slightly crooked position and then slowly looked up again. After inspecting the figure before him, he asked.

    ¡°Um, what¡¯s with that outfit?¡±

    It was his guard, Catalina.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing her usual suit. She was wearing a ck, leather pair of pants that hugged her soft skin and she wore a pair of boots that enveloped her firm calves.

    She wore a piece of ck, leather top that reminded him of a swimsuit, but since the top was pretty short, it revealed a part of her waist and pelvis. She wore a pair of ck arm warmers, which came up right before her bare shoulders and a small catapult was installed on her left arm, which she could use with one hand.

    It was fine up until here. She looked like one of those sexy, female robbers that appear in games.

    The issue was the ck hood that she wore on her head.

    Usually, hoods would sit on top of shoulders or is connected on the back like a cape, but it only covered her neck, head and face.

    .

    Catalina carefully answered Yong-Ho. He couldn¡¯t tell since it was covered by the hood, but it seemed like her ears were drooping.

    ¡°Um...this is mybat gear.¡±

    ¡°I see. It suits you.¡±

    She looked pretty in it and since agility was important to Catalina, it was an appropriate outfit.

    ¡®The hood matches with the thief ss.¡¯

    After acknowledging it, Yong-Ho waved his finger and created a window of light in the air. After bing close with the Spirit of the Dungeon, it was a skill he was able to use at will.

    The window of light disyed the dungeon¡¯s map.

    ¡°First, I¡¯m thinking about going through the areas that the previous owners didn¡¯t activate.¡±

    Yong-Ho pointed at the ck areas while talking. Catalina spoke carefully.

    ¡°But, sir. Won¡¯t that be too dangerous?¡±

    He knew what Catalina was worried about. But, Yong-Ho had made up his mind.

    ¡°The areas that the previous owners activated are safer. But, those areas have already been looked at by the previous owners. There won¡¯t be much left, right?¡±

    It was reasonable, so all Catalina could do was nod. Yong-Ho looked at her and asked.

    ¡°But, what do you mean by dangerous?¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem like the traps were what she was worried about.

    Catalina hesitated for a bit, but when she made up her mind, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath. She looked straight at Yong-Ho and spoke.

    ¡°The House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon is wide and deep. Not one of the previous owners were able topletely activate every part of the dungeon. The previous owner and the owner before that weren¡¯t able to go near the lower level.¡±

    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a lower level? The map that the Spirit of the Dungeon showed didn¡¯t disy that.¡±

    With a shocked expression, Yong-Ho zoomed in on the map. No matter where he looked, there wasn¡¯t a lower level.

    Catalina nced at Yong-Ho and spoke.

    ¡°Um, with all due respect sir, you aren¡¯t able to control all over the dungeon with your current power, so that¡¯s why you can¡¯t see it. It¡¯s because the Spirit of the Dungeon relies on your strength.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m unable to look at the entire map yet.¡±

    Instead of answering, Catalina disyed an awkward smile and Yong-Ho nodded. He asked another question.

    ¡°How many lower levels are there?¡±

    ¡°I apologize, but I don¡¯t exactly know how many levels there are.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. There¡¯s no need to be sorry. Just tell me everything that you know.¡±

    If she were this careful every time, it would tire out the other person. Thankfully, instead of being intimidated, she answered right away.

    ¡°This is something I¡¯ve heard from the previous guard, so I¡¯m not sure how urate it is, but there¡¯s at least five lower levels. The previous guard assumed that the lower you go, it bes a narrower inverted triangle.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    The first floor was so big that it could fit 100 rooms. But, if there were lower levels too, then this dungeon was extremely big.

    ¡°Catalina, you¡¯re not saying it¡¯s dangerous just because of the traps, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s not because of the traps.¡±

    Catalina stopped talking. It seemed like she had something important to say because she closed her eyes momentarily and breathed in. Yong-Ho became nervous just looking at her.

    As soon as she gulped, Catalina spoke.

    ¡°Mammon¡¯s Spirits lie somewhere within this dungeon.¡±

    <The Heart of the Dungeon #2> End.

 Chapter 14

    < The Heart of the Dungeon #3 >

    ¡°The demon king Mammon¡¯s? One of the Seven Deadly Sins...so you¡¯re saying my ancestor¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. They¡¯re the spirits that Lord Mammon gathered himself.¡±

    Her expression was serious, but her voice was filled with nervousness.

    A frown appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face. After gulping, he asked again.

    ¡°Does that mean they¡¯re like you and Eligor and they belong to the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    That didn¡¯t seem like the case. That¡¯s probably why she referred to them as Mammon¡¯s Spirits instead the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits.

    ¡°Did they go crazy because they were locked up for a long time?¡±

    To the point where they didn¡¯t notice their owner. Since they were locked up alone in this dark dungeon somewhere, it¡¯s possible for them to be that way.

    But, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case this time too.

    Catalina bit her lips. It seemed too difficult for her to say because she spoke after thinking about how to say it.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that it doesn¡¯t happen at all, but there¡¯s a bigger problem. You see...¡±

    Yong-Ho let out a deep sigh. It wasn¡¯t because he was frustrated with her. While she was hesitating, Yong-Ho started thinking and became sure after seeing her expression.

    ¡°They don¡¯t acknowledge the owners. Mammon¡¯s spirits.¡±

    Catalina couldn¡¯t say anything and instead, affirmed it through her expression and actions.

    Few momentster, she spoke.

    ¡°With all due respect sir, there was an owner that was killed by Mammon¡¯s Spirit. It¡¯s because they didn¡¯t pass the test that Mammon¡¯s Spirit presented.¡±

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. And then he let out a deep sigh.

    He understood why the previous owners couldn¡¯tpletely activate the entire dungeon.

    Mammon¡¯s Spirits.

    He was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and controlled 1/4th of the demon world in the past and those were the spirits that he himself gathered.

    ¡°But, how are they still alive? Do they gain eternal life if they¡¯re high-ranked demons?¡±

    He thought the question was weird. If high-ranked demons gained eternal life, then there¡¯s no reason for Mammon to die.

    Catalina answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that high-ranked demons live for a long time, but they do not gain eternal life. Most of the spirits are currently sealed. They¡¯ll fall asleep and wake up when someone is near. There are spirits where their bodies are dead and their spirits remain in the dungeon. The demon king, Mammon, was a very possessive demon.¡±

    Does that mean he kept their spirits as his underlings even after they¡¯ve died?

    Yong-Ho thought of the different funerary practices, such as a pharaoh¡¯s grave, and then shook his head.

    ¡°Okay, fine. Let¡¯s think positively. If I pass their test, that means I¡¯ll be able to recruit them as my underling. Right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll pass the test. I believe in you.¡±

    Catalina spoke with a hopeful expression. She looked really cute, but at the same time, he felt burdened by it.

    Including Eligor, Catalina trusted and followed Yong-Ho. He was too scared to actually try it, but if he told them to die, it felt like they would actually listen.

    They were wasting time standing around and talking.

    Yong-Ho moved to the right wall from the throne and activated a room that was inactive.

    He spoke while moving with Catalina.

    ¡°I actually expected...storage rooms and such. If the dungeon is really that big, there should be other things in here, right? Do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°I heard from the previous guard that there¡¯s an arena.¡±

    ¡°Arena?¡±

    It was something he wasn¡¯t expecting, so Yong-Ho stopped walking. Catalina stopped walking as well and started exining.

    ¡°It¡¯s a location that the third owner found himself. He visited the ce discreetly, so there¡¯s no information about its location, but I¡¯m sure that it actually exists.¡±

    Yong-Ho started walking again. He thought for a moment and then asked.

    ¡°What kind of ce is it?¡±

    ¡°One of Mammon¡¯s Spirits takes care of that location. Those that enter the ce will be tested based on their strength and after proving how strong they are, they¡¯ll be awarded with one item out of the many that Mammon gathered. I heard that every time you enter, the difficulty level increases, but the rewards are that much better.¡±

    It was reasonable. After walking through an empty room, Yong-Ho activated another room.

    ¡°The test probably requires me to fight, right?¡±

    ¡°Possibly...I believe so. The third owner didn¡¯t leave any records, but it¡¯s called an arena.¡±

    He¡¯ll be tested by fighting and will receive an award from Mammon¡¯s Spirit.

    ¡®It¡¯s an actual arena.¡¯

    It was simr to the arenas that are shown in RPGs. It was impossible to get a sense of what Mammon was thinking, but what exactly was going on in their minds when they decided to build this in their own dungeon?

    To train the younger generation? To train the spirits?

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    While walking through the fourth room, Yong-Ho stopped walking. Catalina didn¡¯t expect him to stop, so she was surprised by his action.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho looked at the left wall. It was an ordinary wall. But, he felt something weird from it.

    It felt out of ce.

    He recently felt the same thing. And just like then, his hands and feet moved on its own.

    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, he was Greed. It was a skill that he inherited.

    He walked towards the wall as if he was possessed by something. He touched it and figured out what that odd feeling was.

    The flow of mana.

    It was different from other locations.

    Yong-Ho instinctively released the mana through the palm of his hand.

    Then, something changed. The wall started shaking lightly and with a loud noise, a door that was as big as a person with arge body appeared. It was a secret door.

    He would be able to obtain something if he went in.

    That¡¯s what Yong-Ho¡¯s instincts were telling him.

    ¡°Shall we go in?¡±

    After Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina nodded her head with a nervous expression. She approached next to him and spoke.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go in first.¡±

    It was a decision she made as his guard. But, Yong-Ho shook his head.

    ¡°Sorry. I feel like I should trust my instincts. I¡¯ll lead the way so watch my back. Is there something we can use as a light?¡±

    Catalina contemted for a bit, but agreed with his decision. She took out a small stick that was in her leather bag and used her mana on it. It was a shlight that was used in the demon world.

    ¡°Here you go. It will be brighter if you use your mana.¡±

    ¡°This is handy.¡±

    Yong-Ho grabbed the shlight with a smile and turned around towards the secret door. After lighting the inside, he started walking.

    One step. Two steps. And on the third step.

    The floor was missing. It suddenly disappeared.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have the skill to control gravity. Yong-Ho suddenly fell and like someone that was falling, he instinctively started yelling.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Catalina screamed after him. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to look up to Catalina. He used the shlight to light the bottom, but he couldn¡¯t see the floor. Within the small gap, all he could see were bricks, rocks, skulls and bugs.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    He heard Catalina¡¯s voice just above his head. Yong-Ho instinctively tilted his head back and saw Catalina reaching out to him.

    She grabbed Yong-Ho.

    Momentster. They were both on the ground.

    His entire body was in pain.

    He must¡¯ve been unconscious for a moment, because he was feeling dizzy. Or, he could¡¯ve been unconscious for a very long time.

    Yong-Ho started coughing. He tried his best to breath. He couldn¡¯t see anything. It was too dark.

    ¡®Catalina.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t think clearly. He started yelling.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    He was in pain. Moving all the muscles within his body to scream out her name was difficult. However, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t feel that pain. He was focused on something else.

    ¡°Ahhh.¡±

    Yong-Ho focused on the odd sound. The voice was close.

    ¡°Catalina?

    ¡°Ma...ster.¡±

    Yong-Ho now knew where the voice wasing from. It was below him.

    Yong-Ho was surprised and quickly got up. Because of that, Catalina ended up letting out another groan.

    ¡°Ack.¡±

    When he quickly stood up, Yong-Ho let out another groan. There was pain all over his body. It seemed like nothing was broken, but it felt like there were bruises everywhere.

    When he managed to stand up, he tried to look at Catalina, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. The room was too dark.

    ¡°Are you okay? Can you stand?¡±

    He tried his best to talk. Thankfully, she replied this time.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    Yong-Ho sat down on the ground. Once he calmed down, he looked around and noticed the shlight sitting not too far from him. Seeing that it was still shining brightly, he probably wasn¡¯t out for that long.

    ¡®A little, a little bitter.¡¯

    He wanted to go and grab it, but his body wasn¡¯t listening to him. While Yong-Ho was catching his breathe, he heard something moving in front of him. It was the sound of Catalina standing up.

    ¡°Thank you, master. You have saved me. I won¡¯t forget your kindness for as long as I live.¡±

    Yong-Ho tilted his head to the side without knowing. He asked in kind of a silly tone.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You...don¡¯t remember? Right before we hit the ground, you hugged me.¡±

    Catalina answered carefully and Yong-Ho was even more confused. It sounded like that¡¯s what he did. Most importantly, Catalina was telling the truth.

    ¡°Wait. Then, why was I on top instead of being on the bottom?¡±

    ¡°W-we rolled after falling?¡±

    Yong-Houghed at Catalina¡¯s assumption.

    ¡®I was wondering why my entire body was aching.¡¯

    Unfortunately, because it happened so suddenly, he couldn¡¯t remember any of Catalina¡¯s soft body parts. After catching his breath, Yong-Ho groaned as he stood up and picked up the shlight. He turned the shlight towards Catalina to make sure she was safe and then raised it towards the ceiling.

    ¡°Did we fall from up there?¡±

    Checking the edge with the shlight was impossible. It was hard to tell exactly how far they fell, but it felt like they fell over 10 meters.

    Catalina started talking.

    ¡°I tried to slow down the speed when we fell, but...I don¡¯t think I was able to achieve it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The reason why Yong-Ho was still alive, despite falling over 10 meters, wasn¡¯t because the demon king¡¯s body was sturdy. When Catalina grabbed Yong-Ho during the fall, she used all sorts of methods to slow down the speed.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m alive thanks to you. Thanks. You did really well.¡±

    When he expressed his gratitude andplimented her, he waved his finger in the air. He wanted to acknowledge her services, but it wasn¡¯t the best time to have a conversation about it.

    As expected, he couldn¡¯t connect to the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Is it because we¡¯re underground?¡±

    Just how many levels did they fall? Since the roof of the first floor was pretty tall, if he calcted it using that, maybe fifth? Sixth?

    ¡°Eligor will surelye to help us.¡±

    Catalina spoke in a positive tone. Yong-Ho nodded his head and after letting out a groan, he stood up. He felt something.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if this is a blessing or a curse.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    Instead of answering, he concentrated on the feeling.

    The reason why he was able to find this secret passageway. A peculiar feeling that led him here.

    It was connected. It didn¡¯t stop. It stimted his instincts.

    He quickly looked around using the shlight. It was a small, narrow room. Unlike the rooms on the first floor, there were decorations on the walls.

    And in one particr direction.

    A thing that stimted Yong-Ho¡¯s ¡°greed.¡±

    Yong-Ho used the shlight. Catalina stood up after gulping and looked in the same direction as Yong-Ho.

    At the end of the room, there was a small altar and something was stuck on top of it.

    Yong-Ho spoke with a frown on his face.

    ¡°Ance?¡±

    < The Heart of the Dungeon #3 > End

 Chapter 15

    < The Heart of the Dungeon #4 >

    It was a very fancy altar. It was dark so it was difficult to see, but the fire revealed different patterns that were carved on the exterior of the altar.

    And in the center of that altar, there was ance.

    It was red. The head of thence was gold.

    Yong-Ho started walking as if he was possessed. Catalina was surprised by his movement that she yelled.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Yong-Ho grabbed thence without hesitation. And he pulled it out.

    Catalina held her breath. If arrows started shooting out of the walls, she was nning on throwing her body to protect him. If the fire enveloped Yong-Ho, she nned on doing the same by throwing her body and shielding him. If nothing worked out, she was ready to die with him.

    However, nothing happened. After pulling out thence, Yong-Ho realized what he had done and was shocked momentster, but luckily, he didn¡¯t throw the spear that was in his hand.

    And there was silence.

    Yong-Ho kept on looking back and forth between thence and the altar because nothing was happening, and then looked at Catalina with a subtle expression.

    Catalina started yelling loudly.

    ¡°Mammon¡¯s Spirit!¡±

    Yong-Ho almost lost his grip on the spear because of her. While Catalina was catching her breath, Yong-Ho started observing thence.

    ¡°Spi...rit? It¡¯s ance.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s not. The head and the shaft is giving off a scarlet color...I¡¯m sure this is Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance.¡±

    Catalina moved closer to Yong-Ho. With a nervous expression, she observed the rednce while talking.

    ¡°The Red Lotus Demon Spear was the weapon that Mammon used when he was alive. Thence itself is part of a demon family...a very high-ranked demon.¡±

    Catalina was serious. Yong-Ho looked at thence again.

    ¡°So, theirnce form is part of a demon family?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A-and...¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a legend.¡±

    Catalina stopped talking from there. She kept her eyes on Aamon while continuing to talk.

    ¡°If anyone other than Mammon touches it, they¡¯ll experience the wrath of hell...Master!¡±

    It happened before Catalina finished talking. A me that was released from the tip of the head enveloped Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t even scream. There were mes everywhere. It felt like the me not only enveloped Yong-Ho, but the entire world.

    He struggled. He fell to the ground and started rolling around. Couple of secondster. Yong-Ho realized something.

    It wasn¡¯t hot. The me enveloped his body, but it didn¡¯t hurt.

    Yong-Ho stopped struggling and looked around. Inside of the me, Yong-Ho¡¯s arms and legs were all intact and haven¡¯t been damaged.

    What was going on? He wondered how Catalina was doing because the me filled the entire ce.

    Yong-Ho quickly turned his head. But he couldn¡¯t find Catalina. His body froze up due to the pressure.

    Right behind him. The one that was watching him.

    It was arge eye. Therge eye was on fire. The thing was in the center of the fiery pit and was looking down at Yong-Ho.

    ¡°How are you not being burned?¡±

    In his head, he heard the voice of an adult male. It was deep and overpowering that it felt like it would oppress the entire world.

    The eye approached Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho still couldn¡¯t move. After coughing, he looked straight into the eye. The eye observed Yong-Ho. It felt like the eye was inspecting every inch of Yong-Ho¡¯s body.

    Arge lump of mana.

    Yong-Ho sensed it. That eye was Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance. It¡¯s possible that this entire space was built by Aamon.

    Aamon watched Yong-Ho. And then itughed. It was impossible for an eye tough, but that¡¯s what Yong-Ho felt. The sound of a man¡¯sughter filled his head.

    ¡°Really? Is that so? You have the power of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Finally, finally, there¡¯s someone that has inherited Greed¡¯s power!¡±

    They were happy. They were extremely excited. At the same time, they disyed a totally opposite emotion.

    ¡°But you¡¯re still a baby. It seems like I¡¯ve run out of patience due to being asleep for so long.¡±

    The sound of the man¡¯sughter died down. The eye moved closer to Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes were filled with the red eye.

    Yong-Ho breathed out. He tried to speak as he breathed out. Aamonughed again. It was augh that was different from the previous one. And he wasn¡¯t ridiculing Yong-Ho.

    ¡°I¡¯ll adjust to your level for now, you baby.¡±

    The eye changed into a me. It enveloped Yong-Ho again. He burned with the world.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Ack!¡±

    Yong-Ho coughed. At the same time, he opened his eyes and looked at Catalina that was approaching him. Instinctively, he pulled himself back. He was still burning. The Red Lotus¡¯s mes bloomed out of Yong-Ho¡¯s body.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Catalina yelled again. Yong-Ho extended his hand out and stopped her. And then he catched his breath. The me started dying out. The me that rose out of his body disappeared all at once.

    ¡°Ha...ha...ha...¡±

    Sweat started rolling down his back. After seeing Catalina standing in the same spot with a nervous expression, he turned his attention to something else. He looked at thence that was in his right hand.

    ¡®It changed.¡¯

    The scarlet-colorednce changed into a goldnce. The color also changed and the length shortened.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes turned into an emerald green color. He inspected thence using the Power of Evolution.

    [Name : Aamon]

    [Race : ???]

    [Specialty : Fire / ???]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]

    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (6)]

    [??? | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (5.5)]

    There were so many question marks so he couldn¡¯t really see much but, there was one thing he was sure of.

    The spirit, Aamon, was innce form. Mammon, who was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and controlled 1/4th of the demon world, favored thisnce.

    ¡°It shrank. So it matched to my current level?¡±

    Yong-Ho quietly mumbled to himself when he was done using the skill. A bitter smile appeared without him knowing. A lot of different emotions were filled within him, but he couldn¡¯t express them.

    ¡°Mas...ter?¡±

    After hearing her quietly calling out, Yong-Ho looked back at Catalina. She was past being nervous and was on the brink of crying her eyes out. After observing her for a moment, Yong-Ho spoke.

    ¡°You cane here now. And...like you said, I think it is Aamon. Although, I think he¡¯s asleep now.¡±

    When Yong-Ho gave her permission, Catalina was about to run to his side, but froze after hearing hisstment. With a shocked and excited expression, she looked at Aamon.

    ¡°Amazing! You¡¯re amazing master!¡±

    It was extremely significant, but he had an idea why she was saying that. Because of that Yong-Ho chuckled and acted like he was measuring the weapon.

    Even though it shortened, one of Mammon¡¯s Spirits trusted itself to Yong-Ho. And, if Yong-Ho became stronger, then it¡¯s possible for it to regain its original power. That¡¯s probably the reason why Aamon trusted himself to Yong-Ho in the first ce.

    ¡®Then, was I having that feeling because of thisnce?¡¯

    It was Greed¡¯s additional skill.

    It was difficult to see it as having luck in wealth. He might be jumping to conclusions, but it¡¯s possible that Aamon was calling out to Yong-Ho.

    ¡®Anyways.¡¯

    He grabbed Aamon. It was now time to find a way out of this room.

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina again. And a frown appeared without him knowing.

    ¡°Oh, master. You¡¯re so awesome. To be able to wield Aamon. Oh my. You¡¯ve ovee the wrath of hell.¡±

    It felt like he was looking at Eligor, not Catalina. She was moving her body in a way that resembled a drunk person and her eyes looked like tears would roll down at any moment.

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really amazing. Praise our master. Praise the House of Mammon. Our master is the best.¡±

    It seemed like she was really touched. Yong-Ho called out her name again.

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    As he called out her name louder, Catalina was surprised and she raised her head. Yong-Homanded Catalina.

    ¡°Act cool-headed.¡±

    Catalina panicked because of his order, but somehow seeded in disying a cold expression. Her eyes asked whether this was the face and Yong-Ho was satisfied by the fact that she calmed down. Yong-Ho spoke while looking at Aamon, who was about one meter tall.

    ¡°Great. Now, let¡¯s think of a way to get out of here.¡±

    As soon as Yong-Ho finished talking.

    The ground, walls and the ceiling started shaking. Yong-Ho quickly lowered his body and his eyes met with Catalina¡¯s. The shaking didn¡¯t stop. Scraps started falling from the ceiling.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s because you pulled out Aamon?¡±

    Catalina asked worriedly and Yong-Ho started looking around. The shaking was getting more violent. It felt like this room was going to fall apart soon.

    Yong-Ho quickly ced Aamon back on top of the altar, but the shaking didn¡¯t stop. It was actually getting worse.

    Yong-Ho lit the room using the shlight. He noticed something that looked like an entrance, but it waspletely sealed.

    There wasn¡¯t time to think. Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina¡¯s wrist and ran towards the area they fell. Using the shlight, he looked at the hole that him and Catalina fell in.

    The fragments that were falling from the ceiling were getting bigger. The walls and the ground were going to break at any moment.

    How were they going to get out? Will the method he thought of work?

    He pulled Catalina using her arm and started yelling when she was close.

    ¡°Catalina! You trust me, right?¡±

    ¡°I trust you!¡±

    Catalina answered right away. Despite of the dangerous situation, Catalina didn¡¯t have any doubts.

    Yong-Ho smiled. After nodding his head, he ced Aamon on the ground. He ced both of his hands on top of Catalina¡¯s thighs. He used his power.

    Catalina flinched for a moment. Green mes were rising out of Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes.

    The Power of Evolution.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s mana was entering Catalina¡¯s body.

    &

    As soon as the ceiling fell, the walls and ground fell apart. In that moment, Catalina ran on the surface of the wall. She was so quick, that it reminded him of a falcon that was soaring.

    Yong-Ho, who was on Catalina¡¯s back, exhausted all of his mana, which caused his body to stretch out. After making a rope out of Yong-Ho¡¯s top, they used it to tie each other together.

    Catalina grabbed Yong-Ho¡¯s legs and ran up the wall. She jumped diagonally towards the wall on the opposite side and continued running.

    Specialized agility development.

    Since she constantly sparred with the Treant, her development rate reached its limit, which made it possible to use this method.

    It was a gamble. Carrying Yong-Ho while continuously running up a tall wall seemed impossible no matter how he looked at it.

    But Yong-Ho bet his money on Catalina.

    Catalina didn¡¯t stop. It looked like she was moving alongside a falcon. It was a movement she couldn¡¯t imagine before the development.

    Gravity didn¡¯t stop her. She continued running. But, momentster.

    Catalina let out a groan. She felt like her legs and ankle were going to break. Catalina endured it and continued running. She jumped again. This time, she didn¡¯tnd on the opposite wall. Shecked the strength. There wasn¡¯t much left. She was almost there!

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    That¡¯s when Yong-Ho came in. He used whatever strength he had left and pierced Aamon into the wall.

    It was for a moment. Despite of the fact that Yong-Ho¡¯s body became stronger during the past couple of days, piercing Aamon deep into the wall while being exhausted was too much work. But, it was enough.

    Catalina moved again. She didn¡¯t let Yong-Ho¡¯s effort go to waste and ced her feet on the wall. With her remaining energy, she ran up the wall again.

    The rtionship between the owner and the spirit wasn¡¯t like master and servant. Yong-Ho pulled Aamon out right on time and it looked as if he read Catalina¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    Catalina screamed. She turned her body in midair and using her remaining energy, she ran up the opposite wall. She pushed her body into the air.

    They rolled on the ground. Yong-Ho and Catalina both rolled on the ground and after bumping into the entrance of the secret passageway, they stopped. Yong-Ho was on top of Catalina again.

    ¡°Ha, ha.¡±

    ¡°Ha, ha...¡±

    Both of them didn¡¯t say a word and were trying to catch their breaths. And both of them startedughing.

    They survived. They escaped. They escaped safely!

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    Yong-Ho called out to Catalina and instead of groaning, she answered quietly.

    Both of them were exhausted. They wanted to rest like this.

    But, they couldn¡¯t. When Yong-Ho arrived on the first level, the Spirit of the Dungeon and Yong-Ho were connected again. The Spirit of the Dungeon was in a panicking state because the owner couldn¡¯t be reached, so they spoke loudly.

    ¡°The dungeon is under attack!¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes widened. They both stood up quickly.

    < The Heart of the Dungeon #4 > End.

 Chapter 16

    <Dungeon Defense #1>

    He didn¡¯t have time to catch his breath.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina both ran while sweat was rolling down their faces. They ran through the empty demon king¡¯s room and opened the door, but this room was empty too.

    However, Yong-Ho already looked inside of the dungeon thanks to the Spirit of the Dungeon and instead of panicking, he opened the next door.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    It was the room that connected to the warehouse and the prison that they just started building.

    Eligor and all the other spirits were in the room that was connected to thest room with a trap.

    Instead of answering Eligor, Yong-Ho quickly checked the spirits and the condition of the room.

    In front of thetched door, the Goblins were stacking heavy objects and the Treant was standing in front of the front door while extending its vines. The Skeleton was standing with a nk face...well, they didn¡¯t have any expression since it was a skull, but...they were standing in the corner.

    ¡°Where were you? You¡¯re covered in sweat...¡±

    Eligor didn¡¯t finish his sentence and instead, noticed that Catalina was sweating as well.

    When Eligor assumed that something happened between them, Yong-Ho waved his hand and spoke.

    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, you¡¯re wrong. Anyways, listen up. Beyond that door, there are eight Kobolds and an unknown demon with an extremelyrge hammer. There were a lot more that invaded the dungeon, but it seems like the traps took out a couple of them. Do you guys know anything?¡±

    He checked this through the Spirit of the Dungeon. Thetched door was shaking violently. It seemed like the door was going to break soon.

    Eligor instinctively looked at the door and answered quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a wandering demon family that¡¯s nearby. If it¡¯s an owner that already has a dungeon, they wouldn¡¯t send a group that small to attack the dungeon, even if they believe that the House of Mammon haspletely fallen.¡±

    There was a good chance that it was one of the weaker spirits that Eligor mentioned earlier. If that¡¯s the case, they¡¯re probably thinking that Eligor and Catalina were the only ones in the dungeon.

    However, they already passed through three rooms where the traps were working properly. Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He breathed in and spoke.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter which side. It¡¯s possible that they might think this dungeon doesn¡¯t have an owner.¡±

    It sounded like he was saying it to himself.

    The door shook violently again. The Goblins were holding bamboo spears and watched the door.

    Eligor spoke again.

    ¡°But, sir. The thing you have in your hand...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Aamon! The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon!¡±

    Catalina shouted after being quiet for so long. Eligor got excited after hearing that it was Aamon.

    ¡°What?! Are you talking about the Red Lotus Demon Lance that lights the heaven on fire and evaporates the ocean just by swinging it?!¡±

    It seemed like it was a popr weapon. When Yong-Ho confirmed it with his expression, Eligor was filled with joy. Eligor looked like he would open the door if he left him in his current state, so Yong-Ho quickly spoke again.

    ¡°It is Aamon, but I can¡¯t use him properly right now. It¡¯s the same thing as not having it at all.¡±

    Even if he could use it, he wouldn¡¯t have any mana left. The door shook again. Thetch looked almost broken.

    ¡°The enemy doesn¡¯t know about the dungeon¡¯s current fighting power. So they¡¯re probably careless. We¡¯ll use that to our advantage.¡±

    He spoke quickly and urgently. The nervous Eligor asked.

    ¡°Do you have some sort of n?¡±

    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho nodded his head. He answered while looking at the door that was about to break.

    ¡°We¡¯ll create amotion and slice their heads off.¡±

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina.

    &

    He gulped. He tried to stay calm, but it was hard.

    He heard it several of times.

    The ones that attacked the dungeons. The other demon families he¡¯ll face from now on.

    But this was his first time.

    Behind the door, there were spirits that were trying to kill Yong-Ho. It wasn¡¯t a game where you¡¯re promised another chance despite the oue.

    One side will die. They needed to be killed in order to live.

    Boom!

    Thetch broke along with the loud sound that it made. The door opened as if it was blown to pieces.

    The Kobolds rushed in through the opening. They were monsters that were slightlyrger than the Goblins.

    They were holding low-grade sword andnce.

    Yong-Ho saw them. He yelled as he saw them rush in as soon as the door opened.

    ¡°Pull!¡±

    The Goblins, Jon and Ron, reacted.

    The two Goblins stood on either side of the door and when they pulled the rope that they holding, the Kobolds that rushed in fell down due to rope that was raised up. However, this was just the beginning. The Kobolds didn¡¯t fall just because they rushed in and didn¡¯t see the rope.

    ¡°Roaaaaaaaaar!¡±

    In front of the door. Treant, who was standing in the center of the room, let out a deep roar and waved its vines. It grabbed the Kobolds¡¯ body and legs and threw them to the other side of the door.

    The remaining Goblins didn¡¯t just watch. They pierced the Kobolds that were on the ground with their bamboo spears and shrieked.

    Seconds after the door was opened. They had the advantage. While the Kobolds fell and were flying out of the room, Yong-Ho looked straight ahead. Something was standing behind the Kobolds.

    It was a giant that was wearing a green cape.

    They had a tanned and unsophisticated face with an angry expression.

    Treant grabbed another Kobold and threw them. Through the room that was activated in the ¡°background,¡± he saw Catalina¡¯s movement.

    And the giant stomped on the ground.

    Instead of backing out, it charged. It pushed through the Kobolds and headed straight towards Yong-Ho.

    Because of the unexpected situation, Eligor shouted. In order to catch the giant, Catalina threw herself amongst the Kobold.

    Yong-Ho saw the giant. They were holding arge war hammer and started waving it around. The Treant¡¯s vine got caught in their attack and it ended up being cut off. The giant didn¡¯t stop.

    The distance between Yong-Ho and the giant was getting shorter.

    The giant was charging through. He lowered his head and passed the Treant. The giant dodged the vine again and jumped up and aimed the hammer towards Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    nk!

    The hammer hit the ground when it was brought straight down. It had an enormous amount of energy. Yong-Ho dodging the attack and not freezing up from nervousness and fear was a miracle.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Catalina yelled. Treant turned its body around. Eligor started running towards his direction.

    The giant grabbed the hammer and red at Yong-Ho.

    It was like a snake that was trying to eat a frog. The giant had the same eyes as a predator that was trying to catch its prey.

    The giant took another step. It closed the distance between Yong-Ho and waved the hammer around.

    It felt like he was suffocating. It felt like he was going to die before the hammer even hits him.

    However, Yong-Ho took a step forward. Instead of backing out, he yelled and ced all of his strength into the hand that was holding Aamon.

    He didn¡¯t think with this head. He trusted his instincts. Instead of dodging the hammer, he threw his body towards it.

    It was reckless. Eligor yelled. Catalina kicked off the ground.

    In that moment, Yong-Ho and the giant exchanged eye contact.

    The giant smiled. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth.

    ¡®Pull!¡¯

    It was in that moment. Because of that, he couldn¡¯t yell. However, he thought about it and got an answer. The Skeletons were next to Yong-Ho and they extended their arms out and grabbed the cape.

    It was only for a moment. It dyed the giant¡¯s movement by a second. But, that was enough.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s left shoulder hit the giant¡¯s abdomen. At the same time, Aamon pierced through his stomach.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Mana released his mana as he yelled. All of his mana was focused on one spot.

    He didn¡¯t know how to use the weapon he just obtained. Yong-Ho hoped. He filled it with his mana. And Aamon responded to his idiotic request.

    Green mes started bursting out. Thence started draining the giant¡¯s mana.

    The giant quickly tried to get them back, but it was no use. Aamon¡¯s fiery road burnt everything. It burnt the giant¡¯s mana and swallowed their insides and soul.

    ¡°Ackkkkk!¡±

    The giant started screaming when its insides were being burned while it was alive. It moved its body violently and waved both of their arms to try to attack Yong-Ho. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. The Skeletons grabbed onto the giant¡¯s arms. Yong-Ho yelled once again and twisted Aamon, who was pierced into the giant¡¯s stomach. Aamon attacked again with fire.

    ¡°Gah...¡±

    The giant wasn¡¯t able to endure it and took a step back. The green me ate all of its insides and was now burning away their skin.

    Yong-Ho twisted Aamon again. It was to pull out Aamon from the giant.

    Not a single drop of blood seeped out of its body and it¡¯s probably because the green me burned the giant¡¯s body and soul.

    As soon as Yong-Ho pulled Aamon out, he waved it in the air. After taking the giant, he started breathing heavily. He yelled out towards the front.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    She answered through her action. After the fight started, she didn¡¯t take a break once and as she approached the giant, she sliced the giant¡¯s head off with a dagger. She then pierced the dagger into the area where their heart was located.

    It all happened within a minute or two after the door opened.

    Everyone that was in the room saw Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    As the me died down, Yong-Ho extended his left hand forward. He did it based on his instincts.

    He concentrated on the mana that was above the dead giant¡¯s chest. The Goblins and Kobolds watched with a nk expression and Catalina and Eligor watched in awe.

    It was a lump of dark red mana.

    The spirit of a demon family.

    That¡¯s what hovered above their chest. It floated slowly at first, but it flew at a fast rate and was sucked into the palm of Yong-Ho¡¯s hand.

    Absorption of the Spirit. Desiring mana. It¡¯s the very reason why thew of the jungle had to be applied in this world!

    Yong-Ho felt the mana fill his body. Yong-Ho felt his mana increase tremendously.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the only one that grew.

    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s daily production volume has been increased from 30 to 50.¡±

    ¡°The maximum mana storage volume has also been increased from 300 to 400!¡±

    If the owner bes stronger, so does the dungeon.

    If the dungeon grows, so will the owner.

    He was exhausted. The injury that he got while trying to obtain Aamon was still there. However, it was an exhrating, yet pleasant feeling. This type of pleasant feeling was something he was feeling for the first time.

    It was a short moment. But, it was enough to enjoy the result.

    After absorbing all of the spirit¡¯s mana, Yong-Ho started breathing heavily. He slowly raised his head and looked towards the front.

    He saw a group of Kobolds with a shocked expression. He saw Catalina kneeling on one knee and looking up at him with a bright smile. He also noticed the Skeletons standing there with a dumb look.

    ¡®I¡¯ll do everything within my power to evolve you into a Death Knight.¡¯

    Yong-Ho made a promise to the Skeletons in his head and then started talking. He thought it was cheesy, but since he was exhausted, he couldn¡¯t think of a better way to say it.

    ¡°Shall we continue?¡±

    The Kobolds were smarter than what Yong-Ho had thought. They all threw their weapons on the ground as if they had nned it beforehand.

    < Dungeon Defense #1 > End.

 Chapter 17

    < Dungeon Defense #2 >

    ¡°We were lucky.¡±

    That¡¯s what Yong-Ho assumed.

    The day after the first battle.

    After epting the Kobolds¡¯ surrender, Yong-Ho fainted and after a long rest, he was able to wake up. Maybe it¡¯s because he rolled around a lot, but raising his body while lying down caused his muscles to scream out in pain.

    They were really lucky.

    They wouldn¡¯t have been able to win if he didn¡¯t obtain Aamon before the battle.

    If the Skeletons didn¡¯t intercept in time, they would¡¯ve lost.

    ¡®I¡¯m crazy.¡¯

    He thought about when he ran towards the hammer.

    Did Yong-Ho have an aggressive side? Or was it a change that urred when he awakened as a demon king?

    Anyways, they won. They survived.

    His horizon widened after experiencing it himself.

    First, Aamon. It was still a rednce, but it was definitely ced beside Yong-Ho.

    And Catalina and Eligor.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve awaken.¡±

    He didn¡¯t see them when he woke up, but they somehow knew and were now standing before his eyes. They both had a simr expression.

    Like babies looking at their mother?

    ¡®Catalina looked cute, but Eligor was a bit...¡¯

    Yong-Ho chuckled at the thought and when the two saw him, they reacted to it. It seemed like they understood it as him being in a better condition.

    Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards Catalina.

    ¡°You did well yesterday. And I¡¯m sorry, but could you get me some water?¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±

    Catalina quickly answered and went to grab a cup and kettle. Yong-Ho turned his attention to Eligor.

    ¡°How long was I out for?¡±

    ¡°You were in bed for a day.¡±

    ¡°No wonder why my lower back hurts.¡±

    Yong-Ho rolled his shoulders after answering Eligor. Catalina came back and handed Yong-Ho the cup of water.

    ¡°Here you go master.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    He felt a lot better after drinking the water. After drinking the entire cup of water, he felt a bit lightheaded and after briefly closing his eyes, he asked.

    ¡°What happened after the battle?¡±

    ¡°The remaining four Kobolds are locked up in the prison. The corpse of the low-level demon family has been stored in an empty room. Oh, we also collected the weapons that they used.¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes widened at Eligor¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Stored? The corpses?¡±

    Why did they store the corpses? Did the corpses turn into a Zombie or a Skeleton in the demon world?

    ¡®That means free soldiers, so is it...a good thing?¡¯

    Eligor interrupted Yong-Ho¡¯s imagination. He had a very serious expression.

    ¡°Even though you obtained the spirit, there¡¯s still a good amount of mana left in that body. The dungeon currently doesn¡¯t have that facility, but..ter when the Mana Room has been created, you¡¯ll be able to drain out the mana.¡±

    Eligor had been serious and stern from the beginning. He was wanting to take everything that he could from the enemy.

    ¡°Oh...okay.¡±

    But, draining out mana from a corpse?

    Yong-Ho did feel ufortable about it, but decided to keep it to himself. The dungeon wasn¡¯t in the best condition to quibble over it and it might bemon sense to do this in the demon world.

    On top of that, Eligor wasn¡¯t done talking.

    ¡°Also, it¡¯s a bit of a high-rank facility, but..ter, when a Magic Room has been created, you can reuse the corpse by turning them into either a Zombie or Skeleton.¡±

    It was true.

    Yong-Ho briefly looked at it from a human¡¯s point of view, but quickly dismissed it.

    He couldn¡¯t build it right now anyways. It¡¯s something he could think aboutter.

    ¡°And the weapons you¡¯ve obtained?¡±

    ¡°The quality of the cape and hammer are very good. A magic was cast on the cape to help maintain the temperature and a simple strengthening magic was casted on the hammer, so it¡¯s very sturdy.¡±

    ¡°And the others?¡±

    ¡°We collected all the money that they had. It may be possible to purchase a Rank Two spirit.¡±

    Eligor kind of smiled cunningly.

    Yong-Ho did the same and continued asking.

    ¡°Any casualties?¡±

    ¡°All the spirits are safe. It¡¯s all thanks to you that the battle ended the way it did.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to this battle, the spirits¡¯ loyalty and respect has increased tremendously.¡±

    As soon as Eligor finished talking, the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke. Not only the spirits, but the Spirit of the Dungeon seemed to like him more after that battle.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s obvious from the expression.¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at the Catalina that stopped being the cool-headed spirit and Eligor that¡¯s always crying. He closed his eyes after taking a deep breath. He tried circting the mana.

    Maybe it¡¯s because he started out with a small amount of mana, but his mana level increased a lot. It felt like the mana that was circting within him increased by two folds.

    ¡®This is because I obtained the spirit.¡¯

    Yong-Ho felt joy by the fact that his power increased and then took a deep breath.

    ¡®It¡¯s weird that I don¡¯t feel anything.¡¯

    Even though they were a demon family, a person died. However, he didn¡¯t feel guilty about it.

    ¡®It was so that I could live. They tried to kill me.¡¯

    That¡¯s what Yong-Ho told himself. And purposefully calmed himself. As long as he didn¡¯t kill without reason, it was fine. He decided to leave it at that.

    After he finished circting his mana, Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Catalina and Eligor looked at Yong-ho quietly. It seemed like they tried to stay as quiet as possible since he was concentrating.

    Yong-Ho showed with his action what he was going to do. Green mes blossomed out of his eyes.

    [Name : Chun Yong-Ho (M)]

    [Race : Half Human / Half Demon - Demon King]

    [Element : Fire / Darkness]

    [Development Rate : 50/100]

    Even if it was small, the amount of stars that Yong-Ho had increased. The Seven Deadly Sins category wasn¡¯t shown before, but now, Greed was next to it.

    ¡®Is it because I obtained the spirit?¡¯

    He saw things he couldn¡¯t see before. The same applied to the ¡°level¡± that was attached to the categories.

    This time, he looked at Catalina.

    [Name : Catalina (F)]

    [Race : Half Subus / Half Dark Elf]

    [Main Elements : Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements : Thunder / Water / Earth]

    [Main Stats : Subus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Skills]

    [Development Rate : 25/100]

    [Subus : Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Dark Elf : Agility Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Hybrid Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Subus : Mana Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Dark Elf : Skills Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    She had more changes than Yong-Ho. The category that stood out the most was agility because it had ¡°Level 2¡± at the end.

    ¡®She did evolve once...probably means it was level one before, right?¡¯

    If that¡¯s the case, then it made sense why the skills level was at one. She was a soldier that was fast and specialized in using a dagger.

    ¡®The amount of stars changed too. Since her agility was developed, did her other stats change a bit as well?¡¯

    Yong-Ho nodded his head since it was a reasonable change and then looked up. A bitter smile appeared on his face when he noticed two boxes of light that he¡¯s never seen before appear.

    [Shadow Elf]

    [Subus]

    Catalina was a half Dark Elf and half Subus, so she had the choice on how she wanted to advance.

    It wasn¡¯t an easy decision. It was a ¡°promotion¡± that could be decided after the next development, but he needed to see the information regarding the different advancements.

    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, he lightly nodded his head and looked at Eligor.

    ¡°You said that if I get stronger, then the Heart of the Dungeon will get stronger too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. Not only that, but Catalina, me and the other spirits will be affected by your growth.¡±

    ¡°I wonder.¡±

    The rtionship between the owner and the spirits wasn¡¯t a master and servant rtionship. It was more direct and intimate. If the owner was the head, then the spirits were the hands and feet that the ownermanded.

    ¡°Did you find out anything from the Kobolds?¡±

    Eligor answered as if he was waiting for Yong-Ho to ask.

    ¡°They¡¯re known to be scared and cowardly, so as soon as their leader died, they did start talking, but you can¡¯t believe every word that they¡¯re saying. While we¡¯re talking about this...how about building a torture chamber after the prison?¡±

    ¡°Torture chamber?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s used to punish the spirits, but it¡¯s also needed when we need to question the prisoners. If it¡¯s built right next to the prison, it¡¯ll be very effective. The prisoners will be able to watch the other prisoners getting tortured.¡±

    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho and was waiting for him topliment him.

    It happenedst time when he mentioned prisons, but Eligor looked excited while talking about it.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined Catalina crying while being tortured by Eligor.

    ¡®No, this is too dangerous.¡¯

    When he changed his target from Catalina to the Skeleton, he felt more calm.

    Prison and torture chamber.

    They were horrible facilities, but the prison was already built, and if they had to continue fighting, then a torture chamber would be necessary.

    Yong-Ho pushed aside on making a decision and asked Catalina.

    ¡°How strong were the group that invaded recently?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to belittle your victory, but...¡±

    Catalina carefully spoke. That was basically her answer.

    ¡°So they weren¡¯t that strong. That¡¯s probably why they rushed.¡±

    He knew they were skilled in fighting. If that¡¯s not the case, there was no reason for them to have that bloodthirsty expression.

    However, out of all the weaklings that targeted Mammon¡¯s dungeon, they were the weakest.

    They waited for the protective shield to weaken and out of all the weaklings, they were the ones that attacked first.

    ¡°Will there be more weaklings attacking the dungeon?¡±

    A frown appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face as he mumbled quietly. Even though he just woke up after passing out from the battle, he didn¡¯t have a lot of time. He had to decide on how he was going to defend the dungeon from the future enemies.

    ¡®I have two options.¡¯

    One. Evolve the spirits.

    Two. Dy the development and strengthen the dungeon facilities using that mana.

    Both choices had pros and cons.

    If they evolved them, then the quality of the soldiers will increase. However, the dungeon wasn¡¯t in the greatest condition, so they had to be careful when fighting the enemy.

    Strengthening the dungeon¡¯s facility was good in the long-run. Even though he couldn¡¯t increase the power right away, developing several spirits into different levels at once was impossible.

    In the end, he had to do both.

    However, he had to pick the best one right now.

    Yong-Ho looked back and forth between Catalina and Eligor. It was short, but he made his decision.

    < Dungeon Defense #2 > End.

 Chapter 18

    <Demon House¡¯s Armory #1>

    No one knows when the dungeon shop first appeared within the demon world.

    There are some that say 1,000 years ago and others that say that it appeared way before then.

    They were baseless assumptions.

    The history of the shop didn¡¯t matter because at this point, the dungeon shop was a necessity within the demon world.

    It was different from the Virtual Space where the entire room was white.

    The sky was on fire and the color of the walls were so ck that it seemed like they were made from hardenedva.

    The Pentagram Council.

    The five giants that controlled the dungeon shop.

    They were the Board of Directors, to be exact.

    Like the name states, a pentagram was drawn on the floor byva and a chair was ced in each of the corners. The Board of Directors were the only ones that sat in those chairs.

    ¡°The King of Pride is gathering soldiers. A big war may break out soon in the northeast.¡±

    With a low voice, arge, red Orobas pointed to the map that was materialized in the center of the pentagram and spoke.

    Out of the many Demon Princes within the demon world, he was one of them and out of the demons that the dungeon shop possessed, they were known to have superhuman strength.

    They were wearing a neat tuxedo and had a pig¡¯s head and a bulky body. They looked odd, but at the same time, it matched.

    Orobas had six horns and managed the dungeon shop that was located in the north. To their right, a man with a spider head spoke softly.

    ¡°The King of Envy is also gathering soldiers. I think they found out that they¡¯ve been targeted by the King of Pride. Within this month, they¡¯ve already purchased 20,000 Skeleton Warriors.¡±

    He was known to be the intelligent one in the group and had a body that was simr to a spider¡¯s. Even though they looked like a human, there are rumors that his true form is a big spider that¡¯srger than a mountain.

    His name was Bifrons. He also managed the north of the demon world along with Orobas.

    The King of Envy was purchasing arge amount of Skeleton Warriors.

    Despite this sensitive information, the one that sat on the left side of Orobas started chuckling.

    It was Abraxas and he was known to have the strongest mana and also managed the western part of the demon world.

    He had the head of a rooster and on top, had seven horns. Both of his legs wererge snakes and each had a different poison.

    They spoke sarcastically.

    ¡°That¡¯s the King of Envy for ya. Quantity over quality, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to make a hasty conclusion. This is a war between kings. 20,000 soldiers can¡¯t be considered a lot.¡±

    Bifron alerted Abraxas¡¯s hasty conclusion. Orobas looked at the demon world map again and asked.

    ¡°What about the other kings?¡±

    ¡°The Queen of Wrath is curled up, which is unlike her. The King of Lust is busy as usual because of the Witches¡¯ Sabbath.¡±

    The one that answered was Samael, who was sitting on the right side of Bifron and was known to have the fastest wings. She was the queen of the Harpies and she had gold hair that matched her beautiful face, but had ck wings that didn¡¯t match with her beauty.

    Orobas tilted his head.

    ¡°And Gluttony?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re going to sit by and watch. They¡¯re quietly increasing the numbers of high-ranked spirits. Couple of days ago, I found out through an agent that the King of Gluttony may have purchased a Bone Dragon.¡±

    The demons that possessed the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The six demons that controlled the demon world were busily moving around under the surface.

    Abrasax shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°The one king that doesn¡¯t posses one of the deadly sins...we don¡¯t have to worry about the King of Violence, right? It seems like they¡¯re still asleep.¡±

    Out of six kings that controlled the demon world, the King of Violence was the only one that didn¡¯t have the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    Orobas touched his chin.

    ¡°Then, is the King of Sloth thest one we should watch out for?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always beenzy.¡±

    Samael smiled softly as if it was a joke.

    Orobas was satisfied with Samael¡¯s answer. He leaned hisrge body against the chair and spoke quietly.

    ¡°The power of the six kings are simr. That¡¯s why it¡¯s well-bnced right now. Even though the King of Pride is trying to break that bnce, they won¡¯t be able to do anything unexpected. No matter how strong he is, he can¡¯t take on the other five kings by himself. It¡¯s a good thing. Unless someone...someone that¡¯s strong enough to defeat one of the kingses along, this wonderful bnce will surely continue.¡±

    The dungeon shop didn¡¯t desire just one king. The conflict between the kings is what caused the dungeon shops to be created.

    Bifron and Abraxas agreed as well. The other directors felt the same and they smiled.

    But one. There was one that had a different smile.

    ¡°Miss Sitri?¡±

    Samael called out quietly and looked at thest, best director.

    The red-headed Sitri.

    The beautiful Sitri answered while touching her chin. Her eyes were on the map.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just fun.¡±

    Her vague answer made Samael tilt his head. He looked at the map as well and tried to figure out her intention.

    Sitri was looking at southern part which was empty.

    It was the King of Greed¡¯snd, who controlled one fourth of the demon world and was the greatest demon in the demon world.

    &

    ¡°A wild dungeon monster appeared!¡±

    ¡°Two Crazy Ants and one Slime!¡±

    Yong-Ho, who was the King of Greed, frowned when he heard the Spirit of the Dungeon¡¯s energetic voice.

    Front.

    As they stated, the monster that they mentioned was before him.

    Two red ants that were the size of arge dog and a round slime that reminded him of tree sap were in front of him.

    Encountering a monster was understandable. He weed it since fighting can increase his development rate. However, there was one thing that made Yong-Ho think.

    ¡®Why are there monsters in my dungeon?!¡¯

    The monsters in front of him weren¡¯t spirits.

    They were monsters that didn¡¯t have an owner. The Spirit of the Dungeon and Yong-Ho shared a part of their knowledge, and ording to the spirit, they were nothing more than ants and cockroaches that you see at home.

    They weren¡¯t really important to the dungeon.

    Those types of monsters don¡¯t exist in ordinary dungeons and even if they do appear, they¡¯re usually taken care of right away.

    ¡®The ants are the worst ones.¡¯

    It¡¯s not that he especially disliked ants. Actually, they were better than cockroaches. However, the issue was the lifestyle of their kind.

    Like the ants in the human world, they were busy in the demon world as well. Arge ant colony might exist underneath the dungeon.

    ¡°Master! Concentrate!¡±

    After hearing Catalina¡¯s stern voice, Yong-Ho erased his distracting thoughts. While looking towards the front, he spoke as he put strength into the hand that was holding Aamon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the Slime. Catalina and Skull, take care of the ants.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Skull, skull.¡±

    Catalina and the Skeleton Soldier, Skull, answered. They ran towards the ants.

    Two days ago. In order to increase the dungeon¡¯s defense, Yong-Ho decided to focus on working on the dungeon¡¯s facility rather than evolving the spirits.

    Despite that, he used the Power of Evolution and evolved just one spirit and that was the Skeleton Soldier, Skull.

    They were low level spirits and workers, but they didn¡¯t have any specialized evolution like the Goblins. However, when he first evolved them, their rank increased to Skeleton Soldier.

    Yong-Ho equipped the soldier with the hammer that the enemy used and named them Skull.

    Death Knight was considered the highest rank amongst the Skeletons and he nned on evolving them to that rank, so he wanted to give them a special name, but simplicity was the best.

    Catalina was able to take down a Crazy Ant with one attack. However, instead of attacking the other monsters, she watched Skull fight. It¡¯s because Skull had to increase their development rate through the battle.

    ¡®The same applies to me.¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at the Slime that was gliding on the ground and focused.

    Aamon was known for burning the sky and evaporating the sea with just one swing.

    For Yong-Ho, performing that kind of task was a bit too much. However, he was still able to use a bit of Aamon¡¯s power.

    ¡®Just one attack!¡¯

    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground. It must¡¯ve noticed that Yong-Ho targeted them because it released acid fluid. It was fast and strong. If it touched him, it would melt away his skin and bone.

    However, Yong-Ho easily dodged their attack. He leaned his body to the side, kicked off the ground and shortened the distance between him and the Slime.

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    He used Aamon and pierced through the Slime¡¯s body. When it pierced through the center, he released his mana.

    mes bursted inside their body. The green me enveloped the Slime¡¯s entire body.

    Because of their strong acid and mucus, the Slime was able to neutralize most physical attacks, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about Aamon¡¯s mes.

    Yong-Ho smiled and after pulling Aamon out, he stretched his back. Feeling satisfied, him and Catalina exchanged nces several times and then watched Skull fight a Crazy Ant.

    Two days after the first attack.

    Yong-Ho was looking for the armory that belonged to the owner three generations ago.

    <Demon House¡¯s Armory #1 > End.

 Chapter 19

    <Demon House¡¯s Armory #2 >

    There¡¯s a saying that a rich man never goes t broke.

    The House of Mammon wasn¡¯t an ordinary ¡°rich family.¡± When Mammon was alive, he controlled one fourth of the demon world and it was safe to describe them as a royal family.

    Because of that, it took a long time for the House of Mammon to copse and during that time, there were families that became pretty famous.

    Kaiwan, the Devil of Distortion who was the owner three generations ago experienced this.

    ¡°They say that Kaiwan had a very adventurous personality. They spent a lot of time exploring the dungeon and achieved many great things. During his time, within the first floor of the dungeon, they activated 80% of it.¡±

    The day after they were attacked.

    When Yong-Ho encouraged the spirits...all he did waspliment them on how well they did, but all of their eyes were filled with tears like Eligor. It¡¯s what Eligor told Yong-Ho after he looked at the Kobolds that were locked up in the prison.

    Yong-Ho remembered his conversation with Catalina and asked.

    ¡°Do you mean the owner that discovered the arena?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see that you¡¯ve already been informed.¡±

    ¡°I heard it from Catalina. She doesn¡¯t know where it¡¯s located though.¡±

    Eligor nodded at hisment. He quickly looked around and quietly answered him.

    ¡°Yes, Kaiwan did make the location of the arena a secret. I believe he did that in order to block the spirits from entering it and challenging the arena.¡±

    Even though it was a discussion between the owner and their closest spirit, there wasn¡¯t anyone here to eavesdrop on their conversation. In order to talk more about this, Yong-Ho sat on the throne.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Eligor looked around once more. He approached Yong-Ho and spoke quietly.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t hide all the things that he discovered.¡±

    The way he smiled made him look cunning. Pushing aside his thoughts about Eligor¡¯s expression, Yong-Ho became very interested.

    Yong-Ho quickly asked.

    ¡°What kind of facilities are they?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a variety of them. But, the most important ones are probably the armory and the gold mine.¡±

    ¡°Gold mine?! There¡¯s a gold mine within the dungeon?!¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes widened and raised his voice without knowing. Instead of looking around, Eligor smiled brightly and answered.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s different from the gold mine in the human world, but I know for a fact that there¡¯s a gold mine. If my assumptions are correct, there¡¯s still a good amount of gold.¡±

    Yong-Ho wondered what this dungeon didn¡¯t have, but he tried his best to calm down first.

    Gold mine.

    A ce filled with gold.

    It was good. If he found it, he knew the dungeon¡¯s condition would improve a lot.

    But at the same time, it was odd.

    ¡°But why was it deactivated when the previous owners were here?¡±

    It was hard to believe that it was because of the spirits. It was the gold mine that Kaiwan found and activated.

    Did the spirits of the House of Mammon not acknowledge the previous owners?

    A frown appeared on Eligor¡¯s face. It was simr to Yong-Ho¡¯s assumption, but his answer was different.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of the dungeon monsters.¡±

    Dungeon monster.

    The beasts of the demon world that live in the dungeon.

    The demon world wasn¡¯t like the human world. The demon world was flexible because there was a lot of mana and because of that, the dungeon, sky, ground and even space itself moves around unexpectedly.

    Not only that, but the mana that exists in the demon world evolves small bugs and animals into evil spirits.

    That¡¯s how dungeon monsters were born.

    The beasts enter inside the dungeon due to the movement and through mana, they¡¯re evolved into evil spirits.

    If they were to bepared to the human world, they were like the bugs and rats that appear inside the house.

    Ordinary owners took care of these dungeon monsters very easily. If the dungeon monsters couldn¡¯t be taken care of, then they¡¯ll request the dungeon shops to send Dungeon Cleaners to get rid of the vermin.

    However, the House of Mammon couldn¡¯t do either.

    There were two big reasons.

    First. Mammon¡¯s dungeon¡¯s distinct characteristics.

    Ordinary dungeons don¡¯t have a lot of spaces that are inactive. New spaces are usually created in ordinary dungeons and after filling it with mana, the room is activated. A room with an actual entrance and lighting that¡¯s created from mana. They create those rooms and expand the spaces.

    However, the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon was known to have an extremelyrge space and unlike the ordinary dungeons, there were a lot of empty rooms that didn¡¯t have mana, meaning they were inactive.

    Whenpared to the human world, these inactive spaces were like really deep caves or an underground construction site. For evil spirits and dungeon monsters, these areas were the ideal living spaces for them. There were a lot of dungeon monsters that were grown naturally and among them, there were strong monsters.

    Second, the dungeon didn¡¯t have enough money to use a Dungeon Cleaner.

    Anyways, there was only one choice.

    The previous owners couldn¡¯t handle the dungeon monsters, so they had to give up on the gold mine and the armory.

    ¡°It¡¯s like getting kicked out because of the vermin...¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s voice sounded dispirited, which made Eligor bow his head. His face was already red, but because he was embarrassed, it turned more red.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make an excuse, but I heard that the dungeon monster that appears at the gold mine is pretty tough. It¡¯s recorded that there¡¯s a lot of them and that they¡¯re very strong.¡±

    Yong-Ho just nodded his head. It wasn¡¯t Eligor¡¯s fault that the dungeon monster took away the gold mine from the dungeon. Eligor nced at Yong-Ho and spoke again.

    ¡°It might be difficult to try to take back the gold mine now. But the armory...if the armory can be obtained, it¡¯ll increase the dungeon¡¯s strength tremendously. And someday, you¡¯ll be able to obtain the gold mine, which was the dream of the previous owners.¡±

    Evolve the spirits and arm them with the weapons that are in the armory.

    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. During thest battle, after the Goblins made the traps, they grabbed the bamboo spears and started fighting.

    ¡®I am interested in the gear that Kaiwan found in the arena.¡¯

    Yong-Ho made up his mind. He stood up and thought of the saying, strike while the iron is hot.

    ¡°Bring Catalina. We¡¯ll begin the search right away.¡±

    Eligor¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    The day after that discussion.

    Yong-Ho sighed deeply after escaping the shback by opening his eyes.

    In order to activate the inactive rooms, he needed 10 mana. Currently, Yong-Ho¡¯s maximum mana level was 180 and since the dungeon¡¯s daily mana production volume was 50, he could activate a maximum of 23 rooms if he decided to use every ounce of his mana.

    Of course, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t going to do that. His mana was needed for the dungeon facilities and he needed to save some in case of another attack.

    When thinking about that, the number of rooms he can activate in a day decreased a lot and since he might have to fight, the progress of the search slowed down as well.

    ¡®At least my experience level is increasing a lot.¡¯

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and looked at himself. The development rate increased from 50 to 80.

    With a bit more experience, he¡¯ll be able to evolve.

    Since there were a lot of examples, he was able to better understand the mechanism of this skill.

    The development rate was equivalent to the experience points within a game.

    The stronger the spirit was, the harder it was to fill in the development rate and the weaker the spirit was, the development rate filled up even from the smallest task.

    Yong-Ho looked at Skull, who was currently lying on the ground.

    [Name : Skull]

    [Race : Skeleton Soldier]

    [Main Elements : - ]

    [Development Rate : 40/100]

    ¡®The avable routes are Skeleton Warrior and Skeleton Archer.¡¯

    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, he looked at Catalina, who was currently resting beside him. After noticing him looking at her, she quickly took out a map andid it on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this, but the records of the previous owner aren¡¯t perfect. However, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s somewhere around this area. If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll find it.¡±

    At first, she spoke like a child because she thought she was in trouble, but as she talked more, her eyes started to sparkle.

    It seemed like she was putting her money Yong-Ho¡¯s luck in wealth, which was one of skills.

    ¡°So you¡¯re using your owner, huh?¡±

    When Yong-Ho made thatment after clicking his tongue, Catalina looked like she didn¡¯t know what to do. It was the reaction he was expecting, so he chuckled and lightly pinched her cheek. He stood up from his seat.

    ¡°Since we¡¯ve rested, let¡¯s head out. If it¡¯s not forward, then it¡¯s to the left.¡±

    Yong-Ho mumbled to himself and looked around the room. He closed his eyes and extended his hands out in different directions.

    ¡®Trust my instincts.¡¯

    He was stimting his luck in wealth.

    To be exact, Yong-Ho was able to satisfy his ¡®greed.¡¯

    He opened his eyes. He looked to the left.

    ¡°That way.¡±

    He immediately started walking.

    &

    While Yong-Ho was exploring the dungeon with Catalina and Skull.

    Eligor, who was a butler and was also an important spirit to the dungeon, took the Goblins and was focused on the construction work.

    As Eligor exined many times to Yong-Ho, the dungeon in the demon world wasn¡¯t just a geographical feature, but arge spirit.

    Because of that, the facilities within the dungeon were also known as the dungeon¡¯s internal organs.

    Mana is used to activate the rooms and by using the dungeon¡¯s mana and ingredients, better facilities are created.

    These facilities are managed by using mana and it was possible to move their location within the dungeon.

    After the first battle, instead of evolving the spirits, Yong-Ho decided to focus on strengthening the dungeon.

    The distance between the dungeon entrance and his room increased and secured the rooms so that a variety of facilities can be created. For the facilities that have already been installed, he changed their location to increase their defense.

    The ¡°central road¡± was known as the dungeon¡¯s spine and Eligor widened the space in the road to the prison a bit. He made space in order to create the new torture chamber.

    He really wanted to increase the size of the prison.

    The prison within the dungeon wasn¡¯t just used to lock enemy spirits and torture them.

    A high-quality prison that¡¯s been made with a good amount of mana and ingredients will forcefully drain out the mana from the prisoners.

    The prison can also be used as a breeding farm where they can retrain the dungeon monsters and turn them into spirits.

    That¡¯s why the prison is considered an important facility. It can be used in many different ways.

    ¡®The torture chamber is also another important room.¡¯

    Eligor created torturing tools with joy. Since the ingredients were pretty ordinary, he couldn¡¯t make a stylish tool like the Iron Maiden, but one could torture a prisoner with just a chair and knife alone.

    Eligor decided to be satisfied with the smallest things.

    ¡°Butler, butler. Feels good. Feels.¡±

    Jon was bringing the ingredients that were going to be used for the torture room and he saw Eligor¡¯s expression. Eligor answered with a warm smile.

    ¡°Ha ha. How could I not be in a good mood? The dungeon is improving day by day.¡±

    As soon as he finished talking, Eligor thought about Yong-Ho during the first fight.

    ¡° Ha ha. His bedroom must be made as quickly as possible so that we¡¯re prepared for the sessor that¡¯ll be born in the future.¡±

    ¡°Sessor? Bedroom? What¡¯s the connection?¡±

    Jon tiled his head and asked with a confused expression, but Eligor didn¡¯t answer. He kept this imagination to himself and looked at the Kobolds that were locked up.

    ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t worry so much either. You¡¯ll be tortured once the torture chamber isplete. After I confirm your honesty by torturing you, I¡¯ll make sure you change into the House of Mammon¡¯s servants.¡±

    He then raised a log that had nails pierced all around it. The Kobolds quickly raised their voices.

    ¡°Woof, woof!¡±

    ¡°Woof, woof!¡±

    ¡°Oink, oink!¡±

    They were saying that they¡¯ll swear allegiance right now, but Eligor didn¡¯t understand. No, it¡¯s possible that he knew from their desperate looks, but chose to ignore it.

    ¡°Ha ha ha. Okay, okay. You just have to wait a bit longer.¡±

    Eligor had a warm smile on his face as he ced the log down. He looked ahead with a calm expression.

    ¡°I hope the master returns soon.¡±

    If it¡¯s Yong-Ho, he¡¯ll definitely be able to find the armory.

    Just thinking about him made Eligor smile and this time, he picked up a very sharp knife. The Kobolds¡¯ cry was music to his ears and he focused on his work again.

    < Demon House¡¯s Armory #2 > End.

 Chapter 20

    < Demon House¡¯s Armory #3 >

    Yong-Ho moved to the left.

    Every time he reached the end of the room, he activated a new room and he kept on moving forward.

    Having luck in wealth was greed¡¯s secondary skill and it was a skill that was difficult to describe.

    Just a feeling.

    Instinctively choosing.

    Because of that, he couldn¡¯t exin to Catalina and Skull why they were walking forward. He just felt that he would obtain something if he continued walking in this path.

    However, several hourster, Catalina and Yong-Ho himself started to get worried.

    Was this the right path?

    No, even if he could obtain something by walking on this road, was that something the armory?

    It wasn¡¯t apletely fruitless search. While walking, they encountered a Crazy Ant and were able to increase the development rate as well as gain a bit of mana. If they considered everything to be an experience, it was a usefulbat training.

    However, Yong-Ho¡¯s goal was to find Kaiwan¡¯s armory. In the game world,pleting all the side quests and not the main quest was useless, so he told himself to not forget about his main goal.

    ¡°Um...master?¡±

    Catalina carefully spoke up. Yong-Ho had an idea on why she called out to him, so he put on his calm expression and turned around.

    Yong-Ho was the head of the household and was currently the leader of the search party. If Yong-Ho looked anxious, then Catalina and Skull...he wasn¡¯t sure if Skull knew what being anxious felt like...then most likely, they¡¯ll feel anxious too.

    ¡°I have a strong feeling it¡¯s this side. Let¡¯s go a bit further.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    As the loyal spirit, Catalina answered right away. Skull had their usual nk expression and followed behind Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    Yong-Ho thought back to the time when he obtained Aamon. He was really lucky to be able to obtain Aamon. It was mind-blowing.

    However, the process wasn¡¯t easy. If Catalina didn¡¯t slow down the speed of their fall, they surely would¡¯ve lost their lives.

    It could happen this time too.

    One of Mammon¡¯s spirit that¡¯s protecting the treasure could appear or an unknown trap could appear as well.

    But, he had no choice.

    Go this way.

    There¡¯s something there that will satisfy your greed.

    ¡®One room. Let¡¯s just go through one more room.¡¯

    If they don¡¯t find anything, Yong-Ho was going to end the search here. He would try again after recovering their mana and stamina.

    Aftering up with a n, Yong-Homanded the Spirit of the Dungeon to activate the next room. He carefully opened the door.

    ¡°Be careful. Something feels off.¡±

    Like their warning, this room was different from the previous rooms. As soon as he opened the door, an eerie wind escaped. On top of that, the room was dark.

    Activated rooms are usually lit through the light that¡¯s created by mana. However, despite the fact that the Spirit of the Dungeon activated it, it was dark. It wasn¡¯tplete darkness, but the light didn¡¯t even light up a fourth of the room.

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke and Catalina reacted. She took out the shlight from her belt and handed it to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Master, I¡¯ll take the lead.¡±

    ¡°No, you stay behind me. I¡¯ll take the lead.¡±

    It was the same as when he obtained Aamon. The feeling was strong. He was certain that there was something here that excited Yong-Ho¡¯s greed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m unable to figure out the entire room. It¡¯s also too far from the Heart of the Dungeon...Some sort of power is interrupting it.¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke weakly. After Yong-Ho gulped, he used the shlight to light the room. It looked like an empty room since he didn¡¯t see anything.

    ¡°It seems like an extremelyrge room. It¡¯s as big as your room, master.¡±

    When they walked halfway across the room, Catalina spoke quietly. But, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t reply to it. He had a strong feeling. Front. Something was behind this darkness.

    Yong-Ho instinctively raised the shlight. Once the shlight lit the small light that was in the room, he was able to see the room more clearly.

    ¡°Mine...entrance?¡±

    He was sure that thisrge door would lead them underground.

    That¡¯s when Yong-Ho sensed it. Greed started reacting to it not because it was an armory.

    ¡®Gold mine!¡¯

    That was the only thing he could think of. Greed took ce within Yong-Ho¡¯s soul and was expressing their desire.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Her long ears flinched and Catalina spoke softly. Yong-Ho was able to feel it now.

    He heard something rustling in all directions. On top of that, something was falling from the ceiling.

    ¡°Skullll?!¡±

    Even the slow-witted Skull was able to sense the danger. Catalina quickly took out her dagger and stood behind Yong-Ho with her back facing his. With her Dark Elf eyes, she looked around.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s grip on Aamon tightened. He knew the moment he heard the sound. It didn¡¯t make sense that he didn¡¯t hear it once whileing here.

    It was the same for whatever was on the ceiling.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t hesitate. He pointed Aamon towards the ceiling.

    ¡°Reveal it!¡±

    As soon as he shouted, a green me was released from the tip of Aamon¡¯s de. The me burned the Slime that covered the ceiling and the Spirit of the Dungeon answered to Yong-Ho¡¯s yelling. After releasing the concentrated mana all at once, it got rid of the darkness that was in the room.

    ¡°Kyah!¡±

    ¡°Kyahhh!¡±

    A strange sound filled the room. At the same time, Skull was surprised.

    A group of Crazy Ants were covering the walls. The way they moved around while crying was horrendous. And the entrance. From there, a monster that he¡¯s never seen before poked their head out. A group of Soldier Ants, who were at least three to four timesrger than Crazy Ants appeared.

    ¡°Retreat first!¡±

    Yong-Ho hastily shouted and swung Aamon once more. After releasing the fire in front of him, he quickly turned around and ran.

    Gold mine.

    It existed, just like Eligor mentioned. But, the Crazy Ant built a nest at the gold mine. The monsters that drove out the owners from the previous generation were still alive and well!

    ¡°Skull, skull!¡±

    Skull started swinging around the hammer it was wielding. Most of the Crazy Ants that were on the walls stayed there, but they couldn¡¯t rx. They even covered the exit that the party was supposed to escape through.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Catalina was running alongside Yong-Ho when she suddenly screamed. The Slimes that were releasing their fluids from the ceiling dropped down and enveloped Catalina with their bodies.

    Since it was a sudden attack, even the agile Catalina couldn¡¯t dodge it. The Soldier Ants prated through the fire.

    The Crazy Ants started moving around more as if they received some sort ofmand.

    ¡°Skull, skull!¡±

    Skull threw their body towards the door. At the same time, Yong-Ho turned around. He tightened his grip on Aamon and saw the Slimes that covered Catalina.

    He didn¡¯t have time to think. It urred to him right when he saw it.

    The Slime¡¯s body was made up of strong acid. It even melted weapons, so Catalina didn¡¯t have the time to endure it while being covered by their body.

    What could he do?

    In that moment. In-between the opening.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina made eye contact. Catalina spoke. She spoke with her eyes since she couldn¡¯t say what was on her mind.

    ¡®Run away!¡¯

    Leave her. That was the best choice. This was her job anyways.

    Not only Catalina, but Yong-Ho thought of that option as well. It felt like someone was giving amand.

    That moment disappeared. He felt the Soldier Ants approaching. He sensed the other Slimes getting ready to fall to the ground.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho made a choice. He didn¡¯t think anymore. He pierced Aamon into the Slimes that covered Catalina.

    Aamon¡¯s fire not only burned their body, but their mana and soul as well.

    However, the same happened to Catalina.

    A green me blossomed out of the tip of Aamon¡¯s de. It started spreading and enveloped the Slimes. During this, Catalina closed her eyes tightly.

    And Yong-Ho was longing for it.

    He didn¡¯t throw away greed. Hemanded Aamon.

    It was his.

    Everything about them belong to Yong-Ho!

    Aamon¡¯s fire was greed¡¯s fire.

    The fire of desire that devoured the body and the soul.

    He burned the Slimes. Yong-Ho inserted his hand into Aamon¡¯s strong fire. Catalina wasn¡¯t affected by Aamon¡¯s fire and Yong-Ho grabbed her.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Yong-Homanded. After escaping the fire, Catalina listened to hismand. Instead of thinking, she followed his orders and kicked off the ground. She threw her body towards the door that Skull left open.

    ¡°One more time!¡±

    Yong-Ho released more of his mana. He waved Aamon with all his might and filled the ce with a wave of fire.

    ¡°Kyahhhh!¡±

    The Soldier Ants were surprised by the sudden wave of fire and started screaming. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t bother to look and started running. He threw himself through the door and at the same time,manded the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Deactivating the room!¡±

    It didn¡¯t stop there. Catalina quickly helped Yong-Ho stand up. Skull, who was running through the room, opened the door again.

    Yong-Ho ran through two rooms. At the same time, the Spirit of the Dungeon deactivated the room.

    And when they were running through the third room.

    Yong-Ho stopped and breathed heavily.

    His body was covered with sweat. Catalina, who almost died, copsed to the floor. She remembered how Aamon¡¯s fire covered her, which made her wrap her shoulders with her hands.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes. He started thinking while catching his breath.

    The gold mine that Kaiwan found.

    It existed. There was gold remaining. Yong-Ho¡¯s greed reacted, so he was sure.

    The issue was the colony of Crazy Ants that were blocking the way. Seeing the size of it, there¡¯s a high possibility that there¡¯s a Queen Ant.

    ¡°I should really find the armory.¡±

    Yong-Ho said it and Skull reacted after opening the door to the third room. Catalina also raised her head and looked at Yong-Ho.

    They found the gold mine. Thanks to that, there were two roads and he was sure that one of them connected to the armory. If they walk down the remaining road, they¡¯ll arrive at the armory.

    They can obtain gear from the armory. And reim the gold mine with stronger gear.

    ¡®But before that.¡¯

    Yong-Ho stood up straight. He gathered the remaining mana into his left hand, which was empty. He activated the Power of Evolution and looked at himself.

    The Demon of Evolution, Chun Yong-Ho.

    Development Rate 100/100.

    It was the development rate that he obtained after taking care of the Slimes that covered Catalina.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait any longer. He ced his left hand on top of his chest.

    [Specialized Mana Development]

    The Power of Evolution started working. Green-colored mana rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s body as if something blew up inside him.

    < Demon House¡¯s Armory #3 > End.

 Chapter 21

    <Armed #1>

    It broke and went through.

    The frame broke. The power that bursted surged as it found an exit.

    It was a swift current. It was an eruption that he felt for the first time in his life.

    He screamed.

    No, it wasn¡¯t like a scream.

    It was something else.

    A spirit¡¯s cry. A swift me that swallowed everything.

    He couldn¡¯t tell the time.

    But momentster.

    He opened his eyes. Green mes rose out and naturally died down.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stumble. He stood up straight and felt himself change.

    The amount of mana he could hold increased.

    Even if he didn¡¯t circte, he could definitely feel it.

    He knew he didn¡¯t have any energy. It was like an empty bowl since he used up all of his mana.

    Because of that, he definitely felt it.

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke. In front of him, Catalina was sitting on the floor and like someone that regained their consciousness, she quickly stood up. She saw Yong-Ho and her confused face turned into a face filled with joy.

    ¡°Ma, master. Your horn...¡±

    Yong-Ho raised his hand. Even without a mirror, he knew where the horn grew.

    The horn collects all the mana that exists within this world and it was like a transmitter that helped him concentrate.

    Two horns grew out in the same spot as Catalina. Before, they looked like nothing more than small rocks, but now, it wasrger and thicker.

    Now they looked like actual horns.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if they were waiting for this moment.

    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s daily production volume has been increased from 50 to 80!¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s maximum amount of mana has been increased from 180 to 280! And thanks to the horns, the mana recovery rate has been increased to 100%!¡±

    A demon house is made up of mana.

    The body and the soul is one lump of mana.

    He was able to experience it. He couldn¡¯t really feel the mana since he was half human and half demon, but now, it felt like he had been reborn again.

    Yong-Ho smiled. He was tired from using up his mana, but he even enjoyed that exhaustion.

    ¡°Catalina, how¡¯s your body?¡±

    Yong-Ho asked in his usual tone and Catalina¡¯s shoulders dropped as she let out a sigh of relief.

    The master had horns. His mana definitely got stronger.

    But she was worried.

    Even though she only served him for a couple of days, she wasn¡¯t sure whether he was the owner that she knew of. Maybe he changed somewhere?

    But he remained the same. Maybe it¡¯s because her worries vanished, but tears were seen in her eyes and felt Yong-ho looking at her. Her clothes got messed up because of the Slimes. She didn¡¯t really get hurt because Yong-Ho acted so quickly, but on parts where her skin was exposed, there were minor injuries.

    ¡°I, it¡¯ll heal if I use my saliva.¡±

    Catalina answered while stuttering and Yong-ho smiled again. Catalina blushed because of her answer and instead of making fun of her for it, he spoke with a cheerful voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We have to reorganize.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Skull, skull.¡±

    Skull intercepted after hearing Catalina answer quickly. Before leaving, Yong-Ho looked back. Beyond the inactive rooms, there was a gold mine that Kaiwan found.

    ¡®I will find it.¡¯

    Yong-Ho turned around and started walking.

    &

    ¡°Master!¡±

    When they returned, Eligor was the first one to greet them. He was shocked by how messy both Yong-Ho and Catalina looked that he was iling, but when he noticed Yong-Ho¡¯s horns, he iled even more.

    First, Yong-Ho moved to the only furniture that was in the room, which was the throne. He spoke when he sat down on the hard stone.

    ¡°I found the gold mine. The horns appeared because I used the Power of Evolution on myself.¡±

    Eligor didn¡¯t understand at first. When Catalina brought the kettle filled with water, his eyes widened and asked.

    ¡°The gold, gold mine, sir? The one that belonged to Kaiwan?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Like you pointed out, dungeon monsters were all over that ce. It was in the shape of arge ant. I think they made that ce their home.¡±

    Eligor¡¯s expression turned serious after hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s answer. It was a reaction he expected.

    The Crazy Ant colony was located not too far from here. It was a major threat when it came to expanding the dungeon and maintaining it.

    Yong-Ho spoke calmly.

    ¡°First, we¡¯ll use the gear that¡¯s in Kaiwan¡¯s armory. In order to take back the gold mine, we need to strengthen our attack.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t nning on avoiding them by crouching like the previous owners did.

    He was going to reim it. He¡¯ll take back what belonged to the House of Mammon. Yong-Ho was going to make it his.

    ¡°I understand. But first, it will be best to take a break. I¡¯ve created a new bedroom for you.¡±

    ¡°Bedroom?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t expecting it, so Yong-Ho was the one that was surprised this time. Eligor answered with a calm expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s not much, but I¡¯ve obtained a small room. I¡¯ll make sure to fill it with furniture soon.¡±

    He was a demon king and the owner of the dungeon too, so sleeping on top of the carpet was something he didn¡¯t want to show the spirits anymore. A bedroom was a necessary facility so that it could help him protect his dignity.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the bedroom.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    It felt like he was being tricked, but Yong-ho decided to follow. Honestly, since he used up a lot of his mana, he wanted to sleep really badly.

    ¡°Rest Catalina. You too, Skull.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°Skulllll.¡±

    Catalina answered right away and Skull, who was lying on the floor, answered as well.

    Yong-Ho and Eligor headed towards the bedroom.

    &

    When he closed and opened his eyes, time had already passed.

    It was like a warp. No, time machine. He felt the same thing when he was a student.

    His throat was dry, so he couldn¡¯t really speak. However, his head was perfectly fine. Because of the horns, his mana level was full.

    ¡®How long was I out?¡¯

    Yong-Ho sat up. The ceiling was low and the room was smaller than before. He was sitting on top of a pile of hay instead of on the carpet.

    It was the iplete room that Eligor made in a hurry.

    Yong-Ho stood up after remembering what happened. Eligor ced a basin filled with water and he used that to wash his face. Afterwards, he put on his cape and walked out of the room.

    ¡®It¡¯s still the same.¡¯

    It seemed like he didn¡¯t sleep for that long. Inside the demon¡¯s room, most of the spirits that were in the dungeon were gathered here.

    The hard-working Goblins were lying side by side on top of the carpet that was near the entrance and Skull was on the ground as usual. Honestly, Skull could lie down anywhere within the dungeon and it wouldn¡¯t be odd. As usual, Catalina was within the throne¡¯s vicinity and was lying on the ground with her cape wrapped around her. She looked like a silkworm, and he pitied her for some reason.

    ¡®This is not good.¡¯

    Yong-Ho felt that he was responsible for this, so he quietly walked out so that they could continue sleeping. He drank water to cure his dry throat and when he left the room, he saw Eligor watering Treant.

    ¡°You¡¯re a tree afterall.¡±

    ¡°Oh, master, you¡¯re awake. You¡¯re up early.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, since we found the road that leads to the armory, we should hurry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very like you sir.¡±

    Next to the smiling Eligor, Treant bent forward and expressed their manners to Yong-Ho. Now that he thought of it, he never gave Treant a name.

    ¡®Should I just call them Ant?¡¯

    Yong-Ho always pushed for simplicity, but he thought Ant wasn¡¯t good enough.

    ¡®Let me think about it more.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t in a rush to name them. There was something else that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.

    ¡°Eligor, can we make a room for the spirits as well? I think Catalina will need her own room as well.¡±

    Yong-Ho has been sleeping on the top of the carpet until yesterday, but he thought this wasn¡¯t good. Even if it was a dungeon, providing basic food and shelter was the right thing to do.

    Eligor quickly answered to Yong-Ho¡¯s owner-likemand.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Thanks to you, the dungeon¡¯s daily production volume has increased. I¡¯ll create a dorm for the ordinary spirits.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±

    Yong-Ho stopped talking and started thinking. He looked towards the passageway that connected to the prison and asked.

    ¡°How are things with the Kobolds?¡±

    ¡°The torture chamber is still in progress...¡±

    Eligor answered with disappointment. Yong-Ho tilted his head.

    ¡°None of them are willing to work for us? During the day that they attacked, it didn¡¯t seem like they were very loyal towards their previous owner.¡±

    ¡°All four of them seem like that, but we can¡¯t trust them without torturing them...¡±

    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho observed Eligor. He scratched the back of his head and spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s one that¡¯s better than the others. After breakfast, pick one before I leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking about taking them with you?¡±

    ¡°The more power, the better.¡±

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t expect them to bepletely loyal. Right now, he needed soldiers he could use. He wasn¡¯t going to use them as a shield, but he might use them for something simr. Anyways, Catalina and Skull were more important than the Kobold.

    Eligor must¡¯ve read this mind because he agreed to do it with a serious expression.

    And right after breakfast.

    Along with Skull and Catalina, Jon and a Kobold were wielding bamboo spears and they followed Yong-Ho to search the dungeon.

    Their target was the room that was located up north.

    The armory that belonged to Kaiwan.

    < Armed #1> End.

 Chapter 22

    < Armed #2 >

    Since they¡¯ve already walked down the path that led to the gold mine, it was easy.

    There were only two Grunge Slimes because they¡¯ve already ¡°cleaned¡± this area.

    ¡°Great. We haven¡¯t been to this area before. Everyone keep your guard up.¡±

    Jon¡¯s eyes widened as he tightened his grip on the bamboo spear. The Kobold that was in front of him did the same.

    Catalina closed the distance between her and Yong-Ho and Skull stretched out his shoulders.

    Yong-Ho continued talking.

    ¡°Kobold will be the advance guard. Jon and Skull take care of the sides. Catalina and I will be in the center and support.¡±

    Skull and Jon moved the sides. Kobold flinched when Yong-Ho told them that they would be the advance guard and expressed that they didn¡¯t want to, but when Yong-Ho and Catalina red at them, they walked towards the front of the group.

    After organizing the group, he continued searching by going to the right of the door that led to the gold mine.

    While walking through five rooms in a row, they didn¡¯t encounter any dungeon monsters. Kobold and Jon must¡¯ve felt relieved because they seemed moreid-back.

    Yong-Ho opened the dungeon map in the air. He nodded his head.

    ¡®Are the Crazy Ants and the Slimes just in the gold mine?¡¯

    If that was the case, then it¡¯s understandable why those dungeon monsters weren¡¯t here.

    But, if they keep walking, they¡¯ll reach the armory. Seeing as how there weren¡¯t any dungeon monsters here, there¡¯s a high chance that there weren¡¯t a lot of monsters here, like the Crazy Ants and Slimes.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    Catalina carefully called out when Yong-Ho stopped and stared at the map. Instead of answering, he looked forward. He slightly closed his eyes and answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I can sense something from this direction too.¡±

    Greed was reacting stronger than the gold mine and started wanting the new target.

    Forward.

    It wasn¡¯t that far.

    They walked through another room. And Yong-Ho had a hunch. He raised his hand and stopped all the spirits.

    ¡°Wait for a moment. It might be the next room.¡±

    Kobold and Jon knew exactly what Yong-Ho was talking about. They were no longer rxed and kept their guard up.

    Catalina looked at Yong-Ho without saying anything. Yong-Ho and Catalina¡¯s eyes met for a moment and after tightening his grip on Aamon, he walked towards the wall. After waiting with the spirits right beside the door, hemanded Kobold to open the door.

    The Kobold was sweating and was hesitant, but Jon was poking them with the bamboo spear, so they didn¡¯t have any choice. With slightly red eyes, they looked at the door and quickly moved to open the door.

    ¡°The room has been activated!¡±

    Right after the Kobold opened the door, the Spirit of the Dungeon provided mana into the inactive room. The light made the darkness disappear.

    And momentster.

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina when there wasn¡¯t any reaction regarding the room. Catalina pulled down the hood and after she pricked up her ears, she nodded.

    Yong-Ho waited for Catalina to wear her hood again and opened the doorpletely. He entered the room along with Skull and Jon.

    Unlike the other rooms, this room was pretty big. The area was three timesrger than ordinary room and the length of the room was long. Arge iron door was attached at the end of the room.

    ¡°The armory¡¯s door is the same as the recorded description.¡±

    Catalina spoke as she looked at the door that had the shape of a wolf devouring the moon. The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as well.

    ¡°I can feel a strong energy beyond the door. Be careful, master.¡±

    Yong-Ho also felt it. That¡¯s why he decided to concentrate on the flow of the mana. Green mes blossomed out of Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes as if he was using the Power of Evolution.

    The demon world was created by mana. Until small creatures became demons, they all had their own mana.

    Each mana had different characteristics.

    The color and attribute.

    Through the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho was able to read a spirit¡¯s potential. The skill also revealed the color and the attributes of their mana.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho did more than feel the flow of the mana. It was possible for him to look at the color and the attribute.

    Beyond the iron door.

    It was like the Spirit of the Dungeon had mentioned. There was a feeling of strong mana. The mana was stronger than therge demon he encountered before.

    Heat. me. Sharp yellow.

    It rose up in-between the iron door. It created a whirlpool and that flow became faster.

    Yong-Ho yelled.

    ¡°To the side!¡±

    Kobold and Jon, who were extremely nervous, quickly threw their bodies to the right wall. Yong-Ho pulled Catalina by her waist and went to the left wall and during all of this, Catalina stretched out her hand and pulled Skull, who was standing there with a nk expression.

    And an empty space was created.

    Rumble!

    The heat wave was moving at a fast rate. With a loud boom, the iron door became dented and it burned the yellow smoke.

    A pir of me.

    The Kobold and Jon were shaking in fear. Skull¡¯s jaw dropped and Yong-Ho inspected the room beyond the dented iron door. Catalina yelled.

    ¡°Smander!¡±

    Yong-Ho saw it as well. The thing that was burning within the darkness looked like arge lizard. Yellow mes enveloped its entire body and because of that, me was a better description than a living thing.

    Yong-Ho quickly asked.

    ¡°Is it a spirit or something? Does it not have an actual body or something?¡±

    In a game that Yong-Ho enjoyed ying, a smander usually appeared as the Spirit of the me. Catalina quickly answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s notpletely a spirit. It¡¯s close, but it¡¯s an Evil Spirit of Fire that lives by devouring mana!¡±

    After Catalina yelled, she jumped off the ground. Yong-Ho quickly stood up straight. It was because the smander started moving.

    ¡®Just one enemy!¡¯

    There wasn¡¯t a lot. Just one. The me that burned the air was terrifying, but if fire was their only weapon, then there were ways they could defeat them. Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon.

    ¡°Roar!¡±

    The smander roared and at the same time, released fire from its mouth as it walked out of the armory. The length of the smander was probably four meters long.

    With an opponent like that, there was nothing Jon and Kobold could do. Yong-Ho exchanged nces with Catalina again. The spirit that belonged to the dungeon and the owner understood each other just with one nce and they both started running in opposite directions.

    ¡°It¡¯s this side!¡±

    Catalina jumped off the ground and yelled as if they were provoking it. With Yong-Ho on her back, she jumped from the ground to the wall to the ceiling and back to the ground.

    Catalina¡¯s agile movements made the smander focus on her. The smander ran towards Catalina and spit out fire. Like a real lizard, their movements were extremely fast.

    Catalina didn¡¯t scream. Even though she was known as the clutzy knight, she was still the knight of the House of Mammon and was the most trustworthy soldier within the dungeon. Instead of shaking in fear, she focused on their movement. She used her crossbow and attacked the smander.

    However, despite her attack, the smander didn¡¯t care and didn¡¯t slow down at all. The arrows pierced through the smander¡¯s body, but it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce through its thick skin.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    Yong-Ho yelled. Catalina kicked off the wall without any hesitation and widened the distance between her and the smander. Her attention was now on Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    She yelled without realizing. She didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Yong-Ho ran towards the smander. As if he were charging with ance, a green me started emitting out of Aamon. It wasn¡¯t holding back and the mes resembled a wild animal.

    ¡°Roar!¡±

    The smander turned its head towards Yong-Ho and spit out fire. Since they were so close, dodging was difficult. However, that wasn¡¯t a problem. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t thinking about dodging it in the first ce.

    ¡°Roaaaaaar!¡±

    At the same time, the smander roared. The green me that Aamon was releasing ran straight through the fire that the smander spit out. The me ate the fire.

    It was a gamble. And he seeded. The distance between Yong-Ho and the smander closed immediately. Aamon pierced through the smander¡¯s side.

    ¡°Roaar!¡±

    The smander roared and moved violently. Not just from its mouth, but mes were released throughout its entire body. It was hot. The mes were so hot that it would easily melt metal. However, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t step away. Aamon¡¯s fiery path was blocking Yong-Ho within the fire, Yong-Ho twisted Aamon and pushed it into the smander.

    ¡®Move!¡¯

    It was tiring even after his body became stronger after bing a demon. Yong-Ho used all of his strength to push it in and the heavy smander let out a painful scream and pushed him to the side.

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    It was an unexpected assist.

    Therge, sturdy hammer drew a beautiful line. It fell vertically and fell on the head of the smander that was rolling around in pain.

    The smander was the Evil Spirit of Fire. Due to the shock that it received, it couldn¡¯te back to its senses. On top of that, Skull didn¡¯t stop attacking it.

    ¡°Skkkkkkulll!¡±

    Skull crazily swung the hammer and was targeting the smander¡¯s head. Yong-Ho was trying to corner the smander into a wall, but all he could do was watch Skull with a nk face.

    ¡°S-Skull is bigger help than Catalina?!¡±

    Yong-Ho expressed his thoughts without knowing and Catalina flinched. Because she wanted to be helpful, she jumped off the ground so that she could win superiority over Skull.

    However, Catalina didn¡¯t really have much to do.

    Fire was the monster¡¯s strongest weapon, but it was blocked by Yong-Ho and on top of that, they were feeling groggy because Skull kept on hitting their head. It was impossible for them to swing their tail and release fire.

    Catalina walked up next to Yong-Ho and unsheathed her dagger, however, she didn¡¯t know where she should use it.

    Also, Skull raised the hammer high and roared as if telling Catalina to hear them.

    ¡°Skkkkull! Skkkkull!¡±

    Yong-Ho watched them and couldn¡¯t help butugh. He used all of his mana at once in order to defeat the smander, but thanks to Skull, they were able to win easily.

    ¡®Shall we finish it?¡¯

    Aamon was still pierced into the smander¡¯s side and after taking it out, he looked at it. Maybe it¡¯s because they were groggy, but their fire was really weak and they just looked like an ordinary lizard now.

    LIke with the giant, he had to absorb the smander¡¯s spirit. In order to do that, he had to kill the smander first.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes turned cold. He wasn¡¯t hesitant about killing a creature that was alive, but he was greedy about absorbing its spirit. He gulped without knowing.

    He felt pleasure when absorbing it. His mana increased because of it.

    Yong-Ho raised Aamon. And right before it pierced into the monster, Catalina grabbed Yong-Ho¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Pl-please wait, master.¡±

    Catalina froze in ce after saying it. His expression became scary after she interrupted him from killing and absorbing the spirit.

    But, it was only for a moment. Yong-Ho regained his consciousness and started catching his breath. After shaking his head once, she spoke.

    ¡°What is it, Catalina?¡±

    Yong-Ho was normal. As a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, grabbing the owner¡¯s arm and interrupting him was considered rude.

    Catalina let out a sigh of relief and gulped. She spoke while pointing towards smander.

    ¡°The smander is an evil spirit that¡¯s been misused. If you train it right, it¡¯ll definitely be a Rank Three spirit. It already lost and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve realized that their fire is no match against yours, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible for you to train them.¡±

    There was some information in the middle that he didn¡¯t understand, but he understood the general concept.

    Now that he thought about it, Eligor did mention something about training the dungeon monsters in the prison.

    Yong-Ho looked at the smander again.

    The smander was definitely a strong spirit. If Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have Aamon, then there¡¯s no way he would be able to fight them. It wasn¡¯t odd for the previous owners to give up on finding the armory because of them.

    And he¡¯ll be using the smander as his subordinate.

    Yong-Ho sheathed Aamon. He did what Catalina had suggested.

    ¡°Good job, Catalina. You managed to get the smander¡¯s attention during the battle. You¡¯re definitely my knight.¡±

    When he petted her head whileplimenting her, her ears started pping.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s my job as the knight.¡±

    The way she nced over at Skull was cute.

    Yong-Ho did his best to contain hisughter and called over Jon and Kobold, who were standing in the corner. Now, it was time for them to fulfill their actual goal.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s empty out...no, let¡¯s check.¡±

    Yong-Homanded and the spirits followed Catalina¡¯s lead.

    < Armed #2 > End.

 Chapter 23

    <Armed #3>

    ¡°Got it? Stay here and if you feel that the monster is going to wake up, hit its head again and make them pass out.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke while looking at the smander that fainted. Skull nodded while holding the hammer above its head.

    ¡®I am a bit worried though.¡¯

    He was more worried about the smander than Skull. He was worried that something might happen because they were getting hit too many times.

    ¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll wake up anytime soon, so it might end before anything happens.¡¯

    And causing more trouble to obtain the smander would put him at a disadvantage. Yong-Ho was the type to make sure this didn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Great, next...Kobold, you stay with Skull.¡±

    Kobold flinched as they gulped while looking towards the armory.

    The Kobold were low-ranked spirits, just like the Goblins, and were known to be true to their nature. If there was an item in front of them, it¡¯s highly likely that they¡¯ll steal it.

    The Kobold had sort of a disappointed expression because of hismand, but when Catalina red at them, they whimpered and lowered their head.

    A few minutes after beating the smander.

    After organizing everything, Yong-Ho headed towards the armory along with Catalina and Jon.

    Beyond the half-dented steel door, it was really dark. Before entering the armory, he called the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Dungeon Facility: I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re in control of the armory. In order to activate it, it will use up almost all of the mana you have left.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high chance that you may feel a bit dizzy. Is that okay?¡±

    He knew they were worried, but he couldn¡¯t back down now. The goal was right in front of him.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After Yong-Ho approved, the Spirit of the Dungeon didn¡¯t hesitate. It gathered every bit of Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and activated the armory.

    ¡®Gah.¡¯

    The Spirit of the Dungeon wasn¡¯t lying. Yong-Ho¡¯s legs became weak and he stumbled for a second, but regained his bnce.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just really tired.¡±

    Catalina looked at him worriedly and Yong-Ho tried his best to concentrate. He observed the darkness within the armory.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.

    ¡°The armory is now under our control. I¡¯ll cast away the darkness.¡±

    As soon as they finished talking, marbles of light appeared on the ceiling just like the other activated rooms.

    ¡°So the smander has been living here for over 10 years?¡±

    As the darkness was disappearing, Yong-Ho quietly mumbled and Catalina answered immediately.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve exined during the battle, they¡¯re not aplete spirit, but an evil spirit that¡¯s close to being one. They live by consuming mana...it¡¯s highly possible that they¡¯ve been asleep, just like a bear that hibernates during the winter.¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded at the reasonable exnation. And secondster. The darkness within the armory disappeared.

    The armory was bigger than what he expected. Both sides of the walls were filled with shelves and those shelves were filled with weapons and gear. It looked like there were over 20 items.

    A natural smile appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face.

    They were weapons that the previous owner collected. They were for the spirits that lived during that time.

    Among them, there were definitely good and bad weapons. Despite the fact that Yong-Ho used up his mana, Greed filled his soul and it started using its senses.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any traps within the armory. However, there may be items that are cursed. Please be careful when wearing them.¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and started walking. As always, Greed was leading Yong-Ho.

    ¡®A shield before a weapon.¡¯

    Yong-Ho did his best to let Greed take over his mind.

    Whatever it¡¯s longing for the most. The item that he needs the most.

    The weapons weren¡¯t strong enough to bepared to Aamon.

    Right now, Yong-Ho needed a shield more than a weapon.

    His senses were all over the ce and then focused on one area. Greed didn¡¯t go against Yong-Ho¡¯s will. It acknowledged his will and led the way.

    Yong-Ho walked again. The smander must¡¯ve curled up while sleeping because he walked past a smoky mark on the ground. Instead of looking at thence or the swords that were on the shelves, he decided to walk forward.

    He felt a small amount of mana flowing. The magical weapons within the armory were probably releasing the mana. However, Greed had no interest in them. It only focused on the item that was going to fill Yong-Ho¡¯s desire.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyesnded on a well-made chain armor. It was an item that was made by weaving small chains and despite the fact that it spent over 10 years in this armory, it looked as if it were made yesterday.

    However, this wasn¡¯t it. Yong-Ho passed the armor. And he ended up stopping in front of the shelf that was located in the innermost part of the armory.

    The gear he was expecting wasn¡¯t there. A small, elegant wooden box was sitting on the shelf.

    A wolf consuming the moon was carved into it.

    The symbol of the owner from three generations ago was carved into it. Yong-ho carefully opened the box.

    ¡®A ring?¡¯

    A red fabric was glued onto the inside of the box and a silver ring was all that was inside. On the area where a gem would be sitting, a small, round te was on it. The te also had the head of a wolf consuming the moon.

    A spell was on the ring. Even though he didn¡¯t wear it yet, he could feel its mana.

    But why?

    It felt familiar. It wasn¡¯t strange.

    Like the Spirit of the Dungeon mentioned, wearing a magical item that he was seeing for the first time was extremely dangerous. However, Yong-Ho raised the ring. It wasn¡¯t because he lost his mind because he was dazed by Greed¡¯s desire.

    This ring won¡¯t harm him.

    He knew it. He could feel it.

    The ring was small and looked like it would fit on a woman¡¯s finger, but when the ring got closer to his finger, the hole widened.

    Yong-Ho breathed in deeply and ced the ring on his finger. He epted the mana that the ring had.

    Grey hair.

    It was a different color from Catalina¡¯s, which was close to white.

    The face of a woman with beautiful, white hair and a fierce face appeared in his head. But it disappeared like smoke.

    It was strange, but a familiar mana.

    Yong-Ho understood. This was the mana that belonged to the owner from three generations ago. His, no, a part of her power was contained within this ring.

    The Queen of Distortion, Kaiwan.

    Yong-Ho had no direct connections with her, but she was a descendant of the King of Greed, Mammon. He was able to feel that from the remaining mana.

    Yong-Ho imnted the remaining mana. He revealed Kaiwan¡¯s power.

    The ring was on his left hand and above it, light refracted. It was in the shape of a small tray. The Power of Distortion created the Shield of Distortion.

    The shield disappeared not too long after. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have enough mana to maintain the power.

    ¡®It uses a lot of mana.¡¯

    But he couldn¡¯t ignore its effects. He didn¡¯t test it out yet, but Yong-Ho knew. The Power of Distortion distorted space. Because of that, the shield that was created with it was probably amazing.

    ¡®It¡¯s small, but still. I can see why Greed chose this instead of the gear.¡¯

    In some ways, it was the shield that Yong-Ho wanted. It wasn¡¯t heavy and it was something he could activate as long as he used his mana. He could use it while fighting with Aamon.

    ¡®The owner from three generations ago.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t expect it to be a woman.

    Yong-Ho had a bitter smile on his face as he closed the box and turned around. Jon and Catalina were walking around the armory while looking at the different gear.

    Catalina was looking at the chain armor and Yong-Ho asked after noticing.

    ¡°Catalina, are you able to analyze this item? Or check to see what kind of magic was casted on it.¡±

    The owner from three generations ago - Yong-Ho was able to check Kaiwan¡¯s ring, but it was impossible to check the other items. The House of Mammon¡¯s mana probably wasn¡¯t the only mana that was contained in the magical items.

    Catalina answered right away as if she had thought about it before.

    ¡°Eligor is the one that will able to analyze the magical items. It may not be a perfect analysis, but he¡¯ll be able to easily tell whether it¡¯s cursed or not.¡±

    That was enough. Yong-Ho happily nodded.

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s gather the items that have magic casted on them. We cane backter, but let¡¯s take as much as we can.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Catalina answered right away. Jon, who was standing near, nodded as well.

 Chapter 24

    <Armed #4>

    ¡°We should¡¯ve brought a cart or something.¡±

    There were about 40 something different items within Kaiwan¡¯s Amory. There were a total of seven items where a magic spell was cast on them.

    One helmet, two armors, three swords and one shield.

    He could take them by himself if he wore them, but since he couldn¡¯t wear them now, he had no choice but to take them by hand.

    He gave them to Skull, Jon and Kobold and gave the Kobold a shield so that they couldn¡¯t hide it. After giving them the items, Yong-Ho approached the smander that was in the corner of the room.

    It seemed like they were hit on the head pretty hard because their movement was extremely sluggish.

    When they realized that Yong-Ho was approaching them, they showed their teeth and growled, but that didn¡¯tst long. When Yong-Ho slightly raised Aamon, the smander backed down and when Skull raised the hammer, it started whimpering.

    Just like Catalina mentioned earlier, it seemed like it acknowledged the fact that it couldn¡¯t beat Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho asked Catalina.

    ¡°How do I register the dungeon monster¡¯s spirit? Is it the same as registering ordinary spirits?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite different, but the things that you have to do are simr. Theplicated tasks can be done by the Spirit of the Dungeon. The important thing is that the dungeon monster needs to have the will to submit to you.¡±

    The smander already submitted themselves. Yong-Ho took one step forwards towards the smander and slightly raised his hand. After cing his left hand above the smander¡¯s head, he called the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Will you register the smander as a dungeon spirit?¡±

    ¡°It will require more mana than ordinary spirits.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already used a lot of your mana, we can use the remaining mana that¡¯s in the dungeon, if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Like Catalina mentioned, what Yong-Ho needed to do was simr. Once he confirmed with the Spirit of the Dungeon, a small, white magic circle appeared between Yong-Ho¡¯s hand and the smander¡¯s head.

    ¡°Registrationplete. The smander is a spirit of the dungeon.¡±

    To prove that, aplicated looking magic circle appeared on top of the smander¡¯s forehead.

    Maybe it¡¯s because they were a dungeon monster, but the way they were treated by the dungeon shop was different from ordinary spirits.

    Acquired smander. The current situation was great, but he became curious. Yong-Ho asked his question into the air.

    ¡°Can I use the remaining mana that¡¯s in the dungeon?¡±

    If Yong-Ho was able to imnt his mana into the dungeon, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for him to use the remaining?

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. However, it won¡¯t be as effective as the mana that you imnt into me.¡±

    ¡°How big of a difference is there?¡±

    ¡°During the implementation process, about 30% of the mana will be damaged.¡±

    It was a percentage he could endure. On top of that, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t need that much mana for what he was going to do.

    With the Spirit of the Dungeon¡¯s guidance, Yong-Ho was able to absorb a part of the remaining mana. The way that the mana entered into his body from the ceiling and from the floor was interesting.

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s test it.¡±

    Yong-Ho smiled and green mes blossomed out of his eyes. The Power of Evolution started analyzing the smander.

    [Race : Smander (M)]

    [ss : Evil Spirit (Mid-Rank)]

    [Main Element : Fire]

    [Main Stats : Physique / Strength]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    Maybe it¡¯s because Yong-Ho became stronger, but he was now able to see the ¡°ss¡± category. To test it out, he looked at Catalina who was standing next to him.

    [Name : Catalina (F)]

    [Race : Half Subus / Half Dark Elf]

    [ss : Demon (Mid-Rank)]

    [Main Elements : Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements : Thunder / Water / Earth]

    [Main Stats : Subus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Courage]

    [Development Rate : 70/100]

    Another category showed up for Catalina as well.

    ¡®A mid-ranked demon.¡¯

    Yong-Ho was going to analyze Skull as well, but he looked at the smander again. He didn¡¯t absorb a lot of the dungeon¡¯s mana.

    [Physique Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -> [Development routes will be revealed upon advancement]

    [Agility Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -> [Development routes will be revealed upon advancement]

    [Mana Level 2 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    As expected, they¡¯ve developed a lot.

    On top of that, the additional information regarding the routes were useful.

    Yong-Ho slowly raised his finger into the air. When he touched the physique category, it showed a silhouette of their development and the result was interesting. It¡¯s because therge smander grew bigger. It was an estimate, but it grew at least 1.2 timesrger.

    Yong-Ho also looked at its agility. Since they had potential, he was excited to see the results.

    He drew in the air again. Yong-Ho yelled without realizing it.

    ¡°Wings?!¡±

    Because he suddenly yelled out, everyone, including the smander, looked at Yong-Ho with a surprised look.

    After taking a deep breath, he looked at the silhouette again. When developing their agility, the smander had wings that resembled a bat¡¯s wings. There wasn¡¯t a big difference, but their body became slimmer.

    ¡®It said that development routes will be revealed when agility has been developed...¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t know as of right now. But, Yong-Ho was able to assume.

    It was possible for them to develop into a flying type. On the bright side, they may resemble a dragon.

    A smile appeared on his face. It was a good thing he listened to Catalina and took them in as a spirit.

    ¡°Good job. Good job, Catalina!¡±

    Yong-Hoplimented her while patting her shoulder. It happened all of a sudden, but since it was still apliment, Catalina smiled sheepishly and thanked him.

    ¡°Whew, great. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Yong-Ho stopped using the Power of Evolution and looked at everyone.

    After returning, he decided to ask Eligor to inspect the magical items and after recovering his mana, he was going to develop the spirits. This put him in a good mood.

    Yong-Ho took the lead and Catalina and the rest followed him. Smander did the same.

    &

    He wasn¡¯t sure how they knew he returned, but all the spirits, including Eligor, were all in the demon king¡¯s room.

    As the representative, Eligor showed his respect towards Yong-Ho.

    ¡°You have returned, master.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    The Goblins usually slept in the corner of the room, so he would sometimes see them in the room, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the Treant.

    This was the first time he¡¯s seen the Treant in this room.

    Eligor exined while smiling.

    ¡°I received a call from the Spirit of the Dungeon. As a spirit that belongs to the dungeon, I¡¯m able to have simple conversations, but can¡¯t talk about anythingplicated like you do with the spirit.¡±

    Now that he thought of it,st time when the dungeon was being attacked, Eligor called all the spirits and locked the door.

    After nodding his head, Catalina and the other spirits ced the magic items in one ce.

    ¡°We only brought the magical items for now. We need to bring the otherster.¡±

    ¡°Ohh...¡±

    After looking at the magical items, tears started forming in Eligor¡¯s eyes. It couldn¡¯t be helped. It was the same armory that the previous owners gave up on finding.

    ¡°You have done well, sir.¡±

    Eligor tried his best to suppress his feelings as he spoke. Yong-Ho shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one that worked. Everyone did well. Skull and...¡±

    Yong-Ho stopped talking and slightly rolled his eyes. He saw Catalina¡¯s ears flinch.

    ¡°Catalina worked the hardest.¡±

    Catalina bowed her head after hearing hisment. She was probably trying to hide the smile she couldn¡¯t contain. On the other hand, Skull was expressing his joy by waving the hammer in the air.

    They were the dungeon¡¯s reliable treasure.

    Eligor spoke while wiping away his tears.

    ¡°We¡¯ve prepared water for you to wash in and food as well. Please rest up.¡±

    He was able to smell the food. Yong-Ho was desperate to rest, but the magical items were urgent.

    ¡°Does it take a long time to inspect the items? Is there something that¡¯s required other than mana?¡±

    ¡°For strong magical items, there are times when special preparations need to be made, but the weaker ones can be inspected right away. And...they were within the armory that belonged to the owner from three generations ago. Even if the items were cursed, it only activates when those outside of the House of Mammon wears them.¡±

    It was as if he prepared the answer because Eligor spoke with ease. Yong-Ho tilted his head.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s possible to tell the difference?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because the spirits of the House of Mammon register themselves in the dungeon. It¡¯s simr to getting a tattoo to differentiate them.¡±

    In other words, there was no need to be worried about the curse.

    ¡®Now that I think about it, there wasn¡¯t a curse on this ring either.¡¯

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. If the items weren¡¯t cursed, then they could use each of the items and check its effects.

    In that moment. Catalina quietly coughed and caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention. She pointed to the others with her eyes.

    ¡°Oh, introductions have been overdue.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke and Catalina reacted to it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring them.¡±

    When he mentioned introduction, Eligor just blinked his eyes. It was the same case for Ron and the Goblins.

    Momentster. After Catalina passed through the opened door, Eligor eximed.

    ¡°Smander!¡±

    The Goblins were filled with fear after seeing a lizard that was covered in mes. Even Treant was surprised that it started moving around.

    ¡°Did you register the monster that was guarding the armory as a dungeon spirit?¡±

    Eligor managed to talk while panting. Yong-Ho nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. It was Catalina¡¯s idea.¡±

    However, it seemed like Eligor didn¡¯t really hear thest part about Catalina. After he admired the smander a couple of times, he looked at Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Oh my. I can¡¯t stop being amazed by your skills.¡±

    Not only did he reim the armory that the previous owners couldn¡¯t, but he managed to register the smander as a dungeon spirit. It¡¯s only been about 10 days since Yong-Ho ascended the throne, so it was a pretty amazing aplishment.

    .

    Instead of being proud, he patted Eligor¡¯s shoulder. They headed towards the ce that had the food that Eligor and the other spirits prepared.

    Eligor prepared a lot after hearing the news, but the food wasn¡¯t all that special.

    Currently, out of clothing, food and shelter, they were borderline between poverty and sufficient.

    Their main source of food came from whatever Catalina caught during her hunts and the grain that was provided by the dungeon shop from the payment they made beforehand. At first, it seemed like there was a lot, but since they had a lot more mouths to feed now, they felt that it wasn¡¯t enough.

    After eating a pancake, Yong-Ho looked at Eligor.

    ¡°Hey, Eligor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±

    ¡°How do you earn money in the demon world?¡±

    From what Yong-Ho knew, in the older generations, they lived off of the taxes they received from their territory.

    Demon, meaning if an owner is ced into aristocracy, the dungeon bes their territory. However, he was getting suspicious whether it was possible to have an ie through this dungeon.

    Instead of answering right away, he thought for a second and then spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the human world that you lived in...but I believe the way that money is earned is quite simr.¡±

    The demon world was a ce where people lived within demon families. Even though thew of the jungle applied here, society can¡¯t be maintained if everyone killed each other.

    ¡°There are several ways you can earn money through the dungeon.¡±

    Eligor didn¡¯t talk in a soft tone. The only person that cared about Yong-Ho¡¯s current conversation was Catalina. The Goblins and Kobold were busy stuffing their faces with the food that was before them and Skull was rolling around the floor as usual.

    ¡°The main method is to trade the various items that are produced within the dungeon.¡±

    It was the most exemry answer. Eligor continued talking.

    ¡°There¡¯s no facility yet, but...there are various ways to produce items within the dungeon. There are dungeons that produce different medicinal and magical nts and there are dungeons that trade mana itself. The previous owner raised various magical nts.¡±

    Like how farmers farm and catch fish, the dungeon grows different items and sells them.

    But it didn¡¯t stop at just selling simple items.

    ¡°There are times when spirits are sold and bought to earn a living...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know aboutter, but that¡¯s a method I want to avoid right now.¡±

    Yong-Ho immediately spoke up and Eligor admired him.

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely wise.¡±

    Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution, which allowed him to evolve the spirits.

    After purchasing low-ranked spirits like Skeleton and the Goblins, if he evolved them and then sold them, he would be able to get some money quickly, even if it wasn¡¯t as much mid-ranked spirits.

    However, that would let the world know about Yong-Ho¡¯s existence.

    Spirits that have evolved were special. If those spirits were shown at the market, it would get the attention of the demons in the demon world.

    The House of Mammon was still too weak. Right now wasn¡¯t the time to let the demon world know about Yong-Ho¡¯s existence and about how he was from the human world.

    ¡°Also...I can¡¯t say that punishments are a method, but after fighting off the enemy, there are times when you¡¯re able to obtain items from them.¡±

    ¡°Just like the guy I took downst time?¡±

    The green cape that Yong-Ho was wearing belonged to them. Eligor expressed the pros and cons at the same time.

    ¡°There are times when intruders are part of the same demon family, but there are times when figures from the human world invade the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Figures from the human world?¡±

    ¡°Yes and with all due respect, you¡¯re technically a figure of this world as well. It¡¯s because you were born and raised in the human world.¡±

    In some ways, he was right. Eligor continued his exnation.

    ¡°There are times when special spaces within the demon world ¡®connect¡¯ to the human world. Even with this connection, nothing bad really happens and it¡¯s resolved peacefully, but...¡±

    ¡°There are times when that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°An owner that controls a dungeon sometimes enters the human world and attacks and humans do the same as well. No matter which side wins, they¡¯re able to obtain a considerable amount of items. There are a couple of demons that grew at a fast rate because of this and have been written in the demon world¡¯s history.¡±

    It meant that a soldier fought with a demon of a dungeon.

    Yong-Ho remembered the games that he yed before and a frown appeared on his face. Yong-Ho was now the boss monster that protected the dungeon.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I would like to decline.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t happen often, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    Eligor had a smile after he finished talking and focused on his food again.

    After putting the pancake into his mouth, Yong-Ho drank a cup of water. Even though he achieved something great today, he still had a long way to go.

    ¡®I have to obtain the gold mine.¡¯

    However, obtaining it wasn¡¯t going to be easy. There were a lot of Crazy Ants and Slimes and inside the mine, there might be a Queen Ant and other dangerous monsters.

    ¡®But still.¡¯

    It¡¯s something he could take his time with. When he first entered, Catalina and Eligor were the only spirits in the empty dungeon, but now, the dungeon had advanced a lot.

    In some ways, it was a very strange story.

    Two weeks ago, Yong-Ho was the son of a chicken shop owner and was a freshman that majored inputer science.

    ¡®But now, he was an owner of a dungeon and was a demon.¡¯

    In the end, it wasn¡¯t a light topic. If he didn¡¯t do anything, demons will invade and target the Heart of the Dungeon and in the end, he¡¯ll lose his life.

    But Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t deny it. The current situation and the days that he spent in the dungeon were fun.

    Was this Yong-Ho¡¯s own feelings or was it Greed¡¯s influence?

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think too deep into it. It didn¡¯t matter which side it was, but that¡¯s what he felt right now.

    He¡¯ll get stronger. He¡¯ll have it in his hands. He¡¯ll move forward.

    His primary goal was to install the ¡®Door of the Room.¡¯

    How far would he be able to go?

    What will he find once he reaches that point?

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t try to find the answer.

    He looked at the spirits. He had the same warm smile that Eligor had.

    <Armed #4> End.

 Chapter 25

    <Elite #1>

    Law of the Jungle.

    Survival of the Fittest.

    However, there isn¡¯t just one supreme being.

    There were six kings that ruled therge demon world.

    Typically, one king ruled one dungeon.

    However, that wasn¡¯t a rule. It was just a typical case.

    There are demon kings that rule several dungeons. Theymand the demons in those dungeons in order to have more power.

    And the six demon kings were already ruling over 10 dungeons.

    The southeast part of the demon world.

    The King of Gluttony, who also ruled over one of the seven territories, had several dungeons as well.

    Theymanded 43 owners and had 60 dungeons.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    The King of Gluttony spoke. It was a deep and rough voice.

    He was massive.

    Their height was about three meters. Under the shoulders that looked like castle walls, there were two long arms that touched the ground. Their arms were so big that they could bepared to a spire or a pir.

    Because their jaw was well-developed, it looked simr to a trapezoid. The teeth that were shown whenever they spoke looked simr to a shark¡¯s.

    The King of Gluttony slightly opened his eyes. They raised their head that had six horns and observed the spirit that was in front of him. A wide, white fabric that enveloped their purple skin fluttered.

    In front of the king, arge monster bowed their head politely. They were so big that they were over 20 meters tall, making the room look small.

    It was a dragon.

    Among the undead spirits, they were considered to be one of the highest ranked spirit.

    The actual body of the dragon was sorge that when it spread its wings and started flying, it felt like its body was going to cover the entire sky.

    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you¡¯re satisfied.¡±

    A brown-colored Incubus that was wearing a ck suit had a warm smile on their face. They were responsible for the trade that happened between the dungeon shop and the King of Gluttony.

    Gluttony spoke again.

    ¡°Their body seems strong as well. What kind of dragon was it again? If it¡¯s this big, then blue? Or red?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s red. They¡¯re one of the many that has the King of Violence¡¯s blood flowing within them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so they¡¯re his descendant.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the fourth generation. I don¡¯t know about other things, but when ites to their body and physical strength, it¡¯s safe to assume that they¡¯re the descendant of the King of Violence.¡±

    The King of Violence was one of the demon kings that ruled the demon world.

    They were one of the kings that had superhuman strength and out of the dragons that existed within the demon world, they were known to be the strongest.

    ¡°It seems like they¡¯re still not interested in their descendants.¡±

    ¡°If they had to take care of all of their descendants, then they¡¯ll have to take care of over 20. On top of that, they¡¯re currently resting so it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was also in the same position when it came to not showing interest. It¡¯s because direct descendants will be separated into a different group anyways.

    The reason why the King of Gluttony was disappointed was simple. They didn¡¯t like the King of Violence. Their existence made them feel ufortable.

    The kings represented the Seven Deadly Sins and also had superhuman abilities

    Only those that had both are able to really reign over the demon world.

    In that case, isn¡¯t it a requirement to possess one of the sins in order to fight over the dominance of the demon world?

    The King of Violence.

    They weren¡¯t part of the Seven Deadly Sins. They just had an ability that the other kings had.

    The King of Gluttony had a frown on their face to express their difort and looked at the dragon again. After thinking about their descendant bing their spirit, it made them feel a bit better.

    ¡°What happened to purchasing the Death Knight and the Elder Lich that I mentioned before?¡±

    ¡°Since you wanted the transaction to be done discreetly, it will take more time. Since there aren¡¯t a lot of high-ranked spirits, there are those that are sensitive to the quantity.¡±

    The six kings are currently standing against each other and transaction details of high-ranked spirits can be important to them.

    The King of Gluttony stroked the gauntlet that was on their left hand, which provided one of the superhuman ability. They didn¡¯t like how long it took, but in order to continue with their current n they needed time.

    ¡®The south is empty.¡¯

    It was the area that the great King of Greed, Mammon, took care of. Right now, it was just a barend that didn¡¯t have much.

    But they weren¡¯t nning on taking it. There were over 20 dungeons there and even though they were weak, each of the dungeons had owners.

    They couldn¡¯t go there since they were the king. If they did, then the other kings would definitely stand up and go against them.

    But what if someone else dominated the emptynd in the south? And what if that someone dominated thatnd and devoted themselves to the King of Gluttony?

    All the different situations that can ur during that process.

    They needed toe up with a n to handle those situations and to surprise the other kings. The dragon that was in front of him was just the start of his n.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    The king spoke softly and the Incubus showed their respect.

    The dragon bowed its head and didn¡¯t move.

    &

    ¡°Let¡¯s go that way!¡±

    ¡°Roar!¡±

    ¡°Roar!¡±

    Jon and Ron both answered after Yong-Ho shouted. Instead of wielding a bamboo spear, they wielded a sword and shield. Beside them were two Goblins, Yon and Joon, who specialized in agility and intellect.

    Instead of fighting on their own, the four Goblins gathered and were in formation.

    Since Ron specialized in stamina, they held a shield and were in charge of defense, while Jon used an axe to attack since they specialized in strength. Yon specialized in agility so they used a longnce to attack any openings and Joon directed the other Goblins since they were intelligent

    They formed a team that used their specialized skills.

    Yong-Ho called the Goblins the Heavenly Guardian of the Goblins and Goblin Ranger. Yong-Ho was satisfied by how they were fighting against the Crazy Ants and turned his attention elsewhere.

    Skull now had a shield and was even wearing armor and they were continuously beating the Crazy Ants. Evolving it from a Skeleton Soldier to a Skeleton Warrior was a good idea because they were fighting pretty well. Before, it seemed like they were just swinging the hammer around, but now, it seemed like they nned their every move.

    It¡¯s been four days since they reimed Kaiwan¡¯s armory.

    Thanks to his mana developing, he had a lot more mana and just developing the dungeon didn¡¯t satisfy him.

    He evolved the Goblins, Catalina and even Skull, who was now known as the dungeon¡¯s ace.

    Reiming the mine with their current strength was impossible. That¡¯s why Yong-Ho rushed in to gain experience.

    Instead of going into the mine, he stayed around it and hunted the Crazy Ants and Slimes.

    ¡®It decreases the number of enemies and I get experience from it.¡¯

    Training helped him gain experience, but not as much as an actual battle.

    ¡®It would¡¯ve been nice if I can obtain a spirit.¡¯

    Unfortunately, it was difficult to obtain a spirit from a Crazy Ant or a Slime. It was because both of the dungeon monsters didn¡¯t have a lot of mana, but more importantly, there was a big difference between them and Yong-Ho.

    ¡®Even if they were part of the same family, if there¡¯s a big difference, you won¡¯t be able to obtain their spirit. In order to be stronger, you have take down an opponent that¡¯s simr to you or stronger and absorb their spirit.¡¯

    Yong-Ho remembered what Catalina told him and turned his attention elsewhere. He saw Catalina fighting a group of Crazy Ants and Ant Soldiers that appeared. Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.

    [Name : Catalina (F)

    [Race : Half Subus, Half Dark Elf]

    [ss : Spirit (Mid-Rank)]

    [Main Elements : Wind / Darkness | Secondary Elements : Lightning / Water / Earth]

    [Main Stats : Subus - Charm / Mana | Dark Elf - Agility / Courage]

    [Development Rate : 99/100]

    [Subus : Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)] -> [Development route opened]

    [Dark Elf : Agility Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -> [Development route opened]

    [Hybrid Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -> [Development route will open once it has been evolved]

    [Subus : Mana Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] -> [Development route opened]

    [Dark Elf : Courage Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)] -> [Development route opened]

    [Subus] / [Shadow Elf]

    Just from seeing her information, it felt like he should evolve her right now.

    Out of the five categories, development routes were open for four of them.

    There were two different development routes.

    ¡®Anything rted to the Subus will evolve them into a Subus and those rted to the Dark Elf will evolve them into a Shadow Elf.¡¯

    The Power of Evolution wasn¡¯t perfect yet. Every time Yong-Ho became stronger, that skill became stronger as well and a new category is revealed each time.

    ¡®The level for those rted to the Subus are all zero. But the development routes are open...that probably means that she¡¯ll evolve from being a half Subus to a full Subus.¡¯

    In that sense, it was difficult to say that it was an actual development. It would¡¯ve been better if the Dark Elf developed into a totally different being.

    Which side was he going to choose?

    This was Yong-Ho¡¯s first concern, but not now. It¡¯s because there was a category that made him continuously worry.

    ¡®Hybrid.¡¯

    It was the only one where the development route wasn¡¯t open.

    What would happen if she was developed into a hybrid? What kind of development route would appear?

    Catalina was a mix between a Subus and a Dark Elf. In that case, instead of developing her into one of those race, wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep both and use their advantages?

    ¡®The problem is that I¡¯m not sure about anything.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t just evolve her, hoping for the best.

    Like how games require more experience points the more you level up, the development rate increased as well. The number still remained at 100, but it required a lot more experience in order to fill one point.

    He also couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that depending on the development, the development potential of a route changes as well.

    If it was a game character, he could refer to websites and get help or test it out with the thought that he¡¯s getting a new character.

    ¡®I should ask her about it.¡¯

    Even though she was a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, she had her own character. She wasn¡¯t dumber than the Goblins or had troublemunicating like Skull, so it was best to go with whatever she wanted.

    ¡°Great.¡±

    After taking down the Ant Soldiers, that¡¯s when he¡¯ll talk. It seemed like the development rate was going to reach 100 anyways.

    After making up his mind, Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air and create a window of light that contained the dungeon¡¯s map. A dungeon stats window was created in order to see it all at once and it disyed the spirits¡¯ condition.

    Catalina, Skull and the Goblins were fighting against the Crazy Ants along with Yong-Ho.

    Treant and the Kobolds were training in front of the demon king¡¯s room.

    The smander and Eligor were hunting outside of the dungeon.

    There were already 13 spirits. Compared to when he started out with three members, the amount of food and mana consumption couldn¡¯t bepared.

    ¡®It¡¯s better to start off with a few.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t increase the amount of spirits.

    He had to improve their power.

    It was better to create a small group and target the gold mine!

    ¡®Hm, a few.¡¯

    Even though it wasn¡¯t enough to call it a troop, it didn¡¯t matter. There was a certain romance and stylishness to the word, few.

    ¡®It would be great if a simr level monster appeared now to help gain experience.¡¯

    They can increase their development rate and acquire a spirit.

    Yong-Houghed because he even thought that it was a selfish system.

    And in that moment.

    ¡°An intruder appeared in the dungeon!¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon shouted and Yong-Ho quickly rolled his eyes. Catalina was catching her breath after taking down the Ant Soldiers and their eyes met.

    It was only for a short moment.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina turned around at the same time. Skull and the Goblins did the same thing.

    All of them started running towards the throne room.

    <Elite #1> End.

 Chapter 26

    <Elite #2>

    ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?!¡±

    It¡¯s only been a couple of seconds since they started running.

    Yong-Ho asked while running. The Spirit of the Dungeon quickly answered.

    ¡°There are currently five Orcs and one Imp left!¡±

    ¡°They broke through most of the traps. Three of their Imps were killed thanks to the traps.¡±

    ¡°The Treant and the Kobolds are getting ready to fight against the enemy!¡±

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth. There wasn¡¯t a lot of time. No matter how fast they ran, they would arrive after the enemy.

    ¡°Tell them to retreat to the throne room! Buy some time!¡±

    Even though he ran out of breath, he couldn¡¯t stop. Even if it was a small amount, there was some distance between him and the Goblins.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°The battle has started!¡±

    There were four Kobolds and one Treant.

    They had five Orcs and one Imp.

    They saw the throne room at the end of the hall. Yong-Ho started thinking. Instead of regretting the battle that already started, he decided to gather all the information regarding the battle that was going to ur from now on.

    Five Orcs.

    There was one that looked like the leader while the others looked like their underlings.

    ording to the video that the Spirit of the Dungeon showed, they were wearing simr gear.

    ¡®Armor that covers the shoulders, chest and arms. The leader is wearing a ck helmet and armor.¡¯

    Yong-Ho focused on the fact that the armor was the same.

    It was a uniform. The gear was provided. It meant that they belonged to a group.

    Catalina ran ahead and opened the door. Yong-Ho continued running. It sounded like there was a fight beyond the door.

    ¡®They¡¯re wielding either an axe or a sword. There aren¡¯t any long-distance weapons!¡¯

    ¡°Two Kobolds have been killed!¡±

    It was simr to a scream. Catalina opened another door. The smell of blood filled his nose. It was a terrible sight.

    It was red. It wasn¡¯t just from the two Kobolds¡¯ corpse. Using its axe, an Orc attacked a Kobold and cut its head off. Blood spouted out and filled the air momentarily.

    ¡°Roaaaaaaaar!¡±

    The Treant started roaring when a couple of its vines were cut off. It was filled with pain and bitterness.

    And the enemy saw Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    ¡°The owner?!¡±

    The leader yelled. The Orcs that killed the Kobolds looked at Yong-Ho all at once. One of them threw their axe at Yong-Ho.

    It was fast and precise. The axe was flying towards Yong-Ho¡¯s forehead. Yong-Ho saw it. It didn¡¯t stop. He ran towards it and raised his left arm.

    There wasn¡¯t any blood. It didn¡¯t injure Yong-Ho¡¯s arm nor did it stop him from pressing forward.

    The Power of Distortion that was released from the tip of his hand distorted the space. The axe bounced off an invisible wall and Yong-Ho grabbed Aamon. He attacked the Orcs that were surprised by how the axe bounced off.

    He didn¡¯t yell. He just used Aamon by piercing the abdomen of the Orc that was closest to him. After it released its mes for a moment, he took it out. He continued stabbing the other Orcs.

    The Orc that was injured couldn¡¯t even fight back. And the other Orcs couldn¡¯t attack Yong-Ho. It did happen all of a sudden, but it¡¯s also because Catalina jumped in-between them.

    It was as if Yong-Ho and Catalina switched ces because he used the crossbow. The first arrow pierced the cheek of an Orc that was surprised because of Yong-Ho and he targeted the leader next, but the arrow bounced off the shield that the leader used.

    But this was enough. Catalina didn¡¯t look back and unsheathed her sword. Like Yong-Ho, she attacked the Orc that was the nearest.

    ¡°Skulllll!¡±

    Right when Yong-Ho pierced the abdomen for the fifth time, Skull joined the fight. Skull roared and swung its hammer towards an Orc. Their movement was big and because they roared, they didn¡¯t hit them. But the Orc didn¡¯t have any choice but to dodge and through that, time and space was created.

    The Goblin Rangers arrived too. Out of the four, Jun was the only female and as the leader, theymanded them. The four Goblins formed a team and attacked one Orc.

    A few seconds after the attack.

    After the fifth stab, Yong-Ho pulled out Aamon and got ready to attack the next. He stepped back while his eyes were focused on the sword that the leader had around their waist. The Orc that got stabbed five times coughed and fell to the ground.

    The next thing Yong-Ho wanted to do.

    He already made up his mind. It was more like instincts than thinking it through. As he tightened his grip on Aamon, he started swinging it as he ran forward. He released a wave of fire!

    Fwoosh!

    The Orcs weren¡¯t the only ones that were in front of him. But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t hesitate.

    That¡¯s why the Orcs were shocked.

    Catalina didn¡¯t try to avoid it. As a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, she trusted her master. Despite the fact that there was fire at her back, she red at the enemy and cut their head off. The blood that spouted mixed with Yong-Ho¡¯s fire.

    ¡°Skullllll!¡±

    Skull wasn¡¯t afraid of the fire. No, it¡¯s more like they didn¡¯t know that there was a fire behind them. They were too busy beating the Orc with their hammer.

    The Goblins couldn¡¯t attack like Catalina and Skull. But, it didn¡¯t matter. When they cowered in fear, the Orc did the same and it was thanks to the fire that Yong-Ho released.

    Was he trying to burn the enemy?

    No. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to release a fire that powerful.

    Yong-Ho wanted to shock the enemy.

    And to blind them at the same time!

    Yong-Ho ran towards the Orc that the Goblins were fighting. After the wave of me disappeared, the Orc was shocked by Yong-Ho¡¯s sudden appearance. Yong-Ho attacked them with Aamon by hitting their corbone. They fell backward and he pushed his left hand into their mouth.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t ignore the strength of the Orc¡¯s jaw. If they just closed their mouth, his hand could be cut off.

    However, Yong-Ho was faster than that. Yong-Ho inserted his mana into Kaiwan¡¯s ring, which was on his left hand.

    The Power of Distortion!

    Space had been distorted inside the Orc¡¯s mouth. Since it happened in such a small space, the Orc¡¯s neck exploded and Yong-Ho¡¯s left arm was pushed back forcefully.

    Blood spouted out. It was on Yong-Ho¡¯s face. And he wasn¡¯t buried under it. The moment he ced his left hand into their mouth, Yong-Ho was already thinking about his next target.

    Yong-Ho and the leader looked at each other.

    ¡°Roaaaaaaaar!¡±

    The leader¡¯s roar shook the entire room. It wasn¡¯t a simple roar. It contained a strong mana.

    ¡®The Orc n¡¯s war cry!¡¯

    Catalina noticed it. But, it was no use. Their cry already invaded Catalina¡¯s head.

    The Goblins started screaming. It was only for a moment, but Catalina felt her body bing stiff. The Kobolds and the Treant that were in pain started shaking in fear.

    Skull, who was an undead, was the only one that could move freely despite the Orc¡¯s war cry.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    The leader shouted. Theymanded the Imp, the only one that didn¡¯t participate in the battle.

    The Imp turned around. With a violent smile, they kicked off the ground. Skull hastily headed towards the leader.

    And Yong-Ho started thinking. He connected all the data.

    All the Orcs were wearing the same armor. The leader made the one Imp run away.

    Did they acknowledge the fact that they lost and they¡¯re trying to save the one Imp?

    It didn¡¯t make sense. They threw the other Imps to check the traps.

    Then there was only one other reason.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    Yong-Ho shouted while his body was stiff. Stop the Imp from informing the others about this!

    The leader swung arge, square shield. After pushing Skull aside with it, they looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    Catalina kicked off the ground. She ran towards the Imp. And Yong-Ho ran as well. In order to stop the leader from going after Catalina, he ran.

    ¡°Roaaaaaaaar!¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±

    The leader and Yong-Ho both shouted at the same time. They red at each other.

    The fire shot up. Therge axe flew up into the air.

    The Shield of Distortion didn¡¯tpletely block therge axe. Since the attack was really powerful, the axe scratched Yong-Ho¡¯s left arm. If he endured it any longer, he could¡¯ve really injured his left arm.

    And that attack made Yong-Ho¡¯s attack miss them. Aamon stabbed the air and the fire burned the air.

    ¡°Skullllll!¡±

    The hammer that Skull threw saved Yong-Ho¡¯s life. The leader stepped back and dodged the hammer and thanks to that, they weren¡¯t able to perform their second attack, which allowed Yong-Ho to fix his posture. This time, Treant intercepted.

    ¡°Roaaar!¡±

    Treant raised its roots. Instead of rooting itself to the ground, they stood up and headed towards the leader and Yong-Ho.

    They were extremely slow.. But, it was very intimidating and Treant had vines.

    The leader quickly stepped back and kept their distance from the Treant when they noticed the vines heading towards them. And Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t tolerate that. The Treant¡¯s vines were stretching above them, but he didn¡¯t step back. He grabbed Aamon again.

    ¡°Roar?!¡±

    Treant quickly retracted its vines. The leader raised their shield and tried to block Yong-Ho¡¯s attacks.

    Iron wall.

    Since he was close, therge, square shield looked like arge wall.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care. Instead of stabbing the shield, he pointed Aamon to the ground. He originally targeted the leader¡¯s lower half of his body, so there weren¡¯t any issues.

    The leader had a confused look, but it was only for a moment. Yong-Ho answered.

    Fwoosh!

    Aamon released its mes and it enveloped the leader¡¯s lower half of their body. It consumed a lot of mana to perform this attack, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care. He gritted his teeth while ring at the leader.

    It didn¡¯t envelope their entire body. Their green skin that was exposed couldn¡¯t endure the heat.

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    The leader groaned in pain and waved around their axe and shield. They were trying to stop Yong-Ho from getting closer.

    Yong-Ho looked at them with cold eyes. He gathered the remaining mana that he had.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±

    The scream came from behind the leader. Jon was released from the leader¡¯s war cry and used the axe to attack the leader¡¯s back. Skull obtained the Orc¡¯s weapon that was on the ground and threw it towards the leader¡¯s head.

    It hit it. The leader stumbled when the axe hit their armor. And after observing the situation, Yong-Ho used ance to stab them. It pierced through their neck, which wasn¡¯t protected. Once he felt thece piercing through, he poured out all of his mana.

    Greed¡¯s fire was released. It entered into their neck and burned everything that it touched.

    The leader couldn¡¯t even scream in pain. They writhed in pain while making clicking noises and then stopped. When Yong-Ho¡¯s hand was no longer on Aamon, it stopped releasing its fire, but they were injured pretty badly.

    Yong-Ho started breathing heavily. Instead of performing a final blow, he looked towards the direction that Catalina ran to.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon answered for Catalina.

    ¡°Catalina captured the Imp!¡±

    Yong-Ho was relieved.

    Instead of sitting on the ground, he extended his hand out. It was to obtain the leader¡¯s spirit.

    <Elite #2> End.

 Chapter 27

    <Elite #3>

    There was immense pleasure the moment he obtained the spirit with his hand. However, he couldn¡¯t feel it like he did before. He also couldn¡¯t feel any depth.

    The leader of the Orc¡¯s physical body was stronger than the giant that invaded before, however, they didn¡¯t have a lot of mana. They had a lot less and since Yong-Ho already developed his mana, it didn¡¯t help much.

    But that wasn¡¯t the only reason.

    The Kobolds died. Out of the four, three of them died. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a coincidence, but it was the same one that attacked the armory with him.

    It¡¯s only been a couple of days since they¡¯ve be allies.

    They weren¡¯t like Catalina and Eligor though.

    And he didn¡¯t like them as much as Skull or Jon.

    Despite that, he was getting angry.

    Yong-Ho sensed where it wasing from. Greed was the cause of his anger.

    They harmed something that belonged to him.

    They looted his belongings.

    They took away what was his!

    Despite obtaining the spirit, he felt disappointed. Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon and collected his breath. He tried to suppress the anger that Greed had.

    .

    Time was passing even during this moment. If his assumptions were right, the Orcs belonged to a dungeon, unlike the giant that invadedst time. There¡¯s a high possibility that they were spirits that belonged to a dungeon.

    He had to find out. And prepare for it.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    He waited for Catalina and Eligor to return.

    &

    A couple of minutes after Catalina brought the Imp that she captured, Eligor and the smander returned.

    After checking the traps that they installed, Eligor imagined what happened and wasn¡¯t surprised by it. He took care of the things one by one in a calm manner.

    Under Eligor¡¯smand, the Goblins cleaned up the corpses. Joon and Yon took the armor that the Orcs were wearing and Jon and Ron moved the Orcs and Imps¡¯ corpses into an empty room.

    Skull moved the Kobolds¡¯ corpses into a different empty room. They prepared empty rooms out of the many rooms within the dungeon to put the corpses in.

    Eligor let the Treant rest. Aftermanding the smander to guard the entrance, he visited Catalina and Yong-Ho, who were in the prison.

    An hour passed after the battle.

    After suppressing his anger and agitation, he greeted Eligor with a calm expression. He wanted to rest since he used up all of his mana, but questioning the Imp was more important.

    Imps were small, evil spirits that had green skin. They were smaller and weaker than a Goblin, but were more agile and smarter.

    The Imp had arge head and thin arms and legs. As they rolled theirrge eyes, they nced between Yong-Ho and Eligor.

    ¡°Begin.¡±

    Yong-Homanded and Eligor acted upon it. After opening the prison door, he roughly grabbed the Imp who was tied down by a rope.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±

    As soon as Eligor grabbed them, the Imp shouted frantically. Yong-Ho just stood still and watched and Eligor looked coldly at the Imp that was iling.

    The Imp didn¡¯t even look at them anymore. They closed their eyes and spoke.

    ¡°The master sent us! Master Foras! To capture the dungeon! Sir Terak said it would be easy to capture it since there wasn¡¯t an owner! They also said it was to investigate!¡±

    Eligor¡¯s expression changed when he heard the name, Foras. However, he tried not topletely disy his emotion. He tightened his grip on the Imp¡¯s neck and asked.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Terak?¡±

    ¡°T-the dead Orc. The leader! The one that lead the Orcs...a-and they even said this! That if there was a new owner, they would check and return right away! That they would notify Master Foras and create an actual army!¡±

    The Imp quickly exined and opened their eyes. They rolled their eyes and yelled again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said everything! I told you everything! I¡¯m not lying!¡±

    Yong-Ho thought so too. And all the important information was already contained in what the Imp said.

    The one that sent the Orcs.

    The reason why they did this. And the information about what they¡¯re nning on doing.

    Eligor asked again.

    ¡°What about the size of the spirits that belong to the dungeon? Are there a lot of spirits like Terak?¡±

    ¡°T-there is! There¡¯s a whole bunch of Orcs! Over 40! There are three that¡¯s like Terak!¡±

    Eligor slightly opened his eyes. He tightened his grip again and asked.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°A-and! I don¡¯t know! I told you everything that I know! I did!¡±

    It didn¡¯t look like they were lying this time either.

    Eligor briefly looked back at Yong-Ho. He was asking for Yong-Ho¡¯s confirmation and Yong-Ho nodded his head. It¡¯s because he remembered what Eligor said when he returned to the dungeon.

    He twisted the Imp¡¯s neck. He broke their neck and instantly killed them.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been casted with a spirit confirmation magic. There probably isn¡¯t a tracking function, but...it¡¯s something we should be worried about.¡±

    Eligor spoke as he pointed to the small magic circle that was drawn on the Imp¡¯s forehead. It was simr to the magic circle that appeared on the smander¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Eligor, do you know about the owner, Foras?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re one of the owners in the southern part. They¡¯re located not that far from this dungeon. We could get there within a day or two by horse.¡±

    The Orcs probably ran all the way here. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know exactly how big of a difference there were between riding a horse and running, but he could assume.

    ¡°And the strength of their power?¡±

    ¡°Based on all the dungeons within the southern part, they¡¯re not the strongest, but they¡¯re not the weakest either. When the previous owner was alive, they would sometimes contact each other.¡±

    Yong-Ho questioned him due to the unexpected information.

    ¡°Were they close?¡±

    ¡°No. They didn¡¯t fight against each other, but...they would show their desire to obtain this dungeon and would provoke him from time to time.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯ve made their move.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke, but Eligor couldn¡¯t answer.

    The enemy attacked them.

    They weren¡¯t some insignificant spirit that they could get rid of with one fight. They were an owner of a dungeon.

    Yong-Ho started thinking. He tried to look at the bright side of things despite the hopelessness of the situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst situation. We prevented them from providing intel. If we consider the time it takes the Orcs to get back after taking over the dungeon, we still have a couple of days to spare.¡±

    They were moving anyways.

    However, there was a difference when moving based on precise information and based on assumptions.

    Since Catalina captured the Imp, the enemy didn¡¯t get the information. They didn¡¯t know how powerful Mammon¡¯s dungeon was and how their troops were killed by the spirits that were in Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    The time his troops needed to go back. The waiting time. The time needed to make a decision based on limited information.

    If the Orcs sessfully finished their job, then they¡¯ve obtained more time. About six to seven days. Yong-Ho could do a lot during that time.

    He knew the enemy wasing.

    So what was he going to do?

    It was simple. He¡¯ll strengthen their defense to repel the enemy.

    What can he do now?

    He had a couple of days to make the best decision.

    Yong-Ho started thinking. He decided to start with what he thought was the most important.

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina.

    &

    If there was no battle, then everything would¡¯ve progressed quietly.

    After leaving the Imp to Eligor, Yong-Ho entered the throne room with Catalina. Since there wasn¡¯t a table they could sit at and talk face to face, they sat on top of the carpet.

    Their conversation was short and concise.

    It was Catalina¡¯s current condition.

    The possible routes for evolution.

    Through the advancement, they could choose between a Dark Elf and Subus.

    And the third route was a hybrid.

    Yong-Ho exined each point in detail and cautiously. Catalina was paying attention.

    She already experienced the Power of Evolution once, so she had to listen to him very carefully.

    ¡°This is all I can tell you. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t give you a lot of time. Think about it tonight and tell me your decision tomorrow morning.¡±

    It was impossible to increase the number of their soldiers right now. In that case, strengthening the current soldiers was the right thing to do.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know a lot about Catalina.

    Like how she became one of Mammon¡¯s spirits and what kind of history she had.

    Despite that, he trusted her.

    Catalina didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead of saying she would think about it, she closed her eyes tightly once and after fixing her posture, she spoke.

    ¡°With all due respect.¡±

    She stopped talking. Her blue eyes showed that she was nervous, but it was only for a moment. Catalina continued talking.

    ¡°I want to take the hybrid route.¡±

    Is it because she didn¡¯t want to give up the Subus and the Dark Elf blood?

    Or because she wanted to keep the advantages of both sides?

    There could be a lot of reasons. However, Yong-Ho just nodded his head and stopped questioning.

    He let Catalina decide, so all he had to do was follow her decision.

    On top of that, the hybrid route had the same amount of potential as the others. Her agility was already at level two and since she had potential to develop, it might be the route that had more possibility.

    Since Catalina made her decision, there was no need to waste any more time. Yong-Ho pulled Catalina up from her seat.

    ¡°Close your eyes. Just like before, rx.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke as he stood in front of her. Catalina closed her eyes as she rxed her body.

    Yong-Homanded the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Transfer the remaining mana that the dungeon has to me.¡±

    ¡°Understood sir.¡±

    The dungeon¡¯s mana filled Yong-Ho¡¯s body. Yong-Ho instinctively circted the mana. He condensed it into one and split it into two again.

    Yong-Ho ced his hands that was enveloped in mana between her waist and pelvis. He activated the Power of Evolution.

    Hybrid development.

    It was a greedy decision that didn¡¯t give up either race.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s mana pierced through Catalina¡¯s body.

    It pulled out Catalina¡¯s potential.

 Chapter 28

    <Kaiwan #1>

    He used the Power of Evolution many times. But it was different than before. The time needed to develop and the amount of mana exceeded his expectations.

    It didn¡¯t require a lot of mana when developing a level zero category to level one. He asked the Spirit of the Dungeon to transfer the remaining mana to him in case of an emergency.

    But the mana was used up within seconds.

    He used up the remaining mana that he had as well as the mana he got from the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    The development wasn¡¯t done.

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and used thest of his mana. If he didn¡¯t obtain the spirit from the leader of the Orcs, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the development.

    How much time already passed?

    Catalina¡¯s evolution into a hybrid finished. Yong-Ho and Catalina both copsed to the floor at the same time. They started breathing heavily as they leaned against each other.

    Catalina¡¯s body was as hot as fire. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, he tried his best to move. The Spirit of the Dungeon started saying something, but he couldn¡¯t really understand.

    He tried moving his upper body so that he could stand up, but it was useless. Catalina seemed to have lost consciousness because her body was pressing against his and since he couldn¡¯t endure her weight, he ended up falling backward.

    Catalina was still hot. Yong-Ho had a hard time staying awake. He used up too much of his mana and stamina.

    ¡°Spirit...El...gor..e!¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke again. Yong-Ho heard every other word and instead of answering, he concentrated and looked at Catalina.

    In front of him, he noticed that Catalina¡¯s horn was a bitrger than before.

    Anyways, it turned out for the best.

    Yong-Ho made a decision. He closed his eyes and fainted.

    &

    Mana is contained within all demons.

    It¡¯s contained within the bones and skin and even within the blood.

    Because of that, a demon can leave themselves within their mana. They could leave their consciousness, a part of their soul, memories and even a part of their power.

    It was a ck darkness. A total darkness that didn¡¯t have any light.

    They were walking through it. They didn¡¯t have any thoughts or feelings. They just kept on walking and momentster, lifted their head.

    ¡°I won¡¯t fall.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t their voice. It rang in their head. Within this dark world, a dim light appeared. The light formed a figure of a small, young, somewhat vicious girl.

    The light connected. A new image appeared within the darkness.

    It was a woman with messy, grey hair. She was beautiful, but her vicious eyes said she wasn¡¯t going to submit to reality. They struggled as they swallowed their humiliation and aplished the small tasks.

    The inactive rooms within the dungeon were activated. They didn¡¯t stop in trying to improve the dungeon and continued improving themselves.

    The woman imagined a sword in her head. After experiencing humiliation, insults, and all sorts of ordeals, she kneeled down. Instead of crying, she fought her way through.

    The House of Mammon was supposed to copse. That was reasonable. But, she distorted that reason. Instead of it copsing, it was revived.

    They found the gold mine.

    For the first time, she smiled brightly in front of the other spirits.

    A house full of ashes.

    Kaiwan, the Demon of Distortion.

    They stopped walking. The dim light that showed within the darkness disappeared.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t interpret that image, but he was able to assume.

    She was the only one that knew the arena¡¯s location.

    She wasn¡¯t able to return from that ce and after the House of Mammon barely managed to be revived, it seemed like it was going to copse once again.

    The light disappeared. Darkness filled the ce.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    &

    His head was hurting. It felt like he drank a lot the night before and was experiencing a hangover.

    ¡°Ouch.¡±

    Yong-Ho said it without any emotion and blinked his eyes. He was thirsty. He was in the cozy demon¡¯s bedroom that Eligor made in a hurry. The ceiling was the same as the other rooms but the bed that was made out of straw gave off a familiar smell.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes again. It wasn¡¯t to sleep.

    He tried to remember, but it wasn¡¯t easy. The only thing he could remember was the grey hair and the vicious eyes.

    ¡®The owner from three generations ago.¡¯

    Yong-Ho sat up.He inspected Kaiwan¡¯s ring that was on his left hand.

    There was nothing else he could remember.

    ¡°Water.¡±

    Thankfully, there was a water jug next to the bed. After taking several sips, Yong-Ho stood up from his seat.

    ¡°How long have I been asleep for?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for 10 hours.¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon answered right away. Instead of asking again, he waved his finger and disyed the map of the dungeon in the air. Eligor was working together with the Goblins and Catalina was in her room, just like Yong-Ho. It seemed like she was still unconscious.

    ¡°The spirit, Catalina, is in good condition. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    It was as if they read his mind, because the Spirit of the Dungeon whispered to him. After thanking them for worrying about him, he disconnected with them. It was good that he slept for so long because his body was filled with mana.

    ¡®It increased.¡¯

    His mana became stronger. It wasn¡¯t because he obtained the Orc¡¯s spirit.

    Catalina became stronger. That affected Yong-Ho as well.

    If the owner grows stronger, the dungeon grows stronger as well.

    When the dungeon grows, the owner grows as well.

    Spirits that are directlymanded by the owner belong to the dungeon. Their body, heart and soul all belong to the dungeon and the owner.

    That¡¯s why they were the same as the dungeon.

    If the owner bes stronger, those spirits be stronger as well.

    If those spirits be stronger, the owner bes stronger too.

    Although the effectiveness wasn¡¯t as big as the rtionship between the dungeon and its owner, it wasn¡¯t small either.

    Yong-Ho gulped. He couldn¡¯t check the result of Catalina¡¯s development.

    How much stronger did she get?

    What kind of route opened up?

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait any longer. He headed to her bedroom. He walked through the throne room and headed towards Catalina¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Catalina, I¡¯ming in.¡±

    Of course she didn¡¯t answer. Yong-Ho hesitated for a moment and opened the bedroom door. Her bedroom was just as small as his and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Catalina wrapped up in her cloak on top of a pile of straw.

    Instead of entering her room, he used the Power of Evolution and observed Catalina.

    [Name : Catalina (F)]

    [Race : Hybrid (Subus + Dark Elf)]

    [ss : Spirit (Mid-Rank)]

    [Attributes]

    [Wind Level 1 / Darkness Level 1]

    [Main Stats : Charm / Mana / Agility / Courage]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Charm Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Agility Level 3 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï (4)]

    [Mana Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Courage Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Attribute Boost Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Possible Development Race]

    [Shadow Elf] / [Dark Subus] / [Shadow Runner]

    A lot of things changed.

    The word that notified that Catalina was a mix between a Subus and a Dark Elf disappeared.

    Her attribute level appeared and it became more concise. The word, hybrid, disappeared from the possible routes.

    ¡®A hybrid demon.¡¯

    Catalina still had the opportunity to choose between the Elf and Subus route.

    However, the current Catalina wasn¡¯t an Elf or Subus, but was a different breed. The new route, Shadow Runner, was probably a new advancement.

    Yong-Ho quickly approached Catalina and unwrapped her cloak. She was still wearing the gear from before and there wasn¡¯t a big difference physically.

    ¡®Does...her body look better?¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at a specific part of Catalina¡¯s body without knowing and after covering her with the cloak again, he looked at her head. Her horn definitely grew. It was a bit longer and thicker.

    ¡®The Subus rted stat increased as well, even though it hasn¡¯t been developed. It¡¯s too soon toe to a conclusion, but...it¡¯s a good result.¡¯

    Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief and copsed to the floor.

    He looked at Catalina, who was peacefully sleeping, and cautiously extended his hand and patted her head. He stood up and walked out of her room.

    ¡°I¡¯ve waited for you to wake up, sir.¡±

    As soon as he walked out, Eligor spoke while showing respect. Yong-Ho was about to yell because he was startled, but after calming himself down, he closed the bedroom door. The Spirit of the Dungeon probably notified Eligor that he was awake.

    His issue regarding Catalina was resolved. Now it was time to resolve the other issues.

    ¡°Eligor, gather the spirits. There¡¯s something I need to tell them.¡±

    He was sure that Foras was going to attack again within a couple of days, so he had to figure out how to stop him.

    Eligor assumed that Yong-Ho was going to talk about strengthening the traps.

    But, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t talk about it. He mentioned something that Eligor didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡°Let¡¯s reim the gold mine as soon as possible.¡±

    With their current funds, they won¡¯t be able to defend the dungeon.

    In that case, he had to gamble. By using the funds that are in the mine, he could find a way to defend the dungeon.

    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho with a nk expression. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t look at Eligor.

    ¡°Understood, sir. I¡¯ll gather the spirits.¡±

    Eligor answered in a dignified manner and headed towards the throne room. Yong-Ho was alone once again and he looked at Kaiwan¡¯s ring.

    ¡®I won¡¯t give up easily.¡¯

    Yong-Ho sat on the throne, which was proof that he was the owner of the dungeon. He waited for the spirits to arrive.

    < Kaiwan #1> End.

 Chapter 29

    <Kaiwan #2>

    [Name : Chun Yong-Ho (M)]

    [Race : Half Human/Half Demon]

    [ss : Demon]

    [Attributes]

    [Fire Level 1 / Darkness Level 0]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    After sitting on the throne, Yong-Ho looked at the Power of Evolution that he used on himself and then remained quiet.

    Catalina wasn¡¯t the only one whose development rate was full. Yong-Ho was also in a situation where he could use this power.

    When you think about it, it was obvious.

    After the first development till now, it was a short period, but he fought in many battles.

    He defeated the smander that was guarding the armory and killed 10 of the Crazy Ants and Slimes. He of course fought against Orcs and even obtained their spirit, so it would be odd for his development rate not to be filled up.

    ¡®It did change.¡¯

    Yong-Ho focused on the list of development routes. Strength and stamina were automatically level one since he¡¯s never developed them before and since mana was developed once, the level was now at two.

    The stars represent the potential power of the Power of Evolution and he was able to see that it increased by a small amount.

    ¡®The reason why the level of strength and stamina increased is because my body became that much stronger. Then, did absorbing the spirit cause the mana to increase?¡¯

    Yong-Ho thought about Catalina. Before her first evolution, agility and courage were the only ones that had a level.

    After awakening as a demon, Yong-Ho¡¯s body was getting stronger day by day. If his body continued getting stronger, then his strength and stamina level will most likely continue leveling up.

    ¡®The Power of Evolution can¡¯t be developed through normal methods since it opens up potential power.¡¯

    Even if Yong-Ho didn¡¯t evolve agility, if it was Catalina, her agility would¡¯ve been at the level it is now someday.

    But, the development of a Hybrid was different. The Power of Evolution manifested the Subus¡¯s blood and the Dark Elf blood in a different way.

    It was the same idea as Jon and Ron getting a horn.

    Yong-Ho focused on himself again.

    To see which category he was going to evolve.

    He thought for a long time. When he saw that the level of strength and stamina increased to one, he had made up his mind.

    ¡®I¡¯ll put it all into mana.¡¯

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t in the situation where he could idly stand by and contemte on it. If a fight broke out, he would have to use Aamon and stand on the front line.

    If he chose to develop strength, stamina, or agility, then his closebat skills will most likely improve as well. But, increasing his mana was more important.

    Currently, Yong-Ho¡¯sbat style was delivering a fatal blow. Increasing the mana will double Aamon¡¯s strength.

    In that case, it¡¯ll strengthen that blow.

    He also needed mana to evolve the spirits. Building new facilities within the dungeon and rebuilding the old path used up a lot of mana.

    That¡¯s why he chose mana. Developing the other routes was a luxury.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t waste any time. As soon as he made his decision, he activated the Power of Evolution.

    He felt both pleasure and pain. Yong-Ho roared in pain and joy.

    It broke the frame. It¡¯s to expand the field.

    The capacity that held Yong-Ho¡¯s mana changed. Yong-Ho¡¯s spirit grew and a lot more mana was now contained within it.

    He lost track of time again. The Spirit of the Dungeon was the one that notified him that the development process had ended.

    ¡°Sir, your maximum amount of mana has increased greatly!¡±

    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s daily production volume has increased from 80 to 120.¡±

    ¡°Your mana recovery rate is 1.2 times faster than usual.¡±

    It¡¯s just as the Spirit of the Dungeon said. Green mes rose out of his eyes and he closed them to feel it.

    His mana became stronger. He felt that his mana was a lot stronger whenpared to the time he absorbed the Orc¡¯s spirit.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath and when he opened his eyes, he activated the Power of Evolution once again. He didn¡¯t use it on himself, but on Aamon, who was currently sitting on hisp.

    [Name : Aamon (?)]

    [Race : ???]

    [ss : ??? (???)]

    [Attribute]

    [Fire ???Level / ??? ???Level]

    [Development Rate : 5/100]

    There were still a lot of question marks.

    ¡®I got a lot strongerpared to when I first got it.¡¯

    Aamon stayed quiet ever since Yong-Ho first obtained him and as he looked down on it, he calmed his bitter feeling.

    If Aamon wanted someone stronger, then he could give it to him. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t satisfied in his current condition.

    ¡®But having a development rate of five is too low.¡¯

    During that time, Yong-Ho maximized his development rate twice.

    But all he could do wasin. On the other hand, it meant that Aamon was that strong of a demon.

    After he was done thinking about himself and Aamon, Yong-Ho deactivated the Power of Evolution. He sat down on the throne and raised his head. He saw Catalina and Eligor.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Yong-Ho gave a dumb reaction without knowing and fixed his posture. All the spirits in the dungeon were gathered around the throne.

    ¡°It¡¯s been an hour and 10 minutes since you¡¯ve sat on the throne, sir. The spirits have been on standby for about an hour.¡±

    It seemed like the trance state he was in during the development process was a lot longer than he expected.

    Yong-Ho released a soft cough to hide his embarrassment. Then Eligor, who was standing in front of the throne, spoke as if he was moved.

    ¡°Ohhh, sir.¡±

    His eyes were filled with tears and looked like they were going to roll down at any moment. On top of that, the way the other spirits were looking at him was quite spirited.

    The Goblin Rangers¡¯ shining eyes were filled with envy and respect. The Kobold looked like they were ready to praise him, the Treant and the smander expressed their admiration through small movements.

    It was an obvious reaction since they saw how his mana grew through the Power of Evolution.

    The way the spirits looked at him was burdening, so Yong-Ho coughed again and rolled his eyes. But after seeing Skull¡¯s nk expression, he felt an odd calmness.

    Yong-Ho looked back at the spirits.

    Catalina was standing between Skull and Eligor and was looking at Yong-Ho with a flushed expression.

    As expected, her two long ears were fluttering like wings. On top of that, her tail was wagging like windshield wipers, which resembled a dog.

    ¡®Wait.¡¯

    ¡°A tail?!¡±

    He yelled out what was on his mind. When Yong-Ho quickly got up from his seat, Catalina looked at him with a shocked look and started blinking her eyes. She bit her lips and managed to speak.

    ¡°Wh-when I woke up, a tail appeared.¡±

    A tail was one of the physical characteristics a typical demon had and it was shaped like a sharp trident. Yong-Ho looked at the ck, glossy tail and asked Eligor instead of Catalina.

    ¡°Does a Subus have a tail?¡±

    ¡°They do. High-ranked ones have wings as well.¡±

    When Eligor answered right away, Yong-Ho looked at Catalina again. Catalina quickly waved her hand and answered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have wings. Just a tail.¡±

    The development of a Hybrid.

    Before, Catalina was more of a Dark Elf than a Subus. However, through the development to a Hybrid, the blood of the Subus that was asleep awoke. Her new tail was proof of that.

    ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt or feel anything weird?¡±

    Yong-Ho asked with a serious face. Catalina answered while smiling brightly.

    ¡°No, sir. Actually, I feel pretty refreshed. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been reborn. I think my mana has gotten stronger as well.¡±

    It didn¡¯t look like she was lying since her ears and tail were moving around energetically.

    Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief. Instead of looking at the soldier that couldn¡¯t really lie, he looked at the other spirits.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait so long. Let¡¯s get down to business.¡±

    Yong-Ho started talking.

    It was about his ns on how to acquire the mine.

    &

    As usual, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t say much and went straight to the point and started the next task.

    It was promoting the spirit¡¯s development.

    Since most of the spirits in the House of Mammon were low-ranked spirits, it didn¡¯t take them long to fill their development rate.

    Yong-Ho first evolved the Kobold¡¯s agility. Like when he evolved Yon¡¯s agility, their arms and legs became longer, but they didn¡¯t get a horn like the Goblins.

    Kobold¡¯s eyes widened because of how long their arms and legs became and his target was Jon and Ron.

    Yong-Ho promoted Jon and Ron to Hobgoblins.

    After bing a Hobgoblin, Jon and Ron¡¯s outer appearance changed a lot. They became a lot taller and the muscles in their bodies becamerger and firmer. Their hazy eyes were now sparkling.

    The other spirits stillcked in their development rate. And Eligor was among them. Other than going on hunts, he had no experience in actual battles, so it was taking him a lot longer to fill his development rate. But it was a relief that he was able to fill it by working on the dungeon and doing other misceneous work.

    Afterpleting their development, Yong-Homanded to Eligor that he was going to take the spirits to the armory. It was to prepare for the next task.

    And about 30 minutester. Eligor brought the spirits with him and looked at Yong-Ho with a worried expression.

    ¡°You¡¯ve continuously used the Power of Evolution. Will you be okay?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that much time.¡±

    Yong-Ho smirked and looked at the weapons that were ced on top of the dungeon shop¡¯s cognitive magic circle.

    After reiming the armory, they couldn¡¯t use a majority of the weapons, so it was disappointing, but they didn¡¯t have a choice.

    They were short on money.

    ¡°Even if we fail on taking back the mine, we¡¯ll be able to stack up a good amount of the development rate. Eligor, I want you to continue working on the dungeon, in case of an emergency.¡±

    Eligor disyed a warm smile after hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s request.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good n, sir.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of spaces in the House of Mammon. Might as well put them to good use.¡±

    yong-Ho smiled and Eligor nodded his head.

    He wasn¡¯t going to insult the previous owners at all. But Eligor was about to confirm.

    Yong-Ho was different from them.

    Even in situations where many would¡¯ve given up, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t lose his smile. Instead of giving up and being frustrated by it, he found ways to resolve it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. Start on the construction.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, sir.¡±

    Eligor, along with the other spirits, showed their respect.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes without any dy.

    He connected to the dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space.

 Chapter 30

    <Kaiwan #3>

    Like always, a beautiful woman with red hair was standing in the middle of the white space.

    Yong-Ho was worried that another employee would be standing there or a dealer that couldn¡¯t talk. He released a sigh of relief.

    Right now, Yong-Ho needed someone he could negotiate with.

    Sitri was a member of the dungeon¡¯s shop and with a bright smile, she slightly bowed her head. As she stood there beautifully, she spoke as if she was whispering.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again like this, valuable customer.¡±

    ¡°Nice to see you again too.¡±

    Yong-Ho purposely answered with ease and took a deep breath. It¡¯s either because he¡¯s seen Catalina so often or he was in a hurry, but seeing Sitri wasn¡¯t as ufortable as before.

    Yong-Ho approached Sitri. After stopping at a good distance, he spoke jokingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe to assume that you¡¯re fully responsible for the House of Mammon, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s coincidence that I happen to have spare time whenever you visit. In your world, you would call this situation, fate, correct?¡±

    Sitri answered with ease this time as well. She was definitely dangerous. Her small movements and voice had the power to put one in a daze.

    Instead of saying another joke, Yong-Ho looked straight into Sitri¡¯s eyes. All he did was look into her eyes, but it felt like he was being bewitched. Maybe Sitri was a Subus?

    Sitri smiled again.

    ¡°Valuable customer. What kind of trade are you here to do today? Are you here to purchase another spirit? Or daily necessities? The dungeon shop also provides equipment to install new traps.¡±

    But, he wasn¡¯t here for any of those. Yong-Ho took his time in answering.

    ¡°I would like to sell before purchasing.¡±

    ¡°Are you speaking of the items from the House of Mammon?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re ordinary weapons.¡±

    After answering, Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air. He used the same method as when he was in the dungeon and a window of light appeared in the air.

    The window of light was divided into many parts, making it look like a shopping catalogue, and inside them were different weapons.

    They were the weapons from the armory that were sitting on the magic circle that was located next to the throne.

    ¡°The weapons are in good quality. I¡¯ll take a look.¡±

    When Sitri extended her hand out towards the window, some of the weapons that were disyed materialized. Sitri softly grabbed the axe where the handle was the only part that was sticking out of the window and pulled out the axe as if she was unsheathing a sword.

    It was a battle axe that was sorge, that it seemed like it would be hard for Sitri to wield it with her thin arm.

    However, she started spinning it as if she was holding a toy. After raising it up to her face, she opened her narrow eyes and observed the axe. She spoke in a sort of bitter tone.

    ¡°Kaiwan.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s eyes remained on the sentence, which was written above the wolf that was biting the moon.

    Yong-Ho asked without realizing.

    ¡°Did you know her?¡±

    Instead of answering right away, she stayed quiet for a moment. After holding the axe by the edge of the handle, she spoke while looking afar, making it look like she was thinking about something.

    ¡°She was a fierce and cute child. She didn¡¯t like losing to anyone and acted like she was strong. However, she was a child that felt a lot of loneliness. If I were topare this to your world again...right, she was like a wild cat.¡±

    A light smile appeared on her face after she finished talking. It was soft and peaceful like always, but there was a mix of sadness.

    A wild cat.

    A witch with grey hair and a ferocious face.

    Did Sitri work with the House of Mammon when Kaiwan was the owner three generations ago? Was she perhaps in charge of the House of Mammon during that time?

    He was curious, but he didn¡¯t ask.

    Yong-Ho focused on the words that Sitri used to describe Kaiwan.

    A fierce and cute child.

    Kaiwan was the owner decades ago. That also meant that Sitri has been alive for at least several decades.

    Right now, Sitri described Kaiwan as a child.

    ¡®Often times, there are high-ranked spirits that have eternal youth.¡¯

    He remembered what Catalina said. Then is Sitri really an important figure, like she mentioned before? Important enough to not age?

    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho again. A rxed expression appeared on her face as if she had said everything that was on her mind.

    ¡°They¡¯re all good weapons. However, there isn¡¯t any magic on them. Also...I¡¯m not sure if you know this, but the items that are sold to the dungeon shops are usually sold cheaper if you were to purchase them as used items. What are you nning on purchasing with the money you obtain by selling these?¡±

    Yong-Ho understood it as bargaining rather than meddling.

    That¡¯s why he answered truthfully.

    ¡°I want some sort of potion that recovers mana in a short period of time.¡±

    Mana potions always appear in RPGs.

    Currently, in the House of Mammon, Yong-Ho had the strongest firepower. However, Aamon consumed arge amount of mana. In order to go against 10¡¯s, maybe 100¡¯s of those Crazy Ants, he had to increase the amount of times he could use Aamon.

    ¡°You¡¯re referring to a mana potion.¡±

    Sitri lightly crossed her arms. This seemed to have interested her because she spoke while looking into his eyes.

    ¡°A mana potion is useless to strong demons. There¡¯s a limit to how much mana the potion can recover. However, since you¡¯re still growing, it may be a suitable item for you.¡±

    Yong-Ho already confirmed the effects and the limits of a mana potion from Catalina and Eligor.

    The important thing right now was how many mana potions he was able to purchase from the money he obtained by selling the weapons.

    Like always, Sitri took out a small ss bottle from in between her cleavage. The ss bottle was the same size as a pinky and it was filled with blue liquid.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know, but...a mana potion is very expensive. It¡¯s the most important element to us demons. Even though it¡¯s useless to high-ranked demons...not all demons are powerful within the demon world. The owners in the empty southern area are probably feeling antsy because they¡¯re wanting to obtain more mana potions. The demand rate is higher than the supply rate.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a good sign. Sitri continued talking after slightly tilting her head.

    ¡°This one bottle will be enough to recover all of your mana at once. Also, you won¡¯t be able to purchase even one bottle of this with the 20 ordinary weapons that you brought.¡±

    Sitri spoke while looking into his eyes. Yong-Ho looked into her eyes as well.

    If she just wanted to say that he was short on money, there wasn¡¯t a reason for her to drag it out like this. Like how Yong-Ho assumed earlier, Sitri was thinking about bargaining.

    ¡°However, this is between us. I¡¯ll be a bit flexible about it.¡±

    This was the reaction Yong-Ho was waiting for. However, what she said totally caught Yong-Ho off-guard.

    ¡°Please tell me.¡±

    ¡°Tell you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, tell me why you need the mana potion. What the House of Mammon is going through. If you tell me the truth, then I¡¯ll give you three, no, four bottles. This is a pretty fair deal, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Sitri had a bright smile. Sitri was an extremely beautiful woman and her smile was bright and transparent, which made Yong-Ho think that she didn¡¯t have any other intentions.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho kept his guard up around Sitri.

    She was definitely showing kindness towards Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon. But, why? What¡¯s the reason behind her kindness? Why did she want to know what was happening in the House of Mammon?

    At first, he thought maybe Sitri was a supporter. It was very possible since she was acting as if she knew about Kaiwan very well.

    But, there was one thing he wasn¡¯t sure of. There was nothing more dangerous than quickly jumping to a conclusion and having expectations.

    However, Yong-Ho had to continue using this odd rtionship he had with Sitri.

    In his n to acquire the gold mine, using Sitri¡¯s kindness was included.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He made up his mind. He told Sitri a short version of everything that happened.

    He didn¡¯t make any poor lies. Sitri already knew that he was a half human and half demon and that he had the power of Greed, which was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Lying to her would only cause trouble.

    After hearing what Yong-Ho said, Sitri expressed her emotions and it was as simple as Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Sitri smiled. It must¡¯ve been interesting to her because she lightly eximed and then looked at Yong-Ho. He saw her true feelings through her red eyes and knew he¡¯s seen them once before.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t most think about giving up or running away if they were in your situation?¡±

    But that wasn¡¯t the case for Yong-Ho. Instead of focusing on defense, he exined that this was the time to acquire the mine and that¡¯s why he came to meet her.

    Yong-Ho had sort of a nk expression after hearing what Sitri said. The reason was simple.

    Before hearing it from Sitri, he never thought about running away.

    Sitri read his expression. Her smile had a lot more emotion this time. It was quiet, but she even made a sound when she smiled.

    ¡°It must be true. You¡¯re definitely a greedy owner. Just letting you know, this is apliment.¡±

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know how to respond. Thankfully, Sitri quickly resolved the embarrassment he felt. And then, she took out three more bottles of mana potion from her cleavage.

    ¡°Transactions should always be honest. I¡¯ll collect the weapons today and send someone to the House of Mammon to deliver the potions. I¡¯ll cheer for you from afar.¡±

    Sitri extended her hand out for a handshake after she finished talking. It was a symbolic gesture that meant that the transaction ended sessfully.

    Yong-Ho grabbed her hand. Her hand was so soft that he was afraid it was going to melt. He lightly shook her hand and expressed his gratitude. To avoid saying anything unnecessary, he disconnected from the Virtual Space.

    Like when a character from an online game logs out, Yong-ho himself disappeared from the white Virtual Space. Sitri was the only one left in the white room.

    Sitri looked at the spot that Yong-Ho was standing in. Her eyes saw something else instead of the ground. She spoke quietly.

    ¡°Aamon. Sometimes I feel like you¡¯rezier than I am...did you find him? Or did he call out for you?¡±

    There was no answer. But Sitri was satisfied. With a calm face, she looked up at the white sky that didn¡¯t have any wind.

    Sitri¡¯s eyes saw something else instead of the sky this time too.

    There was something over there.

    A person that remained in Sitri¡¯s memories.

    Sitri didn¡¯t say their name. Like always, she closed her eyes. She lied down on top of a white bed.

    <Kaiwan #3> End.

 Chapter 31

    <Kaiwan #4>

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Instead of seeing a white room, he saw walls and a ceiling made out of stone. It was the throne room.

    The transaction was sessful. It was an extremely sessful deal.

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m in debt.¡¯

    But, it didn¡¯t matter. The fact that he got something out of it was the important part.

    Aftering back from the Virtual World, he would always feel some sort of exhaustion, but despite it, Yong-Ho smiled happily. He quickly moved his finger and created a window of light that disyed the dungeon map.

    ¡°Eligor is currently installing traps with the Goblins.¡±

    ¡°Catalina went on a hunt with the Kobold.¡±

    ¡°Smander and Treant are currently guarding the entrance.¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon informed me of what the spirits were doing.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger again and deactivated the map. When it disappeared, he saw Skull rolling on the ground as always.

    ¡°Catalina left without Skull so that they could protect you while you were in the Virtual Space.¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right way to protect me.¡¯

    But seeing Skull roll around like pebbles was pretty fitting.

    ¡°Skulllll.¡±

    Skull must¡¯ve noticed Yong-Ho looking at them because the stood up while making cracking noises.

    The gear and war hammer had strengthening magic on them, a round shield with spikes that had fire and lightning properties. On their waist, they had a sword.

    Although it wasn¡¯t a magic item, they also had a sturdy helmet.

    No matter how you look at it, Skull had the strongest gear out of everyone in the House of Mammon.

    Even though they stood up, they didn¡¯t approach Yong-Ho. They just stood there with a nk expression.

    ¡®Undead monsters have previous lives. Since they were created from corpses.¡¯

    Yong-Ho suddenly remembered what Eligor said and observed Skull while touching his chin.

    What was Skull¡¯s previous life like?

    He was certain that they were human since their frame was the same as a human. They probably weren¡¯t small monsters like a Goblin or Kobold.

    ¡®Maybe they were a general or a famous warrior.¡¯

    Skeletons were known to be the lowest ranking spirits, but Skull became a significantly important spirit ever since they started working in the dungeon. During their battle with the Orcs, Skull even saved Yong-Ho¡¯s life by using a powerful weapon.

    After evolving into a Skeleton Warrior, they were moving a lot more, so there¡¯s a possibility that they learned martial arts in their past life.

    ¡®No way.¡¯

    Yong-Ho shook his head. The thought itself made him feel good, but it wasn¡¯t realistically possible.

    Undead monsters ¡°fixed¡± beings. Once they¡¯re created that way, they stay that way. They can¡¯t be weaker or grow.

    Even among the Undead monsters, depending on how their bodies were made, the dynamics differed.

    If Skull really was a famous general or a skilled soldier, then there¡¯s no way the dungeon shop would just revive Skull as an ordinary worker.

    Creating a Death Knight, no, at least an undead soldier like a Skeleton Knight was a much more profitable sale.

    Maybe a nameless soldier. If not that, then an ordinary person.

    Anything was fine. Anyways, the Skull that was in front of him was the ace within this house and unlike the other undead monsters, they were going to continue growing.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be with me until the end. Skull.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke with a smile and Skull turned its head and looked at Yong-Ho. However, instead of reacting to him, they just looked at him.

    ¡°Hm, hm.¡±

    Yong-Ho coughed out of embarrassment and straightened his stance. Other owners would¡¯ve yelled at him, saying it was rude, but Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t like that. It¡¯s because that was just like Skull.

    ¡®Now that I think about it.¡¯

    Yong-Ho raised his head up and looked at Skull.

    If they were going to be together until the end. And if he was going to keep evolving him.

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to make him an official dungeon spirit?¡¯

    The owner and spirits that belonged to the dungeon were connected.

    If the owner bes stronger, then the spirit bes stronger as well and if the spirit grows, then the owner grows as well.

    Just looking at Catalina confirmed that it was true. The reason why Catalina was able to be this strong in a short period of time was not only because of the Power of Evolution, but because Yong-Ho, the owner, grew as well.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air again. He asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Is there a limit when ites to increasing the number of spirits that belong to the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Those spirits are connected to the owner of the dungeon. That¡¯s why, if the owner bes stronger, then they¡¯re able to increase the number of spirits.¡±

    ¡°ording to the information that the dungeon shop provided, owners in the empty part of the southern region usually have three to five spirits.¡±

    ¡°One must be very cautious when selecting a spirit. It costs a lot to change back a spirit into an ordinary spirit after they¡¯ve been chosen to be an official spirit of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Arge cost?¡±

    ¡°Owners losing a part of their mana is the mostmon case. And the mana that they lose can be a lot more than the mana they¡¯ve gained through those spirits."

    If owners lost a lot more than what they¡¯ve gained, then it was a big cost.

    Yong-Ho touched his chin and asked.

    ¡°What happens if the owner or the spirit dies? Will it affect the other?¡±

    ¡°The same applies and there¡¯s a high chance that they may lose a part of their mana. It can greatly affect their mentality too.¡±

    ¡°Spirits that belong to the dungeon are like limbs to the owner. Even if the rtionship between the spirit and the owner isn¡¯t great, they can¡¯t help but feel a sense of loss when one of them dies.¡±

    Catalina and Eligor belonged to the dungeon before Yong-Ho became the owner. That meant that they felt a sense of loss when the previous owners died.

    ¡®They said it¡¯s been about a year.¡¯

    Yong-Ho momentarily thought about Catalina and Eligor¡¯s death. Even though it was just his imagination, it didn¡¯tst long. It was a difficult situation.

    Yong-Ho shook his head to get that thought out of his head and focused back on Skull. He asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Is it possible to make Skull an official spirit of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Currently, you¡¯re able to control up to four spirits. So, it¡¯s possible to make Skull an official spirit of the dungeon. But...¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many instances where owners make Undead monsters or spirits that are on a simr level as a Skeleton Warrior, an official spirit of the dungeon.¡±

    He had an idea why.

    There was a limited number of spirits they could assign to their dungeon.

    Even without the Power of Evolution, most spirits are able to ¡°grow.¡± They could get stronger through training.

    However, it was impossible for Undead monsters. Their existence was fixed.

    Between spirits that couldn¡¯t grow and spirits that could, which would be more efficient?

    On top of that, a Skeleton Warrior wasn¡¯t a high-ranking Undead. He felt that he was slightly tormenting himself, but they were just a bit better than a weak soldier.

    Out of all the owners within the demon world, it was probably difficult to find an owner that made a Skeleton Warrior an official spirit.

    But, it didn¡¯t matter.

    Because Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution.

    Even though Skull was just a Skeleton Warrior for now, Yong-Ho was sure that they would be a high-ranking spirit in the future.

    ¡°Skuuuull.¡±

    Skull spoke up after staying quiet. Yong-Ho made up his mind after seeing Skull¡¯s reaction and it was as if they read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. He spoke to the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    ¡°Make the preparations to make Skull an official spirit.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to use your remaining mana. Will that be okay?¡±

    ¡°The courier from the dungeon shop won¡¯t be here until tomorrow.¡±

    It would be a problem if an enemy invaded during this time, but the possibility of that happening was low.

    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll begin the process of registering Skull as an official spirit of the dungeon. Close your eyes and rx your body.¡±

    Yong-Ho listened and sat down on the throne. He looked at Skull onest time before closing his eyes.

    ¡°Skullllllll.¡±

    They still had a nk expression, but they had a trustworthy voice.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. They began the registering process.

    &

    A day passed.

    As usual, the courier of the dungeon shop visited the dungeon before noon.

    Catalina, Eligor, the other spirits and Yong-Ho handed over the weapons at the entrance and obtained four bottles of mana potion.

    Inside the small box, a letter was included with the potion. It was a handwritten letter from Sitri.

    Dear Valuable Customer,

    The amount of mana one bottle will fill is more than the amount that you currently have.

    But please refrain from drinking more than half the bottle.

    The entire bottle is the fixed amount, so if you only drink half, you won¡¯t see it working properly.

    I¡¯ve also added a small additional effect to the potion. It¡¯s a secret, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help you.

    Please think of it as a surprise.

    The exnation was longer than I expected.

    I¡¯ll pray for your health, valuable customer.

    The House of Mammon and my valuable customer¡¯s faithful friend, Sitri.

    P.S. For your information, I¡¯m not in charge of the House of Mammon.

    From her neat handwriting, it felt like I could hear Sitri¡¯s seductive voice.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho tried his best to pay attention.

    ¡®Let¡¯s not fall for it.¡¯

    He felt sorry for having these kinds of thoughts towards someone that showed him a lot of kindness, but Sitri was a dangerous figure. She was extremely beautiful and on top of that, charming. It was best to avoid falling for her.

    ¡®But still.¡¯

    Her little note at the end was cute, which made him smile a bit. He spoke to Catalina, who was ncing at him while he was reading.

    ¡°How¡¯s your condition?¡±

    She became slightly flustered at his sudden question, but Catalina answered as the cold-hearted female soldier that he thought she had given up on.

    ¡°It¡¯s the best.¡±

    It must¡¯ve been true because her tail was wagging behind her. Another answer came from a different figure.

    ¡°Skullllll.¡±

    After bing an official spirit, Skull became stronger and as they stood next to Catalina, they shook their head. It felt like their movements became a bit smoother.

    Catalina bit her lips a bit at Skull¡¯s interception. Catalina was being a bit sulky after finding out that Skull became an official spirit, just like her.

    ¡®Is she jealous?¡¯

    Now that he thought about it, Catalina thought of Skull as her rival ever since they were at the armory.

    But it wasn¡¯t anything for him to worry about and it was actually good for Catalina since that jealousy could help her stay inspired.

    Yong-Ho looked at Eligor onest time, who was currently standing next to the Goblin Ranger.

    ¡°Eligor, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±

    ¡°I hope you return after winning.¡±

    Eligor, the Goblin Ranger and the Treant decided not to participate in retaking the gold mine. He was sure they would be helpful, but they had different tasks they needed to take care of.

    Yong-Ho spoke jokingly.

    ¡°There will definitely be a development when Ie back.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Eligor answered excitedly. The Goblin Ranger and the Treant were showing their respect and cheered for Yong-Ho¡¯s victory.

    It was still early.

    Yong-Ho started warming up. After cing the mana potion he got from Sitri into his belt, he walked inside of the dungeon.

    Catalina, Skull and the smander followed him.

    It wasn¡¯t long until Foras would begin his attack.

    Yong-Ho began the retaking of the gold mine.

 Chapter 32

    <Recapturing the Gold Mine #1>

    Yong-Ho thought about a lot of things while fighting the Crazy Ants.

    First, the size of the ants.

    At the entrance of the mine, there were 10s, maybe 100s of Crazy Ants.

    All were working ants. They made up most of the ant colony.

    Yong-Ho thought about that once more.

    He wondered how many of the Crazy Ants there were at the mine.

    Maybe that¡¯s where all the of the Crazy Ants were.

    Just because a room is inactive doesn¡¯t mean that room itself disappears. The flow of mana is disconnected and the entrance is the only thing that disappears.

    The Crazy Ants have been living by using the inactive room and thanks to that, Yong-Ho was able to activate the other rooms around it and also hunt a couple of the ants that were in there.

    And Yong-Ho started thinking.

    The amount of Crazy Ants that were crawling around were too little.

    Even if they figured out the number of Crazy Ants and the distance between the mine and the throne room was far, it was odd how they never appeared in the room.

    The area that they work in was smaller than what he had imagined.

    They might have been working in the opposite direction of the throne room, but Yong-Ho believed that it wasn¡¯t really possible.

    There were two reasons.

    First, the records of Kaiwan, the King of Distortion.

    The previous owner gave up on retaking the mine, but the owner from two generations ago was extremely attached.

    ording to the records that the previous owners wrote, the size of the mine wasn¡¯t that big.

    Since the demon world wasn¡¯t perfectly created, it was a gold mine that was created within the dungeon. It was definitely different from the gold mine that¡¯s in Yong-Ho¡¯s homeworld, Earth.

    The depth of the mine was only 100 meters deep. On top of that, the amount of gold he¡¯ll be able to obtain was different than ordinary mines. Lumps of gold was stuck in various areas of the mine.

    Anyways, ording to the record, the room was too small for 10,000 ants to be living in. There¡¯s a possibility that they dug up additional space in the mine, but he didn¡¯t think they created arge space. That was connected to the second reason.

    Secondly, the Crazy Ants¡¯ habits.

    ording to the information that the dungeon shop gave to the Spirit of the Dungeon, the number of Crazy Ants ranged anywhere from 10s to 100s. When thinking about the avable food and mana, there was a limit to how many of them could live in the mine.

    One Queen Ant controls all of the Crazy Ants and like the other monsters, depending on their situation, they decided on the number of ants that would live in the mine.

    ¡®If the Crazy Ants at the entrance of the mine were all of them.¡¯

    There were probably around 200 ants.

    With that number, it was possible to retake the mine. Even if he had a lot of mana potion, Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t be able to do it by himself, but he had the smander.

    Yong-Ho stopped in front of the room that was located in front of the entrance of the mine. He didn¡¯t give them a separatemand, but Catalina, Skull and the smander got into their fighting stance.

    Whileing here, they went up against nine Crazy Ants and Slimes.

    It wasn¡¯t that much. It was hard to think that there would be 100s of ants inside the gold mine.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger into the air. The Spirit of the Dungeon answered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll activate the entrance room to the gold mine.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, master¡±

    The amount of time it took to activate the room was shorter this time, probably because it was already activated once. A couple secondster, an ordinary door appeared, just like the other rooms.

    There was a group of Crazy Ants beyond this door. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was his instincts, but he thought he could hear the ants crawling around in the room.

    Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon and stood on the right side of the door. The smander stood on the left, as instructed.

    Catalina and Skull stood in front of Yong-Ho and each grabbed a door handle.

    And after exchanging eye contact.

    There was no reason to dy any longer. Catalina and Skull opened the door at the same time and Yong-Ho and the smander kicked off the ground.

    It was dark again. As soon as they opened the door, the sound of Crazy Ants crawling around the room filled their ears.

    Yong-Ho only thought about one thing. As soon as he stepped, he raised Aamon into the air and released fire.

    It was different from the other times. It wasn¡¯t a single fire and it wasn¡¯t a wave of fire that would disappear into the air. Yong-Ho wanted something that was simr to a me thrower. He wanted it to shoot out like a pir and light all of them on fire!

    Booooooooooom!

    The fire exploded. Aamon consumed almost half of Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and released green mes.

    It lit the dark room. The green fire was the only thing that filled his sight. The wave extended out and enveloped the Crazy Ants and Slimes.

    There weren¡¯t any screams. But, Yong-Ho could feel it. After shouting, he raised Aamon towards the ceiling.

    Fwooooooosh!

    The ceiling was on fire. Instead of expanding the fire, he decreased the strength of the wave, but the Slimes and Crazy Ants were weak against fire, so this amount of fire was more than enough.

    A foul smell filled the room.On the opposite side of where Yong-Ho was, the smander was spitting out fire and burning everything that it saw.

    The smander¡¯s fire wasrger and stronger. However, whenparing to Yong-Ho¡¯s fire, it was more of a one time thing. After releasing arge amount of fire, it started gasping for air and Yong-Ho waved Aamon once again. He felt the remainder of his mana being used for this attack.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    Yong-Ho yelled and Catalina immediately reached for his belt and took out a mana potion. She quickly got rid of the cork and poured it into his mouth.

    It tasted like one of those sports drink. When the blue liquid slid down his throat, he felt a new power rising from somewhere deep within him. Aamon¡¯s fire was getting weaker, but now it became stronger. It was bigger and stronger than before!

    ¡®The effects of the mana potion!¡¯

    It didn¡¯t stop at just refilling his mana level. It was temporary, but it increased Yong-Ho¡¯s mana.

    He couldn¡¯t tell by how much, but he was sure that it got stronger.

    Aamon consumed a lot more mana. And it released a stronger fire in response.

    Half of his mana disappeared within seconds this time too. But, it was very effective. It not only covered the Crazy Ants and Slimes, but it revealed the covered ceiling, which lit up the room. About 20 Crazy Ants died because of Yong-Ho¡¯s fire.

    Yong-Ho rolled his eyes. The mine¡¯s entrance. Like before, soldier ants started appearing and they were at least three times bigger than the working ants.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Yong-Homanded and the smander, who was catching their breath, started crawling at a fast pace.

    Catalina opened one more bottle of the mana potion and poured it into Yong-Ho¡¯s mouth and as soon as his mana was recovered, Yong-Ho sheathed Aamon. The fire that filled the room disappeared, but the Crazy Ants didn¡¯t react right away. The burnt smell not only filled Yong-Ho¡¯s nose, but everyone that was in the room.

    ¡°Skullllllll!¡±

    Skull ran behind the smander. Yong-Ho and Catalina both ran towards the mine entrance and checked the size of the Crazy Ants that remained in the room.

    About ? whenpared to the first.

    There was still a good amount of ants left. Yong-Ho and the smander¡¯s fire were pretty strong, but the room itself was pretty big.

    Yong-Ho breathed in again. During that short time, the distance to the gold mine shortened and soldier ants were approaching them. The Crazy Ants felt threatened and they started crawling on the wall and on the ceiling.

    And once again.

    Catalina and Skull lowered themselves. Yong-Ho waved Aamon into the air and used the remaining of his mana on Aamon. If he didn¡¯t have the mana potions, he wouldn¡¯t have thought about doing this.

    Therge fire even surprised Yong-ho. The green fire expanded out into the ceiling, wall and ground and it consumed the Crazy Ants once again. He didn¡¯t allow one Crazy Ant to touch him.

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.

    One attack will burn the world and evaporate the ocean!

    It might¡¯ve not been an exaggeration. Aamon¡¯s true strength could be stronger than that.

    It gets stronger the more mana it consumes. It released a stronger fire.

    If Mammon used it, how strong would the fire be? What kind of fire would Aamon release after consuming the mana of a king that controlled 1/4th of the demon world?

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth as the fire started dying. Catalina grabbed the third mana potion.

    And the smander opened its mouth wide open. It released arge fire pir in front of them.

    It annihted the soldier ants and it even broke through the gold mine. Crazy Ants started crawling out of it and he offered to let them die fair and square.

    Yong-Ho consumed the third mana potion. Mana filled within him once again. The effects of the potion repeated because he was able to feel his mana getting stronger.

    ¡®Editor note: So that some of you don¡¯t get the wrong idea here. He isn¡¯t ignoring the warning Sitri gave him. He is just using his mana so quickly that taking the full potion is mostly safe for him to do.¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous.¡¯

    It was helpful. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his body. The consumption of his mana at one time and refilling his mana again was making him tired. His mana was getting stronger and the mana felt like knives that stabbed his body.

    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground again. He ran towards the entrance of the mine.

    Almost half of the Crazy Ants died. There weren¡¯t a lot of Slimes and the ones that were alive didn¡¯t bother attacking Yong-Ho¡¯s group.

    This situation will onlyst for a couple of seconds. He only had one mana potion left.

    The smander was tired and turned around towards the mine¡¯s entrance. Even though it was breathing heavily, it continued spitting out fire towards the ants. And in order to protect the smander, Skull grabbed the hammer and stood still.

    ¡°Skulllll!¡±

    Skull yelled at Catalina and Catalina answered with her eyes. The smander and Yong-Ho passed Skull and threw themselves into the mine.

    Their goal was to strike the Queen Ant, who was probably located in the deepest part of the mine!

    ¡°Dungeon Facility: I¡¯ll try activating the gold mine!¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled hurriedly. Yong-Ho looked to the front. Catalina¡¯s shlight alone wasn¡¯t enough to light the entire room. The sound of something crawling in the dark was getting louder.

    Yong-Ho calmed himself down. He held himself back from sheathing Aamon and started running. Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t see it in the dark, but Catalina was different. Having the characteristics of a Dark Elf, she was able to see through the dark.

    Catalina remained calm. There was no need to waste her mana because she was feeling scared and anxious.

    A couple of seconds. It was short, but it felt like a really long time.

    ¡°Dungeon Facility: Activation sessful! Mana will be supplied!¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled. The ceiling lit up thanks to the mana and got rid of the darkness.

    At the same time, Yong-Ho waved his finger. He disyed the dungeon map to see if it was possible to include it among the rooms he¡¯s currently controlling.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    During the time he was looking at the map.

    Catalina yelled. Yong-Ho instinctively pulled out Aamon. He looked to the front.

    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±

    With the scream, the Crazy Ants started moving around. They crawled on the ceiling and walls, while some were charging from behind Yong-Ho and Catalina. It was like they were trying to crush them to death.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think about it. He grabbed Catalina¡¯s waist with his left hand and pulled her into his chest. When the Crazy Ants covered them, he struck Aamon into the ground.

    Greed¡¯s fiery road.

    The wave swept the inside of the gold mine.

    <Recapturing the Gold Mine #1> End.

 Chapter 33

    <Recapturing the Gold Mine #2>

    The more he was rushed, the more cold-hearted he became.

    Because of the additional effect that the mana potion gave, he didn¡¯t feel any pain and instead, his senses became sharper.

    Is it because of the demon¡¯s blood?

    Or was it Yong-Ho¡¯s ability that¡¯s been dormant all this time because he never got into a fight when he was in the human world?

    It didn¡¯t matter which side it was.

    Even when groups of Crazy Ants started charging towards him, Yong-Ho remained calm.

    When he grabbed Catalina by the waist, the ants were very close.

    When he pulled Catalina into his chest, the ants were so close that he heard them breathing through their rake-like mouth.

    Despite this, Yong-Ho kept on thinking. As he stabbed the ground with Aamon, the Crazy Ants started burning above him and he controlled his mana as he felt their weight.

    He didn¡¯t let it all go because he got excited.

    The gold mine was a lot smaller than the room outside.

    He only had one mana potion left and if he pushed himself with his mana again, then he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he¡¯ll be able to fight against the Queen Ant.

    Like how one dodges the swords that are falling above them.

    He released the mana. Aamon responded. He controlled the fire!

    It looked like a Dragon Wind. The fire started from the ground and rose up as it enveloped Yong-Ho. The fiery whirlpool burned the Crazy Ants.

    He couldn¡¯t breathe. He controlled the fire. Instead of releasing the fire, he condensed it.

    His senses were sharp. Catalina was crouched under him while breathing heavily and he was able to read her every move. It was as if the fire became one with her and her body felt it.

    This entire process onlysted for a couple of seconds.

    During this short time, Yong-Ho trusted his instincts again. The fire that was shooting out in one direction split into two and was released in both passageways.

    Half of his mana was used. His mana became stronger many times because of the mana potion and it provided a simr effect to when his mana was maxed out.

    The inside of the mine was burnt. The smell of Crazy Ants burning filled his nose. The fire must¡¯ve burned the air because it was still difficult to breathe.

    And in one second.

    Yong-Ho raised his head. The Crazy Ants, who were near the center of the fire and fought against Yong-Ho turned to ashes. The ants that were near it didn¡¯t turn to ashes, but were dead. The ones that kept their distance were alive, but weren¡¯t in any condition to continue fighting.

    Yong-Ho breathed out.

    Catalina, who was within Yong-Ho¡¯s arms, did the same. Instead of standing there absent-mindedly, she stepped out and looked around. She used her long ears to see if she could hear the enemy, but she couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    ¡®I can¡¯t do it a second time.¡¯

    Not only did he have to release it, but he had to control it and the price for it was heavier than he thought. Mentally, he was extremely exhausted. If it wasn¡¯t for Aamon, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this far, but for Yong-Ho, Aamon was still too much.

    With a frown on his face, Yong-Ho turned his attention to the inside of the mine. He used Aamon as a cane to support himself and brought up the dungeon map by waving his finger into the air.

    It was just as he had expected. The mine wasn¡¯t as deep as he thought. He couldn¡¯t find out the tunnels that the ants dug, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care. In the map, it showed the most important information right now.

    ¡°Queen Ant.¡±

    Today¡¯s target was located in the deepest part of the mine.

    ¡°The number of Crazy Ants within the mine has greatly decreased.¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many Crazy Ants left where the Queen Ant is located.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. You¡¯re so close!¡±

    Yong-Ho had a bitter smile. There really weren¡¯t a lot. Since his entire body was in pain, he couldn¡¯t fight for a long time.

    ¡®Now is not the time.¡¯

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and fixed his posture. He had no choice but to hurry, not only for himself, but for the smander and Skull, who were guarding the entrance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead.¡±

    Catalina spoke quietly and took two steps in front of Yong-Ho and started leading. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t say anything and followed behind Catalina.

    ¡°Because of the mana that the Queen Ant is releasing, I¡¯m unable to check the situation in the deepest part of the room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what they have nned, so please be careful.¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the dungeon map again. Other than the Queen Ant and the soldier ants, there wasn¡¯t anything else for them to fight against.

    In that case, the main fight will be with the Queen Ant.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath for thest time. The passageway that connected to the innermost part of the room had a slight slope and when he stood two meters away from the cave entrance, he couldn¡¯t see if there was something inside.

    Catalina¡¯s ears flinched. She heard something crawling inside the cave. The entrance was quiet.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina exchanged eye contact. When Yong-Ho nodded his head once, Catalina grabbed her sword with her left hand and grabbed a fiery short sword that she obtained from Kaiwan¡¯s armory with right hand.

    Catalina flew inside. Yong-Ho kicked off the ground and headed inside the cave.

    Arge space.

    It was sorge that people would be able to y volleyball in here.

    The ceiling was high. The inside of the room was an irregr circle and all around the room, there were white eggs bunched up together and they were smaller than a human¡¯s head.

    In the deepest part of the room, there were two soldier ants and as they raised their head, they provoked Yong-Ho and Catalina. They were about 20 meters apart, but it was enough to catch their attention.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t get buried this time. As soon as he entered the room, everything that he saw felt out of ce.

    Something had to be in this room.

    He didn¡¯t see the Queen Ant.

    How?

    Why?

    ¡°Kyahhhhhhhh!¡±

    He heard the awful shrieking from above him. Right when Yong-Ho looked up, Catalina jumped on him. They fell on the ground and rolled away.

    Fwoosh!

    10 icicles that were about one meter long fell on the spot that Yong-Ho was standing in. While rolling with Catalina, Yong-Ho looked at the ceiling.

    It was a wall, not the ceiling. On the wall right above the entrance, he saw an enormous monster.

    It was an enormous, blue ant that was four times bigger than a soldier ant.

    Like a spider, their stomach was way bigger than their head and above its head, a woman who¡¯s upper body was naked was sitting on top of it. Excluding the antennae that was on its forehead, the woman was beautiful. On top of that, they had long, blue hair.

    ¡°Kyahhhh!¡±

    The woman and the ant¡¯s head went towards Yong-Ho and Catalina at the same time. Behind the woman were sharp antennas that looked like a mantis¡¯s legs and they extended outward.

    Yong-Ho felt it.

    ¡®Magic?!¡¯

    He focused on the mana. Blue mana was gathered at the end of the antennas. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait any longer. Catalina quickly stood up and kicked off the ground right away.

    Swoosh!

    The icicles that were being formed in mid-air were targeting Yong-Ho and Catalina again.

    Yong-Ho rolled on the ground again and Catalina dodged, but didn¡¯t stop there. She used her agility and kicked off the wall. As she kicked off the wall, she threw her body into the air.

    The Queen Ant was shocked by Catalina¡¯s fast movements that they kept on moving their head. Catalina had already released an arrow before they moved.

    Her aim was right on target. But the arrow didn¡¯t pierce through the Queen Ant¡¯s forehead. It was as if there was an invisible wall because it just bounced off and Catalina somersaulted in mid-air andnded on the ground.

    ¡°I feel a strong manaing from the Queen Ant!¡±

    He assumed it. They were an evil spirit that guarded the mine since the previous generations. On top of that, the Queen Ant had a strong mentality and was able to control all of the Crazy Ants.

    Just from seeing that human ¡°main body¡± on top of the hideous ant¡¯s head, he could tell the Queen Ant was extraordinary.

    ¡®Is it a defense magic?!¡¯

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stand in one spot. He quickly stood up and tightened his grip on Aamon. The Queen Ant wasn¡¯t the only monster that was here.

    ¡°Gahhhhhh!¡±

    Two soldier ants charged towards Yong-Ho at the same time. Yong-Ho charged towards the one on the right. He aimed for their head with Aamon since that was the part he got into contact with first.

    ¡°Gahh!¡±

    They tilted their head and dodged Aamon. Yong-Ho released a part of his mana and released a fireball and when it blew up beside their head, they released a bizarre sound and twisted their body.

    And at that moment, Catalina jumped on top of the ant on the left and swung her sword. Shepletely cut off their head with one attack. She didn¡¯t stop there and released an arrow that pierced through the ant that was on the right side.

    ¡°Kyahh!¡±

    They were unable to bnce themselves. Yong-Ho quickly grabbed Aamon and targeted their head again. When he felt Aamon in the ant¡¯s head, he released some fire and burned the inside of their head.

    It took them a couple of seconds to take down two soldier ants.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have time to catch his breath and immediately looked at the Queen Ant. And he stopped without knowing.

    The Queen Ant moved towards the ceiling and was looked towards him with spite. But it was just a body that was located on top of its head. The enormous ant was biting off a small girl.

    It was gross and something he couldn¡¯t understand.

    Where did shee from? Why did the Queen Ant stop fighting and start eating the girl?

    ¡°She¡¯s eating the Princess Ant and recovering her mana!¡±

    As soon as the Spirit of the Dungeon shouted, the Queen Ant shot icicles again. Yong-Ho threw his body and dodged the icicles that were pouring down like rain. It wasn¡¯t exactly the cleanest roll, but he was able to dodge them just in time.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end. The Queen Ant jumped off the wall. She targeted Yong-Ho, not Catalina.

    She was extremely fast. He didn¡¯t have the time to think, so as he rolled on the ground, he extended Aamon out in front of him. He poured out the remaining mana and created a fiery wave.

    The wave crashed against the Queen Ant.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Catalina yelled. Yong-Ho saw it within Greed¡¯s fiery wave. A defense magic was being created from her head and it pushed away the fire.

    As soon as itnded on the ground, the Queen Ant released a scream and she started stabbing between the fire with her sharp antennas. The Queen Ant had the Princess Ant¡¯s blood on their mouth and red at Yong-Ho. There was another Princess Ant that was stretched out on the Queen Ant¡¯s back, but they couldn¡¯t even let out a scream.

    sh!

    The Queen Ant¡¯s mouth was like metal and it collided with Aamon. Yong-Ho managed to block it by cing Aamon in an upright position and released a painful groan. Even though he somehow blocked her, she was extremely strong.

    ¡°Kyahhhhh!¡±

    The Queen Ant shrieked as she red at him. She retracted the antennas and targeted Yong-Ho!

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Catalina screamed. She distracted the Queen Ant and released an arrow. After, she quickly jumped on the ant¡¯s back.

    The arrow bounced off the Queen Ant¡¯s head again. But, Catalina didn¡¯t stop. She couldn¡¯t ignore Catalina anymore. Her antennas changed their target to Catalina.

    She leaped. She leaped so high that she was able to avoid all of the antennas and she did a somersault in the air. As her head was falling towards the ground, she rotated her body like a spinning top and changed directions. With that, she fell towards the Queen Ant.

    Silver.

    The short sword targeted the top of the Queen Ant¡¯s head. She wasn¡¯t able to pierce through it because of the defense magic, but she was able to cut off a couple of her antennas. It was like cutting off a human¡¯s limbs and the Queen Ant started screaming. Their head must¡¯ve been affected too because they started writhing in pain.

    Catalina didn¡¯tnd properly because she was too focused on attacking and she ended up rolling on the ground. Instead of looking at Catalina, Yong-Ho looked at the Queen Ant. When the Queen Ant¡¯s mouth was no longer in front of him, he grabbed Aamon with his right hand.

    He was out of mana.

    He didn¡¯t have enough time to drink the mana potion that was on his waist.

    But there was still a way.

    ¡°I¡¯m pouring the dungeon¡¯s mana!¡±

    The Spirit of the Dungeon poured the dungeon¡¯s remaining mana into Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho gathered them all together again. As he poured all of his mana into Aamon, he threw Aamon towards the Queen Ant¡¯s body.

    Green fire, me. Greed¡¯s fiery wave!

    They were three meters away and Aamon flew across. Aamon was enveloped in green mes, which made it look like a falling star.

    It collided. The green me became weaker, but it was strong enough to crush their defense magic and Aamon remained calm. The sharp de pierced through the Queen Ant¡¯s chest. It was as if thence had a will of its own because it poured the remaining me and it blew up within their body.

    ¡°Kyahhhh!¡±

    The green me escaped out of all the holes that the Queen Ant had.

    Catalina gulped. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t turn away and continued watching the Queen Ant.

    Their death.

    The Queen Ant¡¯s body was stretched out. When one leg gave out, they immediately fell to the ground. The head that had a body attached to it fell the ground as well.

    The Princess Ant, that looked like a girl, was still attached to their back, but they weren¡¯t moving so he wasn¡¯t sure if they died or just lost consciousness.

 Chapter 34

    <h4><strong><Recapturing the Gold Mine #3></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Mana was the root of a demon family¡¯s life.

    Almost every living being that existed within the the demon world had mana and snatching that was called Spirit Absorption.

    Ordinary demons had the ability to absorb spirits as well. However, when they absorb a spirit, the effects weren¡¯t all that great.

    Demon kings were the only ones that could climb up to a higher ce by absorbing spirits.

    If there¡¯s a big difference in mana between the king and the spirit, then they won¡¯t be able to properly absorb it, but if the spirit is stronger than them, then the king will be able to increase their power by absorbing it.

    That¡¯s why they were the Demon king.

    Since the Law of the Jungle applied in the demon world, they had no choice but to aim for the top.

    The number of kings weren¡¯t small. When there were many, over 100 kings existed.

    Just because they¡¯re a king, it didn¡¯t mean all of them were strong. Out of all of them, there were those that were weaker than ordinary demons.

    But kings had potential. The reason why they¡¯re called kings is possibly because they had the potential to ascend to the throne.

    Yong-Ho opened his hand. He was out of mana, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    He focused on the blue mana that was on the Queen Ant¡¯s forehead. It was as big as a fist and it looked like a marble as it shined beautifully. That spirit was sucked into the palm of Yong-Ho¡¯s hand.

    This was the third.

    It was different from the first two. The exhrating pleasure that he felt was the same, but he felt something else.

    It was strong. It was a spirit that contained a much stronger power than the first two. When seeing just the quantity of the mana, it was almost the same as Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    There was no such thing as a perfect absorption. Because of that, even after he finished absorbing it, there was no way that his mana would increase by two folds. He was sure that it was stronger than thest two that he absorbed, but the mana was rough and thick. Saying that it was simr to impurities was the best way to describe it.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and released a groan and exmation at the same time. As the Queen Ant¡¯s spirit was mixed into his mana, he felt something different again. He was able to detect what that was.

    The quality of the spirit.

    It was so different from his that the primary had to be thrown away in order to obtain a reasonable strength.

    But Greed didn¡¯t allow that. It forced Yong-Ho to push to the limits. He forcefully swallowed the power of the spirit.

    He felt severe pain after feeling pleasure. Yong-Ho released a painful groan and twisted his body.

    But Greed didn¡¯t stop. And Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t nning on stopping either. He gritted his teeth and absorbed the spirit.

    He wasn¡¯t going to miss any.

    He wasn¡¯t going to throw away any.

    He was going to put it all in his hand no matter what!

    "Gah!"

    He breathed out and took a step back. He opened his eyes wide and looked forward.

    "Master?!"

    He heard Catalina¡¯s voice beside him. The reason why he didn¡¯t fall was because she hugged Yong-Ho¡¯s body.

    Instead of answering, he leaned against Catalina. He collected his breath while relying on her shoulder and chest and after a couple of minutes, he was able to hold himself up.

    "Mas...ter?"

    "I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay, Catalina."

    Yong-Ho copsed on the ground after answering her. He was so exhausted that he wanted to pass out, there was a stronger desire. Because of that, Yong-Ho gathered the small amount of mana that was recovered thanks to the spirit. He activated the Power of Evolution and looked at his stats.

    [Demon of Evolution]

    [Name : Chun Yong-Ho (M)]

    [Race : Half Human/Half Demon]

    [ss : Demon]

    [Attributes]

    [Fire Level 2 / Darkness Level 0 / Ice Level 1]

    [Development Rate : 78/100]

    Thanks to him absorbing the Queen Ant¡¯s spirit, his fire level increased and the mana¡¯s potential power became a bit stronger than before. However, there was a more important change than those two.

    ¡¯Coldness.¡¯

    A new attribute that wasn¡¯t there before appeared. The important thing was that it was coldness.

    The original attribute that Yong-Ho had was fire. It might be a gaming element, but fire and ice were opposites. But within Yong-Ho, those two elements were residing within him.

    ¡¯Greed.¡¯

    It was the ice element that it wanted to absorb so badly.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s shoulders dropped and smiled. Since he barely had any mana left, the Power of Evolution naturally deactivated.

    "The dungeon¡¯s daily mana production volume increased from 120 to 140."

    "Because you¡¯ve gotten stronger, Catalina (F), Eligor (M), and Skull¡¯s (-) various stats have increased a little bit."

    "Your horn has be bigger and more beautiful!"

    "Congrattions, Master."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke quickly as if they were waiting for the right moment to say it.

    After thanking them, he looked over at the Queen Ant¡¯s corpse and the Crazy Ant¡¯s eggs that were scattered around the room.

    Catalina spoke.

    "It¡¯ll probably be better to destroy all the eggs. Since they¡¯re no longer under the queen¡¯s control...honestly, they¡¯re now harmful dungeon monsters."

    In case the queen doesn¡¯t submit to him, there was a guideline that Eligor prepared beforehand.

    Yong-Ho agreed, so he nodded without saying anything. But it was something that was briefly mentioned.

    "Then, what should we do with that?"

    "Excuse me?"

    "That."

    With his eyes, Yong-Ho pointed at the Queen Ant¡¯s corpse, or more like the back of the giant ant.

    Being a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, Catalina immediately understood what Yong-Ho meant. What Yong-Ho saw was the Princess Ant that was on top of the corpse.

    Their bodies were bound with some sort of semi-transparent liquid.

    And they weren¡¯t just unconscious. They had a nk expression, like someone that was drugged.

    The reason why they remained quiet while the other princess was being eaten wasn¡¯t because they agreed to it, but it¡¯s because their body was paralyzed.

    Yong-Ho looked at the Princess Ant closely.

    From a distance, they looked like a little girl, but upon closer inspection, they were far from it. They were beautiful, just like the Queen Ant¡¯s main body, but the antennas on their head looked like horns and there was a shell-like covering on their arms, legs and skin.

    If he had topare her to a human, their external features looked like a 10 year old girl.

    Seeing as how their outer appearance was different from the Crazy Ants, he was sure that the Princess Ant would be the Queen Ant.

    Duringbat, the Queen Ant ate the Princess Ant in order to recover their mana. If thebatsted longer, then the queen would¡¯ve eaten that princess as well.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think tooplicatedly. He thought maybe it was normal in the demon world for parents to eat their children or maybe it was their way of showing their love as the mother.

    He decided to leave it as being a practical judgement.

    "Is it possible to register the Princess Ant as the spirit even though they¡¯re a dungeon monster?"

    The n to get revenge on the Queen Ant was now off.

    But how would the Princess Ant feel? And if the Princess Ant one day created a group of Crazy Ants under Yong-Ho¡¯smand, then wouldn¡¯t it help him in operating the dungeon?

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know, but controlling Crazy Ants was an extremely hard task.

    The Queen Ants that controlled the colony were extremely independent. They would rather die than obey someone else.

    In thisrge demon world, there weren¡¯t that many demons that controlled Crazy Ants or dungeon monsters that were of a simr race.

    However, since the Princess Ant wasn¡¯t fully grown and they don¡¯t have experience in controlling a colony, it was possible.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon answered.

    "The process is a lot moreplicated than the smander, but it¡¯s possible to try it."

    "But you¡¯re very exhausted. You don¡¯t have enough mana to proceed with the process."

    "I also don¡¯t have any mana left, even though I¡¯m a dungeon in the House of Mammon. First, it¡¯ll be better to capture the Princess Ant and try registering itter on."

    The important thing was attempting it, not the sess rate.

    Yong-Ho was satisfied and turned his head. He looked at Catalina, who was standing despite feeling exhausted.

    "Catalina."

    "Yes, master."

    Catalina answered immediately. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they won or because they acquired the mine, but she looked really touched. Her tail was wagging excitedly.

    That was so cute to Yong-Ho that he ended upughing and he tried to think of the right words in his head. But he couldn¡¯t think of anything. He didn¡¯t have enough energy to think of something decent. That¡¯s why, he decided to be straightforward.

    ¡¯Thanks. You did well today. You¡¯re definitely the warrior of the dungeon."

    "I was just doing my job."

    Catalina tried to reply calmly. Besides her ears fluttering and her tail wagging, she couldn¡¯t contain the smile that was on her face.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He was at his limits.

    "I¡¯ll leave the rest to you."

    Before hearing her answer, Yong-Ho ended up lying on the ground. And just like that, he became unconscious.

    Catalina briefly looked at him and looked around. She was in the room by herself, so she wasn¡¯t sure what to do and carefully approached Yong-Ho.

    She was extremely close. But Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t moving.

    She looked at him a little while longer and smiled. She was exhausted as well, but she gathered her remaining energy and carried Yong-Ho on her back. He was pretty heavy, but she felt good for some reason.

    "Skullllll!"

    She heard Skull¡¯s voice at the entrance. They must¡¯ve caught on to what happened after seeing the ants run away from the entrance.

    Catalina instinctively ced her energy on the hands that were carrying Yong-Ho. She didn¡¯t want anyone else to take him and waited for Skull and the smander toe down. If they wanted to take the Princess Ant and burn the eggs, then she required their help. They also needed to take back Aamon, which was pierced into the Queen Ant¡¯s body.

    ¡¯The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon¡¯

    It was the weapon that was also known as Mammon¡¯s right arm.

    Out of the 12 spirits that belonged to Mammon, they were ranked the highest.

    With one swing, it can burn the heavens and earth and evaporate the ocean.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly like the legends stated, but it was still amazing. If it wasn¡¯t for Aamon, then Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t have been able toe this far.

    ¡¯No, but still.¡¯

    Yong-Ho was Aamon¡¯s owner. Yong-Ho found Aamon, and Aamon acknowledged Yong-Ho as their owner.

    So there was no need to think about them separately.

    The King of Greed returned just in time.

    The Demon of Evolution that will help the House of Mammon rise up again.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s breathing was close. His hot breath tickled her neck.

    Catalina slightly pursed her lips while waiting for Skull. She tried to contain her smile again.

    <Recapturing the Gold Mine #3> End.

 Chapter 35

    <h4><strong><Reorganization #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    The sky and the ground was filled with darkness. The dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space used to be all white, but now, it was theplete opposite.

    ck. Darkness. The light was blocked out, so nothing could be seen within this space.

    There was no sound. A heavy silence was the only thing that filled the room.

    It was an extremely special space. All of their senses will be disabled to those that enter this space.

    They couldn¡¯t see, hear or touch anything.

    That¡¯s why it wasfortable.

    If they could endure being in solitude for a long time, if they could deeply fall into it by being alone.

    Unfortunately, most living things have difficulty doing that. Sitri was someone that would be able to endure it, but she didn¡¯t like being in this room for a long time.

    Sitri liked the feeling of a soft nket that¡¯s been dried in the sun. She liked the warmth that a person¡¯s body had and loved the sound of nature that tickled her ears. She felt happy when the wind blew against her skin once in a while.

    But still, Sitri came to this room sometimes. There are times when she would think about the past whenever she entered this space.

    The demon world¡¯s history was long.

    The citizens of the demon world didn¡¯t know the history of the dungeon shop, how old the dungeon world was and how it all started. Honestly there weren¡¯t that many that were interested.

    But, there was one truth that they did know.

    The absolute being of the demon world.

    They were an absolute being that the description, Demon God, was the only one that described them perfectly.

    That kind of figure existed. They¡¯re not here now, but they definitely existed in the past.

    Seven Deadly Sins and seven superhuman strengths.

    There were 14 Tokens and they were known as the ¡¯Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ and the ¡¯King¡¯s of Seven Wonders.¡¯

    The figure that gathers all of them will be an absolute being. They¡¯ll be the true king of the demon world.

    It¡¯s an old legend.

    Among the demons, there were those that naturally obtained the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The power of the sins were their root and they would reign over the other demons and by possessing a part of the demon world, they created their own kingdom.

    It was obvious that the seven superhuman powers would fall into the hands of the demons that had the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The kings that had the power of the sins repeatedly participated in wars. There were those that only had superhuman powers and they would participate in the war among the kings.

    An absolute being didn¡¯t appear.

    No one was able to gather the Seven Deadly Sins together and none couldbine the superhuman powers into one.

    But, there was one that was close.

    The King of Greed, Mammon.

    Within the long history of the demon world, that powerful being built a strong force.

    Out of the Seven Deadly Sins, Mammon collected three. Out of the seven superhuman powers, they obtained four.

    They were able to reign over 1/4th of the demon world and they had about 100 dungeons.

    The strongest being in the demon world.

    But in the end, they couldn¡¯t rise up to be an absolute being.

    Mammon suddenly died and the kingdoms that were under him crumbled down like sand castles because the other kings invaded them.

    The Greed¡¯s Labyrinth was Mammon¡¯s true nature and the biggest dungeon, but the other kings destroyed it.

    Other kings ended up obtaining the four superhuman powers that he acquired and Greed disappeared within the demon world.

    Mammon¡¯s forces quickly copsed.

    There were 12 spirits that were known as Mammon¡¯s Spirits and many of them lost their lives. Those that survived didn¡¯t show themselves to the world.

    The dungeons that Mammon reigned over fell into other¡¯s hands. The kings separated Mammon¡¯snd and imed it as their own, but before theypletely finished doing that, a new war started amongst them.

    The King of Greed that was directly rted to Mammon took over and thanks to the tense war among the other kings, they survived. However, they didn¡¯t have Greed¡¯s power. On top of that, the king¡¯s superhuman power ran out.

    Greed¡¯s power didn¡¯t appear to the future generations. The House of Mammon was slowly copsing and they almost lost all of their dungeons and spirits. The only thing that was left within the House of Mammon was an old, rusty dungeon that Mammon himself built. Because of that, out of all the dungeons that¡¯ve been recorded in the demon world¡¯s history, this dungeon was in the top 10.

    It was very interesting.

    The House of Mammon copsed and that¡¯s why they were able to survive.

    Greed was on the Seven Deadly Sins and out the seven superhuman powers, the House of Mammon didn¡¯t have any of them, so they weren¡¯t much of a threat to the other kings.

    The other kings were waiting for the House of Mammon to copse and it was nothing more than a small, useless family to them.

    ¡¯That¡¯s what everyone¡¯s thinking.¡¯

    A light smile appeared on Sitri¡¯s face. She opened her eyes in the darkness. She couldn¡¯t see anything, but it didn¡¯t bother her.

    Recently, there have been six kings that were reigning over the demon world.

    Five kings had the power of the Seven Deadly Sins as well as a superhuman power and there was one king that didn¡¯t have the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, but did have a superhuman power.

    The five kings were Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath and Lust.

    The one other king was Violence.

    The King of Sloth had the power of the Seven Deadly Sins as well as a superhuman power, but they didn¡¯t create a group of forces. Just like their title, they hid within the shadows and didn¡¯t do anything.

    .

    That¡¯s why, there were six kings that were reigning over the demon world.

    Six forces.

    None of the kings knew. No one knew the truth.

    It wasn¡¯t about how a new demon appeared and the fact that they had Greed¡¯s power.

    It was something else.

    Something more important than that.

    Sitri hugged her body. Since it was a room that cut off all senses, she couldn¡¯t feel anything.

    Warmth of course didn¡¯t exist.

    Despite that, Sitri hugged herself. She reminisced about the past while thinking about the present.

    The King of Evolution, Chun Yong-Ho, had Greed¡¯s power.

    When will he visit again? Will he be able to inherit Mammon¡¯s glory?

    Sitri closed her eyes again. She escaped the present and immersed herself into the bitter and sweet memories.

    A long time ago.

    She went back to the time when Mammon, the King of Greed, was alive.

    &

    It wasn¡¯t always great to wake up from a deep sleep.

    His head would either feel light-headed or he would feel pain as soon as he woke up.

    ¡¯How...?¡¯

    Yong-Ho blinked his eyes with a nk expression. He couldn¡¯t finish his thought about how he¡¯s been waking up like this pretty oftentely, so he looked up at the ceiling and had sort of a difficult time swallowing his spit.

    He was thirsty. And because of the sleep in his eyes, his eyes were hurting.

    "Hm."

    When he sat up, he let out a groan without knowing. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he was in bed, but his back and waist were in pain.

    He turned his head. He saw Catalina.

    They weren¡¯t in bed lying next to each other naked. Catalina was crouched below the bed and was falling asleep in that position. Her forehead was leaning against the bed.

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina for a moment and looked around the room again. He was looking for the water jug. And that¡¯s when.

    "Woo-ah?"

    With an odd sound, Catalina quickly raised her head. He wasn¡¯t sure whether she was having a nightmare or if she woke up from Yong-Ho¡¯s groan, but she was like a student that suddenly woke up while falling asleep in ss.

    "Hi."

    "I-I wasn¡¯t sleeping. I wasn¡¯t sleeping."

    Catalina instinctively replied when Yong-Ho greeted her. And she seemed surprised by her own reply that she became flustered.

    There was no need to see her fluttering ears or her tail that was wagging. Seeing the trace of saliva along her lips was already enough.

    Yong-Ho changed the subject for her.

    "How long have I been out for?"

    He remembered bringing the Queen Ant down and taking back the gold mine.

    She must¡¯ve been fully awake because Catalina fixed her posture and answered.

    "It¡¯s been two days."

    "Right, two...two days?!"

    "46 hours to be exact."

    "I believe it¡¯s the side effect of the mana potion."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon exined it right on time. Yong-Ho breathed in deeply to calm his embarrassment.

    Side effect of the mana potion.

    When he thought about it, it was reasonable. Not only does it recover the mana, but it also strengthens the mana itself.

    It was normal for his body to be exhausted since he drank the mana potion several times whenever his mana ran out.

    But still, two days?

    "You don¡¯t have to worry. The dungeon was peaceful during the past two days."

    Catalina said it with a smile, but Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t smile.

    The fact that he was talking with Catalina right now was proof that the dungeon wasn¡¯t under attack during the past two days.

    The only thing Yong-Ho had an issue with was the fact that he wasted time.

    Two days.

    It meant that it¡¯s been four days since they brought down the Orcs that invaded the dungeon.

    He didn¡¯t have that much time left. He needed time to purchase various items within the shop by using the gold mine as coteral and building traps and facilities with those items.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes tightly.

    He couldn¡¯t erase the fact that he wasted time, but it already happened. Like always, Yong-Ho tried his best to think positively.

    "What about the remaining Crazy Ants that were in the mine?"

    "They ran away. The smander burned all the eggs."

    "Dungeon Facility: The gold mine is now under your control, master."

    "It¡¯s a bit slow right now, but gold is being produced again."

    The issue with the gold mine has beenpletely resolved.

    But, he couldn¡¯t immediately move to the next step. It¡¯s because there was something he suddenly thought of.

    "And Aamon?"

    "Sir?"

    "Aamon...are they currently in the gold mine?"

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.

    The legend says that anyone, other than the owner, that touches Aamon will burn to death.

    He didn¡¯t check to see if it was true, but he was sure that he was the only one that could touch Aamon.

    Catalina answered with an awkward expression after hearing his question.

    "We...did retrieve Aamon."

    "Huh? Really? There weren¡¯t any issues even though I wasn¡¯t the one touching it?"

    Was the legend a lie?

    ¡¯No. Is it better to think that Aamon allowed it?¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina with curiosity. Either Catalina was intimidated by his attention or she wasn¡¯t sure how to answer, but a puzzling look appeared on her face.

    "Well, you see..."

    "Yeah?"

    Catalina bit her lower lip and then fixed her posture. She looked straight at Yong-Ho and answered.

    "Eligor separated the Queen Ant¡¯s body and brought the body back to the throne room. When they arrived, Sir Aamon...no, Aamon burned the Queen Ant¡¯s corpse all by themselves. It¡¯s currently next to the throne."

    Since they couldn¡¯t touch Aamon, they brought the Queen Ant¡¯s corpse.

    It was a good solution, but he couldn¡¯t admire it. He had an idea why Catalina had the expression that she had now.

    "Oh...okay."

    "Yes."

    Things became awkward between the demon and their guard, so they remained quiet for a moment. As the owner and the spirit, just by exchanging eye contact, they both thought about Eligor.

    And then a few secondster. Yong-Ho purposely let out a cough to wrap up the conversation and changed the subject.

    "Where¡¯s the Princess Ant that we brought?"

    "They¡¯re currently in the prison cell."

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes became thin again.

    "Eligor didn¡¯t torture them, right?"

    "Um...probably not. M-maybe."

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t answer confidently and a frown appeared on his face because he was feeling uneasy. He stood up from the bed and spoke.

    "I¡¯m going to the prison cell to look at the Princess Ant. You find Eligor and bring him there."

    "Yes, sir."

    She answered right away and exited the bedroom. Yong-Ho drank the water right out of the water jug and poured the remaining on his face to somewhat wash his face.

    He quickly headed towards the prison cell.

    &

    Eligor and the Goblins were busy with construction work. The smander, Skull and Treant were guarding the entrance so the space between the prison and Yong-Ho¡¯s bedroom waspletely empty.

    However, since it was a prison, there was one spirit that acted as the ward.

    "Wolf, wolf."

    When he arrived, the Kobold that was crouched in the corner quickly stood up. They must¡¯ve been ying some sort of game because pebbles were rolling around their feet.

    Yong-Ho acknowledged them by waving his hand and entered the prison. The bars were made from the bamboo that was left over from making thence and beyond the bars, he saw the Princess Ant.

    The Princess Ant looked like a little girl and seeing them curled up in the corner made him feel bad.

    They seemed extremely tired because they were sleeping without moving much and a frown appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face.

    Since he didn¡¯t really know how the Crazy Ants lived, he wasn¡¯t so sure if this kind of treatment was okay, but in the human world, this was terrible treatment.

    Their kingdom copsed within a day, their mother almost ate them and their sister died because the Queen Ant ate them.

    "The Queen Ant controls the colony, so if they¡¯re gone, then the self-concept within them disappears. The Queen Ant thinks of those ants as nothing more than their hands and feet."

    "The Princess Ant is excluded from this. Because of that, the Queen Ant used the Princess Ant in order to recover their mana."

    "Other than the fact that she was scared of being eaten, the Princess Ant in the cell doesn¡¯t remember much."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon softly spoke as if to mend Yong-Ho¡¯s heart.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. And the one that subdued the Crazy Ants was Yong-Ho himself.

    It was an unfortunate situation, but there was no need to be deeply immersed in it.

    "Can we try registering them as a dungeon spirit right now?"

    "It¡¯s possible, but I think it¡¯s still too early."

    "In order to register a dungeon monster into a dungeon spirit, there is a need for them surrender. Currently, the Princess Ant is half unconscious, so it¡¯s not impossible to forcefully register them as long as we use a good amount of mana, but there is a high chance that it may be extremely inefficient."

    "I believe it¡¯ll be more efficient by keeping them in the cell for a couple days more and try registering them then."

    It was disappointing, but it was understandable.

    His battle with Foras was getting closer, so he couldn¡¯t just waste his mana. Even if he did register the Princess Ant as a spirit, there was nothing he would gain from it, so it was right to wait for the time being.

    But, he wasn¡¯t nning on neglecting thempletely. While keeping his eyes on the Princess Ant, he activated the Power of Evolution.

    <Reorganization #1> End.

 Chapter 36

    Note: This week will be two regr chapters and four bonus chapters for a total of six chapters! Thanks to the patrons, they helped me reach my first goal and I wanted to show my appreciation for their continued support.

    Thank you EVERYONE! <3

    <h4><strong><Reorganization #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    [Name : ¨C (F)]

    [Race/Position : Crazy Ant / Princess Ant]

    [ss : Evil Spirit (Low Rank)]

    Maybe it¡¯s because they haven¡¯t been registered as a spirit, but whenpared to the Goblins that he saw for the first time at the Virtual Space, there were a lot of sections that weren¡¯t shown.

    ¡¯They¡¯re definitely a kid.¡¯

    Since they were a young princess, their potential rted to development was quite low. However, they had a lot of development routes and since their current skills were really low, their growth rate was pretty big.

    ¡¯What¡¯s emotion?¡¯

    He had an idea, but it wasn¡¯t convincing enough.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger into the air and checked each other development route of the Princess Ant. There was a bit of a difference, but above the Princess Ant that currently looked like a 12-year-old, there was a silhouette of a girl that was slightly more mature.

    ¡¯Will she grow up once she evolves?¡¯

    There must be a development route after she evolves, because there were two boxes of light above the Princess Ant¡¯s head. He could probably confirm it after registering them as a spirit.

    Yong-Ho deactivated the Power of Evolution after thinking about the Queen Ant for a moment. It¡¯s because he felt someone behind him.

    "Did you call for me, sir?"

    "I was out for too long, huh?"

    Yong-Ho jokingly asked as he turned around. Eligor answered with his usual warm smile.

    "You came back just in time. You¡¯ve been pushing yourself to the limit, so you should rest well."

    It went along smoothly. Yong-Ho waved at the Kobold again and left the prison with Eligor. He spoke as they walked towards the throne room.

    "How¡¯s the constructionsing along?"

    "We¡¯ve finished installing the basic traps. There are more advanced traps, but since we didn¡¯t have the material, we just cleaned it up so that we can quickly install it when we have the materials."

    Traps and spirits were needed when it came to defending the dungeon.

    The dungeon facilities and traps were like the castle walls and the spirits were like the soldiers that protected the castle.

    Yong-Ho decided to focus more on the traps and the dungeon facilities.

    If the castle walls are tall and thick, then the weakest soldiers can hold off the enemies.

    They arrived at the throne room faster than they expected. Catalina had been waiting in front of the throne room and she opened the door.

    Yong-Ho walked across therge room and after sitting on the throne, he lightly stretched his body. He asked Eligor, who was standing next to the throne.

    "What do I need to buy?"

    "First...I created a budget sheet based on the traps that you instructed us to build."

    Eligor took out a piece of paper that was in his inner pocket and gave it to Yong-Ho. It was a list of materials that they needed in order to build the various traps.

    "And this is an assumption that I made regarding the gold mine¡¯s current worth."

    The second document contained the depth of the mine, the amount of gold that was currently there, how much gold they¡¯ll be able to obtain in a month and the total worth of the mine based on the previous information.

    The dungeon¡¯s gold mine was simr, yet different, from the one in the human world.

    The fact that there was gold in the mine was the same, but the mining method was different.

    In the human world, it¡¯s normal for people to go into the mine and keep digging until they find the gold, but in the dungeon¡¯s gold mine, mana is used to mine the gold.

    ¡¯Dungeon Facility : Gold Mine¡¯ was what was registered and now they were able to freely activate the room. After it¡¯s been activated, mana is continuously poured into it and it automatically mines the gold.

    On the surface of the mine, lumps of gold are created, just like crystals. It automatically mines the gold when it¡¯spletely filled and it slowly repeats the process.

    That¡¯s why, the dungeon¡¯s gold mine needed someone to collect, not mine.

    When the owner from three generations ago didn¡¯t collect the lumps of gold, the Queen Ant, who devoured various ores and mana, ate all of it, so they had no choice but to produce new gold.

    After analyzing Eligor¡¯s reports, Yong-Ho made sure the Spirit of the Dungeon memorized the list of materials as well as the various details. They were materials he needed to get during the "bargaining" session he¡¯ll have with Sitri momentarily.

    ¡¯Mana potion.¡¯

    Sitri was right. Even if the weapons were high-quality, if there wasn¡¯t any magic casted on them, trading in 20 weapons wasn¡¯t enough to purchase one bottle and it was understandable.

    It was an item that recovered mana instantly and it even strengthened it too.

    But Sitri gave Yong-Ho four bottles of mana potion without any hesitation.

    Sitri said it was a ¡¯fair trade,¡¯ but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t agree.

    In some ways, it was a debt.

    "You know, when I first ascended to the throne."

    "Sir?"

    Eligor and Catalina both looked at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho asked Eligor.

    "Was it a coincidence that Sitri came as the witness?"

    In order to ascend to the throne, there needed to be three witnesses, but since they couldn¡¯t call anyone, they contacted the dungeon shop and asked them to send someone.

    When he first ascended, it was something he heard from Catalina.

    He thought nothing of it until now. But when he saw how Sitri acted, he didn¡¯t think it was a coincidence. The fact that she was close to Kaiwan, the owner from three generations, was proof.

    Eligor remained quiet for a moment and then answered.

    "It was the will of the owner from two generations ago. To visit when the dungeon is about to copse. That they¡¯ll help at least once....."

    They were definitely someone that visited the House of Mammon often. Yong-Ho kept asking.

    "The previous owners never saw Sitri?"

    "When the previous owners ascended, Sitri visited the owners once."

    Based on that information, there¡¯s a high chance that she participated as a witness when Kaiwan ascended.

    Yong-Ho touched his chin.

    "How did the previous owners treat her?"

    "They didn¡¯t treat her in a special way. From what I know, when they visited the Virtual Space to trade, they never saw her."

    The previous owner and the owner before that were walking down road to ruin.

    Did Sitri not help those two owners?

    Sitri expressed her emotions regarding Kaiwan. In Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes, the emotion that she had was a form of attachment.

    Kaiwan. The owner from two generations ago and the previous owner. Yong-Ho himself.

    Yong-Ho organized his mind. He hit the handle of the throne and spoke.

    "Great, they say to strike while the iron is hot. Shall we get started?"

    When he spoke cheerfully, a bright expression appeared on Catalina and Eligor¡¯s face. Out of the two, Yong-Ho kept his eye on Eligor.

    "But before that."

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and instead of connecting to the Virtual Space, he stood up. He ced his hand on top of Eligor¡¯s shoulder.

    "I said I¡¯d evolve you when I came back, right?"

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. Eligor¡¯s development slowly filled up, but it was finally at 100.

    Eligor looked at Yong-Ho with a nervous look and replied in a slightly quiet tone.

    "I ask that you develop my stamina."

    "Your reason?"

    "My body has been achingtely..."

    Yong-Ho smiled at his realistic, yet practical reason. Catalina, who experienced it twice, looked at Eligor excitedly.

    "Close your eyes and just rx."

    Eligor closed his eyes and rxed his body. Yong-Ho grabbed Eligor¡¯s shoulder and gathered the mana and Catalina, her gleaming eyes disappeared when she noticed that something was odd. She slightly opened her eyes.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes as if he was trying to ignore it. He poured the Power of Evolution into Eligor.

    &

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Since he visited the Virtual Space several times, it felt familiar to him.

    "Oh..."

    But when he looked around, he couldn¡¯t find Sitri. An infinite, white space was the only thing that was here.

    "We wee you to the dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space."

    "Please select your desired trade."

    Letters of light that he¡¯s never seen before appeared before him.

    Yong-Ho kind of hesitated for it bit because the message sounded like something he saw at an ATM machine. But he turned his attention to the list under it.

    And in that moment.

    The letters of light split into two and a darkness appeared. It looked as if a savage beast used their w to cut apart a white, Korean traditional piece of paper.

    Sitri appeared within between the dark space and when she entered the white space, the darkness disappearedpletely as if it never existed.

    "Valuable customer, you should¡¯ve contacted me ahead of time."

    A bitter smile appeared on his face when he heard Sitri¡¯s criticizing words.

    "Is there a way for me to contact you?"

    "Let¡¯s see, if I¡¯m in charge of the House of Mammon, then I should¡¯ve provided you a way to contact me."

    Sitri replied with ease as she flicked her finger. Afortable chair appeared behind Yong-Ho and Sitri.

    "It¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯re safe. Have you recaptured the gold mine?"

    "I¡¯ve seeded thanks to you."

    "Then, I guess you¡¯re here to do a trade."

    Their conversation flowed naturally. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s seen her a couple of times, but Yong-Ho was able to remain calm in front of her.

    "I would like to purchase some items by using the gold mine as coteral. Also..."

    "Also?"

    "I want to pay the proper amount for the mana potions."

    Sitri didn¡¯t answer right away. She slightly opened her eyes as if she was looking into Yong-Ho¡¯s mind and looked at him. She spoke with a faint smile on her face.

    "I guess you really liked it."

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t disagree. The mana potion was extremely useful. The fact that it recovered mana within seconds was more important than how it strengthened it. When he thought about how Aamon released a stronger fire the more mana he had, it was a special item that helped increased Yong-Ho¡¯s fighting strength.

    And he received four of those.

    He was unsure of his rtionship with Sitri, so the four bottles of mana potion was debt.

    Sitri stretched her shoulders.

    "It is important to properly recognize an item¡¯s worth. If you were trying to obtain it based on desire...I don¡¯t think I can properly call it greed. I¡¯ve said this in the beginning, but I¡¯m starting to like you even more."

    Kaiwan was the same. That sharp child wasn¡¯t different.

    Sitri didn¡¯t reminisce. She looked at Yong-Ho in the present.

    "But like I¡¯ve exined on that day, it was a fair trade. And it was a piece of information that was more important than you think. So don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t be providing you with mana potions from now on anyways."

    Sitri straightened her back after being straightforward. She immediately changed the subject.

    "Let¡¯s talk about the gold mine. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve obtained information about the mine¡¯s current worth, right?"

    "Currently, we¡¯ve estimated it to be worth about this much."

    Yong-Ho also didn¡¯t show any regrets. He waved his finger into the air and showed Sitri the information he asked the Spirit of the Dungeon to memorize.

    "Hm. It¡¯s more than what I expected."

    Kaiwan, the King of Distortion, disappeared not long after they found the gold mine.

    Not long after Kaiwain¡¯s younger sibling ascended to the throne, the Crazy Ants took the gold mine, so there was a lot of gold stored in the mine.

    "Your estimation of the current worth is quite reasonable. But you can¡¯t purchase items with the current estimation. There will be a slight calction. And we have to actually inspect it from our side as well."

    A pawn shop, where they would lend you money based on the item¡¯s worth, didn¡¯t exist.

    In terms of stability, the House of Mammon¡¯s current gold mine wasn¡¯t the best. It¡¯s because they had to prepare themselves to guard the dungeon soon.

    Within moments, Eligor¡¯s calction regarding the worth of the mine dropped by almost half. But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care. After epting the fact that it was within the expected range, he raised his finger again and spun it in the air.

    "These are the items that I would like to purchase."

    The list had materials that Eligor requested for the traps and it also had various items to help them live in the dungeon.

    "You still have a lot of money left. Will you be using the remaining to purchase a spirit?"

    Of course he was thinking about purchasing a spirit. But, there was something else he had to purchase before that.

    Yong-Ho leaned forward a bit. The distance between him and Sitri closed a bit and he spoke.

    "I want to purchase information."

    "Are you talking about Foras¡¯s information?"

    Sitri asked right away as if she was really interested.

    Yong-Ho pulled his body towards the back of the chair.

    He definitely wanted to know about Foras and their spirits. But what Yong-Ho wanted was something more basic than that.

    "Why is Foras trying to attack the House of Mammon? What¡¯s causing his movements? That¡¯s what I want to know."

    The House of Mammon was pretty weak when thest two owners were alive, but Foras didn¡¯t do anything then. So, why were they making their move now? Was it simply because the owner died and the shield weakened?

    The Imp exined.

    That if the Orcs failed, then they¡¯ll bring an actual army and attack the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    Foras made a firm decision. And there had to be a reason as to why they were making their move.

    Sitri slightly opened her eyes again. A long grin appeared on Sitri¡¯s face as she looked at Yong-Ho.

    <Reorganization #1> End.

 Chapter 37

    <h4><strong><Reorganization #3></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    "You¡¯re sharp."

    Sitri leaned on the back of the chair. The way she looked at Yong-Ho was different from the other times and it looked as if she was setting a price on an item. She slightly stuck her tongue out and lightly licked her bottom lip.

    "Please continue."

    Yong-Ho gulped. Yong-Ho thought about Catalina in his head so that he wouldn¡¯t be blinded by her beauty. When he thought of how Catalina drooled while sleeping, he quietly chuckled and he was able to somewhat break free.

    With a more rxed expression, Yong-Ho continued talking.

    "Foras didn¡¯t move when thest two owners were alive. ording to Eligor, it¡¯s because the owners within the empty parts of thends were maintaining the bnce."

    A peace that was created by bncing the power.

    Since they had hostile rtionships, they couldn¡¯t move carelessly. While they¡¯re attacking one owner, a different owner may attack from behind them.

    "It¡¯s still a dungeon even if it¡¯s on the brink of copsing. Time and troops will be used when attacking in order to take it. During that moment, their dungeon could be in danger because of the other owners."

    "And you think the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon isn¡¯t worth taking a risk?"

    Sitri spoke as if she was assisting. She had her usual small smile, but he couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. Whenever he saw her, the only thing that filled his mind was how beautiful she was.

    Yong-Ho thought about Catalina again and answered.

    "Yes. After Kaiwan, the King of Distortion, the House of Mammon really weakened. Since it wasn¡¯t bnced, they probably didn¡¯t make a move."

    Hesitation.

    It¡¯s too much trouble to eat, and too much to throw away.

    But in the end, Foras didn¡¯t make a move. They just left them alone. Even during the time when the past owner died and the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon was at its weakest.

    "But they¡¯ve started moving. And it seemed like they¡¯re determined about it."

    It was difficult to think that they simply had a change of heart.

    Eligor first stated that they could¡¯ve been waiting until the protective barrier weakened, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think so.

    "And there¡¯s another thing that¡¯s suspicious."

    Sitri tilted her head. It wasn¡¯t that it was unexpected, but she was curious as to what Yong-Ho wanted to say and if he¡¯ll talk about the thing that was on her mind.

    Yong-Ho leaned his body to the left and continued.

    "It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve thought of while exploring the dungeon and finding new facilities."

    Sitri licked her lower lip again.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    There weren¡¯t any suspicions at first.

    But the sense of disharmony increased day by day.

    "Was the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon really not worth anything to the other owners in the emptynd?"

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes again. He didn¡¯t rush.

    "The forefathers of the House of Mammon...It did somewhat belong to Mammon, the King of Greed, but there are a lot of facilities within the dungeon. You¡¯ve recently discovered the armory and the gold mine that Kaiwan left."

    They weren¡¯t just facilities.

    Within the dungeon, there were a lot of hidden items and Aamon was one of the items that he found.

    "At first, I even thought that maybe they were just trying to avoid provoking Mammon¡¯s spirits and the dungeon itself even though it was weak. But no matter how much I thought about it, it was odd. The House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon is worth a lot. If a strong owner that¡¯s able tomand strong spirits took this dungeon, they¡¯ll be able to acquire Mammon¡¯s inheritance a lot faster than me."

    "But no one wants the House of Mammon?"

    Sitri smiled brightly andmented. Yong-Ho nodded his head.

    "Yes. If the defensive shield is the issue...honestly, it¡¯s only an issue to the weaklings."

    There¡¯s no reason to go after the six kings that controlled the demon world.

    If the demon was pretty powerful or if they were more powerful than Yong-Ho, then that was more than enough.

    But no one wanted the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    Is it because it was located at the edge of the demon world? Because the dungeon was too far into the corner?

    That was absurd. It might be a different story for the owners that were located on the other side of the demon world, but for the owners that were in the emptynd, it was definitely within their reach.

    Sitri stopped touching her chin and waved it in the air. Then the distance between Yong-Ho and Sitri closed. It felt like the ground became narrower instead of the chairs moving.

    They were so close that their knees were touching.

    Sitri bent forward a bit and whispered a question as if she was talking about a secret.

    "Have you tried discussing it with Eligor?"

    "Not yet."

    Sitri waved her finger again. Then, Sitri¡¯s chair spun around and it became one with Yong-Ho¡¯s chair. The armrest that was in the way naturally disappeared and Sitri leaned her body against Yong-Ho. His body became nervous when he felt something soft and aromatic.

    Sitri didn¡¯t seem to care about his reaction because she slightly moved her lips.

    "Where should I start from...?"

    She didn¡¯t think about it for a long time. Sitri lightly ced her hand on top of Yong-Ho¡¯s thigh and whispered.

    "I¡¯ll start with Foras then."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. Instead of distancing himself from her, he thought about Catalina again. He felt calm after thinking about how she would act cold, but her ears would be pping.

    Sitri waved her right hand. Arge window of light appeared in front of Yong-Ho.

    "This is the empty southern part where the House of Mammon is located. When Mammon, the King of Greed, ruled in the past, this entirend was theirs."

    Thatrgend took up 1/7th of the entire demon world. There were many owners that owned their own dungeon.

    "Like you¡¯ve stated, the owners in the empty part are maintaining a tight bnce. Nothing good wille out of suddenly starting a war...they were maintaining a subtle bnce."

    It was past tense. Yong-Ho instinctively reacted and Sitri was satisfied.

    "It hasn¡¯t been that long since the bnce has been broken. On the edge of the northwest part of the southern empty area, an owner suddenly started a war to conquer. And they¡¯re being violent about it. They haven¡¯t lost once and they¡¯re expanding their power."

    The northwest region started to change into one color on the map.

    Yong-Ho now knew.

    "You¡¯re right, sir. Foras has decided that there was a need for him to get stronger in order to survive. Even if it means they¡¯re going to be in danger."

    They broke the bnce. The domino started to copse.

    The tight bnce that was maintained in the southern region copsed. It was the start of a revolution.

    "And."

    Sitri collected her breath. She looked at Yong-Ho and whispered into his ear.

    "The information that I¡¯m about to tell you now is so important that it can¡¯t bepared to someone like Foras."

    Yong-Ho had an idea of what Sitri was going to say.

    It was an answer regarding the second suspicion that Yong-Ho mentioned.

    "Kaiwan, the previous two owners and all the owners under the House of Mammon put their lives on the line to protect this secret."

    The chair split into two again. Sitri sat right in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of her seductive smile, she looked at Yong-Ho with a cold expression. She spoke in a low tone.

    "In the past, Mammon, the King of Greed, controlled 1/4th of the demon world. And Mammon¡¯s true character, known as The Secret of Greed, is theirrgest and strongest dungeon."

    The window of light was located behind Sitri and even though it showed new pictures, Yong-Ho didn¡¯ty his eyes on it. He stared straight into Sitri¡¯s purple eyes.

    "After Mammon died all of a sudden, the other kings that were suppressed by Mammon started attacking the House of Mammon all together. And during this process, Mammon¡¯s true nature, The Secret of Greed, waspletely destroyed."

    Sitri closed her eyes. She leaned back as if she felt a wave of exhaustion within a single moment. She spoke in a tone that was different from before.

    "The enormous amount of treasure that Mammon gathered was looted and after destroying The Secret of Greed, the kings were satisfied. Taking their superhuman skill was one of their biggest reasons, so they were definitely satisfied."

    ¡¯Superhuman skill?¡¯

    This was the first time Yong-Ho heard of that word, but he didn¡¯t interrupt her. He decided to concentrate on her exnation for now.

    "The Secret of Greed had been destroyed. Mammon¡¯s treasures were looted by the other kings and the 12 spirits that guarded the House of Mammon either left or died. This is the ¡¯truth¡¯ that¡¯s been spread in the demon world."

    Sitri purposely stopped talking. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Yong-Ho and a smile appeared on her face again.

    Yong-Ho understood.

    "The Secret of Greed is still alive."

    "You¡¯re right. The one that was destroyed by the kings was a fake one. The true one...it¡¯s the dungeon that¡¯s the current base for the House of Mammon."

    Mammon¡¯s spirits didn¡¯t split up. They remained in The Secret of Greed.

    Mammon had four out of the seven superhuman skills and three of the Seven Deadly Sin¡¯s power, but since they all disappeared, the demon world believed that The Secret of Greed was destroyed.

    But that wasn¡¯t the case.

    The one that did get destroyed was the fake one.

    It was true that the superhuman skills and the Seven Deadly Sin¡¯s powers were taken, but they were able to preserve everything else instead.

    "If this truth gets out, the vagrants in the empty southern area won¡¯t be the only ones that¡¯ll attack the House of Mammon. The six kings that are reigning over the demon world will probably start moving."

    In order to take away everything that Mammon had.

    In order to eliminate the potential risk from this world.

    "It was actually easy to hide the truth when the previous two owners were alive. It had already copsed and whenever the spirits found something new, they thought that it was Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance. But...I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a bit different, right?"

    Yong-Ho gulped. But it wasn¡¯t because he felt burdened by the truth.

    He actually looked straight at Sitri.

    The woman that knew all of this information.

    She was involved with the House of Mammon for a long time and favored Yong-Ho.

    "Ms. Sitri. You¡¯re..."

    "The dungeon shop¡¯s important asset."

    Sitri interrupted Yong-Ho. It looked as if she disagreed with whatever Yong-Ho was trying to say.

    "We¡¯re done talking. Since you want to repay the debt for the mana potion, I¡¯ll charge you more for this information."

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t read the expression that was on her face. A smile that was for business use was on her face and when Sitri waved her finger, a small window of light appeared between him and Sitri.

    On the window of light, it disyed the amount he could earn by using the gold mine as coteral, the price of the various items that Yong-Ho ordered and the price of the information.

    Yong-Ho pushed away his regrets. The most important thing right now was to block Foras¡¯s attack.

    "I¡¯ll use the remaining to purchase a spirit. Can I purchase the information rted to Foras?"

    "I think you¡¯ll be able to purchase a Rank Two and a Rank Three spirit. And regarding the information about Foras...since you purchased an expensive piece of information, I¡¯ll give you a slight discount."

    Sitri got rid of the window of light. She looked at Yong-Ho and spoke.

    "Usually, the dungeon shop doesn¡¯t sell information about an owner. The owners themselves try their best to hide their information. Foras also does not know about it. The dungeon shop knows about it, but even if you are a valuable customer, we cannot leak any information. I hope you¡¯ll understand."

    The demon¡¯s power was a trump card that the demons had. It¡¯s obvious that they would keep it a secret.

    "The information that I can give to you is...the fact that Foras tends to control the Orcs as their spirit. They tend to enjoy close-range attacks."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. The fact that there were a lot of Orcs under their control was something that he already knew, but he couldn¡¯t ask her for more information.

    "Valuable customer, that was an enjoyable transaction. I look forward to meeting you again."

    Sitri bowed like she did before and like always, she became a light and disappeared.

    Yong-Ho was now alone and likest time, a catalogue filled with spirits was disyed before him. With the amount he had left, he would be able to purchase one Rank Two and one Rank Three spirit.

    Yong-Ho focused on the current situation.

    He looked at the dungeon shop¡¯s servant spirit catalogue.

    <Reorganization #3> End.

 Chapter 38

    <h4><strong><Reorganization #4></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Being able to think fast was one of Yong-Ho¡¯s strengths.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration when they said it was the start of a revolution and the current situation in this emptynd and the secret of the dungeon was more than enough to upset him.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t waver. Instead of mentally wasting energy on unnecessary things, he turned his attention on things he had to take care of right away.

    Currently, improving the dungeon and picking the most useful spirits were the most important tasks for Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho emptied his thoughts by taking a deep breath and then raised his head to look at the window of light.

    The Rank Two spirit catalogue wasn¡¯t different from before. There was a spirit that he¡¯s been thinking about, so it didn¡¯t take him a long time to choose one.

    He picked the Rank Two dungeon spirit, y Golem.

    Yong-Ho picked the spirit that could work and defend, just like the Goblins.

    The y Golem was strong when it came to strength and stamina and they were useful when it came to doing tasks that required a good amount of strength.

    Compared to thest time he came here to purchase a Rank Two spirit, the mana situation had improved a lot, so the amount of mana that the Golem consumed wasn¡¯t burdensome.

    ¡¯It¡¯s good that we don¡¯t have to spend a lot on food. And, we don¡¯t have to prepare a separate room for them.¡¯

    It was convenient because he didn¡¯t have to worry about giving them food and clothing.

    But since they didn¡¯t have any idea of self-concept, they needed that much more help. If they don¡¯t receive anymands based on the situation they¡¯re in, there was a high chance that they may act out of ce.

    ¡¯Anyways, I¡¯ve decided on the golem that specializes in strength.¡¯

    While working, Eligor or Jun the Goblin Ranger will most likely stay with them and during battle, Yong-Ho or another spirit will stick with them, so it wasn¡¯t something he needed to really worry about.

    Yong-Ho made his final decision on the y Golem and then looked over the Rank Three spirit catalogue.

    The spirit list that was disyed on the window of light refreshed. It was so much more impressive than the Rank Two catalogue that Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off of it.

    [No 01.]

    [Race : Dwarf (M) ¨C Teen]

    [A dwarf that¡¯s been captured in this world]

    [Skills : Building Tools / Building Arms / Ability to give basic magic skills]

    [Strengths : High stamina, Skilled in building]

    [Weaknesses : Somewhat rebellious, Very stubborn]

    [Seller : Demon Andromalius]

    His eyes stopped on the first category.

    The information was already different from the Rank Two spirit catalogue and on top of that, the information was extremely interesting.

    ¡¯Dwarf? Is it the same Dwarf that I¡¯m thinking about?¡¯

    They¡¯re a dwarf race that originated from northern Europe.

    Along with the Elves, they¡¯re a race in the fantasy category and are a popr race that appears quite often.

    Their outer appearance isn¡¯t that different from the Dwarves that people imagine.

    They were short, big, had arge beard, a stubborn expression and slightly pointed ears.

    ¡¯They were captured in this world?¡¯

    He remembered what Eligor said before.

    The connection between the dungeon and this world. And the issue that urs through that.

    Different situations popped into his head simultaneously.

    The party and the adventures when exploring the dungeon. And the Dwarf Warrior¡¯s role is the tank.

    The demons attacked the peaceful Dwarf mine. The Dwarf Warriors had to surrender to the demon troops.

    The situation didn¡¯t matter right now. Yong-Ho skipped the strengths and weaknesses and looked at the seller information.

    ¡¯Andromaluis.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know who it was. But, it didn¡¯t matter. The important thing was that it clearly stated the seller¡¯s information.

    ¡¯Buying a used spirit is dangerous.¡¯

    The idea of evolving a spirit and then earning money by selling them was still too early.

    If it¡¯s within a system where the seller¡¯s name is disyed, then his existence would definitely be known.

    A spirit¡¯s stat that¡¯s been increased through the Power of Evolution was that special.

    Yong-Ho looked at the Dwarf again. The few sentences that he saw made him think about a lot of things.

    The dungeon has an exclusive cksmith. They create weapons, repair broken tools and create the items that are needed.

    It was charming.

    Managing a dungeon wasn¡¯t as simple as the games. Just because a dungeon had mana and resources, it didn¡¯t mean things would get made right away.

    Yong-Ho remembered the time Eligor made chairs for the torture chamber. The bamboo bars in the prison were the result of Eligor¡¯s hard work.

    ¡¯The dungeon¡¯s cksmith, no, after making a workroom...¡¯

    To create weapons. On top of that, to create facilities that they can use in the dungeon.

    ¡¯Like a bathhouse or a bed or a decent throne...¡¯

    His imagination didn¡¯t stop there.

    And a couple secondster.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes tight. It was unfortunate, but he got rid of the attachment he had for the Dwarf.

    He would eventually purchase one. He thought that they were an important element to the dungeon.

    But not right now.

    The most important thing right now was strengthening the dungeon¡¯s defense, not improving it.

    Yong-Ho quickly got rid of the lingering feeling and turned the catalogue page. He looked at the other spirits.

    [No 02.]

    [Race : Rock Golem (-)]

    [Golem made out of hard rock]

    [Strengths : High defense power, Strong]

    [Weaknesses : Slow movements / Requiresmands]

    [Seller : Dungeon Shop]

    [No 03.]

    [Race : Harpy (F)]

    [A spirit with the ability to fly. They¡¯re very smart so they can be given the task to givemands to spirits]

    [Strengths : Agile / Intelligent]

    [Weakness : Low stamina]

    [Seller : Dungeon Shop]

    [No 04.]

    [Race : Ogre (M)]

    [A fighting spirit that¡¯s strong and has high stamina]

    [Strengths : Strong / High stamina]

    [Weaknesses : Eats a lot / Not very intelligent]

    [Seller : Dungeon Shop]

    Every detail caught his attention.

    The Rock Golem that was made out of rocks reminded him of a robot and although the Harpy¡¯s arms were wings and the lower half of their body was a bird, their upper body looked like a woman¡¯s and it was really beautiful.

    The Ogre was a cannibal and they left a strong first impression. Despite the fact that they were made out of blood and flesh, it felt like they wererger and sturdier than the Rock Golem. They weren¡¯t smart at all and the fact that they looked more like a beast than a human was impressive.

    He really wanted to purchase all three.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath again to calm himself down. He¡¯s only seen 1/4th of the Rank Three spirit catalogue.

    He turned the page one by one while trying to remain calm.

    The Two-Headed Hellhound could be considered as an upgraded version of the Hellhound.

    A Giant Slime can produce a stronger acid and it can somewhat change its form.

    The Imp Magician is able to use basic magic.

    There was a Low-Rank Genie that had an Arabian feel.

    And Yong-Ho¡¯s hand stopped again. He looked at the spirit that was disyed on the window of light.

    [No 13.]

    [Rank : Phantom Steed (-)]

    [A ghost spirit that¡¯s in the Undead category]

    [Strengths : Fast mobility / Ability to fly]

    [Weaknesses : Unusually low magic resistance]

    [Seller : Cimeries]

    A dark ghost spirit with their white mane flying in the air.

    Even though there aren¡¯t many opportunities to ride a horse within a dungeon, he still wanted it. The picture showed the Phantom Steed carrying several Undead Knights and it was impressive.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Skull riding on top of the Phantom Steed.

    ¡¯Hm.¡¯

    It would be nice to see Skull riding the Phantom steed after they¡¯ve been evolved to a Skeleton Knight.

    But Yong-Ho shook his head this time too. Maybeter, but not right now. On top of that, Yong-Ho walked around ces, so seeing a spirit riding a horse would break the hierarchical order. He wasn¡¯t exactly the authoritative type, but he didn¡¯t want to break it.

    ¡¯Well...I¡¯ll be riding the smanderter on anyways.¡¯

    It would happen after evolving them to a point where they grew wings.

    Yong-Ho turned the pages again. A female Elf appeared during it and it caught his attention, but he was able to convince himself to pass it. It was effective when he remembered the way Catalina wagged her tail, just like when he was talking to Sitri.

    It¡¯s been over an hour.

    Yong-Ho looked through the catalogue for a long time and finally made his decision.

    [No 02.]

    [Race : Rock Golem (-)]

    [Specialty : Stone Wall]

    It was the Rock Golem that he¡¯ll be managing with the y Golem.

    The reason was the same as the y Golem. The dungeon needed workers since there will be a lot of work that required a lot of strength.

    On top of that, Foras¡¯s troops were mostly Orcs, so the Golems were the ideal spirits to use when defending against them.

    As soon as hepleted his purchase, a message appeared on the window to pick a spirit. It was provided by the dungeon shop and he was given this option since he spent a lot of money.

    [Dungeon Meerkat: Lives at the entrance of the dungeon and alerts when there¡¯s an enemy.]

    [Dungeon Hamster: Moves through the corners of the dungeon and reports any damaged and broken ces.]

    The two spirits were really cute.

    Personally, Yong-Ho wanted the Dungeon Hamster, but he thought about which would be more practical. In order to make the dungeon a safer ce, he picked the Dungeon Meerkat.

    "Thank you for using the dungeon shop."

    "The items that you ordered will be delivered to you by tomorrow."

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He disconnected from the Virtual Space.

    &

    He was exhausted.

    He spent over two hours over there, but physically, it felt like he was there for several hours.

    "Are you okay, master?"

    As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Catalina¡¯s voice. She was standing next to the throne and gave him a cup of cold water.

    Yong-Ho happened to be thirsty, so he epted the cup happily. He spoke after seeing her wag her tail with joy.

    "Thanks. It¡¯s all thanks to you."

    "Sir?"

    Catalina blinked her eyes in confusion, but he wasn¡¯t nning on exining it to her. He just chuckled and drank the water.

    "Where¡¯s Eligor?"

    "He¡¯s resting in the spirit dormitory. It seems like he¡¯s been really exhausted from all the worktely."

    Catalina spoke in a worried tone.

    Eligor has been working hard in the past couple of days since they wanted to build the facilities as quickly as possible. He even did small tasks, so he would definitely be worn out.

    Eligor probably needed a dungeon maid more than a Dwarf so that they can assist him.

    "They¡¯re going to deliver it tomorrow anyways. Let him rest for the day."

    "Yes, master. I¡¯ll be in charge of cooking the food today."

    Catalina was reacting fast today. After standing up, Yong-Ho patted her head topliment her and headed for the bedroom. Yong-Ho also needed to rest.

    ¡¯Tomorrow.¡¯

    The dungeon shop¡¯s package will be delivered tomorrow.

    Tomorrow is also the day that he assumed Foras will begin his attack.

    When and with how many troops will Foras use to attack?

    Yong-Hoid down on the straw bed. He remembered what Sitri said.

    ¡¯The true Secret of Greed is still alive.¡¯

    Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The inheritance that they left.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    He fell into a deep slumber.

    &

    Foras acknowledged.

    Terak, who left to take over the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, was now dead.

    Is it the work of another owner or a small demon family? Or did the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon have a stronger defense than what they imagined?

    Maybe Kaiwan...it could be thest move that the shrewd girl left.

    It didn¡¯t matter.

    The situation in the northern region changed everyday. Even if it was a risk, they had to get stronger.

    Capture a dungeon and grow it.

    Taking everything that Kaiwan left into their own hands.

    Foras gave theirmand. Excluding a group of soldiers that will guard the dungeon, the rest of their troops participated.

    A couple of carriages that were carrying armed Orcs were running across the wilderness.

    They were headed to the southern edge of the demon world.

    It was the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    <Reorganization #4> End.

 Chapter 39

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Fight #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    It was morning.

    Without getting a wake up call from the Spirit of the Dungeon, Yong-Ho walked out of the bedroom.

    "Good morning, master."

    Eligor was standing in the throne room like always. He greeted Yong-Ho like always and Yong-Ho smiled.

    "You¡¯ve definitely changed."

    "It¡¯s all thanks to you, sir."

    His actions remained the same, but his outer appearance changed.

    Eligor looked younger.

    Saying that his youth has been restored was too much, but it was difficult to find a description that was fitting.

    Muscles appeared on his upright back. His upper body was thin, but now, it was like a hard rock and the wrinkles that filled his face were almost gone.

    [Name : Eligor (M)]

    [Race : Red Demon]

    [ss : Spirit (Low Rank)]

    [Attributes]

    [Fire Level 0 / Darkness Level 1]

    [Main Stats : Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Mana Level 0| ¡ï¡î (1.5)] -> Upon development, advancement routes will open

    [Possible Advancement Race]

    [Red Demon| Beast]

    Before, Eligor¡¯s development information was as nd as the Goblins, but now, there was a lot more information.

    The potential value of each development route increased a bit and an ability level appeared.

    And the advancement route was Red Demon Beast.

    Even though it was just a silhouette, it was enough to assume their outer appearance after they advance. The muscles were better developed and his horn became bigger. There was a high chance for him to change into a muscr spirit, which fit well with the name.

    Like the Kobold, currently, Eligor wasn¡¯t a fighting spirit. But, once he evolves and advances, then he¡¯ll be able to be a part of the fighting group.

    "I¡¯m going to wash up. Let¡¯s start after breakfast."

    "Yes, sir."

    Currently, the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon doesn¡¯t have a proper water system. Once the dungeon¡¯s development stage increases, it can be installed, but this was in the distant future.

    Yong-Ho scooped up some water from a jar that was in the corner of the throne room and washed up. The Kobold quickly gave him a towel and while washing off the water, a sleepy Catalina walked out of the bedroom.

    "Good...morning...master."

    Yong-Ho led the sleepy Catalina to the jar and then walked back to the center of the room. On top of the wide mat, Eligor and the Goblins were busy setting up breakfast.

    The Treant¡¯s roots were rooted inside the room that was in front of the throne room and the smander that was lying next to them ate their breakfast by absorbing the dungeon¡¯s mana.

    Skull, who was always rolling around the throne room somewhere, absorbed mana as well, so they were always rolling around near the door.

    The Princess Ant was an omnivore, so Yong-Ho finished his breakfast by giving Kobold the pancake that was for the princess. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he walked out of the throne room.

    The dungeon shop¡¯s package was going to arrive today.

    If Foras attacked before the package got here, it would be an issue. Even if they came right after the package, it would still be difficult.

    At least a couple of hours. If possible, at least a day.

    He needed time. Even a couple hour dy can make a difference.

    The distance between the throne room and the dungeon entrance was further than before. There wasn¡¯t a big change on the linear distance, but it¡¯s because they used a different move.

    It¡¯s been a couple of minutes since he waited in the dungeon entrance room. The dungeon shop¡¯s courier knocked on the dungeon door as if they were waiting for the right timing.

    It was a young demon with red skin. The white uniform and the baseball cap stood out the most, but that outfit represented the dungeon shop¡¯s couriers.

    Attacking the courier was the same thing as attacking the dungeon shop itself. The dungeon shop was the center of the demon world¡¯s economy and fighting against them was burdensome even for the six kings, so in a way, their uniform was an invincible armor.

    "Please sign the recipient¡¯s name."

    Since they¡¯ve delivered packages several of times, their face was familiar. After signing the paper that the demon handed him, he took a big step back.

    With a slightlyzy look on their face, they snapped their finger.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how it worked, but the packages leaped into the entrance room and started stacking on top of each other. There were several boxes that were as big as the time the Treant was delivered, so the room was filled up in an instant.

    "Thank you."

    After the delivery has beenpleted, the demon politely bowed and exited the dungeon.

    Yong-Ho and the other spirits looked at the courier and then moved to the packages.

    "I¡¯ll open them."

    Everyone became excited when they started opening the package. Catalina, Eligor and even the Goblins had an excited expression. Skull was the only one that was indifferent about it and that wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    The y Golem and the Rock Golem came out from the first two boxes. Despite of the fact that their upper bodies were bent, they were just as big as the Treant.

    The Goblins widened their eyes and looked at them with interest and Eligor kept on smiling as if he was satisfied by what he saw.

    Excluding the one box that contained food and various materials, the rest contained materials for the traps that he ordered.

    As soon as Yong-Ho finished registering the y Golem and the Rock Golem, Eligor spoke.

    "We¡¯ll begin working immediately."

    Since they were in a hurry, there was no reason to wait. After Yong-Ho confirmed, Eligormanded the Golems and the Goblins to carry the materials and immediately began installing the traps in the nearest room. Since there was a lot, the Treant, smander and even Skull joined them.

    Once the spirits exited like the tide, Yong-Ho and Catalina were the only ones left. Yong-Ho still had work he needed to get done and since Catalina was his guard, she had to stay by him.

    "So this is the Dungeon Meerkat."

    Once he opened the box that was 50cm long on all sides, two meerkats that were as a big as a person¡¯s forearm appeared. The way they stood up on their feet and looked up at Yong-Ho was pretty cute.

    ¡¯They¡¯re simr to the ones I saw on the Discovery Channel.¡¯

    The only difference was that the one in the demon world had pointy ears, not rounded ones.

    Yong-Ho registered the pair of Meerkats and used his Power of Evolution to check their stats.

    [Race : Dungeon Meerkat]

    [ss : Spirit (Low Rank)]

    [Main Stats : Agility]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Agility Level 0| ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Possible Advancement Race]

    [High Meerkat]

    After seeing the advancement race name, he had an odd feeling, but it was only for a moment.

    He saw the silhouette of them after advancing, but there wasn¡¯t much of a difference in their outer appearance.

    "It¡¯s written that Dungeon Meerkats usually go outside of the dungeon and during the night, they sleep in the cave they created at the entrance. Hm...it looks like they aren¡¯t on watch during the night."

    A frown appeared on Catalina¡¯s face as she read the information that was enclosed in the package. But, Yong-Ho thought positively about this. At least they¡¯ll alert everyone when the sun is up.

    Since they didn¡¯t have any way of alerting, this was an improvement.

    "I¡¯ll take them outside of the dungeon first."

    Catalina ced the instructions in her inner pocket and extended her arms out towards the meerkats. They must¡¯ve thought she was pretty because they jumped into her arms as if they were her pets.

    It was a nice sight, but instead of seeing them, Yong-Ho looked at therge dungeon entrance.

    It was arge door that didn¡¯t really have any shapes.

    Yong-Ho spoke all of a sudden.

    "Can I...go outside too?"

    After he ascended as the owner of the House of Mammon.

    Yong-Ho hasn¡¯t stepped outside of the dungeon once. It¡¯s because there was a high chance that the air in the demon world could be dangerous to him since he wasn¡¯t a full demon.

    But the Yong-Ho now was different from before. He awakened as a demon and absorbed spirits for development twice. His body and mana both became extremely strong.

    "Um...well in your current condition..."

    Catalina sounded like she agreed, but she was still worried, which made her stop talking midway. Her ears and tail drooped.

    Yong-Ho smiled and after patting her head, he straightened his back. He took a step forward and spoke.

    "I¡¯m sure nothing big will happen if it¡¯s for a moment. Let¡¯s go."

    Catalina nodded her head and ran ahead of Yong-Ho towards the door. Yong-Homanded the Spirit of the Dungeon and they opened the door.

    The sky was red and the warm wind was blowing on the wildnd.

    The south of the wind belong to the House of Mammon in the past.

    Yong-Ho breathed in deeply. Along with Catalina, he walked out of the dungeon.

    He saw the sky and the ground.

    &

    Defense was more advantageous than offense when it came to dungeon battles.

    And that advantage was enough to change the oue of the battle.

    The attacker had no way of knowing how the defender set up the dungeon. They also didn¡¯t know what kind of traps were installed and what kind of spirits were hiding.

    Even the stronghold, which helped the opponent observe the outer appearance, was different.

    The dungeon itself was a maze.

    The attacker had to consider the fact that it was going to be dangerous due to the traps that were installed.

    But the attacker wasn¡¯t always at a disadvantage.

    Even though every dungeon had differentyouts, the defender¡¯s dungeon was the attacker¡¯s stage.

    Whenparing it to a castle, it¡¯s like the attacker climbed across the wall and invaded the castle.

    As the attacker, they needed soldiers that could take care of the defense and they also needed the knowledge and experience to find and destroy the traps.

    Foras has been an owner for almost 70 years.

    During that time, Foras did a good job protecting the house¡¯s dungeon and defended the attacks from outer forces.

    However, despite of that, they didn¡¯t have that much experience in dungeonbat.

    The carriage that were carrying Foras¡¯s spirits were running across thend. Foras was sitting in the carriage in the front and organized his thoughts by closing his eyes.

    Foras was old.

    The demons in the demon world lived off of mana and since their outer appearance and life expectancy differed from demon to demon, it was difficult to assume.

    But still, Foras was old.

    Other than the fact that Foras had a bit of wrinkles and a white beard, there wasn¡¯t any other sign of aging, but Foras himself knew that truth more than anyone else.

    Passing the throne to the next generation. Protecting the dungeon.

    Building a base to make that possible.

    He decided to think only about that.

    Foras preferred hand-to-handbat. Most of the Orc soldiers were fighting spirits and their strength was close-rangebat.

    Even if it was too much, Foras tried to take as many spirits on the carriage. Sorcerers were necessary during dungeonbat and Foras didn¡¯t have a lot of them.

    He was sure that there was a change in the House of Mammon.

    The two owners that took over after Kaiwan had weak bodies and minds. Even if the owner were alive, unlike the rumors of themmitting suicide, taking down a base was too much.

    Something that Kaiwan left.

    Or a new owner that ascended.

    It didn¡¯t matter which side it was because it wasn¡¯t something they couldn¡¯t ovee. It¡¯s been over 10 years since Kaiwan disappeared and during that time, the dungeon declined. Even if there was a new owner, there wasn¡¯t enough time and workers for them to develop it into a normal state.

    ¡¯We¡¯ll take them down by overpowering them.¡¯

    The House of Mammon was nothing more than an empty shell, but the history itself was really long. If they get lucky, they may be able to obtain a spirit that¡¯ll increase the dungeon to another level. There was a high chance that a lot of Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance still remained.

    Kaiwan¡¯s younger sibling, the owner from two generations ago, and their descendant, the previous owner, all worshiped Kaiwan for resurrecting from the ashes. They probably didn¡¯t think about selling Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance so easily.

    A warm wind blew.

    Even if they were to rest a bit before going intobat, the dungeon fight will ur in a couple of hours.

    Foras opened their eyes. They greeted the wind that was blowing from the south.

    <Dungeon Fight> End.

 Chapter 40

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Fight #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    The sky of the demon world was red. But, it wasn¡¯t just one color.

    Purple lights were mixed during twilight and it connected to the western sky. It was as if the ck, red and purple watercolor paints were mixed together and beyond that, red and yellow were mixed together. It looked as if the sky was on fire.

    And that didn¡¯t fill up the entire sky. The quiet and soft red light filled the nk sky. It was simr to a sunset.

    Dust flew with the wind. The ground was dry, but like the sky, not all parts were like that. There were fertile areas as well and there was a forest with tall trees not too far off. Just like the ones in the human world, they were trees with green leaves.

    There was a river that flowed through the forest. It was too far, so it was hard to tell, but the river was pretty clear. Out of many streams, one of them flowed near the dungeon, so Yong-Ho knew where Eligor and the other spirits went to early in the morning.

    The air was cold. Catalina said they were between winter and spring.

    Mana was the root of all living things in the demon world. It applied to the birds that flew in the air and the bugs that crawled the ground.

    Along with Catalina, when Yong-Ho stepped out, he stayed outside for a long time. He wasn¡¯t really looking around the area. All he did was look around the dungeon entrance.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon entrance was located at entrance of arge mountain.

    The name of the mountain was Encatro Pagnium. It meant Edge of the World in archaic.

    Catalina let out a sigh of relief when she saw Yong-Ho wondering near the dungeon for two hours.. She was worried that he would want to climb the mountain.

    There¡¯s a reason why it¡¯s called Encatro Pagnium. The enormous rocky mountain looked like it was going to pierce through the sky and there was arge amount of mana that raged on. Once you go in, you won¡¯t be able toe out.

    After Catalina sighed, she yawned and discreetly stretched and rolled her eyes. She wanted to go hunting instead.

    Yong-Ho just stood still and looked at the sky and the ground. Since Catalina was the guard, she couldn¡¯t leave her owner and go on a hunt, so there wasn¡¯t much she could do other than stay by his side.

    While Catalina was getting tired due to boredom, Yong-Ho looked at the flow of the mana.

    He drowned into the amazing flow that not only made up the sky and the ground, but this entire world.

    The mana had colors and attributes. Yong-Ho was able to see it through the Power of Evolution.

    It was amazing.

    This was the demon world.

    This was mana.

    He wasn¡¯t tired of looking at it for two hours. Yong-Ho gulped and let out another small exmation. He was nning on looking for a brief moment and then help Eligor, but he fell into a trance that his feet wouldn¡¯t move.

    And momentster.

    Yong-Ho averted his eyes. Catalina was kicking the dust to fight off the boredom, but then, her ears pricked up and her eyes became sharp.

    A low cry made out of mana rang inside both of their heads.

    The Dungeon Meerkat stood up on top of the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon entrance and stopped crying.

    Yong-Ho instinctively lowered his stance and Catalina stood beside him.

    The Dungeon Meerkat¡¯s eyesight was simr to an Elf¡¯s. Because of that, Catalina was able to see what the Dungeon Meerkat was able to see.

    "Abat carrier is approaching."

    Excluding the forest that was located on one side of the area, thend was empty. Even though Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to clearly distinguish it, he knew something was approaching.

    Catalina continued talking.

    "There are five carriers. From the size of it, I would say there are over 40 spirits. And...I can see Foras¡¯s crest. It looks like Foras himself brought their army."

    Catalina finished talking and gritted her teeth. Yong-Ho was shocked, but instead of heading inside the dungeon, he squinted his eyes. It¡¯s because the carriages stopped moving even though they were still far from the dungeon.

    "What are they doing?"

    "I think they¡¯re resting before attacking."

    Catalina spoke in a slightly uncertain tone.

    Dungeon fights usually took ce within the dungeon. There were those on defense that would counterattack from the outside, but that was rare. Fighting inside the dungeon was more advantageous than fighting outside.

    Yong-Ho assumed Foras¡¯s mentality.

    Even though they lost a group of Orcs, Foras knew the House of Mammon when the owner from two generations ago started ruling. Even though they brought a lot of their spirits in case of an emergency, but there was a high chance that they were looking down on them.

    There weren¡¯t counterattacks. Even if they announced that they were going to attack, it wouldn¡¯t improve the dungeon¡¯s defense.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t mad. He was actually pleased. If that gave him more time, then he weed it.

    "How long do you think they¡¯ll rest for?"

    Yong-Ho asked quietly. Catalina thought about it for a moment and answered quietly as well.

    "I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be resting for a long time. Possibly over an hour."

    It wasn¡¯t enough, but it was better than nothing.

    They probably saw him too. The break they were having could even be their way of dering war.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t waste any more time and turned around. Along with Catalina, they headed towards the entrance of the dungeon.

    His breathing started getting heavier as excitement filled inside him.

    The dungeon owner, Foras.

    It was now time to fight.

    &

    "I¡¯ll rm the other dungeon spirits!"

    "Eligormanded the spirits to evacuate."

    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the dungeon and was reconnected with the Spirit of the Dungeon, they informed him. After Yong-Ho confirmed, he ran with Catalina. It took them some time to reach the throne room.

    "This is a report from the Dungeon Meerkat."

    "There are about 30 Orc soldiers."

    "Over 10 Imps."

    "It¡¯s difficult to determine the number of spirits on the carriage!"

    There were six war carriages.

    Catalina said that Foras brought at least 40 spirits with them. They had four times more than the House of Mammon whenparing just the numbers.

    They didn¡¯t have a chance if they attacked head on.

    They would only be able to win by using the facilities within the dungeon.

    "This is the from the Dungeon Meerkat!"

    "Foras¡¯s war carriages have started moving again!"

    "Master!"

    As soon as he reached the intersection in front of the throne room, the Spirit of the Dungeon and Eligor shouted at the same time.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger and answered the spirit. He collected his breath and approached Eligor.

    Eligor answered with an urgent expression.

    "I¡¯ve gathered all the spirits into the throne room as you have instructed."

    "And the traps?"

    Yong-Ho asked. Eligor smiled with pride.

    "The traps itself have beenpleted."

    It was worth purchasing the finished traps even if they were expensive. If he purchased the ones where they had to build it, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to install them on time.

    "The Dungeon Meerkats are wanting to hide."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon informed him. It was proof that the war carriages were getting closer to the dungeon.

    Yong-Ho epted it this time as well. He returned to the throne room with Catalina and Eligor. All the spirits that were in the throne room showed their respect towards Yong-Ho.

    He suppressed his anxiety again. It wasn¡¯t because he was in front of the spirits. The more rushed he felt, the colder he tried to be.

    Yong-Ho sat on the throne and by using both of his hands, he created arge window of light. The spirits were able to see a simplified version of the dungeon map.

    And then there was silence.

    The Kobold started whimpering due to the heavy atmosphere and Catalina kept on gulping. Yong-Ho closed his eyes and waited.

    How long has it been?

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.

    "The owner, Foras, and their spirits have invaded the dungeon."

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He saw Foras¡¯s mark on the dungeon map.

    &

    A type of spirit. The dungeon, also known as a great spirit, wasn¡¯t a product that was manufactured from a factory.

    The exterior and theyout was different and some had distinct attributes.

    Theyout of ordinary dungeons have an underground system and just like the King of Pride¡¯s dungeon, there are those that are as high as a skyscraper. Some are located on top of the water and others actually fly in the sky.

    Despite of the different types, there are dungeons that can be described as ordinary.

    Most dungeons have simr characteristics.

    One of them.

    The dungeon entrance room is safe.

    When Foras entered the entrance room, they squinted their eyes. It wasn¡¯t a small room, but it felt small because over 40 Orcs and 10 Imps were inside.

    ¡¯There¡¯s a new owner.¡¯

    They couldn¡¯t think of it as a dying dungeon that lost its owner. They could feel the liveliness from the activated rooms that was receiving mana.

    Foras carefully raised his right hand. Then, the Orc warrior, Busker Gokun,manded the spirits quietly. One of the Orcs opened the door that led them to the next room and out of the Imps that were trembling in fear, they picked one and forced them to take the lead.

    Foras didn¡¯t move. They observed the next room through the open door.

    The room wasn¡¯t dark.

    The light that was made up of mana was on.

    When attacking a dungeon, one of the necessary item was lighting. There wasn¡¯t a dungeon defender that provided light to the enemy that was invading their dungeon.

    Despite of that, there was light in the entrance room and in the room next to it.

    There were two possibilities.

    One, the Spirit of the Dungeon isn¡¯t experienced, so they¡¯re unable to control the amount of mana that¡¯s distributed.

    There are times when they cut off the mana to turn the light off, but they end up cutting off the mana that¡¯s distributed to the traps as well.

    If the Spirit of the Dungeon is unable to properly control the mana, those kinds of issues could ur.

    Two, the new owner is a newbie that doesn¡¯t know anything about dungeon defense.

    They purposely ignored the second one. Looking down on the enemy will only lead them to defeat.

    Foras calmly observed. After the Imp died due to the trap, hemanded the rest of the troops to move on to the next room.

    &

    Foras carefully, but steadily pressed on. He was able to pass four rooms that had a trapping pit installed in it.

    A trapping pit was a basic trap. It was easy to make as long as there were workers and it didn¡¯t require a lot of mana to maintain it.

    After avoiding four trapping pits consecutively, Foras thought to himself once more.

    It hasn¡¯t been that long since the new owner ascended. The Spirit of the Dungeon was young and the quality of the traps weren¡¯t that high.

    A trembling Imp walked into the fifth room. Thankfully, the trapping pit wasn¡¯t activated when they walked across the room.

    It was reasonable for this to happen. It was impossible to fill every passages with traps. And if they really became an owner recently, then it was obvious.

    It was as if they expressed their anxiety by installing traps consecutively into the rooms that were next to the entrance.

    Foras became slightly less nervous.Like before, theymanded the spirits to keep moving.

    Among the two groups, the first group was made up of Orc warriors and 20 Imps and they entered the fifth room. Foras waited for the remaining 20 spirits to walk into the sixth room.

    And the moment the Imp opened the door to the sixth room.

    Fire was released from the ceiling and the ground, burning the fifth trap room.

    &

    Repeated patterns will make people less nervous.

    It was the same as the light that was turned on despite of the fact that the enemy invaded.

    The fire that was made out of mana was strong.

    Orcs are known to be talented warriors, so as soon as the fire trap was activated, they protected their head, chest and back and tried to dodge it, but since they were in the middle of the room, there wasn¡¯t enough time.

    The fire that contained mana burned the Orcs. Six Orcs either died or was badly injured that they couldn¡¯t fight.

    While Foras was cursing, all the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit started cheering in the throne room. Catalina and Eligor also couldn¡¯t hide their joy as they clenched their fist.

    But Yong-Ho gulped. He looked at the paths that wereid out on the dungeon map.

    The linear path between the throne room and the dungeon entrance room didn¡¯t change. The only thing that changed was the distance.

    What kind of strengths did the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon currently have?

    Arge space that was useless.

    Arge amount of inactivated rooms.

    Yong-Ho used the existing trap room as the center and activated the inactive rooms that were around it. Through that, the once linear trap rooms changed into a rectangr shape.

    After that, all he had to do was create a new path.

    Within therge rectangr space, there were many square rooms and they were ced one after another.

    Starting from the entrance room, it went straight up and after turning left, it went down again. And after turning right, it went up again. And after turning left, it went down and after turning right again, it went up.

    And within that long path that they created, traps were installed.

    There was about 50 rooms between the entrance room and thest trap room.

    Among them, there were about 20 rooms with troops, but that was enough.

    A concentrated trap.

    Deciding where to install certain traps.

    After quickly sorting out the troops, Foras entered the sixth room and deeply observing it.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care.

    There wasn¡¯t a trap in the sixth room.

    &

    There was no need to install traps in all the rooms.

    It was enough to nt the idea that there could be traps in any of these rooms.

    Rooms without traps.

    Rooms with small traps.

    Rooms with strong traps that were purchased from the dungeon shop.

    Complete control was important.

    Something big can happen the moment you¡¯re rxed.

    Having a new trap when the enemy thinks there aren¡¯t any more traps.

    Making the enemy carefully inspect the room with no traps after experiencing a strong trap and then make them mad after finding out that there aren¡¯t any traps.

    Foras and their spirits turned into their first corner and continued moving. If they¡¯ve been moving up all this time, they were now heading down.

    While they passed the 20th room, they couldn¡¯t ignore the injuries that they¡¯ve umted. The spirits that were maintaining their fighting power were feeling really exhausted.

    And the second corner appeared.

    They headed up after changing their direction and Foras stopped moving.

    It wasn¡¯t because they were exhausted and annoyed.

    Foras was an old owner, which made them an experienced owner. Foras was a dungeon owner that controlled the dungeon for over 70 years.

    It might¡¯ve been too much if it was one corner, but they turned into two corners. After passing the area where the top and bottom sections were repeated, they drew the dungeonyout in their head.

    And they were certain.

    Foras made the spirits stop. And by using the next room as the base, they turned left.

    A wall with no entrance.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. If it followed the same pattern, then a tunnel existed beyond it.

    Even though the new owner was a tough opponent, the amount of time they¡¯ve been a dungeon owner was short. If they really did activate all of these rooms, then they wouldn¡¯t have any choice but to strengthen the walls that were ced between the rooms. On top of that, if they were going around in circles, there was a good chance that the wall between the rooms were thin.

    Foras ced the palm of his hand on the wall.

    As the attacker, Wall Break was a necessary item and they activated the scroll that contained that magic.

    A boom followed after the vibration.

    Beyond therge hole that was formed, a new room appeared.

    Foras smiled. Foras growled aggressively and raised their hand.

    Foras walked through the shortcut with the spirits.

    <Dungeon Fight #2> End.

 Chapter 41

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Fight #3></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Yong-Ho quickly stood up from his seat. Catalina and Eligor¡¯s eyes widened and stopped breathing for a moment.

    They broke the wall and created a new path.

    It wasn¡¯t an impossible task. But it was something he didn¡¯t think about.

    Columbus¡¯ Egg. It¡¯s obvious after it happens, but it was an idea that was hard to think of.

    Wall Break was a magic that many used during the dungeon battle. Because of that, many demons either strengthen the walls or set up the dungeon so that it doesn¡¯t put the enemy at an advantage after they¡¯ve used it.

    But, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have that kind of experience. The two previous owners shut themselves inside, so both Eligor and Catalina didn¡¯t have information about it.

    When Foras broke one wall, it made the other 10 rooms useless. And the traps that were installed between became useless as well.

    Foras started moving. And the room beyond the broken wall just happened to be the wall that didn¡¯t have any traps.

    Yong-Ho was able to assume Foras¡¯s next move. Catalina and Eligor also assumed, which is why they looked at Yong-Ho anxiously.

    Foras broke a second wall. Once again, the rooms and the traps became useless and they were getting closer to the throne room.

    Like the time when the Crimson Ogre came, it was impossible for them to activate and deactivate the rooms to lead them in a different direction.

    The situation was differentpared to when the new Spirit of the Dungeon was born. The dungeon was now stable because the Spirit of the Dungeon was in control. Even though the rooms in the dungeon were easy to activate and deactivate, but they couldn¡¯t change a group of rooms at the same time.

    They purposely changed theyout of the dungeon to extend the passageway that led to the throne room, but that n actually made things worse.

    They had toe up with a different n. They had to make a secret n.

    "Foras destroyed another wall!"

    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled. The spirits there also saw the marked wall on the map falling apart. The Goblins were filled with fear, which caused them to scream and Skull stood up from their seat and grabbed the hammer.

    They didn¡¯t have time.

    Catalina clenched her fist. She wanted to call out to Yong-Ho, but held back.

    She had to trust him. She didn¡¯t want to disturb him because she felt rushed.

    Even Skull waited for Yong-Ho¡¯smand instead of voicing their concern.

    A few secondster.

    Yong-Ho spoke.

    "Let¡¯s move to the resource warehouse."

    He spoke quietly. Yong-Ho was sure that he spit out whatever came to his mind without realizing it.

    Yong-Ho looked at the dungeon map. All of Catalina¡¯s senses were on high alert as she looked at the map as well.

    The location of the warehouse.

    The room was located on the bottom of the intersection, on the right side. Based on the dungeon map, the warehouse was located on the lower part of the central passageway.

    Catalina remembered the time she fought against the giant with the green cape. Because of that, she understood what Yong-Ho was trying to do right now.

    It was only for a moment, but Catalina¡¯s face glowed.

    "Go to the warehouse!"

    Yong-Ho yelled. The Goblins quickly grabbed the weapons and ran. Treant and the smander also hurried. The Kobold, who was cowering in fear, also followed behind the spirits.

    Skull took the lead. The y Golem and the Rock Golem were just standing still, so Eligormanded them to head to the warehouse.

    Beyond the second wall that Foras broke, there was a trap. Foras thought they got Yong-Ho back through this magic, which excited them. Because of that, Foras made a mistake by walking into the room without any caution. Thanks to that, a few of the Orcs were shot to death because of the arrow trap.

    But Foras still had arge group of spirits.

    Going head on like this was the same thing asmitting suicide.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger in the air while running towards the warehouse. The Spirit of the Dungeon answered right away.

    "Here are the number of enemies that are in the dungeon right now."

    "Foras. 28 Orcs. 4 Imps."

    That was a lot.

    The fire trap was their strongest trap and they only had two left. He originally purchased morepleted traps, but they were useless because most of them were installed on theter part of the road. The moment Foras created the shortcut, half of the expensive traps that he purchased from the shop were neutralized.

    But they still had two fire traps left. And since those two were located in the center passageway, the shortcut was useless because they had to walk through the center passageway.

    Another variable popped into Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    Even though a room was inactivated, it was still a room. Just because it was out of the dungeon¡¯s control, it wasn¡¯t impossible to walk through it.

    In that case, would they be able to forcefully create a passageway that connected to an inactivated with the Wall Break magic? And was it possible for them to move by walking through the inactivated room?

    Therge space and the many inactivated rooms were the House of Mammon¡¯s strength.

    But not anymore. It was a double-edged sword that was ced on Yong-Ho¡¯s neck.

    He didn¡¯t even have the time to find the answers for the questions he had. A question without an answer was like a maze. It made his head spin.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho erased the questions he had in his head. Instead of asking Eligor or the Spirit of the Dungeon, he ran. A small window of light was activated near his head and it showed Foras¡¯s movement on the map.

    Foras didn¡¯t use the Wall Break magic again. It was as if they realized that there wasn¡¯t a shortcut anymore and started walking on an outward path that connected to the center.

    It was a room with no traps. But Foras was cautious about walking into the room. Since the arrow trap from before caught him off-guard, it was obvious that he would be more cautious.

    Foras became cautious about his surrounding again and like before, they had to take their time when walking into one room.

    And during that time, Yong-Ho and the spirits didn¡¯t stop. When Foras confirmed that there weren¡¯t any traps and moved forward with the spirits, Yong-Ho reached the warehouse.

    The Goblins were catching their breaths because they raced to the warehouse with their short legs. The Treant and the Golems moved slowly, so they haven¡¯t arrived at the warehouse yet.

    Yong-Ho breathed heavily. He paid attention to Foras¡¯s movements through the dungeon map. Since he was at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, he had no choice but to use theyout of the dungeon to defeat Foras.

    Catalina and skull read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    ording to the dungeon map, between the warehouse and the curvy road, there was only one room that was inactive.

    Meaning, they could activate the room and create a detour so that they could attack them from behind.

    Not all dungeons were able to quickly activate like the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    And by quickly activating the rooms, there were definitely issues that Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know about.

    But now wasn¡¯t the time to think about those things.

    The best time would be when Foras and their spirits rush into the remaining fire trap room that was located in the center.

    While they¡¯re upied with the traps, that¡¯s when Yong-Ho and the others will attack them.

    Foras cautiously inspect the next room. Out of the spirits that they had, if Foras had a skilled magician, then they would be able topletely get rid of the fire trap.

    Foras was a close-range attacker and since their spirits were the same, Yong-Ho was lucky.

    Some of Foras¡¯s spirits entered the fire trap room.

    Eligor, the Golems and Treant arrived at the warehouse.

    Yong-Ho waved his finger.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon activated the room. Catalina and Eligor opened the door and Yong-Ho and the smander ran. The remaining spirits followed behind Yong-Ho.

    Right when an inactivated room activated, Foras quickly raised his head. He noticed a change in the mana. No, it was more like he instinctively felt danger. He quickly stopped the spirits and naturally looked behind him.

    Foras heard footsteps behind the closed door. They knew what that sound meant. Foras opened his mouth to yell.

    And in that moment!

    Catalina and Skull opened the door at the same time.

    Foras and Yong-Ho saw each other. With just one look, they were able to recognize each other.

    Foras yelled. Yong-Ho roared.

    Their cries were mixed together, which caused the meaning behind it to be crushed. The smander released a me by pouring all of their energy. Yong-Ho was standing next to them and while wielding Aamon with both of his hands, he raised it into the air. He poured all the mana that he had and created arge wave of fire.

    A fire pir and wave.

    And another was added.

    "I¡¯ll activate the trap!"

    The Spirit of the Dungeon yelled. Fire was released from the ceiling and the ground and it enveloped Foras¡¯s spirits, who had advanced into the front room. The fire that Yong-Ho and the smander released filled the room that Foras was standing in.

    A predicament. There was fire everywhere!

    "Catalina!"

    Yong-Ho yelled. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know what was happened beyond the fire that filled the room.

    All he could do was prepare for the worst.

    He tightened his grip on Aamon. He poured out all of his energy and even though it was only for a moment, he couldn¡¯t feel any energy in both of his arms.

    Catalina immediately understood what Yong-Ho meant and Yong-Ho¡¯s hand was heading towards his belt. He ripped the seal on thest mana potion and poured the blue liquid into his mouth.

    He only needed a couple of seconds to do that.

    Since he used all of his mana at once, Aamon¡¯s fire didn¡¯tst a long time. The same thing happened to the smander¡¯s fire.

    But it was for a few seconds.

    It was short, but the timing was long.

    Foras and their spirits were harmed badly. The ambush was sessful.

    Eligor and the Golems reached the room that Yong-Ho was in even though they were a bitte.

    Yong-Ho gulped the mana potion and felt his mana being recovered.

    The smander started breathing heavily since it used up its energy and stopped spitting out the fire.

    With a nk expression, Skull looked at the fire that filled the room.

    And Catalina hugged Yong-Ho¡¯s waist. It looked as if she was going to throw him, but instead pushed him.

    It was unexpected. But it was a necessary action.

    Yong-Ho saw it while being pushed.

    Within that short moment, he witnessed sight that made him doubt what he just saw.

    The fire split.

    A hole formed between Yong-Ho¡¯s wave of fire and the smander¡¯s fire pir. Something was consuming the fire. And somethingrge cut through the hole.

    He felt a coldness within the fire.

    The air was being frozen right before his eyes.

    The figure ripped through the curtain of fire and charged.

    Yong-Ho saw a cold, blue mana.

    That blue thing cut through the fire and after it passed through the fire barrier, he saw them soar into the air.

    It was the demon of power.

    It was another name the dungeon owner had. It was a distinct skill that demons receive depending on their awakening.

    Foras, the Demon of Ice.

    Foras punched. They punched the area where Yong-Ho¡¯s head was just in.

    <Dungeon Fight #3> End.

 Chapter 42

    Note: First, thank you James L. for the donation! I¡¯m currently working on the sponsored chapters, so I will release them when I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll try to release them as soon as possible! The donations page has been updated with the new donations.

    Thank you! ^^

    <h4><strong><Fierce Battle #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    The fist¡¯s movement made the air freeze. Even though there was some distance between them, Yong-Ho felt the cold.

    Their eyes met.

    He couldn¡¯t see the hard muscle that they had through the years of training, the strong impression Foras had despite of their old age and the white hair that formed due to the coldness.

    Just their eyes.

    Their blue-gray eye that was filled with bloodthirstiness caught his attention. It looked like Foras was going to release a roar soon.

    "Skulllll!"

    That sound broke the time that stood still. Instead looking behind her, Catalina hugged Yong-Ho and rolled a few times. Even though it was a little, when they were further away, both of them bounced to their feet almost at the same time and wielded their weapons.

    Skull, who was stuck to the door, targeted Foras¡¯s back and waved their hammer. It was fast and on point, but the attack was a failure because they yelled out their name.

    The hammer cut through the air.

    Despite of the pressing situation, Foras calmly moved his body, dodged Skull¡¯s hammer and counterattacked. The moment Yong-Ho and Catalina stood up from the ground, their attack pierced through Skull¡¯s armor and hit their side.

    Their armor was damaged. Skull¡¯s body flew towards the wall as if they were hit by a car.

    And the fire that filled the room disappeared. There wasn¡¯t time to determine how many Orcs were alive and out of them, how many are able to fight.

    Despite of being tired, the smander attacked Foras¡¯s legs with their tail. It was a fast attack, but Foras lightly jumped and dodged their attack as if they were able to predict the smander¡¯s attack. Instead of attacking the smander, the moment theynded, they kicked off the ground and charged towards Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    Catalina quickly released an arrow. The arrow pierced into Foras¡¯s shoulder, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop them from charging towards them. In a blink of an eye, the distance between Foras and Yong-Ho closed and Foras kept on throwing punches.

    They punched the air again. The cold air filled from the fist filled the surrounding.

    Yong-Ho managed to move to side and barely dodged their attack, but he didn¡¯t think about counterattacking. The moment Foras¡¯s fist missed him, Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes met with Foras¡¯s and when he did, the mes of Greed rose up. The fire that he randomly shot out enveloped Yong-Ho.

    Foras saw the fire in front of him and instinctively backed away. After seeing the cold air in front of him, Yong-Ho increased the distance instead of striking with Aamon.

    And during that opening is when he would attack. When it came to numbers, Foras had the advantage, but in the current room, Yong-Ho had the advantage.

    The y Golem looked like they threw their body as they attacked Foras. Under Eligor¡¯smand, the Rock Golem and the Goblins ran towards the entrance and Catalina turned her body towards Yong-Ho.

    Skull, who was hit against the wall and fell to the floor, raised their head up.

    "Roaaaaaaar!"

    An Orc charged through the door while roarding. It was Foras¡¯s Orc guard, Busker Gokun.

    The other Orcs were standing up as well. If all of them enter the room, then this battle will be over.

    "Skullllll!"

    Skull yelled out again. It was an attempt to catch Busker Gokun¡¯s attention, but it didn¡¯t work. However, the Rock Golem arrived just in time to charge against them.

    It was a confusing fight. They were in a situation where they had to focus only on the enemies that were in front of them. Yong-Ho instinctively distanced himself more and tightened his grip on Aamon. The blue mana flowed around the y Golem and enveloped them. The y Golem was charging on like a car, but they couldn¡¯t anymore. A white frost covered their body and momentster, their body started crumbling!

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think any longer. He gathered his mana. The sound of Gokun and the other Orcs fighting around the small door didn¡¯t interrupted Yong-Ho¡¯s concentration.

    He saw blue mana. As they punched into the y Golem with their cold fist, they cooled the liquid from the inside and caused them to copse. Foras kept on letting out a horrible shriek and charged towards Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho shed using Aamon. At the tip of the de, the fire of Greed was released towards Foras.

    Foras didn¡¯t try to dodge it. His power emitted cold air and as it enveloped their two fists, they extended it out and tried to punch through the fire.

    Punchingpletely through was too much. But, he was able to create a gap like when they first invaded. Foras opened the fire with both of his hands and jumped as if they were going to soar.

    Animal. Beast.

    He couldn¡¯t think of any other words to describe Foras. Foras looked down at Yong-Ho with bloodthirsty eyes and roared and Yong-Ho looked back at Foras and roared back. The Treant was waiting for the right moment and when the cold and fire were mixed into the air, they extended their vine out.

    As soon as they wrapped it around Foras¡¯s body, their vines froze. Some even started falling apart.

    But, it was enough to buy some time. Foras nned on directly attacking Yong-Ho after passing through the fire, but they were held back and Yong-Ho and Catalina didn¡¯t miss their chance.

    "Roaaaaaar!¡¯

    The roar that was peculiar to the Orc n disturbed both of them. The Orc, Busker Gokun, picked up the axe without any hesitation and was about to throw the axe at Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    "Skullllllll!"

    Skull noticed and threw themselves at Gokun. The smander gathered their remaining energy and spit out fire towards the Orcs again.

    It was a mess. Yong-Ho shed with Aamon and Foras moved his body to the side of Yong-Ho and dodged Aamon. Then, they punched Yong-Ho hard with their right arm.

    He couldn¡¯t dodge it or block it. Foras punched Yong-Ho¡¯s side harder than he had imaged and the coldness that was created by the blue mana was trying to deteriorate Yong-Ho¡¯s flesh and blood. Catalina released an angry scream and charged towards Foras.

    Catalina¡¯s strength was her shocking agility that was based on her her emotions. Catalina lowered her body as if she was crawling and after going around his side, she targeted his back.

    But her attack was predictable.

    Even though Foras couldn¡¯t move as fast her her, knew predicted on how she was going to attack. She was going to pierce into his neck with her dagger, so he moved to make sure the dagger pierced into his back instead. Once he felt the sharp dagger pierce into his back, he violently moved around. Instead of shaking off Catalina¡¯s light body, he extended his left arm out and grabbed a part of her body. He then spun her body and punched her.

    Foras¡¯s left fist punched Catalina¡¯s abdomen. It was so strong that it wouldn¡¯t be odd if his fist ripped through her thin body.

    Instead of screaming out in pain, Catalina spat out blood instead. She couldn¡¯t move her arms and legs and from Foras¡¯s fist, the coldness started eating away Catalina¡¯s body.

    "Nooooo!"

    Eligor charged. However, Foras wasn¡¯t the type to stand there and get hit by a simple attack. He moved his legs and dodged in way that looked like he was making fun of him and because Eligor attacked the air, it ruined his stance, which allowed Foras to attack his side.

    There was a coldness this time too. Eligor let out a moan and fell.

    And then there was fire. The green fire enveloped Foras, Catalin and Eligor.

    Foras quickly released the cold air. The fire didn¡¯t invade Foras. But it didn¡¯t matter to Yong-Ho. The fire was released to cover the sight, not to attack.

    Even though Yong-Ho experienced one blow, he couldn¡¯t really move his body. There was a big difference in skills. It was different from the other insignificant demons that he fought before.

    Yong-Ho charged into the fire. He targeted Foras¡¯s back and extended Aamon towards them.

    He attacked the air again. Through the mes, Yong-Ho saw Foras¡¯s eyes. After releasing the cold air, Foras turned around and twisted his body, which was enough to dodge Yong-Ho¡¯s attack. The distance between them naturally closed and Foras used their right fist to attack Yong-Ho.

    In that explosive moment.

    The arrow that Catalina desperately shot pierced into Foras¡¯s leg. Like the first one, there was poison on it and it caused Foras to stop moving.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t see it. The moment Foras dodged Aamon, Yong-Ho extended out his left hand towards Foras¡¯s neck.

    He couldn¡¯t reach it properly. It wasn¡¯t an attack to punch through or bash Foras. However, that was enough.

    Kaiwan¡¯s ring gushed out mana. The Power of Distortion was activated and as it distorted the space, it created an intangible shield. It hit Foras¡¯s neck and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this was the starting point!

    The neck one of the vital points that was difficult to train. The unexpected blow caused Foras to lose his stance. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t let the chance pass by. He used Aamon and pierced into Foras¡¯s side. He then released fire through the tip of the de.

    "Gah!"

    Foras resisted. The mana that was filled with coldness started approaching near Aamon. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t pour in more mana. Foras¡¯s mouth was wide open as he let out a scream and Yong-Ho shoved his left hand inside of his mouth. He activated the Power of Distortion once more!

    He heard a disturbing sound. Yong-Ho¡¯s left hand was pushed out and red blood covered Yong-Ho¡¯s face. Both Foras and Yong-Ho copsed to the floor.

    This wasn¡¯t the end. Despite of their jaw being destroyed and their mouth ripped, Foras didn¡¯t stop resisting. Yong-Ho focused all of his senses on Aamon. He twisted Aamon into Foras and poured out all of his mana. The green me started eating the coldness.

    Foras grabbed Yong-Ho¡¯s neck. But they couldn¡¯t strangle or break his neck. Yong-Ho looked straight into Foras¡¯s eyes. Hemanded the Spirit of the Dungeon and focused the dungeon¡¯s remaining mana on Aamon. Instead of releasing arge me, Aamon burned Foras¡¯s mana by using a small, cohesive force.

    "Master!"

    Busker Gokun yelled. Despite of the fact that their pelvis was destroyed because of the huge axe, Skull didn¡¯t let Gokun go. Smander spit out fire again and Yon, pierced Gokun¡¯s neck with a spear while he was focused on Foras and Skull. Another Orcs¡¯s sword attack cut Yon¡¯s lower body. Blood was flowing out.

    War.

    It wasn¡¯t over. That¡¯s why Yong-Ho ced his left hand on top of Foras¡¯s chest. The coldness climbed up his hand like a final curse and he absorbed hit. Greed¡¯s fire swallowed Foras¡¯s cold spirit.

    Spirit absorption.

    A change through that.

    It was more painful than pleasurable and it filled Yong-Ho¡¯s body and spirit.

    It was different from before. It was different from when he absorbed the spirit of someone that was weaker or on the same level as him.

    Owner Foras.

    The Demon of Coldness.

    Even though his power wasn¡¯t that strong, he was the owner of the dungeon that protected the house for over 70 years.

    He absorbed the spirit of someone stronger.

    Greed didn¡¯t throw away the coldness and the Power of Evolution disyed the effective change.

    He swallowed Foras¡¯s mana.

    Mana was the base of a demon.

    Yong-Ho lifted his head. A third horn appeared on his forehead and he was able to feel a huge amount of mana flowing.

    The fight wasn¡¯t over.

    But it would soon be over.

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.

    A green fire was released from the tip.

    <Fierce Battle #1> End.

 Chapter 43

    <h4><strong><Fierce Battle #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    He was exhausted.

    His body was in pain.

    The new spirit that he absorbed restored his mana, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He was so thirsty that it felt like he drank the ocean.

    But he couldn¡¯t fall here.

    If he fell here, everything woulde to an end.

    A fight where one puts their life on the line was an extremely exciting thing.

    It wasn¡¯t just about winning and losing. The decision of who lives and dies was decided in an instant.

    The fact that he survived made his blood boil.

    The sight and smell of red blood made his heart keep racing.

    But he had to remain calm.

    Even though his body was burning, his head and mentality had to remain cold.

    He absorbed Foras¡¯s spirit.

    He got stronger. It was a small amount, but he recovered some mana.

    During the short moment when he raised his body, a thought popped into his head. He released a green me, which captured everyone¡¯s attention and he counted through the me.

    He took down the leader of the enemy.

    Foras was probably the strongest enemy within the dungeon, but he didn¡¯t exist anymore.

    Gokun, who was assumed to be Foras¡¯s guard, was also dying as blood was flowing out of their neck.

    There were less than 10 Orcs left.

    Whenparing to the number of enemies that invaded, this was a great aplishment.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t tter himself with it.

    When talking about victory, one had to consider not only the number of enemies, but the amount of damage it caused them.

    Catalina was lying on the ground and her body was shaking. She couldn¡¯t stand up and the blood that she spat out was all over her mouth. Due to the pain she felt, tears continuously fell down her face.

    The y Golem was destroyed. The mud that kept the y Golem¡¯s together was probably dried out due to the cold that Foras released.

    Skull couldn¡¯t stand up because their pelvis was destroyed. The Rock Golem was partially destroyed and the smander, who used up their energy since the beginning, was breathing heavily due to exhaustion.

    The Kobold was whimpering in the corner and as always, they weren¡¯t helpful. The Goblin, Yon, died and the remaining three Goblins had used more than half of their energy during the fight.

    Yong-Ho saw Eligor stumbling while standing up.

    Yong-Ho looked around and after taking everything in, he took a step.

    He straightened his back and fixed his posture. That small movement made his body scream in pain, but he endured it.

    He felt everyone looking at him. The Orcs couldn¡¯t move.

    It was probably because they were shocked due to the death of Foras and Busker Gokun.

    The battle wasn¡¯t over, but it didn¡¯t continue either.

    Yong-Ho turned around. He heard the sound of someone gulping.

    The Treant¡¯s condition was fine and instead of looking at Yong-Ho, they looked at the Orcs. It was an action that was worthplimenting.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s back was turned towards the Orcs and as he approached Catalina,he lowered himself.

    "Catalina."

    "Ma...st..."

    Catalina couldn¡¯t speak properly. It looked like she was trying to force herself to smile, but she couldn¡¯t. The area that Foras hit turned blue due to their cold fist. It looked like breathing was even difficult for her.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t say anything. Catalina yed a big part in taking down Foras. If it wasn¡¯t for the arrow that she shot at the end, Yong-Ho could¡¯ve been the one on the floor, not Foras.

    Yong-Ho slowly put his hand on top of Catalina¡¯s abdomen. It was really soft, but cold. The cold was like Foras¡¯s curse and it felt like it was piercing into Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho epted that coldness. As he absorbed the spirit, he also absorbed Foras¡¯s coldness and it gave Yong-Ho strength. He stabilized the coldness that was sitting on Catalina¡¯s abdomen area.

    Then, Yong-Ho poured out his mana into Catalina through the palm of his hand.

    Even though Catalina was a mix between a Dark Elf and a Subus, she was still a demon. As a spirit that belonged to the dungeon, she soaked in Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and was able to gain some energy.

    Catalina¡¯s expression looked rxed. Her anxiety must¡¯ve gone away because she slowly closed her eyes and fainted.

    Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief. If Yong-Ho didn¡¯t get stronger by absorbing the spirit, then he could¡¯ve been in danger. When the owner bes stronger, so does the spirit that belongs to dungeon and through this, he saved Catalina¡¯s life.

    He wanted to spend more time on Catalina, but he couldn¡¯t. Yong-Ho stood up again. His eyes met with Eligor¡¯s and after reading Yong-Ho¡¯s thought, he nodded his head. It was a sign saying that he was fine.

    Yong-Ho felt thankful and sorry towards him, causing Yong-Ho to turn around.

    The Orcs still weren¡¯t moving. There was an odd nervousness that filled the entire room.

    Everyone was still looking at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho let them stare and started walking. When Yong-Ho slowly approached them, the Orcs started reacting differently. Some tightened their grip on their weapon and others were looking at him while squinting their eyes.

    Yong-Ho stopped in front of Yon and Jun.

    Jon and Ron were looking at the Orcs while holding a spear and Jun, who was the only girl within the Goblin Rangers, was crying while holding Yon, who was dying because their chest was cut open.

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and looked at Yon.

    It was a relief. Yon must¡¯ve done something big before dying because their Development Rate was now at 100.

    Yong-Ho ced his left hand on top of Yon¡¯s head. He poured a bit of mana that he had and evolved Yon into a Hobgoblin.

    The Power of Evolution.

    Just like the other spirits, a bright light enveloped Yon¡¯s body.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that evolving meant changing their race. Their physique was changing and it looked as if their body was going through a big reconstruction.

    Yon¡¯s injury was healed. Their uneven breathing sounded like it was going to bepletely cut off, but Yon¡¯s breathing was stabilized.

    Jun looked like someone that witnessed a miracle and looked at Yong-Ho with an expression that was filled with joy and pleasure. Jon and Ron kept on looking back due to their anxiety and they also couldn¡¯t hide their excitement.

    The Orcs reacted as well. Some widened their eyes and some dropped their weapons without knowing.

    It wasn¡¯t like a recovery magic. What happened before their eyes was more like a transcendental situation.

    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. Skull was quietly making noises, but Yong-Ho stopped himself from turning around and instead, looked at the Orcs. He didn¡¯t have that much mana left, but he covered Aamon in fire one more time.

    There were seven Orcs that grabbed their weapon and stood up.

    Foras and Gokun were dead, but if all of them felt the same way, then it would be a problem. It was better if there was a leader among the group.

    And thankfully, out of the surviving Orcs, there was one Orc that silently stepped up to the leader position.

    It was easy to tell because the other Orcs were ncing at them.

    The Orc had a sword scar near their eye. It was old, but they were wearing a well-made armor and used an extremelyrge sword as their weapon.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes met theirs. He opened his mouth and waited for a moment. He spoke, hoping that his voice wouldn¡¯t crack or sound weak.

    "The fight is over."

    He didn¡¯t say it to look cool. He didn¡¯t have the energy to say anything else.

    The Orc with the scar looked back at Foras and Gokun¡¯s corpse.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t erase the possibility of them charging at him to avenge their owner¡¯s death.

    He didn¡¯t avert his eyes. He wanted to copse to the ground, but he endured it with all his might.

    The Orc closed their eyes. They carefully released a long sigh and after opening their eyes again, they looked at Yong-Ho. They ced therge sword on the ground.

    "We lost. We surrender."

    As soon as the Orc with the scar made their decision, the other Orcs hesitated for a moment andid down their weapons as well. One of the hesitated and when the Orc with the scar red at them, they ended up throwing their weapon on the ground.

    The fight was really over. But he couldn¡¯t rx until the Orcs have been tied up and locked up in the prison.

    Thankfully, Eligor stood next to Yong-Ho. Maybe it¡¯s because his stamina was developed, but despite of the fact that he got hit by Foras, he seemed fine.

    Eligormanded the Goblins and the Treant to tie up the Orcs.

    The Orc with the scar looked at Yong-Ho with slightly softened eyes and Yong-Ho nodded his head to tell them to rx.

    "Skullllll."

    The small sound made Yong-Ho avert his eyes. Skull, who couldn¡¯t stand because their pelvis was destroyed, was looking at Yong-Ho. Maybe it¡¯s because of the atmosphere, but it felt like Skull was smiling.

    And then, he heard a voice in his head. It was the Spirit of the Dungeon, who couldn¡¯t intercept due to the tense situation.

    "You have won the dungeon battle between the owners."

    "You were really amazing."

    It sounded like they rxed a bit after being anxious the entire time and it was cute.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. He released another long sigh.

    The first dungeon battle.

    Yong-Ho won.

    &

    The dungeon fights within the demon world is between two owners, meaning it¡¯s a fight between the demons that own a dungeon.

    A fight to protect and take the dungeon.

    Dungeon fights are extremely dangerous.

    To the owner that¡¯s defending, losing meant that the dungeon was no longer theirs.

    Out of the owners that lost the fight, nine out of ten lost their lives and even if they did survive, they end up wandering because they lost the dungeon and the spirits.

    The attacker couldn¡¯t easily acknowledge defeat either. In a dungeon fight, the defender always had the upper hand. Because of that, it¡¯s natural for the attacker to use more resources than the defender.

    What would happen if all those resources failed them?

    They wouldn¡¯t lose their dungeon right away, but the dungeon¡¯s defense would drop dramatically.

    The Law of the Jungle applied in the demon world.

    Enemies would attack the moment their opponent bes weaker.

    Because the situation turned out like this, the owners that owned dungeons in the empty southern region were gathered in one area and because they weren¡¯t very strong, they didn¡¯t fight against each other. Since they might lose everything with one fight, it¡¯s obvious that they wouldn¡¯t.

    Dungeon fights happen among those that have power and often happen at the border.

    Those with many dungeons don¡¯t lost everything with one fight. Whether they win or lose, they save their energy for the next fight.

    Out of the dungeon shop¡¯s five board members, Samael was one with the fastest wings. They forcefully opened their sleepy eyes and looked at the demon map that was stuck on the official wall.

    Her office was extremely small. Unlike the Harpies that enjoyed flying freely into the open sky, she didn¡¯t really like flying even though she was a queen. She enjoyed using her beautiful, ck wings as a back cushion rather than for flying.

    "There¡¯s too many."

    She wasn¡¯t talking about the dungeon fights among the six kings that happened often like some kind of monthly event.

    The southern empty region was weird.

    Normally, a dungeon fight happens in that area every few years, but there has been over 10 dungeon fights within thatnd.

    The demon, Embrio, has suddenly started increasing their power in the empty northern region.

    It was a rule for the dungeon shop to not take part in the fights between the demons. But that didn¡¯t mean they stood on the sidelines and watched them fight.

    If Embrio continued increasing their power, what would happen? For over a decade, the empty northern region remained peaceful through mutual control, but how will it change?

    The owners in the empty northern region were definitely weak. Whenparing thend to the other six king¡¯snd, it was a wastnd.

    But, if someone unified the entire empty northern region, then it would be different.

    Samael closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

    Sitri was in charge of the empty northern region. Did she know about this? And did she have a n to control this situation?

    ¡¯Or maybe there¡¯s something at the end of this situation...¡¯

    Samael stopped thinking. No matter what the case was, Sitri maintained her position as a dungeon shop board member the longest. Samael was considered the newest member out of the five, so they weren¡¯t in the position to worry about her.

    If she remained quiet, there was a reasonable exnation for that.

    "Next."

    As soon as Samael spoke, the Spirit of the Dungeon delivered several reports. Before they became the five board members of the dungeon shop, they were owners that had their own dungeons.

    After receiving the report, Samael stood up from her seat. When she stepped out of the small office, arge void appeared. The ceiling was so high that they could put a tower in here.

    Samael continued walking. Instead of using her wings to fly, she used a magic that allowed her to jump into space and she arrived at the most extravagant and fancy location that was within her territory.

    The dungeon store auction house.

    Items that are too expensive to price are often sold at this location.

    When took she another step, a white dress enveloped Samael¡¯s body. It was a simple, white dress that didn¡¯t have any decorations on it, but that made Samael even more beautiful.

    Samael walked a few more steps. The Incubus, Rod Karot, was a follower of hers and also the general manager of the auction house. The approached her and gracefully showed their respect.

    The inside of the auction house looked like a opera house and there was currently an item they were auctioning.

    The item they were currently auctioning was an Eternal Prosecutor.

    They were a talented prosecutor and ording to them, they were even referred to as the king in their world.

    Samael didn¡¯t visit the auction house because the prosecutor was that great of a figure.

    It¡¯s because of the figures that were currently at the auction house.

    The King of Pride and the King of Envy¡¯s representatives.

    On top of that, the King of Gluttony¡¯s representative was here as well.

    There¡¯s no way that the King of Pride didn¡¯t know about the fact that the King of Envy purchased 20,000 Skeleton Warriors.

    It was a secret that the King of Gluttony purchased a dragon, but the other two kings weren¡¯t dumb. They were always observing the King of Gluttony.

    The kings didn¡¯te here themselves, but among their followers, those that were ranked within the top five came here to represent. This can be considered as a minor proxy war among the six kings.

    That was what Samael thought as she entered the auction house.

    Orobas was known to have the strongest superhuman strength within the dungeon shop and said that the current bnce will be maintained for a long time.

    But was that really true?

    Out of the six kings, no one was satisfied with the current situation. There wasn¡¯t one king that was satisfied with their current position.

    A small opportunity.

    The perfect opportunity that will make the wheel spin.

    If something like that appeared. If there was something thatpletely pushed a domino that stopped falling.

    The bnce will be broken.

    Like in the past when Mammon, the King of Greed, ruled.

    The sound of pping filled the room. One of the representatives that were here probably called out arge amount that no one else could go against.

    Samael quickened her pace. The situation that urred in the empty southern region was erased from her head.

    She put on an elegant smile that matched well with this ce.

    <Fierce Battle #2> End.

 Chapter 44

    Note: Hello everyone!

    I apologize for releasing the chapterste, but here are the regr releases as well as the bonus chapters (total of 7 chapters).

    Thank you Benjamin K. and Micheal H. for the donations. The donations page will be updated shortly!

    And thank you to all the readers/supporters! Thank you for supporting me on this journey. <3

    Enjoy!

    ¨C Jenn-Chan

    <h4><strong><Unity Evolution #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Whether the Princess Ant voluntarily became independent of the Queen Ant or not, they¡¯ll end up getting a new task.

    Building a new colony.

    The moment the Queen Ant died, the Princess Ant¡¯s conscious, which was like a frozen seed, started growing buds little by little.

    However, the time it took to grow the bud was too short.

    With a nk face, the Princess Ant started nibbling the pancake a little and it was difficult to find traces of consciousness.

    Just like the Queen Ant, the Princess Ant looked simr to a human. The color of their hair was simr to gold and they had mysterious green eyes that didn¡¯t have scleras.

    Maybe 12-years-old. The Princess Ant looked like a girl of that age and their antennas started flinching.

    The Princess Ant instinctively turned their head.

    Not only the Kobold, but other spirits started approaching in a group.

    The Princess Ant waited while blinking her eyes. A nasty smell filled the nose. Blood, dirt and other things were mixed into the smell.

    Just because they had a weak conscious, it didn¡¯t mean their basic instincts weren¡¯t working. The Princess Ant cowered like a beast filled with fear. And then, the one that had a familiar smell appeared. It was the Kobold.

    "Wolf, wolf!"

    The Kobold seemed excited about something because they started wagging their tail excitedly. Kobold quickly approached the prison cell and burst opened the locked door. They walked up to the Princess Ant and grabbed her hand.

    "Wolf, wolf!"

    They were asking her toe out, but just like Eligor, all she heard was the Kobold barking. On top of that, she couldn¡¯t make an assumption of what the Kobold wanted based on their actions and expression.

    The Princess Ant looked at the Kobold with a confused expression and turned her head. The foul smell arrived.

    Eligor, the one with red skin, arrived with green Giants. Not only that, but he brought arge tree that Yong-Ho has never seen before and creatures with small frames that had green skin.

    "Wolf, wolf!"

    Kobold nced at Eligor and forcefully pulled the Princess Ant¡¯s arm. In the end, the Princess Ant stood up and clumsily walked out of the prison cell.

    As soon as she walked out, Eligor ced the Orcs into the prison cell. The Orcs had a unsatisfied expression since their hands were tied, but since the Orc with the scar on their eye walked in without a word, they didn¡¯t really rebel. After they followed them in, they sat on the ground.

    For the Princess Ant, it was quite arge prison cell, but for the Orcs that had arger frame, it looked small since seven of them were in there.

    As always, the Princess Ant looked around with a nk expression. Eligor momentarily looked at her and spoke.

    "Take her to the dorm for now."

    "Wolf, wolf!"

    The Kobold barked happily and pulled the Princess Ant¡¯s arm.

    The Princess Ant had to no choice but to move to an unfamiliar ce.

    Eligor watched the entire process and let out a deep sigh. Rikum, the Orc with the scar on their eyes, was sitting in the innermost part of the cell and Eligor spoke to them.

    "Please rest for a bit. I¡¯ll be right back."

    Rikum wasn¡¯t sure if he should believe what Eligor said, but Rikum nodded. Unless they were thinking about escaping, they wouldn¡¯t gain anything by creating conflict.

    "At least give us some water."

    "Okay. We¡¯ll bring you some water."

    Eligor exited the prison cell with Jon and Ron. After setting their roots in front of the prison entrance, the Treant watched the prison with a serious and stern expression.

    The fight came to an end. Eligor, the Goblins and all the other spirits were exhausted.

    But now wasn¡¯t the time to rx.

    &

    Yong-Ho passed out on the bed made out of straw.

    He knew everyone was exhausted, but he had no choice. He thought that letting Eligor take care of the rest and and passing out on the bed was pretty irresponsible, but he couldn¡¯t resist.

    No, he couldn¡¯t think at all.

    That¡¯s how tired he was.

    He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t have any thoughts.

    How much time has passed?

    "We¡¯ll rise up again. You trust me, right?"

    The voice belong to a girl. They had ash gray hair and narrow shoulders.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t aware that he opened his eyes, but he saw it. His mind was nk, but he saw a clear image of them.

    He¡¯s seen the beautiful girl with ash gray hair before.

    Kaiwan, the owner from three generations ago.

    The Demon of Distortion.

    In front of the beautiful girl, a boy with a weak face was standing there.

    The boy looked at Kaiwan with a longing look and then nodded their head.

    He didn¡¯t have to think long as to who that boy was. This was the first time that he saw him, but Yong-Ho knew.

    It was a small amount, but the blood of Mammon was flowing within that boy.

    ¡¯The owner from two generations ago.¡¯

    The younger brother of Kaiwan. After Kaiwan went missing, they inherited the House of Mammon and they lost most of the things that Kaiwan seeded in obtaining.

    ording to the record, they were naturally born with a weak body.

    That seemed to be true because underneath their muddy gold hair, they had a really pale face. Their longing expression looked like they didn¡¯t have any energy. It looked like they wouldn¡¯t even be able to run properly with their thin arms and legs.

    Kaiwan patted their younger brother¡¯s head. They hugged him as if they found him to be loveable. This was the first time he saw her soft and warm expression since she barely disyed that side of herself.

    Kaiwan and their younger brother disappeared.

    Instead of an old, worn out room, a small study appeared.

    Kaiwan was sitting in front of a desk. She wasn¡¯t a little girl anymore.

    She was a woman with a fierce look.

    She could bepared to a snack. She also looked like a leopard. The red leather clothes that she was wearing gave off that feeling even more.

    She was writing something with a tired look.

    It wasn¡¯t really a big room. It had a desk, a bookshelf and on both sides of the room, instead of books, there were documents stacked on top of each other. It looked like Kaiwan¡¯s office.

    While wearing a pair of sses, she was writing something with a feather pen and the hand that was repeatedly on the abacus was now under the desk. She leaned into the back of the chair like some sort ofundry.

    Her left hand.

    A familiar ring was on her ring finger. It was the ring that contained the Power of Distortion. It seemed like they ced a part of their power into the ring so that they can use it right away duringbat.

    After taking a short break, she closed her eyes shut and took out a thick, leather book that was ced inside of a drawer. It must¡¯ve been another empty notebook because she started writing as soon as she ced it on the desk.

    ¡¯Is it a journal or something?¡¯

    Sometimes, she would draw inside it. Since Yong-Ho was fixed diagonally behind Kaiwan¡¯s left side, he couldn¡¯t see in detail what she was writing, but Kaiwan¡¯s expression looked okay. She even disyed a small smile on her face from time to time.

    He heard someone knocking on the door. Kaiwan quickly ced the journal she was writing in into the drawer and stood up. She opened the door and greeted the person that knocked.

    It was their younger brother. Kaiwan grew up into a woman, but their brother was still a boy.

    The two exited the office and Yong-Ho saw their backs as they walked further away from him. He heard their voices, but it sounded like an auditory hallucination.

    "Are you going to the arena again?"

    "It¡¯ll be quick. I¡¯ll bring even more awesome items, so look forward to it."

    The two became more distant. They passed through familiar hallways.

    And then darkness.

    The view in front of him changed again.

    It was the armory.

    The cement of the items were different from what Yong-Ho saw, but he immediately knew.

    Kaiwain kissed her ring. She ced the ring in a small box and whispered something in a low voice.

    He couldn¡¯t hear it. The box was closed and darkness filled his view.

    This was probably thest memory the ring had.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He rolled off the bed andnded on the floor.

    "Ack."

    The bed wasn¡¯t that high, but since it was elevated, it was still painful. On top of that, since he fell while sleeping, it was an unexpected surprise, so it¡¯s obvious that it would hurt a lot more.

    "Office."

    Yong-Ho mumbled without knowing. He unconsciously raised his left hand and looked at Kaiwan¡¯s ring.

    A shape of a wolf eating the moon.

    It was old, but it was still a beautiful, silver ring.

    He suddenly felt Kaiwan¡¯s power. And he had a hunch as to how he was able to dream of Kaiwan¡¯s dream.

    Mana, the important element to a demon.

    Many thoughts and memories were left within the mana.

    He thought about Kaiwan¡¯s face. He still felt that she was a ferocious figure, but he felt a little morefortable because of the warm smile he saw when she was with her younger brother.

    Kaiwan¡¯s office.

    If he found the office. And if he found Kaiwan¡¯s journal that was sitting inside the drawer.

    His thoughts ended there. The voice of a worried girl filled his mind.

    "Master, are you awake?"

    "How are you feeling? You¡¯re not hurt anywhere, are you? Can you hear me clearly?"

    It was the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    Yong-Ho was able toe back to reality. His body felt heavy and he lowered the arm that was raised.

    It felt like he was rooted into the ground. Even though he was just lying there without doing much, but really didn¡¯t want to do anything.

    But he had to get up.

    "How long has it been?"

    "31 hours have passed."

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and let out a groan after hearing their answer. A day and a half passed. The fact that he woke up sooner than the time he recaptured the gold mine was somewhat of afort.

    Yong-Ho raised his upper body while releasing another groan. His voice was really dry and since he wouldn¡¯t be able to speak properly, he looked for water. After gulping down the water right out of the kettle, he continued with the next question.

    "And the Orcs? What about the other spirits? Catalina and Eligor are safe, right?"

    The water helped him wake up, which caused him to ask one question after another. The Spirit of the Dungeon calmly replied.

    "The dungeon spirit, Catalina, and the other spirits are all safe."

    "Skill and the Rock Golem are injured, so they¡¯re currently unable to move, but there isn¡¯t a problem with their life as spirits. They¡¯re currently waiting in the throne room."

    "The Orcs are quietly sitting in the prison cell."

    "But, we must hurry with cleaning things up."

    "Cleaning things up?"

    "We have to get rid of the corpse of the Orcs that are in the passageway."

    "And I also rmend changing the dungeonyout."

    "Regarding the carriages that the attackers rode here, Eligor moved it to the dungeon entrance room for now."

    "Since the spirits are currently in the process of recovering, no other tasks have been given other than this."

    They won, but the damage on this side was pretty big. As of right now, the only ones that are able to work were probably Eligor, Kobold and the Goblin Rangers.

    "And..."

    "And?"

    "Because your mana has gotten a lot stronger this time, I was able to grow a level as well."

    "Dungeon¡¯s Step ¨C If the rank itself increases, I¡¯m able to take care of a lot more things within the dungeon. I¡¯m able to maintain a lot more dungeon facilities as well."

    "Please don¡¯t forget to visit the room where my main body is, the Heart of the Dungeon."

    He remembered briefly hearing Eligor talking about this.

    When Yong-Ho¡¯s face started glowing, the Spirit of the Dungeon somehow knew and continued talking.

    "But everyone is exhausted, so you don¡¯t need to rush."

    "Master, you should rest more too."

    He could feel that they were really worrying about him through their desperate voice.

    But he couldn¡¯t just rest. Like they had mentioned, they needed to clean up as soon as possible."

    "But first."

    Yong-Ho ced his hand on his forehead. The small horn that was ced in the center of his forehead felt out of ce for some odd reason.

    It was the power he obtained after a tough fight. There was a need to properly test it out.

    Yong-Ho instinctively took a deep breath.

    He activated the Power of Evolution.

    <Unity Evolution #1> End.

 Chapter 45

    <h4><strong><Unity Evolution #2>

    </strong>

    <strong> </strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    [Demon of Evolution]

    [Name : Chun Yong-Ho (M)]

    [Race : Half Human/Half Demon]

    [ss : Demon]

    [Elements : Fire Level 2 / Darkness Level 1 / Coldness Level 2]

    [Individual Characteristics]

    [Calm / Crafty / Daring]

    [Natural Ability]

    [Stamina / Mana]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    The stats window was a lot more detailedpared to before. He noticed the big change with one look.

    ¡¯Individual characteristics and abilities?¡¯

    Yong-Ho instinctively touched the horn that was on his forehead. Since Yong-Ho became stronger after absorbing the spirit, the Power of Evolution got stronger as well, which allowed him to look at the categories he wasn¡¯t able to see before.

    He now had three horns.

    It was a major change that when seeing it from a spirit¡¯s point of view, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they¡¯ve ranked up.

    ¡¯Nature sounds like it¡¯s referring to personality...¡¯

    Yong-Ho frowned without knowing. He agreed that he had a calm and daring personality, but crafty?!

    Even after cing his hand over his heart, he felt that it was unfair.

    A dungeon spirit¡¯s body and soul belong to the owner and dungeon.

    Catalina was one of those spirits and his attitude towards her was proof that he wasn¡¯t crafty.

    There were a few times where he had ulterior motives, but it was just a few times and they were insignificant.

    "Hm. Bo-body and soul."

    Yong-Ho cleared his throat when he thought about the spirit. Catalina¡¯s face, no, her entire body popped up in his head.

    ¡¯I ack-acknowledge.¡¯

    Yong-Ho managed to calm himself down after thinking about Eligor and Skull and looked at the abilities. It probably disyed the abilities that he had a natural talent for.

    ¡¯It¡¯s probably different from characteristics traits, right? Since this has to do with individual talent.¡¯

    A Subus is known for their charm and mana and a Dark Elf is known for their agility and vitality. It meant that their race affected the skills that they had.

    But a race and an individual was different. It wasn¡¯t odd for one to have an individual skill.

    ¡¯Stamina and mana.¡¯

    He somewhat understood that part. It¡¯s because his stamina and mana had more potential than the other stats.

    The change didn¡¯t just show additional categories.

    The level of the stats increased automatically and the stat for coldness leveled up twice at once. It¡¯s probably because he absorbed the spirit that contained that power.

    ¡¯I might be able to control both elements somehow.¡¯

    It was an embarrassing imagination for him to say out loud, so Yong-Ho imagined himself controlling both ice and fire at the same time for a moment. Since the elements were opposites, he wasn¡¯t sure if they could create a synergy effect, but it didn¡¯t look all that bad.

    ¡¯The problem is whether there¡¯s a method to using that coldness...¡¯

    For fire, he borrowed Aamon¡¯s power and used it well, but this was different.

    He had to find a way to use his mana in addition to his power. And he had a vague idea of the solution.

    ¡¯I have to learn magic.¡¯

    Mana was the root of a demon house.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the time it took for them research a way to use magic with mana was as long as the demon world¡¯s history.

    Like always, Yong-Ho quickly organized his thoughts. There was a need for him to learn magic, but it wasn¡¯t something he could do right now. Looking at the remaining stats through the Power of Evolution was more important.

    And since his development rate was at 100, he was able to evolve.

    [Mana Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)] ¨C Unable to develop (Temporary) ¨C

    [Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Agility Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Talent Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Attribute Enhancement Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Seven Deadly Sins | Greed]

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes widened as soon as he saw the stats window. Ament that he¡¯s never seen before appeared next to mana.

    ¡¯Unable to develop?¡¯

    A sentence that said that mana was unable to develop was right next to it. Yong-Ho was going to develop his mana this time too, so he was shocked when he saw it.

    ¡¯Why?¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked to see what changedpared to before.

    ¡¯The potential development increased. Stamina, mana and agility level increased by one.¡¯

    The horn showed the ss of the demon¡¯s mana. The development rate and a part of his skills changing was something he understood. Other than those differences, the only new thing that appeared was the Attribute Enhancement.

    Then what was the problem?

    Yong-Ho looked back at himself. He remembered the time he first obtained the Power of Evolution.

    The Power of Evolution was Yong-Ho¡¯s power. The root was from Yong-Ho¡¯s soul and mana and because of that, he understood it better than anyone else.

    At first, he only saw colorful smokes, butter, the method that it used to show it changed, based on Yong-Ho¡¯s will.

    This time, it was the same. It responded to his will and Yong-Ho was able to understand what the issue was.

    ¡¯In simple terms, is it saying I can¡¯t keep developing the same stat over and over again?¡¯

    Yong-Ho¡¯s body requested for bnce.

    It wasn¡¯t even requesting for aplete bnce. Since he¡¯s been developing just the mana, his body want him to develop the other stats.

    If Catalina¡¯s agility reaches to level four, she might face the same issue.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. It wasn¡¯tpletely stopping him and since it was asking him to develop the other skills, he could handle it.

    ¡¯Then the problem is which one I should develop.¡¯

    Strength, stamina and agility was something he immediately understood. Those three were the most involved stats during a fight.

    The others were charm, talent and attribute enhancement.

    The main stats of a Subus was charm and he had an idea as to what kind of skill that was.

    They change to make themselves beautiful and that would be done based on Yong-Ho¡¯s preference. They make sure to leave a good impression.

    ¡¯I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be beneficial if I develop it...¡¯

    It felt like it would help when appeasing the Orcs that were in the prison cell. In the Records of the Three Kingdoms game, Liu Bei would use their overwhelming charm to appoint a personnel.

    ¡¯It¡¯s a bit difficult to exin talent, but I think I get the general idea...¡¯

    He had a feeling that the skill affected actions that required movements of the body or hand.

    Attribute enhancement did just that.

    ¡¯This is hard.¡¯

    Yong-Ho used the process of elimination.

    First, strength. The amount of strength he had now was enough. Charm? It was tempting, but maybeter. Increasing it to level one wouldn¡¯t affect a battle all that much. Since he couldn¡¯t use coldness, he decided to ce attribute enhancement to the side as well.

    After eliminating a few of them, there were stamina, agility and talent left.

    Yong-Ho looked back at all the fights he fought. It was the most recent fight and he remembered how much he struggled fighting against Foras.

    ¡¯I¡¯ll increase my agility.¡¯

    Out of all the stats, the only one he would be able to see a difference was agility. If he became just a bit faster, then it¡¯ll help him in battles. He was tempted to increase talent as well, but since the idea was abstract, he didn¡¯t go for it.

    Yong-Ho used the Power of Evolution on himself. Unlike the times he increased his mana, a refreshing feeling filled his entire body. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was all in his head or if his body actually lost weight, but it felt like his body became lighter.

    "Whew..."

    After taking in a deep breath, Yong-Ho leaned his back against the bed. He closed his eyes and listed the things he had to do.

    The general list would consist of inside and outside.

    The inside work be taking in the Orcs that surrendered as spirits, getting rid of Foras and the Orcs¡¯ corpse, reconstructing the dungeonyout and making spirits like Skull and Rock Golem undergo rehabilitation.

    The outside would be to sell the war carriages that Foras brought to the dungeon shop for money and Foras¡¯s dungeon itself.

    Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    It wasn¡¯t that far from here. On top of that, Foras, his personal guard and most of his troops lost their lives. Meaning, there was a high possibility that Foras¡¯s dungeon was an empty house right now.

    But he couldn¡¯t be careless. The reason why Yong-Ho himself was able to win over 50 of Foras¡¯s spirits was because of the dungeon traps.

    Even though Foras died, the traps that were installed in the dungeon were still active. If Foras was more worried about the other owners than Yong-Ho, then there was a chance a Foras left some of his troops to defend the dungeon.

    ¡¯On top of that...I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve caught on that Foras is dead by now. Since I¡¯ve been out for more than a day, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve prepared to defend the dungeon.¡¯

    If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon that¡¯s connected to the owner dies as well.

    He had to be cautious. His side received some damage as well and if they were to attack another dungeon just because they killed a owner, it may do more harm.

    First, he had to make the Orcs his spirits. And since they know about Foras¡¯s dungeon, he¡¯ll collect enough information from them. It was okay to make a move afterwards.

    ¡¯Other than that, the only other things I have to do is register the Princess Ant as a spirit and find Kaiwan¡¯s office.¡¯

    Those two tasks were important for the dungeon¡¯s development.

    Yong-Ho looked at Kaiwan¡¯s ring that was on his left hand and he kissed it without knowing. He wasn¡¯t sure if he did that because it saved his life several times or because he remembered Kaiwan kissing it at the armory.

    ¡¯Let¡¯s eat first.¡¯

    Since he slept a day and a half, that meant that he didn¡¯t eat for that long.

    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. Since he had a lot to do, he walked out of the room.

    &

    "Skulllll."

    When he walked out, he saw one of the things that he had to take care of.

    He saw Skull and Rock Golem, who were sitting next to his bedroom door. They both looked pretty bad.

    Since Skull¡¯s pelvis was broken, he couldn¡¯t stand up. Since they lost a leg, it¡¯s safe to say that they were disabled.

    The Rock Golem was sitting next to them and their condition was bad as well. Their right arm waspletely gone and since there were cracks all over their body, it seemed like they were going to break apart soon.

    The Rock Golem didn¡¯t have a conscious and yet, there was a sense of sadness, but Skull, who was able to talk and roll around seemed worse. Since Skull was special to Yong-Ho, he approached the two spirits before going to fill his stomach.

    "Skull, Skull."

    Skull spoke with the same nk expression. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s always seen Skull roll around, but right now, Skull lookedfortable in their current condition.

    How was he going to restore them?

    The y Golem waspletely ruined, so he couldn¡¯t do much, but for Skull and Rock Golem, since only a part of their body was destroyed, there was a higher chance of recovering them.

    He thought about either developing or evolving.

    Yon was on the verge of dying due to the injury on their chest, but thanks to the effects of them ranking up, it was healed. Wouldn¡¯t the same thing happen to both Skull and Rock Golem?

    ¡¯To do that, their development rate needs to be filled up...¡¯

    Skull did a lot during their battle at the gold mine. And since Skull did well in defending against Foras¡¯s guard during the recent battle, it may be possible.

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. His eyes started glowing a green color as he looked at both Skull and Rock Golem.

    [Name : Skull (-)]

    [Race : Skeleton]

    [ss : Skeleton Warrior]

    [Attribute : -]

    [Individual Nature]

    [Original]

    [Capable]

    [Talented]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    [Bone Strengthening Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -> Rank route opens upon development

    [Physique Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -> Rank route opens upon development

    [Intellect Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)] -> Rank route opens upon development

    [Talent Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -> Rank route opens upon development

    The description, original, put a smile on his face when he read it. Thankfully, Skull¡¯s development rate was at 100. The problem was that their rank route hasn¡¯t been opened yet.

    Will a simple evolution recover their broken pelvis?

    While contemting, Yong-Ho turned his head to look towards the Rock Golem.

    From left to right. And then from right to left.

    His eyes were following a line without him knowing.

    Between Skull and the Rock Golem.

    A line made up of a white light was connected.

    Yong-Ho kept on looking back and forth and then read the new word of light that appeared above it. He unconsciously said it out loud.

    "Union...Evolution?"

    [Rock Skeleton Warrior]

    Yong-Ho looked back at Skull. Skull spoke to Yong-Ho.

    "Skullll."

    He somehow knew what Skull was saying.

    Yong-Ho turned his attention back to the description. He gathered his mana.

    <Unity Evolution #2> End.

 Chapter 46

    <h4><strong><Unity Evolution #3></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Union evolution.

    An act to join two different figures into one.

    This was possible probably because the Power of Evolution itself became stronger after he got his third horn.

    Yong-Ho understood the Power of Evolution this time too.

    The name, Rock Skeleton Warrior, was probably made when Skull and the Rock Golem were evolved by being unified into being being.

    The Power of Evolution is growing based on how much Yong-Ho was growing.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that it was an almighty power.

    There were limits and conditions that has to be met, just like how the development rate needs to be filled up in order evolve.

    The union evolution was the same. It felt like there would be some sort of condition.

    He was curious as to whether it was possible to perform with spirits that were alive and if two spirits have been unified, who¡¯s will will remain, etc.

    But if he were to just focus on Skull and the Rock Golem, then it was simple.

    Skull was an Undead. An already dead spirit has been binded to a skeletal body through the power of magic.

    And the Rock Golem didn¡¯t have a conscious. Even if the two have been unified, it won¡¯t affect Skull¡¯s conscious.

    A Skeleton Warrior that had the body and the strength of a Rock Golem.

    If this worked, Skull will be able to disy a stronger power.

    ¡¯If there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s getting to me...¡¯

    If he did proceed with the unification, then that¡¯ll be it for the Rock Golem. Through the recent battle, he lost the y Golem and on top of that, he was close to losing the Rock Golem as well.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    Skull was still important. It was a sad reality, but the House of Mammon was being operated by a small group. It was better to have one soldier that added to the group, rather than having two soldiers that were of no use because they were broken.

    "Ready?"

    Yong-Ho spoke. Skull answered with the same trusting expression.

    "Skullll!"

    Skull spit out their answer. Yong-Ho ced both of his hand on top of Skull and the Rock Golem.

    He looked at the Rock Golem onest time and got rid of the regrets that was lingering within him.

    Unification evolution.

    Rock Skeleton Warrior.

    Yong-Ho sent mana to both of them. He activated the Power of Evolution.

    First, a light appeared.

    A white light enveloped both Skull and the Rock Golem. Next, the white turned to green and Skull and the Rock Golem were linked into one.

    Based on the amount of mana that Yong-Ho was pouring, the light became bigger and stronger, which covered Yong-Ho¡¯s eyesight.

    A couple of secondster.

    Yong-Ho started breathing heavily. The feeling of Skull and the Rock Golem disappeared from both of his hands.

    Yong-Ho clutched the air and took a step back after standing up and looked at the area where the green light was.

    The rock remains from the Rock Golem were all over the ce. And a Skeleton Warrior was standing in the center of it.

    Their developed grey body was sturdier than the Rock Golem in the past and weren¡¯t as excessive ¨C they were big, but at the same time was nimble and it gave off a much stronger feeling than a Skeleton Warrior.

    Yong-Ho anxiously looked at the Rock Skeleton Warrior¡¯s face. As soon as he gulped, green eyes lit up in the inner part of the empty skull.

    "Skulllll!"

    Yong-Ho let out a relief when they released a loud and dignified roar. He smiled brightly and they were both happy about the situation.

    "Hold on, wait."

    "Skull, Skull?"

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution and looked at Skull. He quickly read the new information.

    [Name : Skull (-)]

    [Race : Rock Skeleton (Mixed Spirit)]

    [ss : Skeleton Warrior]

    [Attribute : Earth Level 1]

    [Individual Nature]

    [Original / Naive]

    [Individual Stat]

    [Talen / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    An attribute that wasn¡¯t there before appeared and individual nature and stat was added as well. The description, Mixed Spirit, caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he read the remaining information.

    [Avable Race/Position Advancement]

    [Rock Skeleton Knight] / [Rock Skeleton Berserker] / [Rock Skeleton Archer]

    There were some stats that leveled up automatically and the strength stat was a new one.

    But the portion that caught his attention was the new advancement route.

    There were three.

    Just by looking at the names, he had an idea of what they specialized in.

    The Skeleton Knight was an infantry and strengthened defense, the Skeleton Berserker was a high-ranked warrior that focused on offense and the Skeleton Archer specialized in long-distance attacks.

    Since each specialized in different things, the silhouette of each route was a bit different.

    For the knight, the bone itself looked simr to an armor, and the berserker¡¯s arm became a bit longer and thicker. For the archer, there wasn¡¯t a big difference in the outer appearance.

    Just looking at Skull¡¯s change made Yong-Ho feel satisfied. It was unfortunate for the Rock Golem, but with this kind of result, he could bear with it.

    Skull armed themselves with the weapon and armor that were on the ground. They wore the helmet, which was like their trademark, and waited for Yong-Ho¡¯smand.

    And the Spirit of the Dungeon spoke right on time.

    "Catalina and Eligor are heading your way."

    It seemed like they contacted those two right when Yong-Ho woke up.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon did really well because Catalina, Eligor and the Goblins entered the throne room with food in their hands.

    &

    "Wow, master."

    Like always, tears filled up in Eligor¡¯s eyes as soon as he saw Yong-Ho. Catalina reacted the same way as before. Her ears started pping like wings and the way her tail wagged made it seem like she would jump right into his arms if he opened them.

    But Yong-Ho was cautious. Instead of opening his arms, he looked at Catalina¡¯s stomach.

    Since she was wearing herbat outfit, under the tight, leather clothing, her bare skin was exposed.

    Her soft, yet tight abdomen was in the same condition as before. Her light brown skin, which looked like sweet milk chocte melted on it, was the same as well.

    He let out a sigh of relief without knowing. Foras¡¯s coldness that prated her abdomen disappeared. Her wagging tail was proof that she was healthy.

    "Sir?"

    Since he was staring at her for a while, she asked while blinking her eyes. He remembered that he was described as crafty and after acknowledging it, he cleared his throat.

    He calmly responded to it, just like when he was in battle.

    "I was worried, but it looks like you¡¯re all healed up. Do you feel ufortable anywhere?"

    She replied as her ears shot up.

    "I¡¯ve healed up thanks to your mana, sir. Thank you very much for worrying about me."

    "I should be one thanking you. I was able to live because of you. You¡¯re definitely the best guard."

    When she heard hispliment, her ears started pping again and sheughed sheepishly. It looks kind of dumb, but it was pretty cute.

    "Sir, I¡¯vepletely recovered as well. I apologize for making you worry."

    Eligor spoke after taking off his shirt and showed the areas that that Foras hit him.

    Because his stamina had been developed, his body was sturdy despite of having an old man¡¯s face.

    Yong-Ho turned his attention away from Eligor, who posed like a bodybuilder. He was always thankful towards Eligor, but this was a different situation.

    Yong-Ho took a few steps back and looked at all the spirits.

    And then. Catalina¡¯s eyes widened. Yong-Ho was the only one that was in her sight and the Skull entered.

    "Skull?"

    Since their frame wasrger than before and their color change, Catalina blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn¡¯t seeing things. For Eligor, as soon as he turned around to see Skull, a bright smile appeared on his face and the Goblins expressed their excitement when they saw how big Skull became.

    "Skullll."

    Along with their helmet, they lightly swung the war hammer, which was another trademark of theirs.

    Catalina and Skull became rivals at one point, but were teammates, not enemies.

    A bright smile appeared on Catalina¡¯s face and Skull swung the war hammer again.

    During this time, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution once again. Rather than looking at Catalina and the other spirits, he wanted to see if a union evolution was possible.

    But information regarding the union evolution didn¡¯t appear for any one of them. It looked like it was possible for spirits that were already dead or didn¡¯t have a will, just like he had assumed earlier.

    "Okay, let¡¯s talk over some food. I¡¯ll tell you how Skull became like this."

    Yong-Ho spoke after deactivating the Power of Evolution and the Goblins quietly cheered.

    Eligor sat down after cing a mat on top of the carpet that was in the throne room and grabbed some food. They were usually smoked meat, bread and other preserved food.

    Since the spirits haven¡¯t eaten yet, the atmosphere turned into a group get-together. Even though he ate with the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits every day.

    The exnation regarding the union evolution didn¡¯t take long.

    The base of the Power of Evolution came from Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and spirit, but it was fully developed and it wasn¡¯tpletely within Yong-Ho¡¯s control.

    But, it was a power that wouldpletely be his someday.

    At first, he would see colorful smokes and then, the information window of the Power of Evolution changed to where it resembled like the ones in RPGs and it was based off of Yong-Ho¡¯s choice and will.

    A clear ssification.

    The exnation was easy enough for Yong-Ho to understand.

    After talking about the union evolution, Yong-Ho listened to Eligor¡¯s various reports about the dungeon while eating.

    He said that the corpse that were in the passageway were currently being cleaned up.

    They stored Foras¡¯s corpse just in case and they ced the corpse of the Orcs in an empty room near the entrance. They¡¯ll have to take it outside of the dungeon and bury them as soon as possible.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon briefly mentioned Foras¡¯s war carriage and they were ced in the room at the dungeon entrance.

    Since they were Western style carriages, Eligor suggested that they keep two for the dungeon and sell the remaining.

    Of course there was the option of keeping all of them for the future, but that was too far off into the future.

    In order to further develop, they required a good amount of money. The House of Mammon was quickly growing and rather than keeping carriages that they may never use, it was better to sell them for money so that they can develop the dungeon right away.

    When ites to financial issue, Eligor and Yong-Ho thought the same way, so Yong-Ho nodded his head and approved.

    Next were the prisoners.

    The Orcs that were in the prison cell were quieter than they imagined.

    But just neglecting them was bad in many ways.

    "There¡¯s definitely an issue with the capacity of the prison."

    They temporarily made the prison cell. Before, it was just the Kobolds and the Princess Ant that were in there, but the Orcs were bigger and on top of that, there were a lot of them. One or two days was fine, but there would be a problem with food and toilet if they stayed in there for a long time.

    Yong-Ho ced the half-eaten bread down and asked Eligor.

    "And the chance of them willing to join our side?"

    "Very high. I think they¡¯re staying quiet because they had that in mind. Their leader, Rikum, is a very experienced warrior and they even expressed their desire of wanting to join the House of Mammon as a spirit. Free spirits, especially warriors, are very simr to mercenary warriors. Since their owner, Foras, died, it¡¯s only natural for them to act that way."

    Since their owner died, it¡¯s only natural for them to find a new one.

    It was kind of ufortable, but it was good news.

    The Orcs have seen Yong-Ho use the Power of Evolution. If they weren¡¯t going to join their side, then the only option left was to kill them.

    "There¡¯s a possibility that it could be a...false surrender or they could betray us, right? Maybe to get revenge on us."

    "If it is a false surrender, then there will be an issue when registering them as a dungeon spirit. That¡¯s something you don¡¯t have to worry about."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon must¡¯ve been listening in because they replied right away.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and spoke to Eligor again.

    "Great, then let¡¯s go meet the Orcs as soon as we¡¯re done eating."

    "Yes, sir. And...here theye."

    After he finished talking, Eligor turned around. Yong-Ho followed and when he turned around, he was the Kobold, who was wagging their tail excitedly, and the Princess Ant. The Kobold was hold the rope that was tied around the Princess Ant¡¯s wrists.

    It was a pretty shocking sight because it was like a dog was carrying around a leash, but the important thing was that that wasn¡¯t it.

    The Princess Ant was outside of the prison.

    Eligor exined.

    "The prison cell was too small, so we didn¡¯t have a choice. They¡¯re not experienced in fighting and they have a gentle personality, so I let the Kobold watch them and moved them to the spirits¡¯ dormitory. I apologize for doing this without your approval, sir."

    It was true that they exceeded their authority, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care.

    For the past 31 hours, Yong-Ho was in an unconscious state and during that time, Eligor did what he was supposed to do.

    On top of that, Eligor was the butler of the House of Mammon.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he saw the second highest ranking spirit in the dungeon. This can be seen as Eligorpleting a simple task.

    After Yong-Ho told Eligor that it was okay, he motioned the Kobold and the Princess Ant toe closer.

    The Kobold quietly nced at Yong-Ho and then sat on top of the mat with the Princess Ant. The Princess Ant quietly ate the food that the Kobold grabbed and from the looks of it, they could probably registered as a dungeon spirit soon.

    But before that, they had to take care of the Orcs.

    Yong-Ho stood up after he finished eating. He headed towards to the prison cell with Catalina, Eligor and Skull.

    His goal was to bring them to his side and obtain information about Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    There was still a lot to do today.

    <Unity Evolution #3> End.

 Chapter 47

    <h4><strong><Unity Evolution #4></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    The Treant and the smander were the ones guarding the prison. The two could go up against Skull when it came to spacing out, so it was their calling to y the role of the guard.

    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the prison, the Treant bowed and removed the root that was ced on the entrance so that he could enter. The smander was also crouched in front of the prison door and when they noticed Yong-Ho, they greeted him by bowing.

    The Orcs were sprawled out inside of the cell and they reacted when Yong-Ho walked in. They didn¡¯t stand up and show their respect towards him, but the ones that were lying down sat up and a few of them observed Yong-Ho sharply.

    After looking at each and every one, Yong-Ho looked at the Orc that was sitting in the innermost part of the cell.

    It was the Orc, Rikum, the one with injured eye that Eligor informed him about.

    Unlike the other Orcs, Rikum didn¡¯t observe or re at him. Rikum looked at him with aposed look and stood up as if they knew what was going to happen to them from now on. They looked at Yong-Ho and gave him a small nod.

    Catalina stood next to Yong-Ho. Eligor and Skull both opened the cell door after Yong-Ho gave them the signal.

    "Come out Rikum. Our master would like to speak with you."

    He had a serious tone. While the other Orcs were quietly talking amongst themselves, Rikum walked out confidently. After Eligor closed the door, he turned towards Yong-Ho.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    The Orcs started talking amongst themselves again, but when Rikum slightly raised his hand to tell them that it was okay, they became quiet. Like Eligor had stated, it seemed like Rikum had great leadership over the Orcs that were in the cell.

    ¡¯In that case, if Rikum joins our side, does that mean the issue with the prisoners will be resolved?¡¯

    As of right now, it didn¡¯t look too bad. If they didn¡¯t have a leader, they would all have different opinions and it would be that much harder to take care of them.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t walk far and led Rikum to the room that was next to the prison. It was an empty room, but thanks to Eligor bringing a table and chairs, it didn¡¯t look that empty.

    Yong-Ho and Rikum sat across from each other while Catalina and Eligor stood behind Yong-Ho and Skull stood behind Rikum.

    Yong-Ho went straight to the point.

    "I heard that you¡¯re willing to be a spirit for the House of Mammon."

    "That¡¯s correct. Me and the other six Orcs have the same thoughts.

    He didn¡¯t feel ufortable around Rikum.

    Yong-Ho was willing to take them in as spirits and they were willing to be spirits.

    It was being easily resolved that he suddenly felt awkward for creating such a heavy atmosphere.

    However, Rikum didn¡¯t finish talking and Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure if he should be worried or relieved.

    "But, I would like to offer a small work condition. We¡¯re in the state of bing spirits since we surrendered and honestly, we¡¯re thankful that we¡¯re not being sold to the dungeon shop as ves, but...since we¡¯re being used for the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, I believe it¡¯s only right that we receive a base pay at the market value."

    ¡¯Base pay?¡¯

    "Dungeon spirits can be separated into ve spirits and free spirits. And since free spirits are being ¡¯employed¡¯ by the dungeon¡¯s owner, there are a lot of cases where they for a fixed pay."

    "Honestly, Catalina and Eligor are spirits that belong to house and since they work as a guard and a butler, it¡¯s normal for them to be paid."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if they were whispering to him.

    It was a reasonable exnation. It was weird that he didn¡¯t think of it before.

    The dungeon spirits weren¡¯t characters in a game. Since they made their living within the dungeon, just food and shelter alone couldn¡¯t satisfy them.

    ¡¯In that case.¡¯

    Not too long after he ascended the throne, Eligor gave him money saying that he saved them in case of an emergency.

    That saving probably came from his pay.

    ¡¯The previous two owners have been paying, but I haven¡¯t.¡¯

    Of course it¡¯s because the dungeon wasn¡¯t in the best condition.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s conscious was oddly affected by this, so he turned his head and looked at Catalina.

    Because of their rtionship as owner and spirit, they were able tomunicate just with their eyes alone.

    With his eyes, Yong-Ho asked if she wanted to receive pay too and she somehow understood right away because she started twisting her body and disyed a puzzled look on her face. She kind of had a sad expression, but it seemed like she was, "N-no. I-I¡¯m fine."

    But after seeing her droopy ears and eyes slightly filled with expectations, it seemed like she did want it.

    Well, Catalina probably had things she wanted to buy as well. He felt bad that she was wearing the same clothes every day.

    Yong-Ho sent a message saying, "Okay, I¡¯ll take care of you soon. You trust me, right?" and she slightly nodded her head as she tried to hold in her smile.

    ¡¯Seven Orcs, Catalina and Eligor...unexpected costs have suddenly been created.¡¯

    Of course Yong-Ho didn¡¯t provide just food and shelter for the spirits.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the only one that benefited from the Power of Evolution. The spirits are able to transform their existence and this was more beneficial than receiving pay.

    Even though the Orcs saw Yong-Ho use the Power of Evolution, they didn¡¯t know what it was and how it will benefit them.

    Even if he renegotiatedter with the Power of Evolution, then he wouldn¡¯t have to spend as much.

    Anyways, this was something he could think aboutter.

    Yong-Ho focused on Rikum again.

    "Is that your only condition?"

    "We¡¯re not in the position to ask for more, so we¡¯re satisfied with that."

    Rikum replied seriously again. He probably organized his thoughts while he was sitting in that cell.

    "Great, then let¡¯s start the registration process. Is that okay?"

    "I¡¯m ready when you are."

    They say to strike while the iron is hot, so Yong-Ho didn¡¯t want to waste any time. He stood up from his seat and approached Rikum and Rikum quietly closed his eyes and lowered his head.

    "With the death of their owner, the spirit contract from before has weakened."

    "Some of the mana will be used when the contract is terminated and new contract has been established."

    "I¡¯ll begin."

    Yong-Ho ced his hand in the air above Rikum¡¯s forehead. Like when the smander was registered as a spirit, mana was released from the tip of his right hand, and a magical crest that wasn¡¯t there before appeared. It was Foras¡¯s crest.

    When an owner dies, the contract between the owner and the spirit will weaken as time goes by and will eventually disappear, unless the spirit does something about it before.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon destroyed Foras¡¯s magical crest. They engraved Yong-Ho¡¯s crest.

    The registration wasplete. After opening his eyes, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.

    [Name : Rikum (M)]

    [Race : Orc]

    [ss : Orc Warrior]

    [Attribute : Earth level 1]

    [Individual Nature]

    [Cautious / Simple-minded]

    [Individual Stat]

    [Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    Like the other spirits, it disyed detailed information.

    It meant that Rikum was sessfully registered as a dungeon spirit.

    The Power of Evolution analyzed the figure and extracted information regarding the development information. That¡¯s why, the skill can only be used on dungeon spirits that arepletely under Yong-Ho¡¯s control.

    Yong-Ho felt a bit tired, so he went back to his seat. He went straight to the point again.

    "Now, I would like to talk about Foras¡¯s dungeon."

    "Yes, sir."

    Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s been officially registered as the dungeon spirit, but Rikum spoke with respect. After collecting his breath, he started talking.

    "The previous owner...so, Foras still has a young sessor. They probably already know about Foras¡¯s death, so they¡¯ve probably ascended to the throne by now as the new owner."

    "What kind of a person are they?"

    He was worried. If they decided to attack in order to get revenge, they can be an annoying enemy.

    Rikum must¡¯ve noticed Yong-Ho¡¯s thoughts because they answered in a slightly soft tone.

    "Like I¡¯ve mentioned, they¡¯re still young. Even though they¡¯re Foras¡¯s child, they¡¯re inexperienced and I believe it¡¯s too much for them to take the role as the owner. Because of that, the butler that¡¯s left in the dungeon is probably ying the role of the owner. Because of the current situation and based on their personality, there¡¯s a high possibility that they may focus on defense for the time being."

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about revenge. Yong-Ho asked more.

    "How are the remaining traps and spirits in the dungeon?"

    "Since Foras had to leave the young sessor behind, Foras made sure the defense of the dungeon was in working condition. There are a lot of nobatant workers, but there are over 50 dungeon spirits left and the dungeon itself is prepared for the enemy¡¯s attack."

    "So it¡¯s not an empty dungeon."

    It was a bit unfortunate.

    But it was obvious. Having all the spirits participate in the fight was too much and was also a reckless thing to do. The Foras that Yong-Ho went up against wasn¡¯t stupid.

    Rikum spoke.

    "But, despite of that, it¡¯s safe to say that the dungeon¡¯s defense isn¡¯t half as good as the time Foras was alive. In many ways, Foras was the most powerful being in the dungeon and he¡¯s dead and most of the fighting spirits are dead as well. It¡¯s probably not my ce to say this after experiencing it, but...with traps alone, there¡¯s a limit to how much they can defend against the enemy."

    Rikum stopped talking for a moment and ced their hand on the table. He moved his fingers little by little and pointed so that Yong-Ho was able to see clearly. It seemed like they were exining about the location of the owners that were nearby.

    "The owners nearby will want the dungeon for themselves once they hear of Foras¡¯s death. Within a few days, there may be a dungeon fight within Foras¡¯s dungeon."

    This was a valid information too. Yong-Ho organized his thoughts once again.

    Eligor, who was standing quietly, carefully spoke.

    "If I may, sir, I think it¡¯s a good idea to leave the dungeon as it is. We¡¯ll be using Foras¡¯s dungeon as a shield."

    "Against the owners that are located nearby?"

    "You¡¯re definitely wise, sir."

    A warm smile appeared on Eligor¡¯s face.

    When looking at it geographically, Foras¡¯s dungeon was located in front of the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, so it they were like a castle gate. Like Eligor mentioned, using it as a shield would be great since it was located in front of them.

    Rikum stated this before, but as long as the defense was good, then Foras¡¯s dungeon wouldn¡¯t fall into the other owner¡¯s hand so easily.

    In that case, it would be best to keep an eye on it. If the other owners fought amongst themselves for it, then that¡¯ll be great and even if one of them did win, they¡¯ll be weak due to the exhaustion from the battle and it¡¯ll be beneficial for him to attack then.

    Yong-Ho asked Rikum again.

    "Do you know anything regarding the other owners or the recent situation of this emptynd?"

    "The only thing I know of is that a strong demon appeared in the northern region and the other owners have been surrendering to them. If you¡¯re wanting to gather information, I think visiting the nearby pub is a good idea."

    "Pub?"

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know what the word meant. He was just surprised because the word didn¡¯t match the current situation.

    "It¡¯s located either in a vige or a meeting ce that¡¯s in-between dungeons."

    Along with Eligor, the Spirit of the Dungeon exined it to Yong-Ho.

    "Strong demons mark their dungeons as well as thends around their dungeons as their territory."

    "However, most demons within the emptynd don¡¯t have their own territory set aside, so there are a lot of viges that doesn¡¯t belong to anyone."

    "There are a lot that pass through, so you¡¯ll be able to gather a lot of information and hire wandering spirits as well."

    Their exnation excited Yong-Ho.

    "Got it. I¡¯ll think about it."

    Yong-Ho stood up after finishing his talk with Rikum. He headed towards the prison again so registering the other Orcs.

    &

    It wasn¡¯t that hard to register the remaining Orcs as dungeon spirits.

    What came after was the problem.

    They were unlike the Golems, so these seven spirits needed their own living spaces, so there was a need to expand the facility to make room for them.

    The y Golem and the Rock Golem, who were used as guards and workers, were no longer here, so they were short when it came to mining restructuring the dungeonyout.

    He could¡¯ve used the Orcs as workers, but since they were being used as ¡¯soldiers,¡¯ they needed professional workers.

    First, Yong-Ho put Eligor in charge of the Orcs and headed towards the throne room while holding a report that had specifications and numbers on the war carriages. With the money received from selling the carriages and the money that Foras had, he was nning on buying workers.

    But, as soon as Yong-Ho was about sit on the throne.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon, who had been quiet all this time, mumbled in a slightly timid tone.

    "Sir, I apologize for bothering you while you¡¯re busy, but...aren¡¯t you forgetting something?"

    They were different from normal because they seemed unsatisfied and was a bit immature.

    Why were they acting like this all of a sudden?

    Yong-Ho soon found out the reason.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon¡¯s growth.

    They told him not to forget and requested that Yong-Ho visit the Heart of the Dungeon.

    "Before you go to the dungeon shop and purchase new spirits, it¡¯s best for you to understand the dungeon¡¯s new functions and facilities."

    "That¡¯s all. I¡¯m not sad about it at all."

    "You understand me, right?"

    Yong-Ho chuckled at her girlish reaction. He turned around and headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon.

    Information about the dungeon¡¯s growth and new facilities.

    He was prepared for it when he woke up, but

    There was just too many things to do today.

    <Unity Evolution #4> End.

 Chapter 48

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Reorganization #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    No matter what anyone said, the Heart of the Dungeon was the most important location within the dungeon.

    The Heart of the Dungeon provided mana to all the facilities within the dungeon and the Spirit of the Dungeon, who was like the manager of the dungeon, lived there.

    If the Heart of the Dungeon dies, then the dungeon dies too.

    The dungeon wasn¡¯t a simple location or building. It was an enormous spirit.

    With Catalina following behind him, Yong-Ho entered the secret room that was in the Heart of the Dungeon. The bleak room wasn¡¯t any different from thest time he visited.

    "You¡¯re here, master."

    "You didn¡¯t have to rush here."

    A moment ago, the Spirit of the Dungeon was urging for him to go, but now, they were cunning.

    There was a reason why she had the voice of a little girl.

    Since it was such a cute whine, Yong-Ho just chuckled and approached the Heart of the Dungeon. The Heart of the Dungeon was ced on top of a rough altar and they were releasing an even brighter light than thest time he visited.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke.

    "Because you¡¯ve gotten stronger, I was given the chance to grow as well."

    "The mana that I need in order to grow has been charged, so all you have to do is give me your approval."

    "Please ce both of your hands on top of my body."

    Yong-Ho followed their instructions and ced both of his hands on top of the marble that was releasing an emerald-colored light.

    It was warm. It was simr to body heat.

    Yong-Ho instinctively replied to the question that popped in his head. He approved the Spirit of the Dungeon¡¯s growth.

    Momentster, it felt like his hands were being sucked into the Heart of the Dungeon. The light that was released from the Heart of the Dungeon grew bigger that the emerald light filled the entire room.

    Secondster.

    The light dimmed. A happy voice filled Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    "The Spirit of the Dungeon has grown!"

    "Their dungeon management skill has increased. They¡¯re able to install new dungeon facilities and manage them!"

    It was something he expected, but the fact that they announced their growth was kind of funny.

    They must¡¯ve read his mind because they spoke with a surprised tone.

    "E-everyone does it like this. This is the general format that the dungeon shop entered."

    Yong-Ho just smiled. Just like the spirits, they were connected to him as well, so he could feel the Spirit of the Dungeon being embarrassed.

    The Heart of the Dungeon did grow.

    The marble was as big as a person¡¯s head, but now they were 1.5 timesrger and the rough rectangr-shaped altar changed into a trapezoid.

    But the biggest change was the room that the Heart of the Dungeon was in. From the dark, rough stone room, he could feel a small amount of warm mana.

    "What kind of new facilities can be installed? And the new ones that we can activate."

    Instead of replying right away, the Spirit of the Dungeon waited for a bit. It seemed like they were sulking, but it was only for a moment. Then, they answered happily.

    "The dungeon¡¯s daily mana production volume and the maximum mana storage volume has been increased. And, the way the mana is distributed will be more efficient."

    "And I think this can only be done once, but your room and the the facilities within the dungeon can be relocated."

    "Relocate? Are you saying I can change the actualyout? More than now?"

    The dungeon wasn¡¯t a fixed building and more like a giant spirit. There was a time when they slightly lengthen the distance between the throne room and the entrance.

    But all they did during that time was slightly increase the distance. But it was different this time. The Spirit of the Dungeon was saying they could do more.

    "Yes. Relocating the facilities does take up a lot mana, but other ordinary dungeons are able to do this too."

    "But for the House of Mammon, there¡¯s a small special detail that¡¯s included."

    As soon as they stopped talking, a window of light that filled one side of the wall appeared. It looked like they were going to show the dungeon map.

    When the window suddenly appeared, Catalina, who was looking around, started blinking her eyes. Yong-Ho felt a presence, so when he looked back, he asked the Spirit of the Dungeon.

    "Is Catalina able to listen to your exnation as well?"

    "It¡¯s possible."

    Their answer ringed inside Yong-Ho¡¯s head, but in a corner of the window, words appeared which looked like subtitles.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon started exining.

    "The House of Mammon¡¯s inactivated areas are like the ocean. The activated rooms are the inds on top of the ocean."

    An ind was floating in the middle of a blue ocean. And when they slowed down, they started seeing other things around the ind.

    A small deserted ind and arge vessel with its anchor on that ind. There were inds that wererger than the one in the middle.

    "The inheritance that¡¯s been left by the previous owners in the inactivated rooms are the inds that are floating or boats that¡¯s been drifting."

    Aamon, the gold mine that had Kaiwan¡¯s mark and other inheritance were marked either on the floating inds or on the drifting boats.

    "The dungeon facilities that the two previous owners left have been reverted by Eligor so that the dungeon could survive. But those inheritances are located somewhere within the dungeon."

    They slowed down again. The number of inds and ships that were on the ocean increased as well.

    "The dungeon relocation is done based on the dungeon¡¯s entire area, but for the House of Mammon, the areas within my control are the only ones that are possible."

    "And the controlled areas are the ces that I¡¯ve activated so far?"

    "That¡¯s correct."

    "On top of that, out of the dungeon facilities, the location of the gold mine cannot be moved. Please keep that in mind."

    The video of the ocean that was disyed on the window disappeared and the dungeon map that he was familiar with appeared.

    Yong-Ho looked at the map for a moment and then nodded his head.

    He wanted to relocate the passageway that was connected to the entrance, so this was good.

    While doing this, he thought it would be best to move the Heart of the Dungeon and the throne room further back and relocated the armory and the other facilities near the throne room.

    Having a detailed dungeonyout was the basics of the basics when it came to dungeon defense.

    "What kind of new dungeon facilities can be added?"

    "The facilities that the previous owners developed or theyout that the dungeon shop designed already can be built."

    "With my current skill, I¡¯m able to build the dungeon prison, a dungeon waterway, a spirit dormitory, a basic dungeon workshop and a basic dungeon training ground."

    "Unlike the prison that we have, the one I can build is managed through mana. It not only drains out the stamina and mana of the prisoners, but it slowly decreases their will to resist."

    On the window of light, an illustration of the prison appeared. A magic circle was drawn on the ground and the Orcs that were imprisoned there looked real.

    "If a waterway is installed, it will supply water. For the House of Mammon, there¡¯s an underground water source that the previous owners used, so we¡¯ll be able to get the water from there."

    "When installing the waterway, it¡¯s best to think about the direction of the dungeon facilities."

    This time, he imagined Eligor drinking water from the waterway with a bright smile on his face.

    Eligor had to go outside of the dungeon every morning to get water, so imagining Eligor with that smile made Yong-Ho feel bad.

    ¡¯It¡¯ll definitely be useful if we have a waterway. If possible, we might even be able to build a bathhouse. And we could even install a kitchen.¡¯

    Just imagining it made it seem like the dungeon life became more luxurious. Yong-Ho asked."Does the spirit dormitory have some sort of special function like the prison?"

    "Mana will be provided so that it can relieve the exhaustion that the spirits feel. Heating and cooling is possible as well."

    Catalina¡¯s ears and tail started dancing around at the sound of heating and cooling.

    "The dungeon workshop is a ce where items that are needed in the dungeon can be created. Since it¡¯s a basic workshop, it can support basic production facilities through the anvil and small furnace."

    "It¡¯s not created automatically?"

    "Employing a spirit with manufacturing skills..."

    It was selfish of him to expect the items to be created by themselves.

    Yong-Ho thought about the Dwarf spirit he saw before and nodded his head.

    "Is the dungeon training ground a ce to train the spirits?"

    "That¡¯s correct."

    "It¡¯s a ce to increase the effects of thebat training through mana."

    "It won¡¯t be as much as the actual battle, but I believe it can increase the development rate."

    "It requires a space that¡¯srger than your room, so please keep that in mind."

    In the window of light, it disyed the Goblins using the bamboo spears to attack the dummies that were set up.

    It was probably good for spirits like Eligor since he wasn¡¯t a fighting spirit.

    "Great, I¡¯m starting to get an idea. Thanks. It¡¯s a good thing I listened."

    "It makes me happy that you¡¯re happy."

    "The facilities that I¡¯ve exined to you can be further developed."

    "Please keep that in mind as well."

    As soon as the Spirit of the Dungeon replied happily, the window of light disappeared.

    But then Yong-Ho spoke.

    "I was wondering. Can I...give you a name?"

    They didn¡¯t answer right away. A person would¡¯ve already blinked several of times during this period and he finally heard their voice.

    "Um, are you talking about my name?"

    "Yeah, your name."

    The Spirit of the Dungeon didn¡¯t reply again. But Yong-Ho could tell that they were happy, causing him to chuckle. He thought for a moment and then spoke.

    "What about Lucia?"

    It was the name of a NPC that appeared in a game that Yong-Ho yed often.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon replied right away.

    "I like it. I like the image as well. Is that how you¡¯re imagining me as, sir?"

    Since his thoughts were shared with them, they found the source of the name.

    It was a cute little girl with long, sky blue hair.

    "Okay, Lucia. I¡¯ll be going to the dungeon shop."

    "Understood."

    "I¡¯ll be waiting for you."

    Maybe it was all in his head, but the Spirit of the Dungeon, no, Lucia, answered in a more energetic and brighter tone than before.

    &

    As the Heart of the Dungeon grew, the altar that it was ced in wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s throne also changed as well. The hard, square-shaped rock throne now had shapes.

    ¡¯It¡¯s still pretty hard though.¡¯

    Yong-Ho sat on the throne while happilyining about it. The report that Eligor made was sitting on top of the dungeon shop¡¯s magic circle.

    "I¡¯ll be back."

    Yong-Ho spoke right before closing his eyes and Catalina, who was standing in front of the throne, replied while her ears were slightly fluttering.

    "Yes, sir. We¡¯ll be waiting."

    She said the same thing as Lucia. Is she being jealous of Lucia as well?

    Yong-Ho purposely didn¡¯t point it out. After looking at her slightly pursed lips with a slightly annoyed expression, he closed his eyes.

    He connected to the dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space.

    &

    In a room where both the sky and the ground was white, there was arge bed in the middle. And a beautiful woman with red hair was lying on the bedpletely defenseless.

    Yong-Ho was embarrassed.

    To be exact, he looked at the sleeping Sitri with an embarrassed expression.

    What kind of weing method was this?

    Sitri was wearing her usual provocative dress. Because of that, it was embarrassing to look at her and the shy Yong-Ho from his high school days returned, causing him to clear his throat several of times within the awkward atmosphere.

    Thankfully, she was a light sleeper, so she sat up like someone that was brought back to their senses. She blinked her eyes with a nk expression and when she saw Yong-Ho, she was surprised and quickly stood up.

    The bed disappeared in an instant and a luxurious looking sofa appeared. With a snap of her finger, her hair was taken care of and she gracefully sat on the sofa.

    But it waste.

    Yong-Ho coughed with the same embarrassing expression and because Sitri felt embarrassed as well, her cheeks turned red.

    "I tend to sleep a lot on a regr basis..."

    Sitri seemed different from all the other times and it reminded him more of Catalina.

    But still, Sitri was still Sitri. She calmed herself and created a sofa behind Yong-Ho as well. She spoke with a graceful smile as if the event that just urred didn¡¯t happen.

    "Seeing as how you¡¯re here, it means that you¡¯ve seeded in defending the dungeon. Congrattions on your victory. I believed that you would win and waited."

    It would be better to go along with it.

    "Thank you. I¡¯m also happy to be able to see you again."

    "Even though I¡¯m not personally assigned to you, we¡¯ve seen each other several of times. What did you want to purchase today? Are you here to exchange your prize or purchase material for...oh my, you obtained a third horn."

    Sitri spoke as he eyes widened. Yong-Ho nodded with aposed look. Instead of touching the third horn that he still felt ipatible with, he ced his hand on top of the sofa armrest in a rxed posture.

    "First, I would like to sell the prize."

    "Understood. I¡¯ll take a look at the item."

    Sitri didn¡¯t waste any time.

    She lightly snapped her finger and between Yong-Ho and Sitri, arge war carriage appeared.

    <Dungeon Reorganization #1> End.

 Chapter 49

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Reorganization #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Since he had to take care of a lot of things as soon as he woke up, Yong-Ho only saw the war carriage on the report that Eligor gave him.

    He did see it from afar when Foras brought it with him during the attack, but the only thing he could make out was that the color was ck and it was a square shaped carriage.

    "Hm, it¡¯s a KV-128. The KV series is one of the masterpieces. The fact that it¡¯s poorly designed is its w, but it¡¯s sturdy and powerful. The performance of the mana stored inside is pretty good as well."

    The war carriage that appeared between Yong-Ho and Sitri wasn¡¯t the one that Foras rode in.

    A number was written on the report and after the report on top of the magic circle, a model of the carriage was created.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes were filled with curiosity as well. The war carriage that was in front of him was like a tank.

    The body reminded him of a car because it was square-shaped and the color was ck, but there were six small wheels attached to it. Each of the wheels were armored and the window and door reminded him of a vehicle that escorted criminals.

    "The war carriage can be pulled by various animals, but it can also be moved through mana. Of course, it¡¯ll be a bit slower."

    Sitri spoke while pointing to various parts of the carriage and it reminded him of a narrator model at a car show. When she opened the door, there were equipments installed, which made it easy to operate.

    ¡¯It looks like one of those trucks that¡¯s used at a DMV.¡¯

    The handle, pedal and the stick to change to gear was exactly like a car. The way to operate it may be simr to the cars that¡¯s in the human world.

    Like the outer appearance, the inside was nd as well. There was a square box in the middle and there were chairs attached to the walls.

    Sitri pointed to the box and exined.

    "That¡¯s where the mana is stored and it moves the carriage. You can say that it¡¯s the core of the war carriage."

    Sitri stepped inside of the carriage and after waving her slim finger, she opened the top of the box. And then, just like the Heart of the Dungeon, a rock that was as big as a fist emitted a bright light.

    "It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that the cost of a war carriage changes depending on how powerful of a mana was used. ording to the report that Eligor wrote, it¡¯s equipped with KV-128¡¯s standard mana."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the armor that was attached to the carriage. If an extremely powerful mana was used, then he wouldn¡¯t have to use a horse or a beast and instead, could use it as an armored car.

    ¡¯I¡¯m sure I can cast some sort of defense skill, right?¡¯

    Yong-Ho remembered the defense skill that the Queen Ant used and looked at the war carriage after taking a step back. Sitri smiled lightly as she watched him.

    "The KV-128 that Foras used is more for transportation use. But, there are war carriages that are used for assault and breaking through traps. That¡¯s why they¡¯re called war carriages."

    After Sitri stepped off the carriage, the sound of the door closing filled the room. Thanks to that, Yong-Ho came back to his senses and focused on Sitri. He wanted to ask her to show him a catalogue of the war carriages, but held back. He didn¡¯t forget the reason why he came here.

    "I would like to sell three war carriages and six horses that pulled them."

    When thinking about just the size and the weight of the carriage, one would think that six horses are required to pull one carriage, but it only needed two. It¡¯s probably because of the mana stored inside.

    Through the recent battle, Yong-Ho obtained a total of five carriages.

    Out of the five, he decided to keep two and get rid of the remaining three.

    Sitri replied right away.

    "There are fine details whening up with the cost of a used KV-128. The actual price will have to be determined by one of our staff after they look at the actual carriage, but since you¡¯re a valuable customer, I¡¯ll make sure to provide you with a good price. I think this is a good price for them."

    As soon as she finished talking, a small window of light appeared before Yong-Ho. The minimum and maximum value were written, but it was 1.2 times more than what Eligor had calcted.

    "You¡¯re satisfied, aren¡¯t you?"

    Sitri asked as she tilted her head and Yong-Ho answered with a slightly sly smile.

    The war carriage disappeared and there was nothing else between Yong-Ho and Sitri.

    Sitri sat gracefully on the sofa again and stared at Yong-Ho. It was like she was asking him for the next transaction with her eyes.

    Yong-Ho also sat on the sofa. Instead of ying hard-to-get, he proposed the next transaction.

    "Since you¡¯ve provided the minimum value...I would like to purchase spirits to use as workers and materials that are needed to maintain the dungeon, based on that minimum value."

    Sitri didn¡¯t answer right away this time. She squinted her eyes and after touching her chin with her hand, she smiled while starting at Yong-Ho. This might be over exaggerating, but it was the smile that a teacher had when looking at their proud student.

    "Valuable customer, please excuse my rudeness."

    She fixed her posture after apologizing. She looked straight at Yong-Ho.

    "Honestly, I was worried that you were going to be reckless and say that you were going to attack Foras¡¯s dungeon. But it seems like it was a baseless rumor."

    "It¡¯s important to work on the dungeon right now. And..."

    "And?"

    "As the one that has Greed, it¡¯s funny for me to say this, but by going after Foras¡¯s dungeon now, we¡¯ll suffer a big loss in going after a small gain."

    Sitri giggled at Yong-Ho¡¯sment. Even though it was kind of a thoughtlessugh, since it came out from Sitri¡¯s mouth, it sounded extremely beautiful and elegant.

    "It¡¯s what I expect from you. You¡¯re definitely worthy enough to receive my love."

    Like always, Sitri expressed her kindness. Instead of falling into her eyes, Yong-Ho gulped.

    Yong-Ho predicted that Sitri may be the House of Mammon¡¯s guardian.

    However, even if that was true, she watched as the House of Mammon fell apart. The two previous owners didn¡¯t get help from Sitri.

    "On top of that...could I buy some information?"

    "What kind of information?"

    "I would like the buy information of the owners that are near Foras¡¯s dungeon. And if there are additional information regarding the owner that appeared in the north, I would like to buy that as well."

    This time, Sitri looked like she was contemting.

    She squinted her eyes as she slightly bit her lower lip and then shook her head.

    "You may think that I¡¯m being nosy, but personally, I don¡¯t rmend you purchasing information. I briefly mentioned itst time as well, but the information in the dungeon shop is quite expensive. And...while we¡¯re talking about this, it would be best for you to know the methods of obtaining information outside of the dungeon shop."

    It was definitely an advice.

    ¡¯Don¡¯t think too deeply about it.¡¯

    In the human world, when you be a regr at a shop, they usually give you benefits.

    He thought about this before, but Sitri was such a charming figure, that she was dangerous. No matter how he thought about it, trusting her recklessly would put him in a difficult situation.

    "Thank you for the advice. I would like to purchase three y Golems as workers and the materials written on the list."

    Just like Sitri, when Yong-Ho finished talking, he waved his finger and created a window of light. It was a list of food, materials and items that were needed at the dungeon.

    "Since you¡¯re purchasing three y Golems at once, I¡¯ll provide you with a discount, which means...you still have some money left. Will you purchase any additional items? Or will you make a payment on the loan that you received by putting the gold mine as coteral?"

    This time, a window of light was created in front of Yong-Ho. After seeing the marked amount, he had just enough money to purchase one Rank Three spirit.

    ¡¯I don¡¯t like being in debt, but...¡¯

    Now was the time to focus on investing more. Since he purchased the y Golems, it was only a matter of time before the gold mine became normal.

    "I want to purchase another spirit."

    "If I were to give you a small discount since you¡¯re a valuable customer, you may be able to purchase a Rank Three spirit. Should I give you the Rank Three catalogue?"

    Yong-Ho slightly shook his head at Sitri¡¯s question. He had already made up his mind when he decided to purchase additional spirits.

    "Is it possible to only see the spirits that have the skills to make items? If possible, I would like to give them the Master Craftsman role."

    "Understood. I¡¯ll have that ready for you."

    Sitri moved her finger in the air as if she was typing on a keyboard. And in front of Yong-Ho, catalogue that looked like a restaurant menu appeared.

    Sitri stood up from her seat. Like always, she spoke after gracefully showing her respect.

    "Valuable customer, I hope you have fun shopping. I¡¯ll be going back to sle...no, I¡¯ll take my leave. I¡¯ll see you next time."

    She cutely winked to cover her mistake and disappeared after turning into a light.

    Couple of secondster.

    Yong-Ho ended up chuckling after staring at the spot where Sitri disappeared. He was doing his best to hold himself back, but Sitri was so charming, that he wanted to cross the line.

    "Anyways, back to work."

    After pping his cheeks lightly, Yong-Ho looked at the catalogue. At the same time, arge window of light appeared and a list of spirits that had crafting skills appeared. The ranks disyed was from one to three.

    ¡¯Now, which one should I get?¡¯

    Picking an item was the funnest part.

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.

    &

    Yong-Ho returned two hours after he connected to the Virtual Space. His transaction with Sitri was short, but choosing the best spirit took up most of his time.

    ¡¯There was arge variety.¡¯

    After shaking his head, Yong-Ho stood up from the throne and stretched. Catalina was dozing off while sitting on the floor and woke up when she heard him.

    "You-you¡¯re back. I have been waiting for you."

    It felt like deja vu. Of course Sitri was a lot calmer than Catalina and didn¡¯t drool either.

    ¡¯Women do need their beauty sleep.¡¯

    Yong-Ho thought optimistically about it and purposely touched his chin to embarrass Catalina. Catalina found out what that meant and quickly wiped off the drool that was on her chin. It was fun seeing her face turn red.

    "Heh, heh."

    While Yong-Ho wasughing like an elementary kid, Catalina fixed herself and stood up straight. Even though it was a bitte and she could stop the cold female guard look, she spoke with that expression.

    "Eligor said he would prepare the food. He said it will also be the Orcs¡¯ weing party, like you ordered."

    "The Orcs are under Rikum¡¯s control and are currently resting in the spirit dormitory."

    "Skull, Treant and the smander are with them."

    "Jun has been leading the Goblins and are collecting the corpses of the Orcs."

    "It was Eligor¡¯s decision. The reason why he made that decision was because an unexpected resistance can ur."

    Eligor always had a thoughtful reason when taking care of a task.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon, Lucia, continued talking.

    "Eligor is preparing the food for the party."

    "Kobold and the Princess Ant are watching."

    Since he took care of the important tasks, he wanted to register the Princess Ant as a spirit as soon as possible.

    ¡¯I don¡¯t think she needs to be watched anymore.¡¯

    "Should I round up Rikum and the other Orcs?"

    Catalina asked with caution. Yong-Ho shook his head.

    "No, there¡¯s still time until dinner. And I¡¯m sure the living condition between the prison cell and the dorm is different. Let¡¯s not bother them and let them rest."

    "Yes, sir."

    The location wasn¡¯t the only issue. Up until yesterday, they were considered prisoners, so they were probably feeling ufortable. Letting them loosen up a bit before eating was the better choice.

    "Right, then let¡¯s go help Eligor."

    "Yes, sir."

    For some reason, her reply this time was much more energetic than the previous one.

    Yong-Ho left the throne room along with Catalina.

    <Dungeon Reorganization #2> End.

 Chapter 50

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Reorganization #3></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    "For master and the House of Mammon!"

    "Cheers!"

    "Cheers!"

    The spirits¡¯ dormitory.

    Since all the spirits in the House of Mammon gathered, therge dormitory seemed small.

    The spirits either had beer or a cup of alcohol that was avable in the dungeon world. Since the smander didn¡¯t have hands, a bowl filled with beer was ced next to their head and the Treant poured the beer on the roots using their vine.

    Eligor brought out arge amount of goods.

    There was so much that if the good that Yong-Ho ordered didn¡¯t arrive tomorrow, then they would have to starve for the next couple of days.

    There were meat that they obtained from the hunt and pancake was made with the milk, egg and flour that was purchased from the dungeon shop and a variety of vegetable stir fry.

    The dishes weren¡¯t that amazing, but there was arge amount.

    The only downside was thatpared to the food, there wasn¡¯t enough beer. It¡¯s because there wasn¡¯t a reason to drink it. But Eligor did purchase a case of it for Yong-Ho just in case and if wasn¡¯t for that, everyone would be drinking water.

    The Orcs were a more exciting race than Yong-Ho had originally thought.

    No, there might a difference in thought, but the Orcs who were new to the House of Mammon clearly disyed their likes and dislikes.

    Foras was the one that attacked the House of Mammon first.

    And Foras and his spirits were trying to kill Yong-Ho and his spirits.

    Rikum and the other Orcs put their lives on the line to kill their opponent and that thought didn¡¯t change.

    Dungeon fight ¨C For owners that only had one dungeon, they had no choice but to be aggressive about it.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they were putting everything on the line.

    In that fight, Foras lost and Yong-Ho won.

    That was enough. There wasn¡¯t a need to add the words revenge or grudge to a fight that was already over.

    Even though he only drank one cup, the alcohol helped create the atmosphere.

    The Orcs were able to realize that they survived.

    The Goblins were dancing amongst themselves and Kobold was barking while wagging their tail.

    The Princess Ant just sat there and watched everyone. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the food was good or because she enjoyed the atmosphere, but a small smile appeared on her face.

    At any rate, out of the spirits in the House of Mammon, the ones that "died" were the egoless y Golem and Rock Golem.

    If there was a different spirit that died, then it would¡¯ve been difficult for him to ept the Orcs so easily.

    Yong-Ho happily drank the beer. It¡¯s a given that he¡¯s never tried beer in the demon world, but he never tried foreign beers either. To him, alcohol was alcohol. The beer in the demon world must¡¯ve been stronger because he could feel himself getting a bit tipsy.

    "That¡¯s surprising."

    "Sir?"

    When Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina, who was sitting next to him and eating a piece of meat, tilted her head. Instead of answering her, he thought about it in his head.

    ¡¯I thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to drink, but she can hold her alcohol.¡¯

    Even though she drank arge cup, she was fine. He thought she would show her clumsy side again because of the alcohol.

    Yong-Ho felt a bit disappointed and covered his face by raising his ss. Catalina tilted her head several of times, but gave up and went back to eating her food.

    And another person was close to Yong-Ho.

    "Skullllll."

    Since they were a skeleton, they couldn¡¯t drink the beer. Instead of rolling on the ground, they poured the beer on Treant¡¯s root. They must¡¯ve drank twice as much as others because they moved their body happily.

    Two hourster.

    When the party was over, Yong-Ho let the Goblin Rangers and the Orcs clean up and dragged the key figures of the dungeon to the throne room.

    Eligor, the butler.

    Catalina, the guard.

    Skull, House of Mammon¡¯s ace.

    Rikum, the leader of the Orcs that recently joined.

    Even though he didn¡¯t drink a lot, he really enjoyed atmosphere that his body felt rxed.

    But before the day ended, there were topics he had to discuss.

    Even though he took care of many things throughout the day, there were still many things that he had to take care of as soon as possible.

    "A delivery man from the dungeon shop wille by tomorrow morning. That¡¯s why I would like to talk about the dungeon¡¯s rearrangement before theye."

    Catalina heard the exnation with Yong-Ho and even though they asked Skull toe, they wouldn¡¯t be able to express their thoughts.

    Since Eligor and Rikum were key figures within the dungeon, they already knew what the rearrangement was.

    Through the recent dungeon defense, Yong-Ho realized just how important theyout of the dungeon when it came to defending.

    The dungeon itself was the stage for the dungeonbat.

    The one defending the dungeon had to create a "battlefield" that was beneficial to them.

    Theyout of thend yed a big role duringbat and since he could rearrange it however he wanted, he couldn¡¯t express just how important it was.

    If he didn¡¯t think about the space and just ced one room after another, they could use Wall Break.

    But if they created a straight pathway, it would weaken the dungeon¡¯s defense.

    And if he focused just on the rooms and rearranged it that way, then it would be ufortable for everyone to live in.

    Yong-Ho created arge window of light. After excluding the entrance room, he created a dungeon map that had nothing in it.

    Yong-Ho and the spirits agreed that the throne room and the Heart of the Dungeon needed to be located more towards the back.

    The distance of the armory and the gold mine was greater than the distance between the throne room and the entrance room. By controlling the distance alone, it can increase the defense a lot.

    He decided to fill in most of it with the inactivated rooms that¡¯s been checked. It was nice to be able to use the empty spaces when needed, but there was a high chance that the enemy may use Wall Break on walls of the empty space.

    "Out of the inactivated rooms that¡¯s within my control that I¡¯ve ¡¯checked,¡¯ there aren¡¯t any rooms that contains the inheritance of the previous owners."

    The House of Mammon still had a lot of secrets.

    The area that was under the Spirit of Dungeon¡¯s control was maybe 20% to 30% of the entire first floor.

    For the rooms that were outside of that area, it was impossible for them detect whether it was an inactive room, a dead end or a room that contained the previous owners¡¯ inheritance.

    During the rearrangement, the gold mine became the reference point because it couldn¡¯t be moved.

    Yong-Ho moved the throne room and the Heart of the Dungeon to the innermost part, which was close to the gold mine.

    The passageway from the throne room to the entrance room was somewhat windy. After obtaining the space to ce the dormitory, the warehouse and other facilities road around the throne became pretty simple.

    "This should cover the basics...Are the new dungeon facilities next?"

    Below are the list of facilities that¡¯s currently in the dungeon.

    Gold mine, armory, dormitory, warehouse, prison and torture chamber.

    By waving his finger, he listed the facilities that he could add more of on the window of light.

    A source of water supply and a waterway, dungeon prison, dungeon spirit dormitory, basic dungeon training ground and basic dungeon workshop.

    He really wanted to add all of them at once, but he was limited on mana and material, so he had to choose.

    The facility that the spirits voted on, well, other than Skull since they only said their name, was the water supply and the waterway.

    The waterway was connected to the dungeonyout, so installing the waterway before the other facilities was the right thing to do.

    "There¡¯s a limit to where the water supply can be ced."

    "It can be the center of the dungeon life, so I rmend it cing it in the inner part of the dungeon."

    There were only three areas within their control where they could ce the water source. Yong-Ho picked the area that was closest to the throne room.

    After marking the water source on the dungeon map and connecting a waterway, an image of water flowing was added.

    Even though it wasn¡¯t actually installed and he was just seeing on the map, it made him feel proud for some reason.

    Yong-Ho slightly nced over at Eligor. It¡¯s because Eligor had to go outside of the dungeon to get the water, so Yong-Ho was sure that with this instation, he would feel very pleased.

    But it was different from what he expected.

    Eligor couldn¡¯t stay still as he looked at the map. It seemed like he was internally conflicted.

    "The pr-prison...but the waterway..."

    He was mumbling to himself, but since everyone was quiet, he heard him loud and clear.

    Yong-Ho chuckled and ced the next facility that the spirits rmended.

    Dungeon spirit dormitory.

    The number of spirits were increasing and in order to develop the dungeon, he was going to need a lot more spirits.

    Since he had to provide a separate living space based on their role and race, there wasn¡¯t enough space in the current dormitory.

    After adding the waterway and the dormitory, he barely had any mana and material left.

    Eligor started calcting to see if they could install a prison and Catalina and Rikum rmended on saving it. And like always, Skull excitedly said their name.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t follow their suggestions. There was something he already had in mind.

    "Basic...dungeon workshop?"

    Catalina blinked after seeing a new facility being installed. Eligor and Rikum also had a surprised expression.

    Yong-Ho enjoyed their expression and spoke.

    "I purchased a spirit that had the ability to create things. They might not be able to create something amazing, but they¡¯ll be able to make items that we need in our daily lives."

    Catalina¡¯s mouth opened when Yong-Ho spoke and Rikum quietly nodded his head because Foras¡¯s dungeon already had those types of spirits.

    And like always, Eligor had tears in his eyes.

    "Oh...a waterway, a workshop and a master craftsman...it seems like the groundwork for the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon is nearlyplete."

    Catalina must¡¯ve felt the same way as Eligor because she looked like she was touched. Rikum asked Yong-Ho.

    "What kind of spirit did you purchase? The price of a master craftsman varies depending on their skill...I heard that there are instances where free spirits ask for a lot more than what they deserve."

    "Among the Rank Three spirits, I chose the Dwarf. Like I mentioned before, we can¡¯t expect something great, but I¡¯m sure they can make items we can use daily."

    And Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution. The skill of a master craftsman didn¡¯t have any rtion to physical development, but if he focused on their talent and attribute stats, he was sure there would be results.

    "In Foras¡¯s dungeon, there is one Dwarf craftsman. Even though they were crude, they were talented. There is a bit of a difference between the Dwarves, but I think you made a great choice."

    After adding in the dungeon workshop, the dungeon map looked a lot better.

    ¡¯I¡¯m pretty proud of it.¡¯

    When he first came, the only facility the dungeon had was the throne room, making it a very bleak dungeon.

    Eligor managed to return to his normal self and asked Yong-Ho as he turned around.

    "A massive amount of mana and time is required when rearranging the dungeon. After the dungeon shop¡¯s delivery man arrives tomorrow, I¡¯ll make sure to make preparations for the rearrangement."

    It was a task topletely change the dungeon and even though it was a small housekeeping task, there was a need to do it.

    But Yong-Ho shook his head.

    "No, there¡¯s something else that needs to be done before that."

    Before rearranging the dungeon.

    Before the passageway that Yong-Ho saw changes.

    Catalina and Eligor both looked at Yong-Ho with a confused expression. Rikum wondered if it was regarding the pub that he mentioned before. Skull was rolling on the ground as always and was saying their name. It was more fitting because their body was now made out of stone.

    Yong-Ho looked at the silver ring that was on his left hand.

    A wolf that was swallowing a moon.

    A woman with silver hair saying that they¡¯ll rise up again no matter what.

    "The owner from three generations ago. We¡¯ll find Kaiwan¡¯s office."

    Kaiwan¡¯s journal might be there.

    Her records.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He recalled Kaiwan¡¯s face.

    <Dungeon Reorganization #3> End.

 Chapter 51

    Note: Thank you Benjamin K. for the donation! ^^

    Sponsored chapters will be released next week.

    <h4><strong><The Owner¡¯s Office></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    In the southern region of the demon world, there hasn¡¯t been an owner in over 1,000 years.

    After Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared, the House of Mammon quickly fell and they lost most of their dungeons and territories.

    The kings that were hiding under the King of Greed were eating a lion¡¯s corpse greedily.

    The empty southern region was like that corpse.

    For the ones that either had no value, were difficult to devour or couldn¡¯t be devoured, theybined it together.

    Corpses were stacked on the field.

    A foul smell spread due to the wind and the sound of crows cawing filled the night sky.

    Large beasts were sitting in the middle of the field and it was questionable whether they could be called wolves. And a man was standing in front of those wolves.

    They were wearing ck armor that covered their body. The color of their hair was as dark as their armor and it was so long that it started dancing in the wind. They had a short mustache on their thin face, but it was messy.

    The demon, Embrio.

    That was their name.

    The battle ended yesterday afternoon. The dungeon wasn¡¯t the only ce where battles took ce in the demon world. In order to stop them from gaining more power, the owners nearby teamed up and Embrio attacked them by boldly ambushing them.

    The battlested all day and in the end, Embrio won.

    There were four owners that teamed up.

    Among the four, two of them lost their lives here. The other two ran away to their dungeons. They probably increased their defenses or reached out to the owners in the south to gather new alliances. Embrio might be attacking the other owners in order to gain a little bit more power.

    It didn¡¯t matter which side it was.

    If he wanted to, he could barge into their dungeons and cut their heads off. But he didn¡¯t do that.

    If his power grew too fast, then it would catch the attention of the "kings."

    An owner that was a bit stronger.

    The one that appeared a few times in the empty southernnds during the past 1,000 years and they were like the darkness within the empty southernnds.

    Being recognized at their current level was enough.

    If the "King of Violence" started making a move, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. If she started moving, then the "King of Gluttony" would abandon Embrio without any hesitation.

    The first thing was to create chaos in the empty southern region.

    To break the peace like when pebbles are thrown on top of a stillke.

    A different smell was mixed into the dry wind.

    The wolves that were peacefully lying on the ground started raising their heads one by one. There were some that started growling and there were others that quietly put their guards up.

    Embrio felt a presence too. But instead of turning around, they started counting. After the young wolves¡¯ growling became louder, they slowly turned around as if they realized it after hearing the sound.

    "The king has recognized the victory. It¡¯s an undeserved honor, so be thankful about it."

    The rough and gloomy voice could be heard from the ground. They were the only contact to the King of Gluttony and they have never shown themselves before.

    Embrio bowed his head towards the surface of the ground. He showed his respect through a restrained movement.

    The ground didn¡¯t answer. But he felt a stare that felt like he was being pierced with swords.

    "Embrio. Stay devoted to your role."

    With a deep warning, the presence disappeared. After some time had passed, Embrio was able to fix his posture.

    A follower of the King of Gluttony.

    They were a very good supervisor.

    They didn¡¯t like Embrio and didn¡¯t try to hide it.

    A direct and arrogant person isn¡¯t able to see the things that are right under them. Their suspicion and hasty judgement towards Embrio became the shadow beneath their feet.

    The King of Gluttony was thinking about putting the empty southern region into his hands by using Embrio.

    They started off as a low-rank starving demon and after climbing thedder, they became the King of Gluttony. They were cautious and persistent and they were probably working on several other ns that Embrio didn¡¯t know about.

    Will they be able to use him?

    Embrio turned around again and looked towards the south. The wolves were like his friends and brothers and they also looked in the same direction.

    The empty southern region was abandoned.

    But it was also a useless region that no one imed.

    And if they were to unify thisnd?

    A dry wind blew.

    The wind that was filled with the smell of blood was headed towards the south.

    &

    Strike while the iron is hot was a saying that popped into Yong-Ho¡¯s head often.

    After finishing the meeting with the key figures of the dungeon, Yong-Ho immediately suggested that they find Kaiwan¡¯s office.

    The spirits assumed that the earliest they would leave would be tomorrow morning, so they were surprised.

    But Yong-Ho had his reasons.

    First, he didn¡¯t want to dy the dungeon rearrangement time.

    It was better to rearrange the dungeon as soon as possible. If searching for the office is dyed by a day, then the rearrangement would be dyed by a day as well.

    It was probable that no one knew that Yong-Ho had defeated Foras. But that didn¡¯t mean he could put his guard down. He didn¡¯t know how the other owners would move if they found out. It was better to increase the dungeon¡¯s defense as soon as possible.

    Second, he didn¡¯t need a lot of time to search for it.

    It was more of an assumption rather than a confirmation, but Yong-Ho thought of something.

    Through the dream, he was somewhat able to check the location of the office. Kaiwan was very fond of the gold mine and ced the office near it.

    The group of Crazy Ants that took over the gold mine were wiped out. Thanks to the group of Crazy Ants, he didn¡¯t see any other dungeon monsters, other than the Slimes. There was a high possibility that the area near the office has been taken over.

    Of course, everything was an assumption. But Yong-Ho really believed in those assumptions.

    Rikum agreed with Yong-Ho without any hesitation.

    Even though they were acknowledged as a key member, they didn¡¯t really know about the House of Mammon¡¯s situation. And it¡¯s only been a day since they changed from prisoners to employed spirits, so it wasn¡¯t easy for them to go against Yong-Ho.

    Skull said their name like always and Catalina¡¯s expression told him that she was going to follow him without questioning him.

    Eligor was the only one who was able to decline Yong-Ho¡¯s suggestion, but after looking at Yong-Ho, he ended up agreeing.

    "Please don¡¯t overdo it."

    Since thest agenda on the list was confirmed, the meeting was over. Yong-Ho headed towards the gold mine and Catalina was the only one that apanied him. Skull was going to follow, but Eligor gave an excuse and dragged Skull with him. And Eligor randomly winked towards Yong-Ho.

    "Even though the Crazy Ant colony has been wiped out, there¡¯s still a small amount of Slimes left."

    "It may be unexpected, but please be careful."

    While listening to Lucia¡¯s voice, Yong-Ho recalled the Slime.

    What kind of difference was there between the spirit Slime that was sold at the dungeon shop and the Slime that invaded near the gold mine?

    Smander was a dungeon monster that he registered as a spirit, so if he did the same thing to Slime, how useful would they be?

    ¡¯I could create a falling trap and fill the hole with Slimes...¡¯

    Even though they all looked the same, the strength of the acidity and battle methods differed immensely depending on the race.

    Most owners would gather a bunch of Slimes and after the battle, they would use the Slimes to either clean up the corpses or trash.

    As he was imagining about different things while walking, he arrived at the gold mine fairly quickly.

    The sleepy Catalina bit her lips a few times to stay awake and Yong-Ho concentrated to remember the sight he saw in his dream.

    It was a sight that would¡¯ve made Eligor release a deep sigh, but both of them were somewhat doing the best they could in the task that they were given.

    The gold mine was as big as the throne room and it was quiet. Like Lucia mentioned, a few Slimes were wondering around in different ces, but they didn¡¯t look hostile.

    Yong-Ho looked both ways while standing in the entrance and then walked towards the left wall.

    This was the unknown territory.

    But Yong-Ho had the best guide that was acknowledged by all.

    The power of Greed, which was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    Greed responded to Yong-Ho¡¯s will. In order to fulfill his desire, they started sniffing after the item that had value.

    The invisible power stretched out in all directions with Yong-Ho as the center.

    A part of it wrapped around Catalina and another part headed towards the gold mine.

    But what Yong-Ho wanted right now was different.

    Yong-Ho concentrated. He recalled Kaiwan¡¯s face and her office.

    Greed¡¯s energy gathered into one after it split off into different directions. Like apass, it guided Yong-Ho.

    After carefully walking while cing his hand on the wall, Yong-Ho stopped. Without saying a word, Lucia sensed Yong-Ho¡¯s will. A ce that wasn¡¯t blocked. Lucia found an inactivated room and activated it to create a path.

    Yong-Ho maintained his concentration. Catalina breathed as quietly as she could and followed behind him.

    Another room was activated.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina both stopped.

    A crest of a wolf swallowing a moon.

    The same crest that was in the armory appeared on the door in front of them.

    It was shabby and dirty. Unlike the armory, he could feel how much time had passed just from looking at the door.

    After taking a deep breath, Yong-Ho signaled Catalina with his eyes. They each grabbed a handle and after opening it at the same time, they hid their bodies towards the wall.

    Nothing happened. He was worried that there would be a dungeon monster inside, but it must¡¯ve been a baseless worry.

    After exchanging eye contact with each other again, they entered the office. Lucia spoke.

    "I¡¯ll begin the activation process for the office. Please wait a moment."

    Since it wasn¡¯t a big room, it was activated pretty quickly. Yong-Ho¡¯s room was big enough to ce a small table and a straw bed, but this room looked two times, no, three times bigger than this.

    Just like the door, the dust in the room showed how much time had passed. On top of that, it didn¡¯t smell good. The Crazy Ants or the Slime must¡¯ve infiltrated the office because things were damaged in different areas of the room.

    Yong-Ho briefly looked around the entire room.

    It had almost the sameyout as the dream. There were more documents than books on the shelves and on the desk.

    "Oh."

    Catalina released a sound. When Yong-Ho turned around, he saw Catalina holding up an old teddy bear that was ced on the corner of the desk.

    "Oh...do you think it belonged to Kaiwan?"

    It was a cute teddy bear that wasn¡¯t too different from the ones in the human world.

    Yong-Ho recalled Kaiwan for a moment.

    Her vicious eyes reminded him of a ck jaguar or a snake.

    It was more fitting to say that it belonged to the owner from two generations ago. But when he thought about it, Kaiwan had a childhood too. If he assumed that it was a teddy bear that she liked when she was younger, then it wouldn¡¯t be weird at all.

    When thinking about how she hugged the owner from two generations ago, treasuring a doll like this seemed natural.

    "There¡¯s a lot of documents in the study."

    "If you¡¯re going to move it, then I rmend calling the other spirits."

    Yong-Ho shook his head.

    Kaiwan¡¯s office was located outside of the gold mine room. Since he already decided to exclude the gold mine during the rearrangement, leaving the office as is was the best.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and instead of following Greed¡¯s lead again, he followed his memories. He approached the dusty desk and opened the drawer that Kaiwan hastily hid the item in.

    A thick, leather cover that didn¡¯t have any shape and a bracelet that had a small amount of mana greeted Yong-Ho.

    It was the item he saw in his dream.

    It could be a recorded report of the various inheritance that Kaiwan left along with the arena.

    It was Kaiwan¡¯s journal.

    &

    As soon as it was morning, the spirits moved around busily under Eligor¡¯smand. Before the rearrangement, they had to move the various household items into the gold mine.

    It was sad to say, but since the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon didn¡¯t have a lot of items, it didn¡¯t take a lot of time.

    Rearranging the entire dungeon was an extremely dangerous task.

    The dungeon bes powerless during the process. Even after the rearrangement process, the traps go missing, so it was still dangerous.

    Like always, the dungeon shop¡¯s delivery man arrived right on time.

    After handing over the war carriage and the valuable items, Yong-Ho received a box that contained various materials and spirits. Instead of heading towards the gold mine room, he turned his back towards the dungeon entrance and met Eligor.

    "I¡¯ll be back."

    "I wish you good luck, sir."

    It¡¯s been three days since he took down Foras.

    Now was the only time he could rearrange the dungeon without gaining attention from others, but now was also the only time where Yong-Ho could go outside of the dungeon and inspect other areas.

    Foras¡¯s sessor didn¡¯t have the power to attack the House of Mammon.

    The other owners were more likely to target Foras¡¯s dungeon rather than the House of Mammon since it was closer.

    On top of that, if the owner knew about Yong-Ho and Foras¡¯s dungeon battle, then they¡¯re even more likely to target Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    To the owners, the House of Mammon was considered a mysterious opponent and since Foras¡¯s dungeon lost their owner, they were powerless.

    Sitri said it before.

    He needed to know the method of obtaining information outside of the dungeon shop.

    He couldn¡¯t just stay inside the dungeon.

    He himself had to look at the empty southern region himself, know what the demon world was like, and what the current situation was.

    "I¡¯ll protect you with my life."

    "Skulllll!"

    Eligor couldn¡¯t get rid of his anxiety, so Catalina stood in front of him and spoke.

    With the fist that was holding the hammer, Skull tapped on his chest as if he was saying to leave it to him. Rikum, who had the role of the guide, told Eligor not to worry too much.

    "Let¡¯s hide the fact that I¡¯m an owner and say that I¡¯m a wandering demon. That¡¯ll make it a lot morefortable and safe. And I¡¯m pretty strong now, aren¡¯t I?"

    Aamon was ced on his waist like a sword and after tapping on them, Yong-Ho started bluffing, which made Eligor smile warmly.

    "I¡¯ll be waiting for you."

    "When youe back, you¡¯ll be surprised by how much the dungeon has changed."

    "You have to register the Princess Ant as a spirit and you have to analyze Kaiwan¡¯s journal as well, so please hurry back."

    "Got it? Hurry."

    Yong-Ho answered both Eligor and Lucia with a smile.

    And during that time, the Orcs must¡¯ve heard something from the Goblins because they became even more obedient and showed their respect towards Yong-Ho and expected great things from him.

    Since the Goblins didn¡¯t know exactly what the Power of Evolution was, they must¡¯ve interpreted as a blessing that allows you to be stronger.

    After talking with all the spirits, Yong-Ho left the dungeon with Catalina, Skull and Rikum.

    "It¡¯s this way."

    They brought out the four horses that were left after selling the rest to the dungeon shop.

    Rikum and Skull took the lead while Yong-Ho and Catalina followed behind them.

    Out of the many free cities that existed within the empty region.

    They headed towards Nuremberg because that¡¯s where the pub was located.

    <The Owner¡¯s Office> End.

 Chapter 52

    <h4><strong><Free City #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Riding a horse was harder than he imagined.

    Since a horse had four legs, just walking made Yong-Ho move around alot.

    On top of that, horses were a lot bigger than humans. So when they moved their body, the smallest movement felt big.

    Because of that, it was the same as sitting on a chair that kept on moving from side to side and up and down.

    And this movement was just the start.

    When the horse started running, the movement became even bigger.

    A horse wasn¡¯t an inanimate object like a bicycle or a car. It couldn¡¯t change directions or stop on its own.

    A connection with the horse was needed.

    Thanks to the advanced saddles that they were using, the difficulty level of riding a horse decreased, but it didn¡¯t mean that it was easy to ride it.

    In order to ride a horse, one needed strong stamina and extreme bnce that allowed them to endure the rough movement, the ability to connect with the horse, have the driving force required and the ability to lead so that they¡¯re able to rhythmically bnce themselves.

    There¡¯s a reason why people create dieting machines based on horse riding or the rodeo culture that was created.

    Riding a beast was that difficult.

    Catalina sat on top of a t rock and she opened her mouth while wagging her tail. Yong-Ho was sitting across from her and while he was writing on the ground with a stick, she spoke.

    "You seem to learn everything very quickly, sir."

    When the previous owner was alive, it was true that the House of Mammon was on the verge of falling, but it didn¡¯tpletely fall.

    As the guard, Catalina learned how to ride a horse from the previous guard. Because of that, she knew that it wasn¡¯t easy for a beginner to ride one.

    But Yong-Ho was able to ride a horse pretty well for his first time. He was even able to ride it while the horse was running.

    Of course it wasn¡¯t perfect, but for his first time, he was riding it pretty well.

    Yong-Ho raised his head when he heard her admiring voice. He raised his shoulders as if to show that he was embarrassed by herpliment and then replied.

    "Well, even though I never rode a real horse before, I rode a lot of horse-riding machines."

    It¡¯s been several years since his father bought Yong-Ho a horse-riding machine while he was drunk and told him that he¡¯ll have to ride a horse when he bes a demon someday.

    It was an intense night where his mother pped his father¡¯s back, but Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t forget about that day.

    It¡¯s because it was the same day where he found out that the blood of a demon was flowing through his body.

    ¡¯I wonder if they¡¯re doing well.¡¯

    Yong-Ho grew up to be a mature son that never ran away from home, so the fact that he left home one day by leaving just a letter was an issue.

    Now that he thought about it, that wasn¡¯t the only problem.

    ¡¯My studies.¡¯

    Since he hasn¡¯t been attending ss, he might¡¯ve made the achievement of getting a F for all of his sses.

    Yong-Ho chuckled without knowing.

    Just a month ago, his home and school were his reality. His school was the third most scary ce and there wasn¡¯t anything else in the world that was more stressful than theputer major women that he saw in the freshman meeting.

    But everything was different now.

    "Master?"

    "It¡¯s nothing. I think you¡¯re way prettier than Ye-Jin."

    Catalina was surprised by his suddenpliment, but it seemed like she liked it because her lips were going up.

    Yong-Ho turned his eyes to the ground again. The reason why Yong-Ho used the word, "everything," was in front of him.

    The words that he wrote using the stick.

    It looked like those runes that are seen in games.

    Last night, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to read Kaiwan¡¯s journal.

    The reason was simple.

    He couldn¡¯t read the words.

    An author named, the Evil Spirit of the Past, engraved a "World-ss Magic" into the demon world and because of that it was possible for everyone in this world tomunicate despite the difference in race.

    It¡¯s all thanks to their magic that Yong-Ho was able tomunicate with Catalina and Eligor without any issues when he first came here.

    He noticed after realizing it, but aftering to this world, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t use Korean. Even though he was thinking in Korean, the wordsing out of his mouth were the demon world¡¯snguage.

    It was possible tomunicate.

    In the dungeon Virtual Space, thanks to the magic, he was able to understand the meaning of the demon world words, even though it was his first time seeing it.

    But Kaiwan¡¯s journal was different. Since it was written without the use of magic, he couldn¡¯t read it.

    ¡¯The white is the paper and the ck are the words.¡¯

    That¡¯s why, Yong-Ho has been learning thenguage from Catalina sincest night. If he memorized the words of thenguage, then he¡¯ll be able to somewhat interpret the journal.

    Of course he couldn¡¯t ask Catalina or Eligor to interpret it for him. That¡¯s how they took care of the records that were left by the two previous owners.

    But he couldn¡¯t do that with the journal. Catalina read a bit of the front pagest night and after reading it, she confirmed that it was close to a very personal journal.

    Even though they were already dead, he didn¡¯t know what to say. Maybe it¡¯s because he saw her in his dream, but if possible, he wanted to protect her privacy.

    ¡¯They even hid a teddy bear in their office, so who knows what kind of information is in here...¡¯

    Both Catalina and Eligor admired Kaiwan and there was a high chance that there was shocking and dreadful information in there.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho started learning the words of the demon world.

    To say that the owner was illiterate didn¡¯t make sense. He had to memorize them for the future.

    Using his feet instead of the stick, Yong-Ho erased the words and stood up. The horses looked like they got enough rest, so it was time to start moving again.

    After checking the condition of the horses, Rikum spoke.

    "It would be best for Skull and Catalina to switch horses. I think the horse is exhausted because of the weight."

    Since Skull became a Rock Skeleton Warrior, their weight went way over 100kg. And since they were wearing armor, their weight was close to 200kg, so it was obvious that the horse would be exhausted.

    "Skulll..."

    Skull surprisingly became depressed when Rikum mentioned his weight and they mumbled to themselves. It could also be because they felt bad for the horse.

    ¡¯Now that I think about, Skull is good at riding a horse too. Were they a knight in their previous life?¡¯

    Yong-Ho was getting more and more curious about Skull¡¯s life, but there wasn¡¯t a way for him to find out.

    It took about two days by horse to get to Nuremberg from the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon. Since they had to camp out for at least one day, they had to find a good spot before night came.

    The sight of the demon world was a mess.

    Like in the Western movies, there was a wastnd that stretched out, but a river and forest would suddenly pop out and then a dead zone suddenly appeared.

    The group stopped at the wastnd and among them, they decided to camp out on a small rocky hill that was made up of rocks being stacked on top of each other.

    "Since the living condition in the forest has been built, we¡¯re not sure what kind of evil spirit is living there. It¡¯s not entirely safe to be in the wastnd either, but it¡¯s better than the forest."

    Rikum exined after lighting the wood on fire that he picked up while passing the forest. Just like when they¡¯re in the dungeon, Skull rolled on the ground and became one with the rocky hill and Catalina took out food from her bag.

    Rikum started exining once they were done preparing for the night.

    "Humans are able to live in the free city. Farming may be possible, there may be a water source or it may have some sort of value, like a mine. Since the demon world is a tough ce to live, for a human to live here, it¡¯s safe to say that the area is either owned by a demon or there¡¯s a free city."

    The survival of the fittest and thew of the jungle.

    The demon world¡¯s atmosphere was barren and a mess, so it was hard to say what would happen next.

    Those without power will be used no matter where they go. For weak spirits like the Goblins and the Imps, peace was something they had to give up.

    "Even though a free city doesn¡¯t belong to a specific demon, it doesn¡¯t mean that no one is controlling the city. Those that control those cities can be called owners without a dungeon."

    Rikum used a stick to draw a picture on the ground. They must¡¯ve had a talent for drawing because they created a pretty decent map.

    "Nuremburg is interestingly bnced between the many dungeons. There are about three dungeons where it will take them a day or two to arrive at the city."

    With Nuremburg in the center, Rikum created a triangle and pointed at each of the dungeons.

    "Foras¡¯s dungeon, Angdian¡¯s dungeon and Shikniel¡¯s dungeon."

    "Are those two dungeons targeting Foras¡¯s dungeon?"

    "There¡¯s a high chance that they are. A couple of days ago, the owner brought their soldier and hasn¡¯t returned yet. It may be difficult to get the exact details, but if they died during a battle, there¡¯s a high chance that that news already spread to the pub. Everyone has be sensitive due to the owner that appeared in the northern region...they¡¯ll most likely work harder than before to get more information."

    Rikum used the stick and pointed to Nuremburg again.

    "A lot of different beings gather at the pub. The owners of the pub put together all the information they¡¯ve gathered from different parts of the world and after they make a decent data, they sell it. And like I¡¯ve mentioned before, it¡¯s also a ce to hire spirits. For the wandering spirits, a pub within a free city is a ce they have to stop by."

    After hearing that, Yong-Ho briefly looked at Skull. Yong-Ho saw how Skull stayed still like a rock and then asked Rikum.

    "Among the wandering spirits, are there Undead spirits as well? A Lich with magic abilities...no, a Lich is a high-ss spirit, but anyways, an Undead below them that is able to use magic."

    A frown appeared on Rikum¡¯s face and when he answered, itcked confidence.

    "From what I know, there¡¯s barely any Undead among the wandering spirits. Most of them have already been registered. And like you¡¯ve said, if there was one that was on the same level as the Lich, it wouldn¡¯t be odd to control the Undead soldiers, but...hm, it will be difficult to meet one."

    "Well, then there¡¯s nothing I can do about it."

    He answered as if he was okay with it, but he did feel disappointed.

    ¡¯Union Evolution.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t confirm it since he only had one, but there was a high chance that he would be able to unify two Undead spirits.

    In that case, what would happen if he unified Skull with an Undead magician?

    Items like Mithril or Orichalcum ¨C of course he didn¡¯t know whether those metals existed in the demon world yet ¨C if he could unify the Orichalcum Death Knight Skull, who has already been evolved with a metal, with a Lich, what would happen?

    In that case, wouldn¡¯t a unique and amazing Undead Magic Knight be created?

    "Skull, skull."

    It seemed like it would happen in the distant future after seeing them roll around with that nk expression, but it was definitely far-off. It wasn¡¯t that it was impossible.

    Rikum carefully spoke after observing Yong-Ho¡¯s expression.

    "If you¡¯re looking for a magician or a magic book, then you¡¯ll be able to find them at the pub. Finding an Undead Magician may be difficult, but there are a lot of spirits that are able to use magic. If you¡¯re lucky, you may be able to learn a simple, yet special ability or magic."

    The more he heard about it, the more it sounded like an all-powerful store rather than a pub.

    After giving a simple reply, Yong-Ho raised his head. Night filled the demon world.

    Blue and purple covered the red and yellow light. And then ck covered those two colors.

    Yong-Ho was watching the flow of mana that was whirlpooling and after eating some food, he went to sleep.

    The night air was cold.

    &

    As soon as the sun came up, Yong-Ho quickly rode on the horse. Two days or Nuremburg only applied when they were constantly on the move. When thinking about giving the horses a break in between, there wasn¡¯t any time to waste.

    Like Rikum exined, once they got closer to and that had decent living conditions, he saw more wild animals, no, the number of wild evil spirits increased. There was arge wolf that was curled up and was ring his way and even though there was a decent distance between them, weak spirits were following behind them.

    ¡¯Should I try raising my level?¡¯

    Yong-Ho recalled the quest that he had to do in a ssic game he enjoyed ying and red at the weak spirits that were ncing at him.

    Even though they were weak, if he took them down, then his development rate may increase a little and he may obtain items.

    Even though it was small, it adds up.

    They were short on money anyways, so if they were to take them down, it might help. Even in the game, fighting rather than doing part-time jobs was more effective when trying to make money.

    ¡¯Stop it. This isn¡¯t some kind of game.¡¯

    Even though they were weak, it was an actual battle. An unexpected situation can ur. It was best to avoid unnecessary problems.

    "Skuullll."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head when Skull said their name as if they agreed. Skull used their thick, boney finger to point somewhere far instead of saying that they were near the free city.

    It was an extremelyrge bone. Seeing as how he could make out the form from afar, it was probably over 10 meters long.

    Rikum spoke.

    "It¡¯s the remains of a Land Worm. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen one that big."

    But Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    Even though he encounteredrge ants and Orcs after arriving to the demon world, it was shocking for him to see an evil spirit with a body thatrge.

    Catalina started talking when the shocked expression was disyed on Yong-Ho¡¯s face.

    "Large, evil spirits like the Land Worm tend to avoid ces where there¡¯s a lot of people. The free city is just up ahead, so you don¡¯t have to worry."

    She even disyed a friendly smile at the end.

    Like she had stated, the free city that was surrounded by a low fortress was not too far from them.

    Yong-Ho coughed to hide his embarrassment and then nodded his head.

    And then.

    The ground started shaking. It was weak at first, but a few secondster, it got stronger that they were able to really feel it!

    "Sk-Skulll?"

    Skull released a shocked voice. The horses flinched as they released a worried cry and Rikum quickly looked around.

    The vibration was getting near. Since it was approaching from a distance, it couldn¡¯t be an earthquake.

    There was something that popped into Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    He didn¡¯t even think it was impossible anymore.

    "Ca-Catalina?"

    "N-no way."

    Gullible-lina, no, Clumsy-lina spoke because she was surprised. During that time, the vibration was getting closer and they heard amotioning from the free city. They saw them quickly closing the gates.

    Yong-Ho yelled.

    "Run!"

    But it was toote. Before they could calm down the horses that were filled with fear, there was a boom. It burst out as if the ground exploded.

    "Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"

    A loud roar was released between the dust and the rocks that were falling down. Their body was over 10 meters long as they stood up straight.

    The horses were paralyzed so they couldn¡¯t move. Therge, evil spirit ¨C Land Worm, was shaking their head while roaring and looked at one particr spot.

    Gulp.

    Yong-Ho gulped.

    The Land Worm opened itsrge mouth.

    That moment felt like an eternity.

    It was a horrendous eye contact.

    The ground exploded again.

    The Land Worm was rushing towards Yong-Ho.

    <Free City #1> End.

 Chapter 53

    <h4><strong><Free City #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    A rushing dump truck, no, it felt like he was seconds away from getting hit by a rushing train.

    The Land Worm instantly filled his entire sight and their presence was enough to paralyze his mind.

    His life didn¡¯t sh in front of him. In between that short time, his instinct was the only thing that reacted.

    Boooooooom!

    The Land Worm hit the ground with its head. The surface broke. Within the dust, pieces of rock flew like grenade fragments.

    "Ack!"

    "Master!"

    "Skullll!"

    Between the screams, bones and flesh were being crushed. Like a frog that was in front of a snake, a horse froze in front of the Land Worm and their corpse rolled on the ground. There wasn¡¯t any blood flowing out and it was difficult to make out the horse¡¯s corpse.

    The Land Worm was covered in red, dead skin and just from one look, over 10 eyes were attached to them. Within the dust, those eyes were moving all at the same time.

    "Catalina!"

    Even though it was dangerous, Yong-Ho jumped off the horse and screamed. He yelled even though the dust made it difficult to see and there was a meaning behind his scream.

    They moved at the same time.

    Rikum first got on the horse and rode outside of the dust and Skull turned the horse around and went in the direction where he heard Yong-Ho¡¯s voice. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they were pulling the horse by force.

    The Land Worm released a bizarre sound and slightly raised their head. They moved their eyes at the same time and all looked at one direction. They weren¡¯t just rushing in. It was as if they had a goal and found a target for it.

    The dry wind blew the dust.

    After that, the fire that appeared dug into that empty spot. A vivid green colored the Land Worm¡¯s sight.

    Kyahhhhh!

    The Land Worm flinched at the fire and raised their head again. The part of the body that was out of the ground was almost 20 meters long, so they were overpowering.

    He didn¡¯t even have time to curse. Yong-Ho used Aamon again to release the fire. Skull rushed to Yong-Ho and after extending their hand out, Yong-Ho sprayed the fire all over the ce and grabbed SKull¡¯s hand.

    "Skullll!"

    Skull used their superhuman strength and lifted Yong-Ho. The horse was already having a hard time with carrying Skull, but now that he was carrying Yong-Ho, they cried out in pain, but now wasn¡¯t the time to stop. The Land Worm¡¯s eyes were busily moving around.

    Skull pushed the horse to go faster without looking back. Even though they felt like their legs were going to break, they continued running with everything they had. Yong-Ho looked back. He could clearly see their teeth and it reminded him of a shark¡¯s teeth. Even though there was some distance between them, it felt like he could feel their breathing on his back.

    But, Yong-Ho saw something else instead of the Land Worm. He confirmed that his yelling had been sessfully delivered.

    Catalina jumped off the horse andnded on the Land Worm¡¯s back. Her mobility was so unique that it looked like she kicked off the wall and the ground.

    The moment the Land Worm hit its head on the ground to attack Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho called out her name and Catalina understood.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t call out her name to ask her to rescue him.

    What Yong-Ho wanted.

    It was amand that she understood because her body, heart and soul were all dedicated to him!

    Can they run away from the Land Worm?

    It¡¯s impossible.

    Can they make the Land Worm give up?

    That was also impossible.

    Then there was only one answer.

    To fight and win!

    The moment the fire dispersed, Catalina didn¡¯t look back. She ced her feet on top of the horse¡¯s saddle and leaped as if she was flying.

    The moment the Land Worm¡¯s body was enveloped in fire, Catalina ran up their body.

    The Land Worm wasn¡¯t just a monster with a long body. Their body looked like a trapezoid rather than a cylinder and it had small hair and bumps. There was dead skin on their legs as well and they were all great supports for the Land Worm.

    The Land Worm turned its head to avoid Yong-Ho¡¯s fire. Their movement was definitely big and Catalina used that movement. The moment their body started moving, Catalina jumped into the air and then quickly ran up the Land Worm¡¯s back.

    The Land Worm saw Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho also saw the Land Worm.

    By making another horrible eye contact, he raised Aamon. Just like the time he went against the Crazy Ants, he created Greed¡¯s magnificent fire.

    The Land Worm kept its mouth shut. After closing their eyes, they rushed towards the fire. The green fire broke and dispersed. The fire caught on to their dead skin and flew away. The Land Worm¡¯s head hit the ground again.

    It made the ground shake a lot. Skull used a mysterious magic and managed to avoid the Land Worm¡¯s attack, but the horse couldn¡¯t endure it any longer. The horse let out a sad cry as if their legs broke and copsed. Once again, the dust broke through the remaining fire and pushed forward.

    Skull couldn¡¯t maintain their body and fell to the ground. Yong-Ho quickly threw his body and rolled on the ground and after getting back up, he looked at the Land Worm.

    The Land Worm¡¯s head was on the ground and the eyes that were closed all opened at the same time. There were over 10 eyes and all of them were looking in the same direction. They were all looking at Yong-Ho and it was a horrible experience.

    But Yong-Ho looked straight at them. Catalina managed to endure the shock by grabbing onto the bump that was on their head and instead of turning their attention on her, Yong-Ho gave her an opportunity to attack.

    Yong-Ho kicked off the ground. His movement was different from the other times because it looked like he was targeting the Land Worm¡¯s side.

    Skull got up after rolling like rocks and Rikum, who managed to escape, was watching from afar and didn¡¯t know what to do. But he decided to use the bow and arrow he brought with him.

    The Land Worm raised their head. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop. He yelled out once more.

    "Catalina!"

    And Catalina responded. It looked as if she was doing acrobatics, because she twisted her body on top of the Land Worm¡¯s head and while holding the bump with one hand, she unsheathed the dagger with her other hand. The smallest eye was the size of a human¡¯s head and the biggest one was as big as an adult¡¯s upper body and Catalina stabbed them without any hesitation.

    Even though the tough dead skin was protecting their entire body, it couldn¡¯t protect their eyes. The moment the sharp dagger stabbed their eye, the Land Worm experienced a pain they¡¯ve never experienced before and released a horrible scream while twisting their body. On top of that, Catalina¡¯s dagger had poison on it. It wasn¡¯t much whenparing to the Land Worm¡¯s body, but it wasn¡¯t good for the eye that was stabbed.

    The poison couldn¡¯t kill the Land Worm. But it was enough to give them a lot of pain.

    "Kyahhhhh!"

    They were moving around crazily. Catalina gave up on attacking and was hanging onto the Land Worm¡¯s head. Yong-Ho was targeting the Land Worm¡¯s side and to prevent himself from getting crushed, he quickly moved his feet. During that moment, he thought about the next move.

    He didn¡¯t think about why the Land Worm suddenly appeared and why it was targeting Yong-Ho out of everyone. The most important task right now was to fight it off.

    Rikum was watching all of this with an agitated look and instead of pulling the arrow back, he put it down. Instead of wasting time on useless attacks, he headed towards the free city. He wasn¡¯t abandoning his owner and running away. Rikum was doing his best in trying to find a way.

    He knew that there was an area where the Land Worm lived.

    But it was odd. Like Catalina had exined, they don¡¯t purposely appear in ces where there¡¯s a lot of people.

    On top of that, the Land Worm ignored Rikum and Skull and only targeted Yong-Ho.

    Rikum didn¡¯t look back. He only looked straight ahead. As of right now, the only ce he could ask for help was the free city. It seemed impossible to ask for their help after seeing how they closed and locked the gates, but he couldn¡¯t give up.

    Skull grabbed the leather string that was attached at the end of the hammer. They swung the hammer and targeted the Land Worm. It was hard to say whether the hammer will be effective on the giant Land Worm, but Skull thought about attacking.

    Yong-Ho kept on running. He wasn¡¯t moving just to dodge. Yong-Ho called out Catalina¡¯s name once more, hoping that she would get his message.

    "Catalina!"

    Yong-Ho¡¯s request wasn¡¯t as simple as attacking the Land Worm. An owner and their spirit couldn¡¯tmunicate telepathically, so it was hard to say whether she understood him.

    But Yong-Ho trusted Catalina.

    Catalina desperately thought about it. She was the guard of the owner. She was the one that needed to understand Yong-Ho the most during battle.

    Instead of avoiding it, Yong-Ho closed the distance between him and the Land Worm. In that case, what was Yong-Ho expecting?

    The Land Worm¡¯s movement became weaker. It seemed like they were either going to open their eyes again or move violently to throw Catalina off of them.

    Catalina didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. It was difficult to endure with both hands, but she made a decision. She let go of one hand. She reached for her belt and untied the rope that was tied near her butt. Since she was preparing it in case of an emergency, one end of the rope was tied around Catalina¡¯s waist.

    The Land Worm moved violently. During this moment, Catalina said Yong-Ho¡¯s name like some sort of spell. She let go of her other hand and quickly tied the dagger sheath to the end of the rope. Before her body was pushed off because of the Land Worm¡¯s violent movement, she stretched out her hand and grabbed the dead skin.

    It felt like her body was going to break. But she had to endure it. The Land Worm managed to open their eyes again. Blood and discharge was flowing out of the eye that Catalina stabbed.

    The Land Worm moved. There was arge amount of dust and the Land Worm started moving its head around again. It moved its body at the same time and hit the ground. It looked like it was intentionally trying to wipe out the entire ground.

    Yong-Ho kept on running. He located Catalina through the dust and he was rewarded for his trust. The rope that had the sheath tied to it was flying through the dust.

    He grabbed it.

    The Land Worm hit the ground. He barely managed to avoid the attack, but it ended up in a nasty fall.

    "Kyahhhhh!"

    The Land Worm screamed again. It raised its head as if to say they weren¡¯t going to miss anymore. And during that moment, Yong-Ho¡¯s body jumped up. Catalina was enduring it by holding on to the dead skin with both of her hands. The rope around her waist made her feel like her waist was going to snap at any moment, but she endured it by gritting her teeth. Blood was starting to seep out of her skin due to the rope.

    Yong-Ho was desperately swinging like a pendulum. The moment the Land Worm raised its body, his body was lifted into the air, so he swung his body and crashed into the Land Worm¡¯s body.

    Aamon was in his mouth. He grabbed some dead skin with one hand and let go of the rope. The Land Worm was confused because Yong-Ho had suddenly disappeared and the moment they stopped moving, he started climbing up their back.

    It was worth investing in agility. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Catalina, but Yong-Ho was pretty fast. Thick and sturdy dead skin filled the Land Worm¡¯s back and it didn¡¯t realize that Yong-Ho was on top of their head.

    "Skullll!"

    Skull yelled out. The Land Worm¡¯s eyes were looking around to find Yong-Ho, but saw Skull instead. Skull didn¡¯t run away or step back. They continuously swung their hammer and stood their ground. Skull looked straight at the Land Worm and fire appeared within their eye socket.

    The Land Worm changed their target. Yong-Ho was now right next to Catalina.

    The owner and the spirit didn¡¯t look at each other. They understood each other and at the same time, did almost the same thing.

    "Kyahhhhhh!"

    Aamon and the dagger stabbed different eyes. And this time, they didn¡¯t just stop at stabbing them. By using Aamon, Yong-Ho released fire.

    The Land Worm started jumping up and down. The Land Worm was so big that the part of the body that was out of the ground was 20 meters long and two people were able to get on top of their head. So when they started jumping, that power was amazing.

    The Land Worm now knew that Yong-Ho and Catalina were on top of their head. They were able to figure that out through their instincts. Despite the fact that the eye was in danger due to the fire, the Land Worm hit its head onto the ground and got back up again. Whenparing it to a human, it looked as if someone was banging their head.

    Since they used so much power and speed, Yong-Ho and Catalina couldn¡¯t endure any longer. They were thrown into the air like pebbles.

    The Land Worm¡¯s remaining eyes followed those two.

    Because Catalina was out of stamina, she couldn¡¯t handle her body while in the air. Yong-Ho reached out his hand and grabbed her. They were thrown up so high that the ground was far away. And underneath their feet, they saw the Land Worm¡¯s mouth. The way that the Land Worm opened their mouth reminded him of the abyss and it seemed like they were nning on swallowing them all at once.

    Sharp teeth were all around their mouth. Their bodies would probably be shred to pieces and then mashed all together. Yong-Ho wrapped his hand around Catalina¡¯s waist. Catalina wrapped her arms around Yong-Ho despite being exhausted. The Land Worm opened their mouth even wider.

    "Skullll!"

    Skull yelled. Yong-Ho answered their tell. He aimed Aamon below his feet and released a big, beautiful fire.

    He didn¡¯t n this impossible task of using the fire to thrust into the air. Therge fire crashed into the Land Worm¡¯s mouth and because of the heat, the Land Worm couldn¡¯t close their mouth.

    Within that short moment.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina used that small opening. They were sucked into the Land Worm¡¯s mouth and when they closed their mouth, Yong-Ho and Catalina had already passed the sharp teeth.

    It was dark. They couldn¡¯t see anything. And if they went through the "digestive" process, then they would definitely die.

    Yong-Ho pulled in Catalina closer. He enveloped their bodies with Greed¡¯s fire. While burning the insides of the Land Worm, he protected himself and Catalina from the Land Worm¡¯s bodily fluids.

    There was a reaction. This was the Land Worm¡¯s most violent movement. They mmed their body onto the ground as if they were trying to break it or trying tomit suicide.

    That shock was delivered even to the bodily fluids. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth as the Land Worm was writhing in pain. He desired it rather than giving up. He raised Greed¡¯s energy.

    Yearning for it.

    Desiring it.

    Wanting to obtain it!

    A part of Greed enveloped Catalina. And the remaining all extended out towards one area. It found the most valuable item within the Land Worm¡¯s body.

    A lump of mana.

    The location where the spirit was condensed to. The Worm Heart! With just that, it can already be considered as a powerful marble stone.

    Yong-Ho followed Greed¡¯s guide.

    The Land Worm¡¯s violent movement could be felt from the inside as well. And they arrived. The red heart. And the mana that was pulsating within it!

    He pierced it with Aamon. He gathered his remaining energy and released the fire. The Land Worm¡¯s heart was beginning to break, so he inserted his other hand.

    Ast schock.

    The vibration was probably caused by the Land Worm that weakly copsed.

    Within the darkness, Yong-Ho saw a lump of orange mana.

    The bracelet on his left hand, the one he found while searching for Kaiwan¡¯s journal, released a silver mana and like a, it embraced the orange mana. It could be all in his head, but it was as if the two different mana were responding to each other.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t hide his greed.

    He consumed the Land Worm¡¯s spirit.

    <Free City #2> End.

 Chapter 53.1 - Free City (3)

    <strong>Chapter 55: Chapter 54 ¨C Free City (3)</strong>

    Yong Ho had already experienced mana absorption several times before: the wandering group of demons, the Orc Warrior Terak and the spirit of the Crazy Ant Queen from the Dungeon.

    It was simr to the situation with the mana of the ice demon Foras, the spirit of the Land Worm was again different from all of them. However, the Queen of Ant¡¯s spirit had a simr feeling, but it was just a close resemnce.

    It felt different in essence.

    The purity, power, and quality of the spirit wasn¡¯t very good. However, there was a farrger quantity of mana within it.

    The pleasure of the absorption of the mana prated his spine. It felt like a flowing waterfall.

    Meanwhile, Yong-ho also had a different feeling. To be specific, it was the consuming power of greed.

    The silver mana seeped from the bracelet and infused with the orange mana from the spirit of thend worm. Stimting it and causing it to pulsate with a greater magnitude.

    Yong-ho exhaled harshly. The ¡®bowl of mana¡¯ itself, which had grown from the absorption of mana, only had a small amount of empty space remaining. The absorption of more mana was meaningless.

    However, he still felt pleasure. Greed continued to ravenously consume the mana, even if it were to cause him to vomit.

    Yong-Ho firmly controlled his appetite. Reigning in his wild avarice. He spected that the magical power of the bracelet was responding to the mana of the toxd worm.

    The bracelet came from Kaiwan¡¯s office. Perhaps it was an artifact that Kaiwan had found in the arena, apart from some stored mana there was nothing particrly unusual about it.

    Eligor said that it was like a battery that stored mana.

    The mana that was stored in it wasn¡¯t from Kaiwan. It was different from the power remaining on Kaiwan¡¯s ring, and it was also different from Yong-Ho¡¯s own mana.

    ¡°It resembles the worm¡¯s.¡±

    It was more simr to the mana of thend worm. Perhaps the magical power of the bracelet was not from a ¡®demon¡¯ but a ¡®beast¡¯.

    The Land Worm seemed strangely obsessed with him. Until he had climbed over the head of the Land Worm and was out of sight, the Land Worm wouldn¡¯t even look at Rikum or Skull.

    Maybe this was because of the bracelet¡¯s mana.

    The magical power that responded to the mana of the Land Worm was clearly from some unknown beast of the arena.

    Yong-Ho shook his hand. He stopped inhaling the useless mana and took a deep breath.

    Then reality struck. The inside of the Land Worm¡¯s body was dark and it was difficult to breathe. His body was covered in unknown fluids and felt heavy.

    Yong-Ho swallowed down dry saliva and ced his hand back into the heart of the Land Worm. There he found a hard rock about the size of a fist after following the traces of orange mana.

    Was it a worm heart or a worm stone?

    He could of called it anything. It was a mana stone that had been living in the heart of a giantnd worm for decades.

    After igniting the mes of greed, Yong-Ho put the worm stone in a leather pouch hanging on his waist. The mes burned the bile stuck to his body, and at the same time illuminated his surroundings so he could find Catalina.

    Catalina was on the verge of death, after being in the middle of the violent struggles of the Land Worm. He felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe properly because of the bile covering her face.

    No matter what anyone said, Catalina was the greatest contributor to this battle.

    Yong-Ho briefly stabbed Aamon into the floor before lifting Catalina with his hands. He felt sorry for Catalina, but no matter how light she was, she was too difficult to carry with just one hand. Yong-Ho positioned Catalina on his left shoulder as if she were a heavy load, and then firmly held onto her waist and back. He then pulled Aamon out and stood up.

    The Land Worm was now dead, but how should he get out? Part of the Land Worm¡¯s body was still underground, so there wasn¡¯t any exit except from its mouth.

    Fortunately, a relieving voice was heard.

    ¡°Skull!¡± ¡°Skull!¡±

    It sounded quite muffled, but it was enough to give a vague sense of direction. Yong-Ho lowered his posture and then began to move forward. Not long after, specks of light could be seen from far away.

    ¡°Skull!¡±

    Skull used the power of his Rock Golem body to prise open the Land Worm¡¯s giant mouth. Yong-Ho then cheered up after seeing that he was nearly out. Still, he carefully handed Catalina over to Skull to avoid the threat of the Land Worm¡¯s teeth, and then he himself came out of the Land Worm.

    ¡°Kuh¡±

    The air itself hadpletely changed. Yong-Ho sat on the ground, and took a number of deep breaths. There was still remaining lingering mana to absorb, however he felt like taking a break and going to sleep.*

    However, Yong-Ho raised himself up again. He saw Catalina lying on the floor next to Skull.

    She was in bad shape. She was covered in bruises and the rope had peeled away the skin around her waist and caused her to bleed profusely. Her head was also cut, bleeding over one of her eyes.

    Yong-Ho tried to stay calm. After putting down Aamon, he pulled a dagger from his waist and cut the rope. He could hear a loud noiseing from far away, but decided to only focus on Catalina for now.

    Catalina had gained lots of experience after fighting against thend worm, recapturing the gold mine and through the dungeon battle against Foras. Yong-Ho desperately hoped for sess as he invoked the power of evolution.

    [Development Rate 100/100]

    He only checked one stat, without looking at anything else and felt relief.

    Yong-Ho ced his palms upon Catalina¡¯s stomach. He grasped her gently and then injected his mana.

    As he had already talked with Catalina before, he promoted her to ¡®Shadow Runner¡¯ which had a mix of the characteristics of both Dark Elves and Subuses.

    The green mana prated Catalina¡¯s body. A series of ck silhouettes appeared over her body, and a bright light shone over her abdomen. Yong-Ho absorbed all the mana of thend worm, and then drained nearly half of his own power.

    The light suddenly disappeared. Yong-Ho swallowed fresh dried saliva, and then looked at Catalina. Her face and stomach were still covered in blood, but her wounds had disappearedpletely.

    Large changes in her appearance weren¡¯t immediately visible ¨C after the evolution ¨C but he could definitely feel a significant increase in her mana. At first nce, he could see that a haze of ck mana was swirling around Catalina¡¯s body.

    When the dungeon master became stronger, the servants also became stronger, and the reverse was also true. Yong-Ho was thus confident of the growth of Catalina.

    ¡°Fua¡±

    Yong-Ho exhaled as he almost fell atop of Catalina. He felt like he had to take a breather.

    Skullughed and rejoiced gleefully in front of Yong-Ho. He swung his hammer as if to express his joy.

    ¡®Which reminds me¡¯

    Yong-Ho, raised himself up, and pulled out the worm stone out of his leather pouch. He tried to activate the power of evolution again.

    Heughed unknowingly. Thin lines appeared in the green light. White lines of light stretched from the worm stone and connected to Skull and Catalina.

    ¡®Union Evolution¡¯

    No, this was not the union of two spirits, it was more like ¡®reinforcement¡¯ rather than ¡®union¡¯.

    He felt that it was intuitive to merge either of them with the worm stone, even though the characters of light did not emerge in his mind, as in the case of the ¡®Union Evolution¡¯, since their development rates were not at 100.

    ¡®Good¡¯

    Although their lives were in danger due to the unexpected fight with thend worm, they had gained plenty from it at the same time.

    Yong-Ho consciously turned the bracelet around his left arm. When the mana of thend worm waspletely absorbed, there was almost no mana left in the bracelet.

    ¡®Bracelet from the Arena¡¯

    ording to Yong-Ho¡¯s prediction, it was highly likely that records existed rted to Kaiwan¡¯s diary. If the bracelet¡¯s mana really did attract a nearby Land Worm, there must be someway to utilise it.

    Yong-Ho, after using the power of evolution, stood up and squeezed the worm stone back into his pouch. Meanwhile, the distance noise was getting closer and closer.

    ¡°Captain! Captain!¡±

    A group of people came rushing in, causing a whirlwind of dust. And it was clear that Rikum was leading them.

    Yong-Ho was initially puzzled why he called him ¡®Captain¡¯ instead of ¡®King¡¯ but could soon understand why. It was to hide that fact that Yong-Ho was a king from the people of the nearby free city.

    Yong-Ho put Aamon back into his belt and embraced Catalina with both hands. While Skull watched the iing crowd, while firmly clutching his battle hammer.

    Rikum, the first to arrive, jumped off his horse as soon as he hade to a halt.

    His face appeared to be a mixture of joy, urgency and absurdity.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that the hugend worm before him, had really been taken down. Even Foras could not of done such a thing.

    However, instead of pouring out words of joy and amazement, Rikum quickly narrowed the distance between Yong-Ho and himself.

    ¡°Dismantlers from the Free City areing. They¡¯reing to trade for the body of the Land Worm.¡±

    ¡°Dismantlers?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re involved in the business of trading bodies of beasts There are lots of parts of the Land Worm that they can use. Right now, they can sell the skin, keratin, teeth and meat of the Land Worm.¡±

    After all, it was human to skin a bear or a tiger and then pull out its teeth and ws to make something. People didn¡¯t really differ that much.

    Yong-Ho squinted his eyes and could see the dismantlers running towards him. There was goblins and ogres, as well as dwarves. The group was made up of a variety of figures both big and small, for a total of twenty.

    It was thew of the jungle in this world.

    Yong-Ho did not rx. He then spoke out, while staring at the dismantlers.

    ¡°How likely is it that they¡¯ll try to rob us?¡±

    Skull grabbed his battle hammer, and was ready to fight. Rikumughed and replied.

    ¡°They might in the usual case, but don¡¯t worry. No one would dare to rob someone who¡¯s taken down a giantnd worm like this, right before their eyes.¡±

    His face was full of pride. Yong-Ho must of looked very impressive when they saw him take down the Land Worm with Catalina and Skill.

    Orcs were a warrior race. It was natural to pay homage to a powerful warrior who has achieved great aplishments.

    Too much had happened in such a short time. Yong-Ho greeted the dismantlers, after picking up the unconscious Catalina. Since there was no way to bring the body of the Land Worm back to the Dungeon, it was very beneficial to Yong-Ho to hand over the body to the dismantlers and just collect the payment.

    Rikum started negotiating with the dismantlers, instead of Yong-Ho. The dismantlers seemed somewhat disappointed when they realised that the worm stone had already been taken out, but as the body was in such a good condition, they actively proceeded with the negotiations nheless.

    Yong-Ho, who took a step back from the negotiations, by entrusting it to Rikum, looked towards the free city. The unexpected encounter with the Land Worm had drawn far more attention than was necessary.

    Will the attention from his encounter with the Land Worm be short lived, or will it turn into a longsting scar.

    Another demon then approached from the free city. It was a Harpy, simr to the one he had seen in the Dungeon catalog.

    With ck hair and brown wings, the Harpy showed his politeness as soon as he had approached Yong-Ho. He whispered with a beautiful expression.

    ¡°The pub owner wishes to see you.¡±

    He must have caught their eye.

    Yong-Ho looked towards the free city again, instead of answering right away.

    He replied with a nod.

    The free city could be called a ¡®Dungeon-lessnd¡¯.

    Like a Dungeon, their were demons and beasts who all lived in one ce and maintained their own order.

    It was the three ¡®Dungeon-less Kings¡¯ who ruled the free city.

    The three Kings had power equal to one another and divided the free city into three parts, reigning as kings in each of their districts.

    Of course, they did not have dungeons. So in reality they were not true kings, and the power under theirmand was not as strong as that of Dungeon masters.

    But even so, they were the ones that ruled the free city.

    A three-man team.

    Among them, it was the owner of the pub who had asked Yong-Ho to meet with them.

    The red demon Ophelia.

 Chapter 54

    <h4><strong><The Demon King of Fire #1>

    </strong>

    <strong> </strong>

    </h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    The Harpy was the pub¡¯s envoy and due to them interfering, the trade between Rikum and the dismantlers ended pretty quickly.

    The dismantlers tried to lower the price by saying that they didn¡¯t really have anyone else to sell it to, but it was no use. Even though dismantlers weren¡¯t part of the pub group, they couldn¡¯t ignore the power that the pub had.

    The dismantlers didn¡¯t take any risks. Instead of using tricks on a guest that the pub¡¯s female owner called for, they decided to end this by offering a reasonable price.

    Other than the horse that Rikum was riding on, the others either died or ran away, forcing Yong-Ho and his group to walk to the free city.

    Yong-Ho got on the horse that Rikum was riding on and then ced Catalina, who was conscious, in front of him. After letting her lean against him, he wrapped one arm around her waist. He was able to somewhat ride the horse.

    ¡¯It¡¯s not because I have other intentions.¡¯

    Since Skull was too heavy, they couldn¡¯t ride the horse with Catalina.

    But ordering Rikum to ride the horse while carrying Catalina made him feel ufortable no matter how he thought about it.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho decided to ride the horse while carrying her and Skull and Rikum agreed.

    Skull was happy, but Rikum didn¡¯t forget the fact that he was a spirit that belonged to the house of Mammon. It would be extremely ufortable for him to ride a horse while his owner was walking.

    Since Yong-Ho was a beginner, it was impossible for him to ride a running horse while holding someone. Because of that, Yong-Ho slowly controlled the horse. It wasn¡¯t because he wanted to hold Catalina for a long time.

    ¡¯It¡¯s soft. It¡¯s squishy too.¡¯

    And he made sure not to express his thoughts.

    When they got closer to the city, they realized that it was bigger than what they had imagined. When Yong-Ho first heard it, he thought it was like one of those small viges that appear in western movies, but that wasn¡¯t the case. It was an exaggeration to call it a city, but it was as big as two viges put together.

    Guards were standing on top of the wall that was made by piling rocks. Even though their uniform and race were all different, there must¡¯ve been some sort of rule because they were examining the group from their assigned position.

    The sturdy gates were wide open. He expected there to be someone guarding the gates, but no one was there. It seemed like anyone could enter and leave whenever they wanted.

    "This way."

    It must¡¯ve been difficult for the Harpy to fly low because they walked with the group and then started walking ahead of them.

    The inside of the free city lookedplicated.

    The way the buildings were built looked chaotic because the size and scale were all different. Looking at them would make anyone feel dizzy. On top of the buildings all being different sizes, the space between the buildings wasplicated as well because the alley looked like a maze.

    Those that were either drunk or high from drugs were lying at the entrance of the alley and everyone was holding a weapon, regardless of their size.

    There were a lot of Goblins and Orcs and he saw Dwarves and Ogres every once in a while.

    The pub was located at the west side of the city and it was different from what Yong-Ho had imagined.

    It was a wooden building and there weren¡¯t any drinkers that were holding a beer mug. The huge building was almost five stories tall and two Orcs in ck suits, who were the gatekeepers, greeted the group.

    "I¡¯ll take the horses to the stable."

    A small Imp appeared out of nowhere and spoke while bowing their head towards Yong-Ho. It happened after Catalina barely managed to regain consciousness, so Yong-Ho handed the horse over without any hesitation and followed the Harpy.

    Another free city appeared inside the building.

    It wasplicated and unbnced.

    It reminded him of a gambling table at a casino.

    Different shaped bars and tables were ced all over the bar and there was a variety of races, all drinking alcohol. On one side of the room, some were quarreling and others were using that to raise the stakes on the gambling table. On the other side, there was a group that was selling items, but they looked like stolen items.

    It was a chaotic room.

    Saying that it was like a market wasn¡¯t enough to describe it.

    Within the chaotic atmosphere, the Harpy walked straight towards the pir in the center. The pir stretched up to the highest level, but the ceilings around the pir were cut out, so Yong-Ho was able to see the roof as well as each of the levels.

    Harpie stood on top of a board that was ced right next to the pir. It was a pretty big board that was about three meters long on all sides and when everyone in the group stood on top of it, the board rose into the air. It must¡¯ve been the substitute for an elevator.

    Catalina was busy looking around with herrge eyes, but Yong-Ho, who was beside her, remained calm and looked around by moving his eyes.

    The second floor was an official gambling house. While the Slimes were racing against each other, small spirits were fighting against each other and were putting their life on the line. Some were dealing the cards and there was an actual roulette too.

    Catalina¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she looked at the second floor, but when they reach the third and fourth floor, she couldn¡¯t contain herself. Her ears turned red and as she covered her face with her hands, her eyes moved around really fast.

    The third and fourth floor were prostitution houses.

    Rather than saying they were wearing clothes, there were women in each of the rooms that were taking off their clothes and posing seductively.

    Since there were a lot of races in this city, there was a variety of prostitutes as well. There were Orcs, Goblins, Harpies and Dryads. There were women that Yong-Ho thought were beautiful. Among them, a female Dark Elf that had their arms on the handrail and was looking down caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    The board moved slowly and it took a while for them to pass the third and fourth floor. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have a choice but to look at those women for a long time. The female Dark Elf that caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention winked at him and lightly licked her lower lips.

    "Cough."

    Even though he coughed, no one looked at him. Even the serious Rikum waved at a female Orc and greeted her and Catalina didn¡¯t stop looking through the gap between her fingers. Skull was the same as before, but only when they were rolling on the ground with a nk expression.

    Thankfully, Yong-Ho was behind the Harpy and they didn¡¯t turn around.

    Unlike the other floors, there was a wall around the pir on the fifth floor, so they couldn¡¯t see what was inside.

    Andstly, the sixth floor.

    The board moved horizontally and stopped in front of a ce that looked like a dock.

    Just like the fifth floor, other than the dock, there was a wall all around it, so they couldn¡¯t see the inside.

    "We¡¯re almost there. This way."

    The Harpy led the group through an empty hallway. Because of the white walls and the red carpet, it felt like they were in a totally different space.

    At the end of the hallway, there was a luxurious, ck door. And surprisingly, a small crest of a wolf swallowing the moon was engraved in one of the doors.

    "Please head inside. The master is waiting."

    The Harpy opened the door before Yong-Ho could ask questions. They stopped in front of the door as if they were saying that their job was done.

    Yong-Ho suppressed his surprise and looked inside. There was a bar that filled one side of the wall and in the center, a female wearing a bartender outfit was standing by herself.

    No one rushed him. But he couldn¡¯t dy it.

    Yong-Ho walked into the room.

    &

    Other than the bar, there was nothing else in the room. The woman in the bartender outfit immediately caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention. It wasn¡¯t because she was simply a beautiful woman.

    She had red skin and two ck horns on her forehead. Grey was mixed into her blonde hair and it was tied back.

    Yong-Ho instinctively activated the Power of Evolution. He checked the woman¡¯s race.

    [Race: Red Demon]

    [ss: Red Demon ¨C Strider]

    As soon as he checked her race, he deactivated the Power of Evolution. Her race was the same as Eligor¡¯s, which he originally assumed.

    Maybe she was connected to the House of Mammon since Kaiwan¡¯s crest was engraved into the door.

    During that short time when Yong-Ho was observing the woman, she was doing the same with Yong-Ho. When green mes rose out of his eyes for a moment, she quietly eximed and asked the group to sit down with a bright smile.

    The only thing between the bartender and the group was the bar. They were that close and didn¡¯t have a choice but to see her face.

    After cing down the drinks in front of the group, she smiled brightly and spoke.

    "My name is Ophelia and I¡¯m the owner of this bar. I¡¯m honored to meet you, owner of the House of Mammon."

    The bartender ¨C Ophelia¡¯s eyes and lips were smiling.

    She didn¡¯t give Yong-Ho the chance to think. Like someone that gives the question and immediately reveals the answer, she turned her attention to Catalina and spoke.

    "I knew after seeing Catalina. There aren¡¯t a lot of Dark Elves around here. No, I honestly knew right when you left."

    "The crest of a wolf swallowing the moon."

    Yong-Ho spoke. Catalina was surprised because she was pointed out, but was even more surprised when Yong-Ho spoke. Ophelia still had a smile on her face.

    Yong-Ho instinctively tightened his grip on the cup.

    He imagined himself bing a demon many times and even though he was used to it, it hasn¡¯t been that long since he became one. But his conversation with Sitri helped.

    The woman in front of him was beautiful, but Catalina was more beautiful. And it wasn¡¯t like she was as charming as Sitri.

    No, that wasn¡¯t the point. Yong-Ho had gotten used to this type of pressure without him knowing.

    Yong-Ho recalled Sitri. He looked straight into Ophelia¡¯s eyes and spoke.

    "Were you a spirit in the House of Mammon?"

    "I was a long time ago. Of course I¡¯m not one now."

    Ophelia answered clearly. She pulled the chair that was behind the bar and sat in front of Yong-Ho. She made sure she was on the same level as Yong-Ho.

    "My father was Kaiwan¡¯s right-hand man. He respected those with power and because the new owner was weak, he left the House of Mammon."

    The owner from two generations ago.

    Eligor was a spirit that entered the House of Mammon after that owner ascended to the throne. In that case, even though she was the same race as Eligor, there was a high chance that they didn¡¯t really know each other.

    Ophelia continued talking.

    "But, there¡¯s nothing you can do about regret. My father said that he was always worried about the House of Mammon. I¡¯m not sure if that was regarding Kaiwan¡¯s return or the new owner that ascended the throne. Anyways, my father felt that way until he died and he even asked me to look over the House of Mammon in his will. Of course that wasn¡¯t the only thing he left for me in his will."

    Kaiwan¡¯s right-hand man.

    The daughter of the man that adored Kaiwan.

    He naturally pictured a strong spirit that left the House of Mammon and ruled over the free city after experiencing many hardships.

    Despite evolving, Eligor was still closer to being a nobatant spirit, but for Ophelia, despite having a thin body, he didn¡¯t think she was weak at all. Red Demon could be a fighting race.

    Why was Ophelia talking about this now?

    He somewhat had an idea.

    And when she mentioned her father¡¯s will about wanting her to "look over" them, he understood that he shouldn¡¯t expect much.

    When the owner from two generations ago died, the House of Mammon was neglected. She didn¡¯t help them.

    And the one who was originally the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit was her father. It wasn¡¯t Ophelia.

    She lightly lifted the drink. After taking a sip, she took a bite of a cherry that was sitting on a te.

    "I think that¡¯s enough for introductions. Would it be okay if I asked why the owner of the House of Mammon decided to visit the free city?"

    "I wanted to hear stories of how everyone was living."

    Yong-Ho raised his cup as well.

    Ophelia didn¡¯t meet with Yong-Ho because she was curious about the House of Mammon.

    She was thinking about giving information and obtaining information at the same time.

    If she really was watching Yong-Ho since the day he left, then she probably saw Foras entering the dungeon as well.

    Did Yong-Ho defeat Foras?

    If he did, what kind of demon was he?

    What¡¯s the House of Mammon¡¯s current situation?

    Yong-Ho drank the alcohol. Ophelia spoke.

    "It¡¯s my first time seeing Catalina up close like this, but I was honestly shocked. I was wondering if she was really the Catalina that I knew. There¡¯s only one case where the spirit experiences a huge change."

    She wasn¡¯t talking about the Power of Evolution.

    There wasn¡¯t a reason to make a big fuss or provide clues.

    If the owner bes stronger, then the spirit bes stronger as well. Ophelia was probably referring to how the owner was strong enough to take down a Land Worm and because of that, Catalina became stronger.

    Ophelia wasn¡¯t observing just Yong-Ho.

    It was admirable how Catalina knew about herself really well. The clumsy guard wasn¡¯t giving any information through their diverse expressions and instead, she closed her eyes tightly and acted like a cold female guard.

    Opheliaughed.

    "The world is noisy. If you look at just the empty southern region...someone said it¡¯s the start of a revolution. I think the revolution already started though."

    Embrio, the demon of the northern region.

    It was what Yong-Ho wanted to hear. But Ophelia knew that as well. That¡¯s why, instead of revealing more information about it, she looked into Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes.

    "How about being more open-minded?"

    A seductive smile appeared on Ophelia¡¯s face. Her red hand was on top of the bar and then she gently wrapped around Yong-Ho¡¯s hand. She closed the distance between Yong-Ho and her yellow eyes shined bright as she looked into Yong-Ho.

    Mana.

    It was a type of attack that Yong-Ho hadn¡¯t experienced before.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly an attack. Ophelia¡¯s mana invaded Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. She tried to look into Yong-Ho¡¯s mind by looking into his eyes. The eyes were the window to one¡¯s soul.

    It was a magic that a Subus would use. Rikum and Skull assumed that Yong-Ho and Ophelia were holding hands and just looking at each other up close since they couldn¡¯t see anything. Catalina, who had the blood of a Subus, had her eyes shut, so she didn¡¯t know what was happening.

    Ophelia slowly licked her lips. When Rikum and Skull felt that something was odd, she had already invaded into Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s new owner.

    A strong figure that took down the Land Worm.

    The one that helped Catalina grow so much that she couldn¡¯t be recognized.

    But he was still a rookie.

    What kind of a person was he?

    What kind of name did this demon have?

    Ophelia¡¯s mind invaded into Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. Yong-Ho and Ophelia¡¯s faces became a lot closer and it looked like their lips were going to touch.

    And their lips met. Ophelia opened the door to Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. All she had to do was read his mind.

    But then, Yong-Ho grabbed Ophelia¡¯s hand. He tightened his grip so that she couldn¡¯t run away.

    Ophelia was surprised because of Yong-Ho¡¯s movement. But it was too early to be surprised.

    Looking into another¡¯s mind meant that they were revealing their own mind as well.

    It was the same thing as putting her entire mind into Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    And he was waiting for her.

    One of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    That enormous thing.

    Greed smiled.

    They swallowed Ophelia¡¯s mind.

    <The Demon King of Fire #1> End.

 Chapter 55

    <h4><strong><The Demon King of Fire #2>

    </strong>

    <strong> </strong>

    </h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    She was overpowered.

    She couldn¡¯t even resist because of that enormous thing.

    It felt like she was swept away by a giant wave. No, more like she was buried under the heavy rain that was falling from the sky.

    She was trampled on.

    The word, conquered, came to mind. But it was only for a moment. Because she felt that her life was really worthless, she questioned whether that was the proper word to use.

    Despite being in the center of the chaos, she just stared.

    Her thoughts stopped and got disconnected.

    She was being analyzed in detail.

    In front of the desire.

    Her original n was used on her when she stood in front of Greed.

    She couldn¡¯t really feel a strong will from her opponent. Like a child rolling a candy in their mouth, Ophelia¡¯s mind was being yed with.

    She desperately struggled. It wasn¡¯t because she came back to her senses through her own efforts. It could be that that enormous being purposely gave her a break so that they could y with her more.

    She cried. Her survival instinct kicked in and her desire to live was stronger than ever.

    But it wasn¡¯t easy. 10¡¯s and 100¡¯s of tentacles were being wrapped around Ophelia¡¯s body. The more Ophelia struggled, the more tentacles shot up from somewhere as if to say that her efforts were a joke.

    Her position as the pub¡¯s female owner couldn¡¯t be maintained just because it¡¯d been inherited. Being able to look into another¡¯s mind meant that they had the confidence to protect their own mind.

    But she was too powerless. Every time she tried to invade his mind, a bigger wall greeted her.

    Ophelia desperately ran. She couldn¡¯t see the tentacles anymore. She kept on running through an unfamiliar space.

    Tears and snot covered her face. But she didn¡¯t have the luxury to fix herself. Even though she was out of breath, she couldn¡¯t stop and took a step forward.

    She survived.

    She was alive.

    The ridiculously enormous overpowering feeling felt far away. She was happy about the fact that she escaped an overpowering despair and that joy filled her head.

    But when she took another step forward.

    The world was on fire. The sky, ground and everything in that world was enveloped in fire.

    She was in the center of that fire. Her body was on fire. The pain she felt from the fire was the most painful feeling she had ever experienced.

    But she wasn¡¯t even allowed to release a painful scream.

    An enormous eye that was on fire was in front of her. The eye was looking down at Ophelia and her chin started shaking. Tears started rolling down because she felt overpowered again. She started drooling like a fool.

    Does an ant have the ability to tell the difference between a human adult and child?

    Even if that was possible, was that meaningful to them?

    She felt indifferent about the eye.

    Ophelia had a hunch that this was herst moment. The fire that was on her body becamerger.

    She wasn¡¯t given the chance to look back at her life and the moment she was about to be extinct.

    The fire disappeared. The tentacles appeared again and reced the fire that was on her body. She heard the voices of great beings above her head.

    This is mine.

    That body, spirit and hair.

    That¡¯s why it¡¯s not allowed.

    This useless woman¡¯s life and death is now all mine.

    It wasn¡¯t the voice. The actual being was emitting the power.

    The red eye didn¡¯t look at Ophelia. Even if it was only for a moment, Ophelia thought that the eye was smiling.

    Do just that.

    My inexperienced king.

    The fire disappeared. Night reced the fire that filled the entire world.

    Ophelia felt calm within it. She unconsciously closed her eyes and lowered her head as if to say that she was ready to ept everything.

    The tentacles that were wrapped around her body turned into green mes. At the same time, instead of hearing a voice that was far away, a friendly voice filled her ears.

    "Found you."

    Ophelia opened her eyes. She turned around.

    ¡¯Ack!¡¯

    It was a mental groan. Her lips were closed all this time. Like a Subus that desired a spirit, her tongue and saliva was like that. When she opened her eyes, she didn¡¯t see a rookie with a dumb expression.

    It was an owner that tightened their grip on her hand and their other hand was on her cor while green mes rose out of their eyes.

    That¡¯s when Ophelia realized it. The being that was in front of her and what she was trying to do.

    Her body was shaking. Her legs became weak. Yong-Ho let go of her cor and as Ophelia lost her only support, she copsed to the floor.

    Her body was trembling. Her face was a mess because it was covered in tears and snot. Because she was filled with fear, she ended up urinating.

    When Catalina quietly opened her eyes a little, the sight of Yong-Ho and Ophelia kissing shocked her and she couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Even in Rikum¡¯s point of view, Ophelia suddenly fell to the floor after kissing Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho stood up from his seat and looked down at Ophelia, who was currently on the floor. Ophelia saw Yong-Ho and quickly bowed her head. Her voice started trembling.

    "K-king of Greed."

    She recognized it as soon as she said it. The Red Lotus¡¯s me that burned the world.

    The red eye that had an extremely overpowering presence.

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.

    The item that represented Mammon, the King of Greed!

    Joy and fear were mixed together.

    Everything was falling into ce.

    Foras¡¯s death.

    Catalina suddenly bing stronger.

    The House of Mammon suddenly rising up.

    Mammon, the King of Greed, was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and they disappeared without a trace.

    ¡¯Greed¡¯ has returned.

    At the same time, Aamon woke up after being asleep for a long time and was now together with the King of Greed, who was back.

    The revolution that Embrio created.

    The empty southern region was in a chaotic state.

    Who was that for?

    The answer was obvious. Ophelia shuddered.

    She ced her trembling hands on the floor. She kneeled on one knee. After lowering her head, she showed respect. She tried her best to control her trembling voice. It wasn¡¯t just because of fear. She was moved and was filled with joy. She recalled her father¡¯s face.

    "Endelyon¡¯s daughter, Ophelia. I humbly present her to the King of Greed who has returned."

    A sentence made of light was created above Ophelia¡¯s forehead. It was the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit crest that was passed down from her father.

    Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards her.

    He epted her.

    &

    Yong-Ho was led to a VIP room and sat on an expensive-looking sofa. Since it was arge sofa, Catalina sat to his right and Skull sat on his left side. Rikum sat on the single sofa chair that was next to therge sofa.

    As the one that guided the group, Harpy tried to remain calm, but a confused expression filled her face.

    What kind of a person was Yong-Ho that Opheliamanded Harpy to obey them no matter what?

    Even though the Harpy was really curious, they weren¡¯t stupid. Since they knew that unnecessary curiosity will only cause anger, they politely left after guiding Yong-Ho to the VIP room.

    Since meeting Greed and Aamon caused her to urinate, Ophelia needed time to wash up and change her clothes.

    After swallowing the saliva, he touched his lips with his finger.

    ¡¯I got lucky.¡¯

    Who knew Ophelia would try to invade his mind? It was something he never experienced and an attack method he had never thought about.

    It was a relief that Ophelia ended up destroying herself in front of Greed. Even if Greed didn¡¯t appear in front of her, Aamon would¡¯ve probably stopped her.

    ¡¯Is my mind defense close to unconquerable?¡¯

    Realistically, he couldn¡¯tpletely control Greed and Aamon yet, but it didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t have ess to their essence.

    Greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance could set the whole world on fire with just one swing.

    He could feel the presence of both.

    He realized how great of a power pulsated within him.

    The fact Ophelia was found within Greed because of her will and the fact that she surrendered to Aamon were good enough results to make him happy. Even though it was a power he couldn¡¯t control yet, they were both his.

    ¡¯Now that I think about it.¡¯

    Yong-Ho was unconsciously touching his lips and momentster, stopped.

    ¡¯Fi-first kiss.¡¯

    Yong-Ho attend an all-boys middle and high school and also majored in engineering. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t have a girlfriend, but all this time, he didn¡¯t even have friends that were girls.

    Even though he didn¡¯t n it, it was still his first kiss. And it was even a sexy french kiss.

    ¡¯I don¡¯t remember it.¡¯

    Because of the situation he was in, he couldn¡¯t remember how her lips felt and the feeling of getting that first kiss.

    He thought it was unfair. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t remember it and it made him go crazy.

    ¡¯Rx.¡¯

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about it.

    Right now, he wasn¡¯t the human Chun Yong-Ho that majored in engineering and was the son of a man that owned a chicken shop.

    The owner of the House of Mammon.

    The Demon King of Greed, which was one of the Seven Deadly Sins!

    ¡¯Dammit! But, still!¡¯

    Yong-Ho unconsciously let out a sigh and turned his head to the side. Catalina was biting her lower lips while disying a nk expression. She was surprised so she flinched.

    "Catalina?"

    "I-if that¡¯s what you want, sir! B-but I need time to prepare..."

    As her ears were hanging loosely, her tail was up high. Catalina stuttered and then looked down.

    Yong-Ho wondered what Catalina was saying and then quickly turned his head back. He kept on calcting it in his head.

    ¡¯Rx.¡¯

    Now that he thought about it, both Catalina and Rikum didn¡¯t know anything about the current situation. After Ophelia suddenly kissed Yong-Ho, she copsed to the floor and then pledged her loyalty right after.

    Being devious was a natural human characteristic and after suppressing it, he coughed. In order to fix the odd atmosphere that Catalina created through herment, he summarized what happened between him and Ophelia.

    "Oh! That¡¯s why!"

    Catalina must¡¯ve understood because she nodded her head. Skull evenughed happily.

    Rikum didn¡¯t know that Yong-Ho had Greed and Aamon and even though it looked like he didn¡¯tpletely understand, he epted because of the things that happened right before his eyes. He thought that Ophelia called Yong-Ho the King of Greed because he was the owner of the House of Mammon.

    When he finished exining, they heard a knock and Ophelia walked in. She was wearing a bartender outfit that was simr to the previous one.

    "My behaviour in front of the great king was a disgrace. I, Ophelia, humbly ask for the King of Greed¡¯s forgiveness."

    Ophelia kneeled before Yong-Ho and politely spoke to him. This was the first time someone spoke to Yong-Ho like this, so he was surprised, but he didn¡¯t show it. He spoke with ease.

    "I forgive you. Please stand and take a seat Ophelia. There¡¯s a lot I wish to hear from you."

    "Thank you, King of Greed."

    Ophelia showed her respect once more and gracefully sat on the soft seat that was across from Yong-Ho.

    Ophelia was the owner of the bar and was also in charge of part of the free city.

    After swearing allegiance to Yong-Ho, she became the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit.

    He got lucky because she volunteered to be one.

    As the owner of the pub, she had wealth and information. She also had subordinates that she controlled.

    Just the thought made him feel excited. It was the same type of joy he felt when he found the gold mine and armory.

    The warriors, prostitutes and gamblers that were under this level.

    All of them weren¡¯t the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits. They were employed under Ophelia to be exact.

    But their employer, Ophelia, was Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    Yong-Ho tried to suppress his excitement. He recalled the first objective.

    He asked Ophelia.

    "I want information regarding the owners around this area. And also the demon king that appeared in the northern region."

    Ophelia immediately opened her mouth as if she was expecting that question. Yong-Ho was thirsty for information, and the information that she had was worth a lot to Yong-Ho.

    <The Demon King of Fire #2> End.

 Chapter 56

    <h4><strong><The Demon King of Fire #3>

    </strong>

    <strong> </strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Ophelia ced a map on top of a small ss table that was ced between them. There wasn¡¯t a need to ask what kind of map it was. He was sure it was a map of the empty southern region.

    Yong-Ho looked at the map and tried to find the location of the House of Mammon. It was located at the most southern region of the demon world and behind it, the giant mountain, Encantro Pagnium was located, so it wasn¡¯t hard to find it.

    Since the map belonged to the group that handled information, Mammon¡¯s dungeon as well as dozens of other dungeons that were in the area were marked.

    The House of Foras¡¯s dungeon was the one that was closest to the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    The House of Foras and two other dungeons created a triangle. And the free city, Nuremburg, was located in the center of those dungeons.

    He widened his view a bit. The triangle that Yong-Ho saw was only a small area and didn¡¯t even take up 1/10th of the entire empty region.

    Ophelia softly smiled when Yong-Ho studied the map on his own. She waved her finger and pointed at the areas that were located in the northwestern region. The area was far from the free city.

    "Embrio, the Demon King of the Wolves, is active in this area. There are already over seven dungeons that they have destroyed. And this hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet, but they most likely won the recent battle against a joint group."

    "Joint group? Are you talking about an allied force?"

    Yong-Ho asked because of the unfamiliar word. Ophelia immediately answered.

    "Yes. In order to take down Embrio, four owners around the area joined forces. Within the empty region, they¡¯re considered to be pretty powerful."

    Ophelia¡¯s finger pointed at four dungeons. Embrio must¡¯ve been increasing their power within them because they were far from Embrio¡¯s dungeon.

    "Embrio destroyed them in an open area instead of within the dungeon. Of course they ambushed the enemy that wasn¡¯t prepared for it...in some ways, it can be considered as a tactical victory, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should belittle Embrio¡¯s power. I believe their boldness, drive and the power that brought down the group can be rated high."

    Ophelia¡¯s voice was filled with life. It could¡¯ve been due to the atmosphere, but it looked like her eyes were sparkling too.

    It could be because she actually enjoyed obtaining information and analyzing it. The fact that she was the owner of the bar probably wasn¡¯t the only reason.

    Due to her excitement, Ophelia kept on talking and when she lifted her head, she looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina as if she was asking for their consent.

    And she became flustered when she realized her mistake.

    "Oh, well...there¡¯s really no need to praise them so much..."

    Based on herment just now, one would think she was Embrio¡¯s follower. It wasn¡¯t something she should¡¯ve talked excitedly about in front of her master.

    Yong-Ho waved his hand.

    "It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s better than giving them a low rating and suffering from itter."

    And if what Ophelia said was true, then they were definitely strong.

    Even though it was only once, Yong-Ho experienced the dungeonbat. The advantage that the defending side had was amazing.

    But Embrio was able to destroy those four powers even without the advantages.

    It was a military strategy that couldn¡¯t be looked down upon and it was a power they shouldn¡¯t look down upon.

    Ophelia felt relieved and happy at the same time when Yong-Ho reacted.

    Her new master wasn¡¯t an immature and emotional being.

    Well, he was the King of Greed after all. She was sure that the king¡¯s position fit him very well.

    Ophelia became motivated, so she resumed her exnation by pointing to the map again.

    "It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that with Embrio in the center, the empty southern region has been hit by a typhoon. Embrio¡¯s area and the owners that are located far away are filled with anxiety, which is causing them to either group up or attack a dungeon. There are some in various parts of the region that are known as "Little Embrio" and are causing a stir."

    Ophelia pointed at various parts of the map. Some of the owners that were provoked by Embrio began dungeon battles.

    Foras attacking the House of Mammon was a part of this movement.

    "The empty southern region wasn¡¯t always peaceful. During the past 1,000 years, this kind of issue urred several times. But no one has been able to unify this region."

    Ophelia raised her head and looked at Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho knew Ophelia was trying to imply something through the information she provided.

    The thing she wanted to say.

    Yong-Ho asked again.

    "What are your thoughts?"

    Embrio¡¯s potential.

    They were probably different from all the other owners.

    Ophelia closed her eyes. Even though it was only for a moment, she organized her thoughts and spoke.

    "I¡¯ve never seen them and only gathered information that I obtained, but...I believe it¡¯s different from all the other times."

    As the one that handled the information, this was what she sensed.

    From yesterday, no, until this morning, Ophelia thought that Embrio was the one that would unify the empty regions after 1,000 years.

    But not now. Because of that, a bright and joyful smile appeared on her face.

    "However, I realized that Embrio is still in the preparation stages. I¡¯m talking about the preparations of unifying the southern empty regions and you, the King of Greed, will achieve this."

    It seemed like her eyes were sparkling. That side of her made him realize that she was the same race as Eligor.

    Ophelia was excited and her voice was filled with energy.

    "If the King of Greed rose up right now, then the owners in the empty southern region will kneel on their own. Embrio is an unworthy opponentpared to you. The empty southern region will be under the House of Mammon¡¯s control again after 1,000 years and it will be the House of Mammon¡¯s greatest era!"

    She stopped talking as she opened her arms.

    Within her sparkling eyes, it seemed like Greed and Aamon were smiling.

    But the ones listening had a different reaction.

    Catalina had an awkward expression and she was neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Rikum looked at Ophelia, wondering if she was fishing forpliments or if she was just crazy. Skull leaned back on the sofa and opened their mouth wide. It seemed like they weren¡¯t thinking about anything.

    Yong-Ho saw Ophelia¡¯s sparkling eyes and slightly turned his head. Even though he couldn¡¯t escape her praise since she was in front of him, he was rxed enough to release a cough.

    He had an idea.

    He understood why Ophelia had such a big misunderstanding.

    He cleared his throat through the cough and instead of looking at Ophelia, who was looking around with a flustered expression, he looked at Rikum. He spoke in a low, but gentle voice.

    "Rikum. Sorry, but do you mind spending some time downstairs?"

    Yong-Ho gently ordered him to leave and Rikum wasn¡¯t shocked by it. He immediately stood up from his seat and spoke as if he was being considerate.

    "Understood. Thank you for caring, sir. You don¡¯t have to worry too much."

    Rikum wasn¡¯t a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon, like Catalina and Skull. Yong-Ho and Rikum¡¯s minds never connected like how Yong-Ho and Ophelia¡¯s minds were connected. And they didn¡¯t handle the information either.

    Since it hasn¡¯t been that long since he registered, he understood why Yong-Ho asked him to leave when they were talking about something really important.

    When Yong-Ho nodded his head, Rikum looked at Ophelia. Instead of spacing out, she said everything she needed to say.

    "When you exit, Harpy will lead you to a ce where you¡¯ll be able to rest."

    "Then, I will see you in a few."

    Rikum left the room after bowing politely.

    The fact that he sent Rikum out meant that the things they were going to talk about were important. She had a slightly nervous expression on her face. Catalina also gulped.

    Even if it was only for a moment, Yong-Ho and Ophelia mentally shared each other¡¯s feelings.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how much information had been shared during this time, but after seeing her expression, it didn¡¯t seem like much.

    How much was he going to tell Ophelia?

    Yong-Ho quickly made a decision. He was able to decide after considering how much Ophelia currently knew and the things she had to do at the House of Mammon from now on.

    "Ophelia."

    "Yes, King of Greed."

    Ophelia answered seriously. Yong-Ho unsheathed Aamon, who was ced on his belt like a sword, and ced them on top of the ss table.

    "This is Aamon."

    It was slightly quiet.

    Catalina gulped again and looked at Ophelia and Ophelia looked at Aamon with a nk expression. It was a shapeless skewer that was about one meter long and she was trying her best to see how extraordinary it was and then carefully opened her mouth.

    "The shape...is a lot...different...from the legend."

    She tried her best to smile. But Yong-Ho shook his head. He told her the truth.

    "Aamon shrinked themself to match my level."

    The word, shrinked, was very direct. Yong-Ho continued talking.

    "I¡¯m currently growing. And I need time to grow."

    Instead of using the word, weak, he used grow.

    Ophelia blinked her eyes because the things she saw inside Yong-Ho and what Yong-Ho was saying now were different.

    A bitter smile appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face. As the one that handled information, Ophelia had to know the House of Mammon¡¯s exact situation, so he was being honest.

    "First."

    "First...?"

    "The number of spirits in the House of Mammon is less than 20. That includes you as well."

    &

    "I¡¯ve been robbed."

    After Yong-Ho left the room, Ophelia spoke after lying down on the sofa.

    Harpy couldn¡¯t suppress her curiosity any longer, so they cautiously called Ophelia.

    "Mas...ter?"

    "I¡¯ve been robbed."

    Ophelia spoke again.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s current situation was really bad.

    They had less than 20 spirits and the money they saved up was almost gone. No, they were actually indebted to the dungeon shop.

    Whenparing just the dungeon¡¯s power, it was a lot worse than Foras¡¯s dungeon, who lost their dungeon and main power.

    And Yong-Ho, who was the King of Greed, was weak. There was a high chance that they would get defeated by the powerful owners first before Embrio gets to them.

    At this point, she wondered if the pub¡¯s power was a lot stronger than the House of Mammon¡¯s.

    In a situation like that, she told him that the empty southern region would be unified if he revealed that he was the King of Greed.

    Harpy was surprised by the sensitive words and looked at their master¡¯s expression. They became flustered.

    Ophelia was smiling. And it was a genuine smile too.

    "The King of the South has returned."

    It was definitely shabby and weak.

    But the Greed and Aamon that she saw were real.

    After 1,000 years, he was the demon king that inherited Greed¡¯s power.

    And even the Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon shrunk on their own to assist them.

    Yong-Ho himself said that he was growing.

    That¡¯s right. There wasn¡¯t any other expression that was fitting.

    And his power.

    The power that he had.

    The Power of Evolution was perfect for a king that was growing!

    Ophelia¡¯s thoughts were wrong.

    But her hunch was on point.

    The revolution that Embrio spoke of will create a new king in the southern region.

    The chaos that they created will provide enough time for growth.

    And the thing that Ophelia had to do for that king.

    First, Greed and Aamon had to be hidden. She had to make thepetitors, the kings of the Seven Deadly Sins, think that the House of Mammon was a joke so that they wouldn¡¯t put their guard up.

    It wasn¡¯t hard. A small rumor will make that happen.

    "The Demon King of Fire."

    Ophelia spoke. With a warm smile, she exined to Harpy, who was still flustered.

    "It¡¯s the nickname of the House of Mammon¡¯s new owner. They¡¯re a demon king that can control fire."

    Many from the free city saw him take down the Land Worm with fire. Even though Harpy had a confused look on their face, they just acknowledged like the loyal secretary they were and recorded the information in the notebook they always carried with them.

    Ophelia stretched her shoulders. And then snickered like a fool.

    ¡¯The House of Mammon will rise again. No matter what.¡¯

    Her father became lively every time they talked about Kaiwan.

    Ophelia shook her head. She always disagreed with that statement after her father passed away and for the first time, she agreed.

    &

    "Is it okay to return so soon?"

    Catalina was sitting inside the carriage that was heading back to the dungeon and asked worriedly as she looked back at the free city.

    Yong-Ho was sitting next to her and as he leaned further back into the chair, he answered.

    "We took care of everything we needed to. Ophelia will be visiting the dungeon soon. Why? Do you want to rest more?"

    "No. I¡¯m okay."

    Catalina quickly declined. From the way her ears pped, she was probably flustered because she thought she was getting criticized.

    Yong-Ho patted her head and spoke.

    "We have a lot to do. I need to register the Princess Ant as a spirit and evolve smander and the Treant. I also need to strengthen the dungeon as well."

    The smander and Treant¡¯s development rate was almost at 100. Once he returns, he might be able to evolve them.

    Ophelia gave Yong-Ho a two-horse carriage that had a marble attached to it. She also provided him with necessary supplies, a bit of money and information he needed before leaving.

    Bringing the power that the pub had to the dungeon would only make him stand out.

    As of right now, increasing his power discreetly was the best choice.

    Skull was a talented spirit and they were driving the carriage. Rikum followed the carriage by riding on his own horse and Catalina looked at the free city one more time.

    Yong-Ho raised his hand and looked at Kaiwan¡¯s ring and the bracelet he didn¡¯t know the name of.

    Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance.

    And out of their inheritance, the arena was probably the most valuable.

    It was what he told Ophelia.

    Yong-Ho was currently growing.

    "Skullllll!"

    Skull was having fun driving the carriage. Despite the carriage shaking a lot, Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon was close.

    <The Demon King of Fire #3> End.

 Chapter 57

    <h4><strong>

    </strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Neutrality.

    It was being fair and not siding with any sides.

    It was aforting idea because no one would attack since they were neutral.

    To the weak, neutrality was an idea they could only dream about.

    The strong pressured them to either side with them or with the enemy, so this was an exit where they could be freed from it.

    It was the best shield where it allowed them to increase their strength peacefully.

    ¡¯Right, it¡¯s like a dream.¡¯

    A powerless neutrality didn¡¯t exist.

    All they had to do was destroy the weak that chose to be neutral.

    Power was required in order to protect the neutrality.

    Sharp teeth and ws that even the strong couldn¡¯t ignore and could actually counterattack them.

    The dungeon shop was the only one in the demon world that was neutral.

    No demon king could ignore the dungeon shop¡¯s neutrality. The rulers that had a sin and superhuman strength in the demon world. It also applied to the six kings.

    The most intelligent one within the dungeon shop. Bifrons¡¯s existence was art itself and they were looking at a chessboard and various artwork.

    It was different from an ordinary chessboard. It was a game that Bifrons created and it was called Encantro.

    The game starts with 60 horses and the idea of x, y, z axis was added to it. On top of that, the horses were able to advance in rank and even change and the idea of having support and ambushing the enemy was added to it.

    Since there was about a dozen rules that were added, it was useless topare the difficulty level to that of ordinary chess.

    The more one ys, the moreplicated and difficult it gets, so it¡¯s difficult for someone with an ordinary mind to enjoy this game. In the entire demon world, there were only about 10 people that enjoyed this game. Bifron, the creator of this game, was included in that number.

    But Bifron didn¡¯t care. They created this game so that they could enjoy it. And if this game was revealed to the demon world, then the number of yers will probably double. The demon world was that big and there was a variety of races.

    Bifrons looked across.

    Even though the seat was empty, they were able to see someone. A character that they created a long time ago.

    They were Bifrons¡¯s old friend.

    Their old friend made a move. They spoke while looking at Bifrons.

    ¡¯I knew that giving you the nickname Most Intelligent was too much.¡¯

    Bifrons made their move. They nodded.

    "You¡¯re right. I just like analyzing and I just happen to be talented in calcting. On top of that, I¡¯m using my calcting skills to operate the dungeon shop¡¯s system...I¡¯m probably below average when ites to scheming and knowing about worldly affairs. No, that¡¯s most likely it."

    Whenever Bifrons met their old friend, they ended up looking back on themselves. And they always agreed with their own statement. It was true that Bifrons had an extraordinary mentality, but it didn¡¯t mean that the affairs of the world were all in the palm of their hand.

    ¡¯Samael looked like they¡¯ve been thinking about a lot of thingstely.¡¯

    Their friend made a move. With that one move, over 100 different possibilities were created.

    But those possibilities were only within the set rules.

    Instead of making their next move, Bifrons took a step back. They replied as they looked at the entire board.

    "They¡¯ve always been like that. They¡¯re probably worried about the bnce breaking within the demon world. The conflict between the King of Pride and the King of Envy is something they¡¯ve never experienced during their short life."

    Their friend didn¡¯t push them to make the next move. They touched their chin. The friend could be considered as Bifrons¡¯s alter ego, but their physical appearance wasn¡¯t the same. Today, they were filled with darkness, making them look like a Nightshade.

    ¡¯Are those two really risking their lives? Do they really want to take away each other¡¯s sin and power?¡¯

    It was a different question of whether the other kings were just going to spectate.

    Bifrons smiled after hearing their friend¡¯s question.

    "Mammon, the King of Greed...in the history of the demon world, they were the strongest and they left a lesson that hasn¡¯t been forgotten."

    They finally made a move. The silhouette of their friend didn¡¯t move. They just moved their eyes within the darkness and looked at the board.

    The soldier killed the knight and took away the sword and shield. In order to rise up to the knight rank, they were looking for a horse.

    Bifrons spoke.

    "They moment they obtain both the sin and power, they¡¯ll be the enemy of the entire demon world."

    The demon world already experienced Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The other kings won¡¯t allow anyone to stand above them ever again.

    ¡¯Does that mean everyone is just a coward? The highest king in the demon world. I know they want to be a god, but are they scared of being the enemy of all the other kings?¡¯

    Their friend made a move. It was an impulsive move. This kind of "impulsive" move actually made it difficult for Bifrons.

    Impulse.

    No calctions.

    That¡¯s why it couldn¡¯t be predicted.

    "It was like that all this time. But there¡¯s now saying that it would remain this way. That¡¯s the world."

    If everything could be calcted and if everything happened ording to that calction, they would be able to predict the future.

    But in reality, "Lace¡¯s Demon" didn¡¯t exist.

    Bifrons used impulse to go against impulse. They spoke as they tasted the pleasure of breaking away.

    "I think this bnce willst a little bit longer."

    ¡¯Because I¡¯ll have to kiss peace goodbye?¡¯

    "Yeah, it should so that we can stay in and y with objects like this."

    Their friend made their move. It was another impulsive move.

    Bifrons made another impulsive move as well.

    &

    The advantage of having a carriage was that you could do anything you wanted even while it was moving.

    Catalina was wrapped up in her cape and was asleep. Yong-Ho was next to her and kept on falling asleep and waking up.

    Skull was really skilled at driving the carriage. Despite the fact that the carriage was running on an unpaved road, it didn¡¯t shake as much as when riding a horse. Even if the carriage had a function where it controlled the shaking, their driving skill was amazing.

    ¡¯Maybe they were a driver and not a knight in their past life.¡¯

    It was amon idea in the human world, not in the demon world, but a good knight can be a good leader. It would be difficult for them to be a horseman.

    Yong-Ho nced out of the window. Thendscape was mixed with different things and it was familiar. It meant that the dungeon wasn¡¯t far.

    ¡¯I do have to make a decision.¡¯

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes again and fixed his posture. He touched his chin and started thinking.

    When he informed Ophelia of the dungeon¡¯s current situation, Rikum was downstairs, not in the room. It¡¯s because he hasn¡¯t told Rikum about Greed and Aamon.

    Greed and Aamon¡¯s existence.

    Hiding it wasn¡¯t hard. There was a high chance that he would continue hiding it from the other spirits.

    ¡¯I need to make sure the others don¡¯t say anything.¡¯

    Catalina, Eligor, Skull and Ophelia were the only ones that knew about Greed, but not Aamon.

    When he first obtained Aamon, the spirits that were with them were the only ones that knew.

    He didn¡¯t think too much about it. The Treant couldn¡¯t talk and the Goblins, Jon and Ron, didn¡¯t even know what Aamon was. There¡¯s a possibility that they already forgot.

    Yong-Ho was thinking about something else and not about Greed or Aamon.

    As a demon king, what was he going to do with the Power of Evolution?

    When the Power of Evolution is used, it¡¯s noticeable. But if it was only used on himself and on some of the spirits, then its effects will decrease. Especially now when they¡¯re short-handed.

    Of course not all demon kings are able topletely hide their power.

    With Foras, the spirits that participated in the fight knew about their power.

    They only knew that it created a cold atmosphere and froze the enemy.

    ¡¯Is there a way to make only a few know about the details and for the rest to have a general idea? Or maybe something else...or lie by saying that I borrowed the power through an artifact.¡¯

    Thetter sounded much better.

    On top of that the ¡¯evolution¡¯ could be a motivational factor for the spirits. Just hiding it without any reason wasn¡¯t proper.

    ¡¯Okay.¡¯

    Yong-Ho somewhat made a decision and after opening his eyes, he stuck his head out the window. As expected, he saw the House of Mammon¡¯s entrance.

    &

    "Wee back, sir."

    The Dungeon Meerkat must¡¯ve told everyone because when the carriage reached the entrance, Eligor and the other spirits were all waiting there.

    They looked surprised because the group left with horses, but came back in a carriage. Since Eligor was an experienced butler, he greeted Yong-Ho with a smile.

    Yong-Ho happily looked at the spirits. The spirits that he looked at first were the smander and Treant.

    He immediately activated the Power of Evolution.

    ¡¯Oh, I knew it!¡¯

    They must¡¯ve either trained or helped with the construction because their development rate was now at 100.

    The development rate didn¡¯t fill up at the same rate. If the spirit was already skilled or experienced the development several times, then the rate slowed down.

    The smander was already strong when they first met, and despite the fact that they participated in every battle after obtaining them, their development rate was only now at 100.

    Since it took so long to fill it, he should¡¯ve really thought about what kind of skill he was going to develop, but Yong-Ho immediately made his decision. He already thought a lot about it ever since the smander became his.

    Instead of going into the dungeon, Yong-Ho looked at the smander and Treant happily, so the other spirits naturally focused on them. The Goblins and the Orcs were watching with interest.

    "Grr?"

    The smander must¡¯ve been a bit anxious because they let out a nervous sound.

    Yong-Ho came back to his senses after hearing it and smiled again. After raising his hand up, he took out a ring from the pile of items that he received from Ophelia. It was a gold ring that had aplicated message engraved into it, but other than that, it was an ordinary gold ring that didn¡¯t have any functions.

    The way Yong-Ho slid the ring into his middle finger made it seem like he was in a musical. He approached the nervous smander.

    [Race : Smander (M)]

    [Type : Monster Spirit (Mid Rank)]

    [Element : Fire Level 2]

    [Individual Trait]

    [Simple and honest]

    [Individual Skill]

    [Physique / Strength]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    [Physique Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -> [Advancement route revealed upon development]

    [Agility Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)] -> [Advancement route revealed upon development]

    [Mana Level 2 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    This was the smander¡¯s current stats and it was going to change.

    Yong-Ho ced his hand on top of their head. The smander nervously closed their eyes and the other spirits, especially the Orcs, gulped and tightened their fists.

    Yong-Ho purposely gathered his mana around the gold ring. He released the mana that contained the Power of Evolution into the smander¡¯s forehead.

    He chose agility.

    Yong-Ho also closed his eyes. Based on the image that he created on his head, he released more mana.

    Light enveloped the smander. Because of therge amount of mana, the Orcs were close to passing out and Rikum kept on gulping. The spirits that experienced the Power of Evolution before watched excitedly.

    "Roaaaar!"

    The smander roared. And at the same time, the strong light disappeared as if it exploded.

    And then it showed.

    They were different from before. The ordinary-looking lizard was no longer there.

    Their legs were longer. They looked more like a Griffon than a lizard and like an amphibian, their smooth head was now covered in scales and it also had a shell. And a horn that wasn¡¯t there before appeared, making it look like they were wearing a stylish helmet.

    But that wasn¡¯t the biggest change. The other spirits were all looking at one area as well.

    Large wings.

    They were red wings and looked simr to a bat¡¯s wings. The smanderter realized that they had wings and their eyes widened due to the shock.

    Out of all the evolutions in the past, this one had the biggest change.

    "Whew."

    There was a big change because Yong-Ho used a lot of mana. After releasing a deep sigh, he took a step back. After taking a look at the smander¡¯s entire body, he looked through their stats.

    [Race : Smander (M)]

    [Type : Monster Spirit (Mid Rank)]

    [Element : Fire Level 2]

    [Individual Trait]

    [Simple and honest]

    [Individual Skill]

    [Physique / Strength / Agility]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Physique Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Agility Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Mana Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Strength Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Smander ¨C Assault Type] | [Smander ¨C Swift Type]

    The new route that appeared was significant. When Yong-Ho lightly touched the window of light, a new silhouette appeared above the smander.

    The assault type made them look more aggressive and the swift type looked like they would be much faster than they are now.

    ¡¯They might really be a dragon.¡¯

    Feeling satisfied, Yong-Ho took a few steps back and kept his distance. The smander was looking at him with a flustered expression, so Yong-Ho smiled and pointed towards the sky.

    It was obvious what he was trying to say.

    ¡¯You can fly since you have wings!¡¯

    Yong-Ho thought that a chicken or an ostrich might be sad if they heard it, so he pointed to the sky again. The smander must¡¯ve made up their mind because their expression changed and they nodded their head. After pping their wings, they quickly crawled on the hill that was located above the dungeon entrance.

    Everyone looked at the smander.

    The smander looked at the sky and started running as if they made up their mind. They threw their body towards the bottom of the hill.

    "Fly!"

    Someone yelled. And the smander reacted to it. They pped their wings and created a fire. They flew within the remnants of the fire.

    The Goblins jumped up and down excitedly. The Princess Ant reacted to it as well and the Kobold couldn¡¯t stay still as they barked.

    And the smander turned around. The fire spirit created a red path in the demon world¡¯s sky and after creating a strong wind, theynded on the ground.

    Was this the end? No. He wasn¡¯t nning on sending them away after the smander got a taste of flying. After making a cheerful sound, Yong-Ho shook his head.

    They reacted to his hand movement and Yong-Ho reacted to their movement. Before Catalina or Eligor had the opportunity toment, Yong-Ho sat on the smander¡¯s back. Their spine was sticking out like a handle, so he tightly grabbed onto it.

    ¡¯But why did something like this appear? Did it affect the evolution because they thought about me riding on them?¡¯

    If that was the case, then he felt bad, but Yong-Ho stopped thinking about it. After feeling satisfied by how nice the handle felt, he yelled.

    "Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The smander reacted. Instead of climbing up the hill, they pped their wings. After releasing the fire again, they flew up towards the sky.

    Private ne. No, a private dragon!

    If his friends heard this joke, they would start cringing. But Yong-Houghed out loud after thinking about the word y. He looked far ahead while feeling pleasure from the thrill.

    The demon world¡¯s sky.

    And the demon world¡¯s ground.

    The flow of mana that looked like it was swirling.

    A cool wind blew through all of that.

    The wind was blowing from the other side of the demon world.

    End.

 Chapter 58

    Flying through the sky while riding the smander was an incredible thing.

    He wanted to continue flying like this.

    But it was obvious that the smander was tired.

    They weren¡¯t used to flying yet and the evolution process itself used up a lot of their stamina.

    The smander lowered themselves and returned to the dungeon entrance and instead of being selfish, Yong-Ho decided to let the smander rest.

    The smandernded on the ground. Since they didn¡¯t have any experience flying ornding, theynded pretty roughly, but no one really cared.

    The Orcs were the first ones to p and then some of the spirits followed and pped at the smander.

    The smander must¡¯ve felt embarrassed because they groaned and then shook their head.

    Yong-Ho patted the smander¡¯s back and then got off their back. Since a handle was already there, if he could get a nice saddle from somewhere, it would be perfect.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    Because of his excitement, there was something that he missed.

    Was it too much?

    He wasn¡¯t referring to the smander¡¯s evolution. He was talking about the fact that he evolved the smander outside of the dungeon.

    Because she observed around the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, she realized that Yong-Ho was the owner.

    The fact that Ophelia knew what Catalina looked like was a big hint.

    The other owners and the pub¡¯s information agents closely observed Foras¡¯s dungeon, so they knew that Foras wasn¡¯ting back.

    Yong-Ho turned around.

    Ophelia said that other than her, there wasn¡¯t anyone else that was watching around the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    She was able to watch them through the artifact that her father left. He left it in an alleyway within the House of Mammon in case Kaiwan returned.

    Since the dungeon entrance and the area around it were protected by mana, installing a monitoring magic or artifact was difficult. Those that monitored the area usually used spirits, like the Dungeon Meerkat, to monitor and sense the surrounding.

    ¡¯That¡¯s why I think there wasn¡¯t anyone that saw it, but...¡¯

    But it was a bit overboard. It was something he had to refrain from doing next time.

    ¡¯That is true.¡¯

    When Yong-Ho turned back around, he noticed that the spirits were looking at him, so he smiled awkwardly.

    Their eyes were really sparkling.

    Catalina was looking at the smander with an ufortable expression and it seemed like she wanted to ride it, but was stopping herself from asking. The way her tail and ears were drooping looked cute, but at the same time, he felt bad.

    The Orcs excitedly talked about how everything that the Goblins said were true and the Goblins and Kobold were busy jumping around. Skull also cheered while waving their hammer.

    But among them, the Treant was the most excited.

    The Treant was more excited than the smander and they looked at Yong-Ho as their branches started shaking. A human¡¯s face was created on the tree¡¯s body, so he was able to see their excited expression.

    ¡¯They¡¯re aware of it.¡¯

    The fact that they were next.

    Yong-Ho turned around again. And he thought doing it again wouldn¡¯t hurt since he¡¯d already done it once, so he approached the Treant.

    When Yong-Ho got closer to the Treant, the other spirits closed their mouths and looked at them. They looked like spectators watching a magic show.

    Yong-Ho slightly nced over. The Princess Ant, who was standing next to the Kobold, was blinking her eyes. Even though it¡¯s only been a couple of days, it seemed like she developed emotions.

    He couldn¡¯t push back on registering her as a spirit. But today would end with Treant¡¯s development.

    "Okay. Don¡¯t get scared and rx."

    As they rxed, the Treant¡¯s branches dropped. Yong-Ho raised his left hand again so that the spirits could see it clearly. Yong-Ho used the Power of Evolution to look at the Treant¡¯s stats.

    [Race : Treant (M)]

    [Type : Monster Spirit (Low Rank)]

    [Element : Earth Level 1]

    [Individual Trait]

    [Naive]

    [Individual Skill]

    [Vines / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 100/100]

    [Vines (Tentacles) Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)] -> Advancement route revealed upon development

    [Stamina Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Agility Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]

    Since they were originally a Rank Two spirit and they¡¯ve only evolved once, they were a lot weaker than the smander in many ways.

    Yong-Ho had already thought about the Treant¡¯s development route, so he chose Vines without hesitation.

    Light enveloped the Treant this time too. The Treant¡¯s silhouette was transforming within the light and the other spirits stopped breathing and focused on the Treant.

    The light disappeared. Yong-Ho released a long sigh and pulled back the hand that was on top of the Treant¡¯s body. He took a few steps back and looked at their entire body.

    Their body grew bigger and the number of vines increased. It was safe to say that there was twice as many.

    The spirits excitedly pped this time too.

    But after evolving, the Treant looked at themselves for a moment and with a sad face, their vines fell to the floor.

    It seemed like they were expecting to obtain wings too.

    ¡¯I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s impossible.¡¯

    Even though the smander obtained wings they didn¡¯t have, he thought that change was possible because it was within an eptable range.

    But he couldn¡¯t imagine wings appearing on a tree and giving them the ability to fly.

    Yong-Ho tapped the Treant¡¯s vines as if he was telling them to cheer up and then looked at the advancement route.

    [Treant ¨C Assault Type] | [Treant ¨C Defensive Type]

    Both of them looked slow as usual, but the assault type had pine cones along with the vines and also thorns. For the defensive type, the leaves were bigger and thicker.

    After checking the advancement route, Yong-Ho looked back at Eligor. He walked into the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon along with the spirits.

    &

    "Seriously! Why didn¡¯t youe in when you arrived?!"

    "Did you do that to worry me?"

    "But you¡¯re back safe and sound."

    Lucia greeted Yong-Ho by making a fuss in the beginning and then talking softly afterwards.

    The way they acted was pretty cute, so after he chuckled like Skull, he looked around the dungeon entrance room. Even though they reorganized arge part of the dungeon, there wasn¡¯t a big change to the entrance room.

    "We¡¯ve finished reorganizing the inside passageway, like you¡¯ve instructed. We¡¯re currently reinstalling the traps and building the workshop."

    Eligor exined after reading Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the ceiling. He spoke as he waved his finger into the air.

    "Lucia, is it possible to register the Princess Ant as a spirit now?"

    "It¡¯s possible."

    "From the way you acted outside, it seems like you¡¯re in a hurry today, sir."

    "I¡¯m not done. I have a present for you too."

    Lucia didn¡¯t reply right away. If they were a human, they would probably be blinking their eyes.

    "A present for me?"

    "You brought me a present?"

    "Let¡¯s start the registration. Support me."

    Yong-Ho spoke slowly as if he was trying to change the subject and then looked at Kobold and the Princess Ant. When Yong-Ho lightly waved his hand, the Kobold understood and immediately brought the Princess Ant in front of him.

    Yong-Ho imagined Lucia pouting with an unsatisfied look. That¡¯s what she must¡¯ve been doing because she spoke in a slightly sulky tone.

    "Preparations areplete. Please begin."

    "Like I¡¯ve mentioned before, registering the Princess Ant as a spirit will take a lot more mana than usual."

    "Please keep that in mind."

    She must¡¯ve created a line between public and private matters because her voice was calm again.

    After nodding his head, he ced his hand on top of the Princess Ant¡¯s head.

    Because she saw what happened outside, she slightly flinched, but then closed her eyes and didn¡¯t push back his hand.

    Like Lucia warned earlier, the amount of mana that it took to register them was simr to when he evolved the smander.

    The Princess Ant groaned and a white magic circle appeared on her forehead.

    "The registration isplete. The Princess Ant is now the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit."

    "Whew."

    When looking at the amount of mana he used, it was like he evolved a spirit three times, so he let out a deep sigh and pulled his hand back. The Princess Ant then opened her eyes and after looking at herself, a disappointed look appeared on her face as her shoulders dropped. They probably thought they were going to transform.

    Yong-Ho patted their head. Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s been registered, but he felt closer to her.

    And it was the same for the Princess Ant. She was like an inanimate object before and started showing a bit of emotion.

    ¡¯Let me push my limit a bit more.¡¯

    The spirit registration felt like an annual event.

    Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.

    [Race : Crazy Ant (F)]

    [Position : Princess Ant]

    [Type : Monster Spirit (Low Rank)]

    [Element : Coldness Level 0]

    [Individual Trait]

    [Innocent]

    [Individual Skill]

    [Charm / Mana]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Charm Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Emotion Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Mana Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Stamina Level 0 | ¡ï (1)]

    [Attribute Strengthening Level 0 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    ¡¯Good.¡¯

    Yong-Ho touched the window of light that disyed the development route. There was a faint silhouette above the Princess Ant¡¯s body, but none of them showed any dramatic changes. It just felt like a 10 year old turned 11 years old.

    ¡¯Will there be a Queen Ant advancement when they be an adult?¡¯

    "Usually, the Princess Ant needs anywhere from a few years to over a decade in order to be a Queen Ant."

    "Since they¡¯ve lost the colony, there¡¯s a possibility that they might choose to grow quickly in order to create a new colony."

    ¡¯I wonder.¡¯

    Yong-Ho nodded his head and looked at the Princess Ant again. After lowering himself so that he could be on the same level as her, he spoke.

    "I look forward to working with you. Staring today, your name is Yuria."

    Maybe it¡¯s the effects of the spirit registration, but it felt like the Princess Ant actually understood what he said. Even in the spirit list, Yuria was added to it.

    Kobold, who was always with the Princess Ant, barked as they jumped around. It seemed like they were congratting her, but at the same time, it was like they were signaling Yong-Ho to give them a name as well.

    ¡¯How about Spot or Puppy?¡¯

    It might be too much to name all the spirits that he was going to register from now on, but he felt that he should at least give the Treant and the smander a name.

    ¡¯For the smander, maybe Lamborghini, Diablo or Porsche...no, that¡¯s a bit too much. Maybe Smi?¡¯

    Anyways, he decided to think about itter. He had to discuss with Eligor regarding the things that happened at the free city and he had to understand the new dungeonyout.

    After Eligor dismissed the spirits, Yong-Ho spoke with a rxed expression.

    "I know it¡¯s a bitte, but thing worked out great."

    "It seems that way."

    Eligor smiled warmly. Yong-Ho gathered Eligor, Catalina and Skull and walked towards the inner part of the dungeon. After checking how the passageways have been reorganized on the dungeon map, he asked a question.

    "Where¡¯s the Dwarf now?"

    The Dwarf had manufacturing skills and they would be in charge of the workshop.

    Eligor answered Yong-Ho¡¯s question with a warm smile.

    "Of course they¡¯re in the prison."

    Why did he say "of course" in the beginning?

    Yong-Ho asked again with a confused look.

    "Just out of curiosity, you didn¡¯t torture them, right?"

    A sulky expression appeared on Eligor¡¯s face and Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief.

    End.

 Chapter 59

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Journal #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    While Yong-Ho was in the free city, the House of Mammon was going through major reorganization, so the passageways and the facilities changed a lot.

    That¡¯s why, while they were walking towards the prison, Eligor was busy exining the newyout.

    "This is a single path that has the dungeon¡¯s first defense facility. Since we were so focused on making the length of the winding road longer, we missed the fact that the walls between the passageway became weak. To fix that, we fixed the thickness of the walls between the roads so that an entire room is almost able to fit in."

    Since most of the inactivated rooms werepletely empty, it¡¯s natural for it to be weak against Wall Break.

    After he turned the corner on the newly reorganized passageway, he noticed that the walls between the passageway were stronger than before. As they filled the inactivated rooms, they created strong walls.

    But that didn¡¯t mean they filled every room. In order to use the same tactics they used before in the activated rooms, they didn¡¯t fill some of inactivated rooms.

    Unless the enemy had the ability to see through walls, it would be impossible for them to tell the difference between filled rooms and empty rooms.

    ¡¯I feel like someone like that will appearter on though.¡¯

    Magic existed within the demon world. See Through magic would be useful and it probably did exist.

    But that was something he could think aboutter. And even if someone did have that magic, it would be difficult for them to break through a wall that was over 100 meters thick.

    "We¡¯re nning on installing the traps that you purchased from the dungeon shop in the passageway. We also created a guard post in a corner so that those that are on guard duty can rest."

    Since they were near a corner, Eligor opened a door that was attached to the wall. It was a small room that could fit two, maybe three guards. There was a makeshift bed and some chairs.

    The Orcs that were already in the room stood up from their seat and showed their respect to Yong-Ho. They were armed with the weapons that they didn¡¯t sell to the dungeon shop.

    Before, there were three corners and now, there was only one corner. Even though the passageway was shorter than before, they didn¡¯t have to worry about the walls breaking like before.

    As they walked down the path, arge room that was probably the size of five rooms appeared.

    Eligor spoke again.

    "It¡¯s the first interception area that you requested for. It will be empty and while the enemy is dyed on the passageway, the spirits will be ced here."

    The interception area wasn¡¯t just arge room. It was still iplete since it was created based on the dungeon¡¯s defense, but there were traps installed within the room. It felt like they created a small castle inside the room.

    Eligor pointed at the magic circle that was installed in the center of the fortress.

    "Since the Treant is the only spirit that tends to remain in one spot, that¡¯s where they¡¯ll be standing. And you might also know this, but...the Treant is currently returning."

    Since the Treant¡¯s movement was slow, despite the group looking thoroughly at the passageway, they still haven¡¯t reached the group.

    Catalina smiled awkwardly and Skull stood on top of the magic circle with their arms spread out. It was as if they were trying to act like the Treant.

    After passing the first interception room, an intersection appeared.

    A dungeon was an "unknown space" for the enemy. Because of that, having a slightly winding road can confuse the enemy and it can even lead them to split up.

    If they made the dungeon an actual maze, then it¡¯ll make it difficult for them to live there, but creating a winding road will increase the dungeon¡¯s defense.

    Eligor was standing in the middle of the intersection and pointed both left and right.

    "With you in the center, the right leads to the warehouse. The warehouse is located on both sides of the passageway. It¡¯s filled with wood and stone, which will be useless to the attackers."

    Yong-Ho just nodded his head. He did ask Eligor to fill it with items that the enemy would find useless and it seemed like Eligor took care of it.

    "The road on the left is just a long passage. We can install something newter...For the spirits that are part of the intercepting group, I created a room where they¡¯ll be able to drink water and also use the restroom."

    It meant that the real road that leads to the inner part of the dungeon was just a straight passage.

    ¡¯Hm, I did order it, but I feel a bit nervous.¡¯

    When people are confronted by a situation they have no information on, they usually have the same reaction each time.

    If they were to choose between one and two, they would usually choose one or if they were at an intersection, they would usually go straight.

    If our purpose was to confuse the enemy, even if we have to twist the path more, shouldn¡¯t one of the paths connect with the real path?

    ¡¯Well, it can be fixedter.¡¯

    Instead of looking at both sides, he walked forward. Even though he should¡¯ve thoroughly looked through the dungeon, he had to go to the prison.

    As he moved ahead, the second interception room appeared. The size was simr to the previous one, but it seemed more like a vacant lot.

    "As of right now, the second interception room is the final defense line. We¡¯re thinking about adding more defense mechanisms based on your orders, sir."

    They nned this dungeon reorganization for a long time. Since there¡¯ll be a lot more fighting spiritster on, so it was only right to create a lot of interception rooms like this.

    When they passed the room, their living spaces finally appeared. The spirit¡¯s dormitory and storage were located on the left and right side of the intersection.

    They created two dormitories because of the spirits that will jointer on, but it was also made to separate the Orcs and the Goblins¡¯ resting area.

    There¡¯s nothing more important than sleeping well. Also, the dormitory had to be a ce where the spirits couldfortably rest after working hard all day.

    Even though he hasn¡¯t seen the Orcs bother the Goblins, the two races had different personalities and tasks. It was better to provide separate spaces before there were any issues.

    Near the storage, the restroom, a drinking fountain and a cafeteria for the spirits were located.

    ¡¯I should hire a cook too.¡¯

    Even though he instructed them to build it, the cafeteria and the kitchen were pretty big. Out of all the spirits in the House of Mammon, about a dozen spirits actually had "meals."

    He couldn¡¯t just let Eligor prepare food for that many spirits. Yong-Ho felt the need to hire a professional cook sometime soon.

    ¡¯So that¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of employees at a mansion.¡¯

    Yong-Ho recalled the British films that showed the lives of 19th century nobles and nodded his head.

    Even though there wasn¡¯t much, Eligor was happy just looking at therge kitchen and when they moved on, he continued guiding Yong-Ho.

    When they passed the second intersection, there was a third interception room that hasn¡¯t been installed yet and empty spaces that would be usedter on.

    After stopping at a crossroad, Eligor spoke.

    "If you continue down this path, a passageway that¡¯s connected to the throne room will appear. It¡¯s a crossroad and it won¡¯t just appear like before. If you go to a different crossroad, a passageway that connects to the armory, gold mine, a storage for the gold and a bathhouse will appear."

    Catalina, who was quiet all this time, became excited when she heard bathhouse. He knew how she was feeling just from looking at the way her tail wagged.

    Instead of Eligor guiding him to it, he just exined it because Yong-Ho had to visit the prison.

    Following Eligor, Yong-Ho entered the passageway where the prison and torture room was located.

    When they entered, Eligor¡¯s face became lively. Since it was a newly built prison, the usual heavy and dirty smell wasn¡¯t there. Yong-Ho took a deep breath as if the air was different here.

    Like the other facilities, the prison was also big as well.

    They split the one prison into four rooms. They ced all the rooms on one side of the wall so that the prisoners couldn¡¯t see each other and the torture room was located across from them. It was Eligor¡¯s dream pce.

    Eligor opened the door to the first cell.

    Inside the clean cell, a hairy Dwarf was lying on the ground. Yong-Ho looked at them from the entrance and then turned his attention to Eligor.

    "I thought you said you didn¡¯t torture them."

    "I swear on Master Mammon that I didn¡¯t. They were like that from the start."

    Yong-Ho looked at the Dwarf again.

    Besides the fact that they didn¡¯t have any energy, their eyes looked as dead as a fish. They didn¡¯t move even when someone walked into the room and that seemed unusual.

    "They¡¯re not...dead, are they?"

    "They¡¯re not. They must¡¯ve given up because they were filled with despair. If possible, I rmend returning them."

    Eligor whispered.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t answer right away and started organizing his thoughts.

    Most of the spirits that he purchased from the dungeon shop were simple.

    The Goblins liked Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon because he evolved them, gave them food and a ce to sleep. For the Treant, having a ce to nt their roots was enough.

    The Golems were inanimate from the beginning and even though Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know what Skull was thinking, they seemed happy.

    Even though Eligor and Catalina were spirits, they were originally a part of the House of Mammon and they were proud of that.

    The newly recruited Orcs were free spirits, not servants. Even though they were kind of forced to join because they lost the battle, they weren¡¯t dissatisfied with the current situation.

    But the Dwarf inside the cell was different.

    ording to the information that he read at the time of purchase, that Dwarf wasn¡¯t even born in the demon world. Like Yong-Ho, they were born in a different world and after losing a dungeon battle with a demon king, they became their servant.

    Yong-Ho used his imagination.

    The warriors they fought along with all died.

    After barely surviving, they were thrown into an unfamiliar world and because they became a servant, they were sold to different ces.

    It was a really depressing thought. There were probably people that would just follow along, but like Eligor stated, they probably gave up and became disabled.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t going to give up right away.

    On top of that, in the list of spirits that Sitri personally picked out, the word, "Rmended" was written on top of that Dwarf.

    Of course there was no guarantee that Sitri helped without expecting anything back from the House of Mammon. But when he thought about their rtionship, she probably wasn¡¯t rmending a useless, disabled spirit just to get rid of them.

    Yong-Ho walked inside of the prison. Catalina changed to her fighting stance in case something unexpected happened and even though Skull was dragging themself along, they didn¡¯t leave Yong-Ho¡¯s side.

    Even though Yong-Ho walked closer to them, the Dwarf didn¡¯t move at all. Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution. The information disyed before and after registering was different.

    [Name : Bugrim]

    [Race : Dwarf (M)]

    [ss : Not a demon]

    [Individual Trait]

    [Simple-Minded / Diligent / Suspicious]

    [Individual Skill]

    [Stamina / Mana / Talent]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    [Mana | ¨C ] ¨C Damaged | Upon development, a greater development rate is required

    [Talent Level 5 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    Before registering, part of the stats and level didn¡¯t show, so Yong-Ho just blinked his eyes.

    It was high. They had potential and most of their stats were already well-developed.

    Bugrim, the Dwarf, had outstanding skills.

    ¡¯Their talent is level five?¡¯

    It was a level he¡¯s never seen before. Even Yong-Ho¡¯s mana was level four.

    Just from their stats, it was obvious why Sitri rmended them.

    ¡¯Now the question is, what do I need to do to motivate them?¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at the stats again. He looked between the "damaged" mana and the mana that was showing under Individual Skill.

    Yong-Ho tried to recall the dungeon shop¡¯s short introduction he read when he purchased Bugrim.

    "A Dwarf from another world."

    "They were part of the party that invaded the demon king, Aiduson¡¯s dungeon. The dungeon was connected to the other world."

    "All of the members were killed."

    "Aiduson gave this product to the dungeon shop and ording to their description, the Dwarves that exist in their hometown are very skilled at creating weapons. They¡¯re more skilled than the Dwarves in this world."

    "The Dwarves that were from the same world confirmed this product."

    Compared to their skill, they were sold at a pretty low price.

    They became a disabled servant after the dungeon fight.

    Dead eyes.

    The same race confirmed that they could create magic weapons.

    Yong-Ho lowered himself. He spoke as he looked at Bugrim.

    "You¡¯re unable to use your mana. I don¡¯t think it¡¯spletely impossible to heal you."

    It was more like he was talking to himself.

    But within that moment, Bugrim¡¯s eyes started shaking. Expectation was filled within their dead eyes, even if it was a little bit.

    Yong-Ho looked at Bugrim again.

    This time, Bugrim turned their head and looked at Yong-Ho.

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Journal #1> End.

 Chapter 60

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Journal #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t rush.

    The importance of ying hard to get didn¡¯t just apply to people in romantic rtionships.

    "My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I¡¯m the owner of the House of Mammon. You¡¯ll be working here from now on."

    Bugrim didn¡¯t reply immediately to his introduction. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t skilled at reading another person¡¯s feelings, but even he was able to tell that Bugrim was feeling anxious, so Bugrim sat up.

    They hesitated for a moment, but showed respect towards Yong-Ho.

    It was a better reaction than when they were staying still like a rock, but Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t satisfied.

    Eligor approached Yong-Ho and whispered to him.

    "After they stepped out of the spirit preservation box, they haven¡¯t said a word. It could be that they don¡¯t know how to talk."

    The "World-ss Magic" made it possible for them tomunicate with each other and Bugrim didn¡¯t have any issues understanding Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho was going to ask whether he could talk or not, but decided not to.

    Bugrim¡¯s bearded face looked pretty calm, but his eyes told a different story.

    Different emotions were mixed together. Even in his current condition, Bugrim didn¡¯t ask whether his mana can be recovered. There was a possibility that he couldn¡¯t talk.

    Yong-Ho spoke calmly.

    "We¡¯re currently building your very own workshop. If you provide good results, you¡¯ll be rewarded for it."

    He purposely let them imagine it.

    Instead of telling them exactly what he was going to do, he let Bugrim think about it.

    Bugrim gulped. Since they were inside a quiet prison, the sound of them gulping was really loud.

    Yong-Ho spoke again.

    "We¡¯ll probably move you to a dorm in the workshop tomorrow. Until then, I would like it if you stayed here, even if it¡¯s a bit ufortable. I¡¯ll take my leave."

    When Yong-Ho finished talking, Bugrim stood up from his seat and looked at Yong-Ho desperately. Instead of saying something, Yong-Ho nodded his head once and exited the prison.

    Bugrim was probably busy thinking about different things.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t guarantee that this was the best for them. But it was a lot better than lying down with dead eyes.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop walking after he exited the prison. After closing the hallway door that led to the prison, he stopped and looked back at Eligor and Catalina.

    Eligor read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind and asked first.

    "Is it a Dwarf that has issues with their mana?"

    "Probably. Do you happen to know anything about Dwarves? That Dwarf...about the Dwarves from a different world that Bugrim was a part of."

    "Hm...so their name was Bugrim."

    That was Eligor¡¯s reaction after hearing their name for the first time. It seemed like he didn¡¯t know much about the Dwarves.

    But then. Catalina, who had been looking at Yong-Ho and Eligor, slightly raised her hand.

    "Catalina?"

    "I...there¡¯s something that I heard from the previous guard. Since there¡¯s an issue with their mana...it probably is about the Dwarf race that I heard about."

    Yong-Ho signaled her to continue on and Catalina cleared her throat. She spoke after gulping.

    "In the other world, I heard that¡¯s there¡¯s a race that has an engine that produces and manages the mana. Like the Land Worm that you took down, instead of gathering mana into one area, they have an engine that creates and releases mana. It¡¯s like a heart that produces blood."

    "So, if that engine fails, does that mean they¡¯re unable to use mana?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s what I heard. For ordinary demons like us, even if the core of it is damaged, we can still use it even if it¡¯s been weakened. And if we¡¯re given plenty of time, we can recover our mana. But, for the race that I mentioned, if that engine no longer works, then they¡¯re unable to use mana. If I were to make aparison...it¡¯s like losing hands and feet that used tools."

    "I wonder. Is it like diaphragmatic breathing that appears in martial arts novels?"

    "Sir?"

    When Yong-Ho mumbled to himself, Catalina blinked her eyes in confusion.

    Yong-Ho vaguely answered her.

    "It¡¯s simr to what you just said. Anyways...if what she said is true, then it makes sense."

    Because the lower abdomen was damaged, they couldn¡¯t use the mana.

    ¡¯Did they want to give up even more because they lost theirrade, were sold as a ve and lost their mana?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t forget about the description about how they specialized in creating items that had mana in them.

    For Bugrim, losing his mana was probably the same thing as losing their life.

    ¡¯All their life, they were forced to walk this road...it¡¯s possible for them to feel that way. Is this the same thing as losing the will to live...?¡¯

    It could be a dramatic imagination. Instead of denying it, he recalled Bugrim¡¯s emotional eyes.

    ¡¯A life with no meaning.¡¯

    In that case, what was Yong-Ho living for?

    Is it to grow the dungeon as much as possible?

    If not that, then is it to revive the House of Mammon?

    Struggling to live.

    He didn¡¯t feel that way. He believed that he was pursuing something more than that.

    When Yong-Ho remained silent for a while, Eligor signaled Catalina with her eyes and when Catalina saw how Skull was rolling on the ground, she pursed her lips. She carefully called Yong-Ho.

    "Master?"

    "Oh, right. Um. Uh. Okay. I think there¡¯s a possibility that it may be simr to what Catalina said."

    Yong-Ho erased the thoughts that filled his head. Eligor asked with in a low voice again.

    "With your power..."

    "Yeah, probably. It might be possible cure them."

    If that wasn¡¯t the case, then there would be a sign that said evolving them was impossible.

    On top of that, the advancement had somewhat of a curing effect on the body. It might be possible to cure them through the advancement.

    "Dwarves are known to be suspicious and have trouble trusting others. But once they trust someone, they carry that trust with them even after they¡¯ve died."

    Yong-Ho nodded at Catalina¡¯sment. If Yong-Ho could really treat their mana, then Bugrim will most likely be as loyal as Catalina or Eligor.

    ¡¯Now that I think about it.¡¯

    Yong-Ho smiled when he looked back at Catalina and Eligor. The two spirits were confused by Yong-Ho¡¯s sudden smile, but he rushed them out of the prison.

    &

    After leaving the prison, there wasn¡¯t much to exin.

    Eligor was standing in the hallway and spoke while pointing to the throne room that was connected to the Heart of the Dungeon.

    "Your bedroom and Catalina¡¯s bedroom are connected to the throne room just like before."

    Eligor looked like he didn¡¯t really want to guide him there, so Yong-Ho decided to pass on it. It¡¯s because they were nning on looking at the newly reorganized gold mine, armory and workshop. They were the dungeon¡¯s core areas.

    But when Yong-Ho turned his back towards the throne room.

    "Cough, cough."

    "Cough!"

    "Cough, cough, cough!"

    Lucia, who had been quiet before now, started making noises.

    Despite the fact that she didn¡¯t have vocal chords, she was coughing, so it was probably important.

    Why was she coughing all of a sudden?

    After tilting his head, he realized it. Yong-Ho chuckled and shook his head.

    ¡¯Still a kid.¡¯

    The present that Yong-Ho promised.

    ¡¯Are they a baby that¡¯s just a month old?¡¯

    In his mind, the little girl naturally turned into a baby. She probably didn¡¯t know how Yong-Ho was feeling because Lucia rushed him again.

    "Cough!"

    "Cough!"

    Yong-Ho thought about ying with her a bit longer, but he turned around. Catalina, Eligor and Skull couldn¡¯t hear Lucia, so he took them along with him to the throne room.

    The throne room looked exactly the same as before. That¡¯s why, Yong-Ho confidently walked to the secret door that led to the Heart of the Dungeon and opened it.

    "Oh my, you¡¯re here."

    She shyly spoke despite the fact that she was begging him toe before.

    Yong-Ho was already tired from his encounter with Bugrim earlier, so instead of ying jokes on her, he went straight to the point. After standing in front of the Heart of the Dungeon, he raised a pouch that was on his belt.

    "Thump, thump."

    "Thump, thump."

    Lucia quietly imitated the sound of a heartbeat. It seemed like she had high expectations.

    Even though he was feeling burdened, Yong-Ho took out the item that was inside of the pouch.

    "A lump of...mana?"

    It was the Worm Stone.

    "I heard that the Heart of the Dungeon grows by absorbing a spirit or mana. I haven¡¯t given you a proper spirit to absorb yet...think of it as a delicacy and ept it."

    His instincts told him what to do. Or, it could be that Lucia sent him a sign since they were mentally connected.

    Yong-Ho ced the Worm Stone in front of the Heart of the Dungeon. And the hard Worm Stone became soft like jelly and the Worm Stone was absorbed. Absorbed was the perfect word.

    Since this was his first time, Yong-Ho nervously looked at it. Catalina and Eligor also stopped breathing as they watched the Heart of the Dungeon.

    "Skullllll!"

    The moment that Skull yelled out, a bright light was released from the Heart of the Dungeon.

    "It¡¯s delicious!"

    Lucia yelled. Her voice was filled with joy.

    "It¡¯s good! It feels like arge portion of the mana for my next growth has been filled!"

    "Thank you, sir."

    It didn¡¯t seem like she was lying just to make Yong-Ho feel good.

    Yong-Ho was relieved and a smile appeared on his face. It felt like he was finally finishing the task that started from the free city.

    But Yong-Ho realized that he was mistaken.

    It¡¯s because Catalina, who was smiling along with Yong-Ho, and Eligor, who was surprised by the Worm Stone, were the only ones left.

    "Now that I think about it, I did procrastinate a bit."

    After asking Skull and Catalina to bring chairs, he sat in front of Eligor. He was suddenly envious of the sofas that were in Ophelia¡¯s office.

    ¡¯I should buy one the next time I visit the dungeon shop.¡¯

    But that would beter.

    Yong-Ho focused on Eligor. He exined the things that happened at the free city.

    "Wow, it¡¯s surprising that Ophelia was the owner of the pub."

    That was Eligor¡¯s firstment after listening to Yong-Ho. This time, Yong-Ho asked because he was confused.

    "Do you know Ophelia?"

    Eligor was a spirit that joined the House of Mammon when the owner from two generations ago was alive. The moment they became the owner, Ophelia¡¯s father left the House of Mammon, so they probably never had the chance to meet face-to-face. Or did they meet for a short time when her father was making preparations to leave?

    Eligor looked like he didn¡¯t know what to say because he hesitated for a moment.

    "I do know her, but only through documents. She was on the list of spirits when the owner from two generations ago was alive."

    "I¡¯ve also heard a lot about Ophelia¡¯s father, Endelyon, from the previous guard. They said that he was the strongest spirit under Kaiwan."

    Catalina spoke after Eligor.

    If she was able to be the owner of a pub that was part of one section of the free city, then it meant that she was definitely strong. She might be stronger than the Yong-Ho now.

    ¡¯Ophelia definitely didn¡¯t look weak.¡¯

    Even though the free city was awless city, it didn¡¯t seem like she was able to keep that position just because she was the daughter of Kaiwan¡¯s guard.

    It could be that the "Red Demon" was a race that was highly specialized inbat, like he had originally assumed.

    Eligor spoke again.

    "I remember her because we¡¯re the same race, but...ha ha...you¡¯re really amazing for being able to obtain the free city¡¯s pub owner as a spirit. It¡¯s a big blessing for the House of Mammon."

    The most valuable thing that the pub had was information. The reason why he even went out of the dungeon was to obtain information.

    After telling Eligor that Ophelia was going to visit the dungeon soon, he headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room and went straight to his bedroom. There were a few rooms that he wanted to check, but he was filled with exhaustion while he was sitting down, so he desperately wanted to rest.

    Since all the urgent tasks had been taken care of, Eligor left after saying he would find Yong-Ho when it was time to eat. Catalina also left to her room after respectfully bowing to Yong-Ho.

    Now that Yong-Ho was alone, he lied down on top of the familiar andfortable straw bed.

    It really felt like he came back "home."

    ¡¯Home.¡¯

    He recalled the thoughts he had when he saw Bugrim.

    The head of the House of Mammon.

    The owner of the dungeon.

    Even though Yong-Ho closed his eyes, he opened them a minuteter. He must¡¯ve been filled with motivation, because he couldn¡¯t stay down.

    Yong-Ho took out the demon world¡¯s alphabet chart that Eligor made from the jacket he took off. After opening an old alphabet book on the desk, he grabbed the most important item that was in the Heart of the Dungeon.

    The owner from three generations ago.

    Kaiwan¡¯s journal. The Demon King of Distortion.

    Yong-Ho opened to the first page. He began interpreting it.

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Journal #2> End.

 Chapter 61

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #1></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    There are many types of power.

    When people mention power, many think about physical strength.

    An overwhelming violence that lets one fulfill their desire, even if it¡¯s forced.

    Thew of the jungle was used in the demon world.

    That¡¯s why violence alone was enough to go against most powers.

    But it was only most.

    It couldn¡¯t be applied to everything.

    Physical strength and mana was included in the violence.

    Powerful strength.

    Supreme mana.

    In that case, what other power were there?

    To Embrio, having power meant being able to fulfill whatever you desired.

    Imposing your will onto others. And then fulfilling it.

    Beauty was another amazing power.

    There¡¯s a lot of stories of men acting foolishly in order to capture the heart of beautiful women.

    It¡¯s being able to instigate the other¡¯s desire and make them follow.

    It¡¯s being able to aplish your own desire through beauty.

    Being intelligent and having the ability to speak well was another power.

    They were like sharp fangs and they were more than enough to stab the opponent.

    Embrio acknowledged it.

    Those were definitely powers. But they were low-ss powers.

    They were bound to fall in front of overwhelming violence.

    They weren¡¯t worth much when going against violence.

    It could sound really ignorant and simple-minded. But that was reality. Embrio watched so many strong figures fall because of violence.

    The power that was in front of them was like that too.

    Embrio was standing on a destroyed free city. And he was inside a small and cozy house that was located in the center of the city.

    A really old woman was sitting in front of them. They had the power of wisdom and experience. She lived a very long time and during that long time, she made the wisdom and experience she obtained her power.

    She was an advisor and she was a library of knowledge that knew the world¡¯s secrets.

    She didn¡¯t have a way of resisting Embrio¡¯s violence. It¡¯s because she didn¡¯t have any knowledge that could make Embrio kneel or anxious.

    No, even if she did have something, Embrio wasn¡¯t the type to easily surrender.

    The demon world wasrge and there was a limit to her knowledge. The old woman lived in the free city in the southern region and there was probably another who had just as much as knowledge as her.

    The old woman knew that very woman. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t rush in making a deal. She surrendered in front of Embrio¡¯s violence and told him everything he wanted to know.

    "The Seven Deadly Sins. The seven sins. Some call it a fragment of the demon kings and others say that it¡¯s the demon kings themselves."

    They spoke in an exaggerated tone, just like other fortune tellers, but it didn¡¯t bother him. Embrio quietly listened and the old woman continued talking.

    "The one that controls the demon world has always been the one that had one of the sins. But in that case, what is sin? What kind of power did it have that the ones that had it were called a ¡¯king?"

    There was no need for an answer. Therge wolves that were circling around Embrio started growling and the old woman quietlyughed.

    "Each of the sins have a power that goes along with the name. But no one knows in detail what kind of power they are. They only make assumptions. For example, lust has the power to tempt the other person and wrath has the power to make others mad."

    Wrath, pride, greed, gluttony, lust, envy, sloth.

    "But that¡¯s not all. Depending on how it¡¯s used, the skill can provide an immense amount of power, but the Seven Deadly Sins...their real power is a lot more pure and essential."

    The old woman stopped talking for a moment and looked at Embrio. Many fortune tellers used this method in order to raise the listener¡¯s expectations.

    Embrio looked at the old woman with an indifferent expression. She closed her wrinkly eyes.

    "The King of Violence...they¡¯re a great king that exists in the demon world and out of the dragons, they can be considered as the most powerful being. Because of that, they¡¯re able to stand next to the other kings despite not owning a sin. It¡¯s because they have the Dragon Heart, which is arge and powerful lump of mana in the demon world."

    Out of the six kings that ruled the demon world, they¡¯re the only one that didn¡¯t own a sin.

    Despite just having superhuman powers, they were able to stand next to the other kings.

    The old woman predicted the end. It was a future that had already been decided right when Embrio entered and destroyed the city. She couldn¡¯t go against Embrio¡¯s violence with the power that she had and as someone that lived a long life, she chose to have a neat ending.

    "Embrio, you¡¯re the King of Violence. You¡¯re not a dragon. You also don¡¯t have a sin. That¡¯s why...you can¡¯t be a king. You won¡¯t be able to sit on the throne."

    The old woman ced a small pipe in her mouth. She inhaled the smoke and Embrio left the house. The wolves gave her herst moment.

    He couldn¡¯t be king because he didn¡¯t have a sin.

    Embrio just shook his head. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a useless resistance, but he denied it.

    There was someone that became a king even though they didn¡¯t have a sin.

    The fact that they were the best dragon in the demon world wasn¡¯t important.

    Embrio looked towards the south.

    He gazed at the edge of the demon world.

    &

    "Sugar, I need sugar..."

    After interpreting Kaiwan¡¯s journal all night, Yong-Ho lied down on top of the desk.

    There were definitely results.

    First, his readingprehension improved a lot.

    There¡¯s a saying that it¡¯s best to learn anguage in bed. Learning from the opposite sex isn¡¯t the best. It meant that in order quickly learn anguage, one needed to have the will and interest to learn it.

    Interpreting Kaiwan¡¯s journal was pretty fun.

    Peeking into another, especially a girl¡¯s journal, wasn¡¯t the fun part. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t that low. Never, never.

    It was a strong denial, but anyways, Kaiwan¡¯s journal was pretty entertaining.

    Yong-Ho thought of Kaiwan¡¯s journal as a treasure map. The more he interpreted it, the location of the treasure appeared, was the thought he had, so of course it was entertaining. On top of that, it was a journal, not some document.

    It was funny how he was trying to interpret the sentence, despite not knowing much about the alphabet, but Kaiwan had pretty nice handwriting. There wasn¡¯t really a reason to write long sentences, but since she mostly wrote short sentences, it was readable. And the variousments that popped up were refreshing and witty. Unlike her outer appearance, she actually might¡¯ve been a cheerful woman.

    ¡¯And she cherished her little brother the most.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that half of her journal was about her little brother. If he didn¡¯t know before, then he would¡¯ve mistaken Kaiwan as his mother, not an older sister.

    After Kaiwan went missing...How would¡¯ve Kaiwan reacted if she found out about her little brother¡¯s life?

    She was like his mom and as someone he looked up to, he was losing her inheritance day by day.

    The disease in his weak body would die with him and he didn¡¯t even get the chance to resist.

    Kaiwan was younger than he imagined.

    Saying that she was more like a child was fitting.

    ¡¯Same age as me...Maybe one or two years older.¡¯

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t write in her journal every day. Sometimes she wrote every day and other times, she would write a few times a week.

    After reading the information on the first page, he realized that this was her fifth andst journal.

    If he assumed that one journal contained two years worth of entries, then it meant that she disappeared in her early 20¡¯s.

    A little girl in her teens became the owner of a falling family. And for 10 years, she managed to ovee all sorts of difficulties and helped the family rise up.

    He was able to get an idea of how strong Kaiwan was. But he was sure that Kaiwan was a lot stronger than Yong-Ho¡¯s current power.

    Yong-Ho looked at Kaiwan¡¯s ring, which was on his left hand, and raised his upper body. He only managed to interpret the beginning of the journal and after closing it, he ced arge piece of paper in front of him.

    Yong-Ho used the map that was drawn in the journal as the base and drew Kaiwan¡¯s journal.

    He stopped midway and since it was a blueprint that would contain his future n, there was no rule that said that the sections that were currently hidden would appear on the map. On top of that, theyout of the dungeon changed because of the two previous owners and since Yong-Ho reorganized the dungeon, it was safe to say that the dungeon was totally different.

    But Yong-Ho still found a way.

    No matter how much he reorganized the dungeon, there are parts that he couldn¡¯t change.

    The dungeon¡¯s entrance, water source and gold mine were fixed locations.

    Yong-Ho used the distance between the entrance and the gold mine as the base and drew the dungeon map so that it was the same scale as Kaiwan¡¯s map. And by ovepping the two, it filled the dungeon map¡¯s empty space.

    The spirit training ground.

    Library.

    Magic researchboratory.

    The official torture chamber andrge prison that Eligor loved so much.

    The arena that Yong-Ho wanted wasn¡¯t drawn on the map. But Yong-Ho remembered the information about how Kaiwan targeted more than 80% of the first floor.

    There weren¡¯t a lot of empty spaces in Kaiwan¡¯s blueprint.

    If the arena existed in the first floor, then that meant that the arena entrance was located somewhere in the empty area.

    A general outline of the map and the directions.

    He had a good idea of what he needed.

    "Sorry."

    When she died, no, disappeared, she was about the same age, so he spoke as if he was talking to a friend.

    Yong-Ho lightly tapped the journal on the palm of his hand. Instead of reading more of Kaiwan¡¯s secrets, he stood up from his seat.

    "Please call Eligor, Catalina and Rikum into the throne room."

    "Yes, sir."

    "And...at least wash your face before leaving. You have a handsome face."

    Lucia spoke and Yong-Ho chuckled. He touched the prickly beard on his chin.

    &

    "So...what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯re going to explore...your own dungeon?"

    Rikum thought it was strange and his expression showed it.

    It was understandable because it was like the house owner wanted to explore their own house.

    Yong-Ho felt embarrassed, so he spoke after clearing his throat.

    "Rikum, as you know, the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon is old. The facilities that Kaiwan created are hidden in the darkness. What I¡¯m saying is that I need to find those."

    There were only four people that knew the truth about how the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon was abyrinth.

    It was Yong-Ho, Catalina and Eligor.

    And Sitri as well since she¡¯s the one that told him this truth.

    There wasn¡¯t a need to tell Rikum about the secret. And he felt bad for thinking this, but he didn¡¯t trust Rikum as much as Catalina or Eligor.

    "Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant. Understood. Then shall I call the others?"

    Kaiwan was sort of like a free pass. Rikum nodded after understanding Yong-Ho¡¯s goal and then asked.

    Yong-Ho shook his head.

    "No, it¡¯ll only be me, Catalina, Skull...and Smi and Spot. Rikum, take the others and help with the dungeon¡¯s defense."

    Exploring a dungeon gave them the opportunity to fill the development rate. Catalina and Skull were the main guards of the dungeon, so he couldn¡¯t leave them behind.

    The smander...Yong-Ho decided to take Smi because he wanted to quickly evolve them, so his personal greed was involved in the decision making. He decided to take Spot to use them as a messenger and scout.

    "Understood, sir. As you wish."

    Rikum showed respect towards Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho looked back at Eligor.

    "The Princess Ant...Yuria will be fine without Spot, right?"

    "It¡¯ll be fine. She mostly spends her time in her room anyways. She has been learning small tasks from Jun, but...even though she¡¯s good with her hands, she does tend to space out."

    Yuria spent her time in the breeding farm, which was located near the gold mine.

    Since she was still young, she wasn¡¯t able to create a colony of Crazy Ants, but after mining all the gold in the gold mine, he was nning on building a new colony.

    ¡¯The problem is that I don¡¯t have a way of filling her developing rate.¡¯

    This was an issue he could resolve after a training ground has been built.

    Yong-Ho talked to Eligor once more.

    "After moving Bugrim to the workshop...give them something to do. We need to check to see if he has the will to work."

    "I understand. I¡¯ll ask them to create shelves or chairs."

    It hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet, but ever since a professional entered the dungeon, Eligor, the housekeeper of the dungeon, looked happy.

    They managed toplete the urgent tasks.

    After recalling Ophelia and Endelyon, Yong-Ho wanted to take Eligor with him as well, but he managed to stop himself. For Eligor, there were far more important things than him evolving.

    "Okay. Let¡¯s prepare for the exploration and meet back here in 10 minutes."

    After Yong-Ho spoke, Catalina quickly answered and stood up. After Skull answered, they started rolling on the ground as if they had nothing to do.

    Ten minutester.

    He let Spot, who was overfilled with excitement, lead the way and Yong-Ho walked out of the throne room with the spirits.

    The official exploration to find.

    Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance began.

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #1> End.

 Chapter 62

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #2></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Sebas Tian

    Even if it was a simple exploration, it was a lot better than when they were exploring the armory and gold mine.

    During that time, they didn¡¯t know where anything was and had to assume the direction, but this time, they had a map.

    Even though the owner from two generations ago inherited the throne, the gold mine was taken from them by the Crazy Ants. They even had to give up their loving sister¡¯s belongings, so they were probably in an urgent situation.

    And it meant that the areas after the gold mine room remained as Kaiwan¡¯s.

    The map he found in Kaiwan¡¯s journal was more of a blueprint that included her future ns.

    However, the areas around the gold mine were probably already built during Kaiwan¡¯s time, so he was still sure that the map was urate.

    After arriving in front of Kaiwan¡¯s office, he waved his finger and disyed the dungeon map and Kaiwan¡¯s map that he drew in the air.

    Before starting the exploration, he looked back at Catalina.

    "How are you with using your shadow? Have you gotten used to it?"

    Catalina hesitated for a moment and answered as her ears weakly dropped.

    "I haven¡¯t perfected it yet. The more I use it, I feel like there¡¯s more to it...I think I¡¯ll have to use it as an additional attack for now. Um...would you like to see it?"

    He had no reason to decline, so after taking a few steps back, he nodded his head. Spot quickly caught on, so they grabbed Smi¡¯s tail and pulled them back.

    Catalina kept her distance from the others and after taking a deep breath, she unsheathed the dagger that was on her belt. And then she quickly cut through the air.

    It was definitely one movement.

    But after Catalina cut the air, something ck appeared behind Catalina¡¯s arm and it cut the air again. The shadow cut the exact spot that Catalina¡¯s first cut did and then disappeared like smoke.

    After advancing to a Shadow Runner, it¡¯s a new skill that she learned.

    The skill required her to use a dark element mana, but it was more of a martial arts technique than magic.

    ¡¯Will she be able to manipte it once she gets used to it? Or will the number of additional hits increase?¡¯

    Since there wasn¡¯t any information about it, she had to figure it out by studying.

    ¡¯But she really looks like a demon now.¡¯

    Describing Catalina¡¯s amazing body movement as being acrobatic wasn¡¯t enough and describing her as a demon wasn¡¯t fitting. She didn¡¯t really use mana all that much.

    "Good job. I¡¯m looking forward to your growth."

    "Thank you."

    After hearing Yong-Ho¡¯spliment, Catalina became really happy and sheathed her dagger. Spot also looked excited after seeing an interesting sight.

    "I¡¯ll start activating the inactive passageways."

    Lucia stepped in and activated the passageways. The first area they were going to explore was the training ground.

    "Nice."

    The gold mine and the training ground weren¡¯t that far apart and monsters didn¡¯t appear on the newly developed passageway that was between those two areas. There was only about two Slimes.

    It was expected.

    The inner part of the dungeon past the gold mine was used to store the core facilities of the dungeon rather than used to block the enemy¡¯s attack.

    Since the facilities were ced to make the living conditions better, the distance between the facilities was close and since they weren¡¯t far from the gold mine, other dungeon monsters weren¡¯t there.

    "I¡¯ll begin the activation process for the spirit training ground."

    Once mana was poured into it, light appeared and it showed a room that was as big as the throne room. A few of the Crazy Ants that were in there started crawling across the ground and walls as if they were trying to run away.

    When Yong-Ho signaled with his eyes, with Spot on their back, Smi flew towards the Crazy Ants to kill them.

    Since it wasn¡¯t a dangerous fight, Yong-Ho turned his attention to the inside of the training ground.

    It was simr to a worn gym. The ceiling was a bit higher than the other rooms and the ground was filled with dirt.

    Beside the rectangr section, which was probably a fighting arena, the puppets that you see in games were standing there.

    Skull started hitting the puppets with their hammer as if to show an example. For some reason, Yong-Ho felt that Skull¡¯s development rate was increasing every time they were hitting the puppets, so he instinctively activated the Power of Evolution.

    ¡¯Wow, it really is increasing.¡¯

    Skull already evolved several times, so even if they hit the puppets a lot, they¡¯ll most likely get one point. Anyways, the important thing was that the development rate did increase.

    Out of all the spirits, Eligor popped into Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    From the possible advancement routes that were disyed, Yong-Ho was interested in the Red Demon ¨C Beast.

    Since the word, beast, was next to it, Yong-Ho was excited to see what kind of skill he would obtain.

    ¡¯I¡¯m sure they¡¯re a fighting race. A fighting race.¡¯

    Yong-Ho smiled and opened the dungeon map again by waving his finger. He was nning on discovering the other facilities like this.

    And then.

    Skull stopped hitting the puppets and looked around. On top of that, Smi, Spot and Catalina were all looking in the same direction.

    Yong-Ho as well.

    They felt the flow of strong mana beyond the wall, but it wasn¡¯t that far.

    "There¡¯s an unusual amount of concentrated mana in the air."

    "This isn¡¯t a good sign."

    "The dungeon shop¡¯s basic data and the current situation...distortion!"

    Lucia¡¯s calm voice changed to a high-pitched voice at the end.

    Lucia spoke as if she was shooting her words out.

    "The unusual amount of concentrated mana is causing a distortion."

    "There¡¯s a high chance that dungeon monsters will pass through the opening that¡¯s caused by the distortion."

    "It¡¯s difficult to tell what kind of monsters will pass through. Please get to a safe location for now!"

    It must¡¯ve been a really urgent matter because instead of notifying only Yong-Ho, she created a message in light and notified Catalina as well.

    Yong-Ho recalled Eligor¡¯s exnation in the past.

    Distortion was one of the reasons why dungeon monsters appeared!

    The Crazy Ants and Smi also appeared through this method. If they appeared while Kaiwan was the owner, they would¡¯ve been killed, but the past two owners weren¡¯t able to do anything. In the end, the gold mine and armory were taken from them.

    The same thing could happen again.

    Catalina looked at Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho quickly made a decision.

    "Lucia! Tell me where the distortion is being created!"

    "ording to Kaiwan¡¯s map, it¡¯s in a vacant lot that¡¯s located right next to the training...sir?"

    Yong-Ho took out Aamon. Catalina understood Yong-Ho¡¯s thought and she immediately unsheathed her weapon and Skull nodded their head.

    He wasn¡¯t going to run.

    After the distortion opens, he was nning on getting rid of the dungeon monsters.

    The spirits here were currently the strongest soldiers in the House of Mammon. If the monsters couldn¡¯t be stopped with this group, then there¡¯s a high chance that the dungeon monsters can¡¯t be stopped in the future.

    Lucia understood Yong-Ho¡¯s thoughts. That¡¯s why she groaned as if she was hesitating, but it didn¡¯tst long. Lucia immediately activated the passageway that led to the area next to the training ground.

    "Dungeon monsters will soon appear through the distortion."

    "If you¡¯re going to do it, please hurry! And don¡¯t get hurt!"

    Yong-Ho smiled and then ran. With Catalina in the lead, the other spirits ran as well.

    "Because of the excess amount of mana caused by the distortion, I¡¯m unable to activate the area."

    "I have notified Eligor and Rikum of the current situation."

    "Rikum will be arriving with a support unit."

    Beyond the passageway, Yong-Ho saw darkness. Within the darkness, there was a whirlpool of mana.

    Spot got off of Smi¡¯s back and took out a stick-looking lighting device from the bag they carried and threw it onto the ground. And then, white lights appeared from the sticks, causing a portion of the darkness to disappear.

    Catalina and Skull couldn¡¯t read the mana¡¯s color and element, but they were able to see the distortion. It looked like a heat wave that was spinning unusually fast. It was swaying in the air and released an unusual energy.

    Distortions can appear in any dungeon. The important thing was how it¡¯s handled after it appears.

    The area itself wasn¡¯t that big. It was only a quarter of the training ground they were just in.

    Yong-Ho stood near the entrance with the spirits in case they needed to escape. He ordered Smi to aim at the distortion.

    The moment dungeon monsters appeared out of the distortion, Smi was going to shoot out fire. Depending on the situation, Yong-Ho was going to add Aamon¡¯s fire as well.

    Using fire to deal with the situation was better than fighting them.

    Smi gathered the fire and red at the distortion.

    Yong-Ho looked at the mana¡¯s color and element again. Different colors made up the distortion, but it turned into one color.

    Red.

    The distortion stopped. The mana that was whirlpooling exploded and a strong light lit the area!

    "Swoosh!"

    The moment the light was in his sight, Yong-Ho yelled. Smi opened their mouth while closing their eyes and shot out the fire they gathered.

    The fire that they released was a lot stronger than Yong-Ho¡¯s. The fire overpowered the light. Even though he didn¡¯t hear any screams, he smelled something burning and heard the sound of wings pping powerfully.

    Yong-Ho was able to clearly see again. Yong-Ho widened his eyes and looked straight ahead. Even though it was only for a couple of seconds, Smi¡¯s fire was still in the room.

    He saw arge bug. The distortion hasn¡¯t closed yet, so bug-like monsters wereing through and were greeted by Smi¡¯s fire.

    The n was a sess. Since Smi was getting tired, Yong-Ho immediately raised Aamon.

    But during that moment.

    Smi¡¯s fire was split into two. A strong fire was released from the distortion and it broke through Smi¡¯s fire.

    Yong-Ho recalled his first battle with Smi. He overpowered Smi¡¯s power by using Aamon¡¯s fire and this was a simr situation.

    "Tactic! It¡¯s a fire tactic!"

    Catalina yelled. The fire that shot out of the distortion made it difficult to see the figure, but they were able see that it was the body of arge male.

    He could tell through his senses. Fire didn¡¯t work on them. They needed another method.

    "Skulllll!"

    Skull bravely charged and swung their hammer, but it was useless. It was impossible to hit fire with a hammer. The figure ignored Skull¡¯s attack and looked at the tired Smi, Yong-Ho and Catalina. They unified the fire that was in both of their hands and just like Smi, they created arge fire.

    It was a moment of life and death.

    Catalina grabbed Spot¡¯s waist, who froze in ce, and kicked off the ground. Despite being tired, Smi looked at the fire and Yong-Ho stood in front of Smi to protect them and released Aamon¡¯s fire.

    Both fires shed. While holding Spot in one arm, Catalina kicked off the ceiling and wall and ended behind the figure. With her shadow, she threw the dagger.

    It was useless this time too. It looked like the shadow made a small impact after the dagger was thrown, but all it did was slightly push through the fire.

    But Catalina wasn¡¯t trying to take down the fiery figure. By attacking from behind, she was trying to turn their attention away from Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho pierced through the fire. The fire that Aamon released enveloped the enemy¡¯s fire and headed straight towards the unknown figure.

    The figure quickly turned their attention back to Yong-Ho after Catalina distracted them. But when they did, the distance between Yong-Ho and the fiery figure had closed.

    The figure violently swung their arms. A wave of fire was shot from the sky towards Yong-Ho¡¯s head and it was a horrible sight.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t close his eyes. Aamon released more fire and Yong-Ho watched the stranger.

    The wave of fire enveloped Yong-Ho¡¯s face. It mixed with Aamon¡¯s fire and it dispersed into the air. Despite what was currently happening, Yong-Ho took a step forward.

    It was hot. The sight of the fire enveloping both figures was a diversion. He thought Aamon¡¯s fire would be enough to defend against the fire, but the way his instincts reacted to the fire was something he couldn¡¯t control.

    The fire was shot down from above him. Aamon¡¯s fire and the enemy¡¯s fire shed once again. It exploded and Aamon¡¯s fire that enveloped Yong-Ho¡¯s body disappeared.

    The temperature increased. He wanted to close his eyes. The fire that was created by the unknown figure was zing in front of Yong-Ho.

    Aamon¡¯s fire wasn¡¯t all-powerful.

    When he first fought Smi, he used Aamon¡¯s fire to defend and he was only able to win because Skull kept on attacking Smi¡¯s body.

    Then where?

    Where was he supposed to attack when they were covered in fire?

    Yong-Ho looked at the man¡¯s flow. Despite the dangerous situation, he concentrated really hard.

    He saw another color within the fire. The thing that was swirling was the core of the fiery figure.

    Yong-Ho released another fire. He pushed his left arm into the fire instead of Aamon.

    They exploded again. The fiery figure and Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t hurt each other. But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t care. He read their mana and extended his hand towards the core. Instead of Aamon¡¯s fire, he released the mana that was stored inside the bracelet!

    It wasn¡¯t fire.

    It was coldness. It was the mana that he obtained by absorbing the Queen Ant and Foras¡¯s spirit!

    With Kaiwan¡¯s journal, he found the bracelet and it allowed him to store mana in it. During the fight with the Land Worm, he used all the mana that was stored in there and filled it with coldness mana. Yong-Ho had a hard time controlling his mana, so it took him a long time to store mana inside it, but it didn¡¯t matter. From the free city to the dungeon, the only thing he had left was time.

    Yong-Ho still didn¡¯t know how to use magic. He was merely pouring out the coldness. But that was enough. The coldness drove out the fire. He made it so that the core of the fiery figure froze.

    The figure screamed out in pain. Yong-Ho ignored it because it sounded like the wind. With all his might, he grabbed the frozen core!

    Like a weak piece of ice, the core broke. As the figure screamed, the fire that formed the figure dispersed and nothing was left. Just the heat from the fire proved that the fiery figure existed.

    "Pant, pant..."

    Yong-Ho stumbled as he started breathing heavily. Catalina quickly supported him.

    "There aren¡¯t any signs that show that more dungeon monsters will appear through the distortion."

    "Good job. You did really well!"

    "I¡¯ll notify Eligor and Rikum about the current situation."

    Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes after hearing Lucia¡¯s calm voice. He felt mana from the remaining core, even if it was really weak. It might be too much to absorb it, but it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to give it to Lucia as a snack.

    He didn¡¯t think an enemy who wasn¡¯t affected by fire would appear.

    But he killed them in the end. Catalina couldn¡¯t contain her joy and smiled brightly.

    "The distortion will naturally disappear."

    "But you never know what might happen, so I suggest you keep your distance from the distortion."

    It was a reasonable argument.

    But instead of backing out, he fixed his stance by leaning on Catalina. Even though the swirling distortion shrunk, he closely observed the mana¡¯s flow.

    Distortions appear when an unusual amount of mana is gathered.

    It meant that the distortion itself was a huge lump of mana.

    "Master?"

    "Master?"

    Catalina and Lucia both called out. Instead of answering the two, Yong-Ho extended his hand out towards the distortion.

    And naturally.

    The Greed inside Yong-Ho opened their mouth.

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #2> End.

 Chapter 63

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #3></strong></h4>

    He wasn¡¯t consciously doing it.

    Yong-Ho was mentally and physically exhausted and that¡¯s why his instincts really kicked in.

    Greed.

    It was one of the Seven Deadly Sins and it was guiding Yong-Ho. There was no end to their desire and they wanted the swirling lump of mana that was in front of them.

    The demon world was created through mana.

    The air, rock and soil. Mana was inside everything that was in this world. Of course the amount of mana was different. Like the wind, mana flew around the demon world. That neverending flow created difference.

    This flow of mana was a phenomenon created by the distortion.

    Like a small whirlpool that¡¯s created in a river. A different flow that¡¯s been created in an unexpected section.

    The distortion was dangerous. It was something that shouldn¡¯t be dealt with carelessly.

    But Greed didn¡¯t care about that. It seemed like they wanted it even more because it was dangerous.

    Catalina gulped. She wasn¡¯t used to mana and because of that, she couldn¡¯t assume just how dangerous the distortion in front of her was. Since it became smaller, the only thing she could assume was that it was less dangerous than before.

    But Lucia was different. Even if the dungeon shop didn¡¯t input any information, she was the Spirit of the Dungeon. She was able to really feel the flow of the mana within the dungeon.

    Even if it became smaller, it was still a distortion. The mana was spinning at a fast rate and it wasn¡¯t any different from a lethal weapon. If Yong-Ho ced his hand on it, his body might break because he¡¯s unable to endure the distortion.

    But he didn¡¯t hear any voices.

    It hasn¡¯t been that long since Lucia had been born, so she wasn¡¯t sure how to describe the current situation. It was rare for a Spirit of a Dungeon to be able to feel this much emotion.

    Was she supposed to tell him to depend on her?

    Her owner performed impossible tasks before. She was sure that her owner would surprise her this time too.

    No, she shouldn¡¯t think like that. It was really dangerous to have expectations.

    "Master!"

    Lucia managed to speak. But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop. He wasn¡¯t simply being controlled by Greed. Yong-Ho also wanted the distortion that was in front of him. And he wasn¡¯t being forced to stretch his hand out.

    Yong-Ho was able to see the flow of mana. And at the tip of his hand, he was able to feel Greed¡¯s energy follow the mana¡¯s flow.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t go against the flow. Greed naturally joined the distortion¡¯s flow.

    "Oh."

    Catalina eximed unconsciously. The distortion caused the space to look like a heat shimmer and unexpected colors started pouring out of it. Catalina and Skull also saw the same thing that Yong-Ho had seen before.

    The distortion epted Greed at first and it was now following Greed. The concentrated lump of mana naturally slowed down its speed and Greed let the remaining mana flow away.

    Greed wasn¡¯t Gluttony.

    If they couldn¡¯t handle it, they didn¡¯t eat it.

    The colorful vortexpletely stopped and it was being sucked into Yong-Ho¡¯s right hand. Yong-Ho saw how Greed transferred the lump of mana and it was simr to how they absorbed spirits.

    It was different from when Greed absorbed spirits.

    The mana had more "variety" than the spirits and Yong-Ho was able to feel it.

    For the spirit, it only contained the owner¡¯s demon power.

    For the Queen Ant and Foras, the spirit provided coldness.

    But the distortion was nature¡¯s mana. It was a lump of mana that¡¯s been collected from the demon world.

    The mana had different qualities and the demon world¡¯s natural mana was circting inside Yong-Ho¡¯s body.

    It was refreshing.

    He felt the same fullness as when he finished a delicious dish. The colorful mana pleasured his eyes and the different attributes woke the senses that had been asleep inside Yong-Ho.

    Seven colored stars.

    A spirit has a color and attribute and this didn¡¯t only apply to humans. It applied to any being that had a spirit.

    The attribute and color of the demon world¡¯s mana didn¡¯tpletely fall into the seven colored stars. However, there were some that resembled them and Yong-Ho was able to feel his spirit.

    The distortion didn¡¯t increase Yong-Ho¡¯s mana a lot. However, for the spirits that he absorbed before, the distortion made thempletely his. It¡¯s like it cleaned up the messy lego blocks that were stacked on top of each other. For the attributes that he originally had, he felt them grow.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.

    He felt refreshed, not tired. The exhaustion that he felt a moment ago seemed like it was all in his head, because his body was now filled with energy.

    "Mas...ter?"

    Yong-Ho turned his head towards where the voice wasing from and saw Catalina with her ears dropped. Behind her, he saw Eligor and Rikum as well.

    "You¡¯re okay, right?"

    "It¡¯s been over 30 minutes since you absorbed the distortion¡¯s mana."

    "And this might seem unexpected, but...your mana recovery rate has increased tremendously. Even though it¡¯s a small amount, the mana volume increased as well."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head when he heard Lucia. It sounded like he fell into a trance.

    "Master?"

    Catalina didn¡¯t hear him answer, so she carefully called out once more. Yong-Ho smiled to reassure her and petted Catalina¡¯s head.

    Catalina was relieved, which caused her to let out a sigh of relief. Eligor, who was standing behind her, felt the same way as her.

    "We ran over here because we were told that a distortion appeared. Thankfully, you were able to take care of it, sir."

    Yong-Ho felt safe when he saw Eligor¡¯s warm smile. When he looked around, Yong-Ho noticed that the Orc warriors were here as well.

    When Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes met Rikum¡¯s, Rikum flinched and hesitated, but he ended up talking. He carefully asked.

    "Um...if I may ask...did you absorb the distortion¡¯s...mana?"

    "Not all of it. Just a little."

    Yong-Ho smiled and massaged his shoulders. He then asked Eligor.

    "Looks like I caused amotion...anyways, how much of it did you hear?"

    It was kind of an odd question, but Eligor immediately understood what Yong-Ho asked.

    "It¡¯s been 20 minutes since we arrived. Catalina told us about the battle. It¡¯s a relief that it¡¯s been taken care of before things got worse."

    Since Eligor served the past two owners, dungeon monsters were horrific disasters to him. Laigin were insect type monsters that appeared together with fire. Since the Laigins lived in volcanic regions, they were highly resistant against fire, but it seemed like they didn¡¯t have the ability to endure the fire that was shot right into their faces.

    "Distortions can appear anywhere within the dungeon. But the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon has a higher chance of distortions appearing than the other dungeons."

    Even though it was a bitte, it sounded like Lucia¡¯s intention was to inform him about the distortion as much as possible.

    "Usually, the Spirit of the Dungeon controls the dungeon. That¡¯s why the flow of mana is more stable than outside of the dungeon and it lowers the chance of distortions appearing."

    "However, the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon is too wide for me to control."

    "And because of the Encantro Pagnium, mana flows a lot faster and more violently than other regions."

    "Sometimes, distortions causerger distortions to appear. There¡¯s a high chance that dangerous dungeon monsters are living in the underground area of the House of Mammon."

    It meant that Mammon¡¯s spirits weren¡¯t the only ones that were in danger.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s underground area was like a pandemonium.

    Since no one knew what kind of evil spirit or monster lived down there, it¡¯s obvious as to why the previous owners gave up on developing it.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    That wasn¡¯t the case for Kaiwan. And Yong-Ho was the same as well.

    When Yong-Ho remained silent, Catalina looked at him worriedly. After patting Catalina¡¯s head again, he sheathed Aamon and looked around. Hemanded Lucia to activate the empty lot.

    "I¡¯ll begin the activation. Please wait a minute."

    She really only took a minute. After a minute, mana was flowing into the empty lot and like the other rooms, the mana became light and was hanging from the ceiling.

    When the darkness disappeared, Yong-Ho was able to get a better look at the room.

    A room made out of stone.

    But it was different from the ordinary, inactive rooms. There wereplicated looking letters on the ground and wall and the remains of an unknown being was scattered all over the ce.

    Yong-Ho quickly opened Kaiwan¡¯s map in the air. But this room couldn¡¯t be found on the map at all.

    Lucia spoke.

    "Dungeon Facility: The Gate of Space. It looks like they stopped building this midway."

    "The Gate of Space?"

    Eligor and Catalina reacted to Yong-Ho¡¯s voice. Their expression was a bit awkward to say that they were just surprised, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have the energy to notice small changes like that. He unconsciously became excited and asked Lucia.

    "What do you meant stopped midway? Then does that mean it¡¯s possible to finish building it?"

    He didn¡¯t know why Kaiwan was trying to building The Gate of Space. He didn¡¯t know if they cancelled it for a reason or if they disappeared while it was being built. It was impossible to know.

    The possibility ofpleting The Gate of Space was what was important to Yong-Ho right now.

    In the beginning, Yong-Ho¡¯s goal was to build the dungeon to the point where he¡¯s able to build a door that allowed him to return to the human world.

    Lucia hesitated after hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s excited voice and then cautiously answered.

    "It¡¯s impossible."

    "The current me is not able to maintain and operate The Gate of Space and on top of that, it¡¯s impossible for me to install it."

    "But once I grow a bit more, it will be possible. It¡¯s not entirely impossible, so don¡¯t be too disappointed."

    "I see...it¡¯s impossible right now."

    Since he had expectations, his voice was filled with disappointment.

    Catalina and Eligor reacted sensitively this time too. Catalina quietly released a sigh of relief and Eligor released his fist.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t focus on those two. After he shook his head to get rid of his disappointment, he looked at the spirits.

    "Anyways, it worked out great. Thanks for running all the way here, but I think it¡¯s alright for you guys to go back."

    After showing their respect to Yong-Ho, Rikum and the Orc warriors exited.

    Eligor asked Yong-Ho.

    "I think it would be best if you stopped here and rested as well, sir."

    Even though the group only found one facility after they started exploring, it was a pretty fierce battle. It was only natural for Eligor to suggest that Yong-Ho rest for the remainder of the day.

    But Yong-Ho shook his head.

    Time wasn¡¯t on Yong-Ho¡¯s side yet.

    It wasn¡¯t as urgent as when there were warnings of Foras¡¯s attack, but at this moment, the owners in the empty region were moving.

    "It doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m going to overdo it. I¡¯ll return after securing a bit more of the passageway, so don¡¯t worry."

    "Yes, sir. I¡¯ll make sure that the food and bath are ready when you return."

    "That would be great."

    After showing his respect, Eligor left the empty lot. Yong-Ho felt kind of weird about exploring his own home.

    "Anyways, shall we continue?"

    Yong-Ho spoke and Catalina and Skull answered. Smi and Spot looked energetic as well.

    But an unexpected interference urred.

    "Master, the Dungeon Meerkats sent a report."

    "There¡¯s someone approaching the dungeon really fast. I believe it¡¯s Ophelia, the spirit from outside you spoke of."

    "Ophelia?"

    It was Ophelia. She did promise to visit the House of Mammon soon. But it¡¯s only been two days since Yong-Ho arrived at the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon. She came faster than he had expected.

    After contemting a bit, Yong-Ho made his decision. He turned around.

    "Let¡¯s stop here."

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how fast Ophelia decided to visit. It¡¯s possible that the other owners were moving discreetly.

    Spot was in the lead and Catalina and Skull protected Yong-Ho by staying beside him.

    &

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon."

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #3> End.

 Chapter 64

    <h4><strong><Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #4></strong></h4>

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon."

    The throne room.

    Ophelia kneeled in front of Yong-Ho, who was sitting on the throne. Catalina was standing on the left side of the throne room and Eligor, Rikum and Skull were standing at the bottom of the steps, which were created during the reorganization.

    Out of all the spirits that were currently in the House of Mammon, Ophelia was the strongest. On top of that, since she was the leader of a group for a long time, there was a certain dignity in her movements.

    ¡¯No, maybe ss?¡¯

    Seeing Ophelia show her respect towards him reminded him of the "demon" that he imagined when he was younger and felt like he was one step closer to bing that demon.

    But now wasn¡¯t the time for him to be happy about fulfilling his desire. Yong-Ho was curious as to why Ophelia suddenly decided to visit him, but he hid his impatient side by speaking calmly.

    "Thank you foring this far. You visited a lot sooner than I expected."

    "It¡¯s because I became the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit. I need to understand the interior of the dungeon and the situation outside of the dungeon is changing fast."

    Ophelia was wearing the same bartender outfit she was wearing at the bar and was straightforward about her visit. Yong-Ho actually preferred this method since he didn¡¯t know much about theplicated etiquettes.

    Yong-Ho was also straightforward.

    "What¡¯s the situation like with the other owners?"

    "It seems like they¡¯ll start moving within a few days. Foras¡¯s death and defeat has now be a fact. It¡¯s been a while since they left to invade the House of Mammon and haven¡¯t returned yet."

    This was something that Ophelia and Yong-Ho spoke about before at the pub.

    In order to attack a different dungeon, an owner needed at least a few dozens of units and a unit of that size is bound to stick out no matter what.

    "In the northwest region of Foras¡¯s dungeon, the House of Abigail is located and their movements seem unusual. Not only did they visit the pub yesterday to gather information, but they even hired a mercenary group that was within the free city."

    It was obvious what they were trying to do.

    A frown appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s face.

    "How¡¯s Foras¡¯s dungeon?"

    "The spirits have started leaving."

    It¡¯s natural for soldiers to leave an army that was losing.

    Even though spirits live inside the dungeon, they know what¡¯s happening outside of the dungeon.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon died and a new owner ascended to the throne.

    The owner that protected the House of Foras for many years no longer existed.

    The reason why Foras made his move was because the empty southern region was starting to be chaotic. There was no point in sitting still while the others were starting to make their move.

    "Out of the free spirits, the Orcs have left the dungeon first. As you know, the Orcs were the main spirits in the House of Foras. Gokun, who controlled those Orcs, is no longer there and it¡¯s been reported that most of the important figures were killed during the fight with the House of Mammon."

    Themander didn¡¯t only givemands during war. Maintaining the morale of the troops was their job as well.

    Yong-Ho looked back at Rikum after listening to Ophelia. Rikum was one of themanders and with a slightly sad expression, he answered.

    "Orcs respect the strong. Currently, there isn¡¯t anyone in the House of Foras that¡¯s strong enough to control the Orcs."

    It wasn¡¯t really the mostforting thing to hear.

    The Orcs weren¡¯t wandering mercenaries that were hired by the House of Foras. They were spirits and to be specific, they were close to being official troops of the House of Foras.

    Shame was written on Rikum¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t because he was ashamed of the Orcs that were in the House of Foras. Rikum was the first one to leave the House of Foras afterall.

    His and the life of his men were in danger and even though they were involved in a fight they couldn¡¯t win, it was a fact that they left the House of Foras and chose to serve the House of Mammon.

    If they ended up being in the same situation again, how would they handle it?

    Would they leave the House of Mammon?

    Would they have enough courage to say no?

    Yong-Ho sensed that Rikum was feeling troubled on the inside, so he turned his attention to Ophelia. Since Yong-Ho felt that there was something odd, he didn¡¯t have anything else to say.

    Ophelia spoke.

    "The first one to leave is like the first piece in a row of dominos. As more spirits leave, the hearts of those that are left will quickly weaken. And in the end, arge amount of spirits will leave the dungeon."

    It wasn¡¯t just me.

    Someone else started it. Everyone else did it. I wasn¡¯t the first one.

    Like Ophelia stated, it was like a domino. Yong-Ho was reminded of the students that didn¡¯t clean and ran away when he attended school. It was apletely different situation, but the basic context was the same.

    Eligor maintained a calm expression, but Catalina¡¯s face became dark. Her ears and tail looked weak.

    It was something that the House of Mammon already experienced. Even though the House of Mammon fell, it only took a few days for all the spirits to leave the dungeon. Catalina and Eligor were the only ones that remained.

    "The other owners already know what¡¯s happening. It¡¯s because the Orcs that left the House of Foras either entered the free city or visited the other owners and asked the owners to hire them."

    Foras died. The spirits were leaving the dungeon.

    The issue with the House of Foras wasn¡¯t the only thing that was making the owners impatient.

    "The chaos caused by Embrio is growing. Owners in various parts have started dungeon battles. The owners that joined forces and other owners that were defeated have decided to invade a different dungeon or defeat an owner so that they can increase their power. They are no longer forming an alliance."

    The situation was totally different from when the House of Mammon¡¯s previous ownermitted suicide.

    The owners were forced to make a move. In order to protect their respective dungeons, they had to fight.

    Yong-Ho realized how serious the situation was. The House of Foras was like a shield and if they fall without a fight, then it wouldn¡¯t benefit Yong-Ho in any way.

    Ophelia took a fist-sized crystal ball from her inner pocket. Eligor approached her and after giving him the crystal ball, she spoke.

    "It¡¯s a long-distancemunication device. I¡¯ll send you my reports through this device from now on."

    Yong-Ho nodded his head after obtaining the crystal ball from Eligor. Just like Kaiwan¡¯s ring and bracelet, he felt mana within the crystal ball. It was Ophelia¡¯s mana.

    "Thank you foring all this way. And for the information as well. First...get some rest. And then take a look around the dungeon."

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, will obey yourmands, sir."

    After Ophelia showed her respect, Yong-Ho let Eligor take care of her and stood up from the throne. Yong-Ho needed time to think as well.

    The meeting was over.

    &

    "The dungeon¡¯s condition is better than I expected."

    Opheliamented as she followed Eligor around the dungeon.

    ¡¯I¡¯m serious.¡¯

    It¡¯s been a long time since the previous owner died. The House of Mammon experienced the same issue that the House of Foras was going through right now, so she assumed that the dungeon would be in a chaotic state.

    But what happened?

    Ophelia thought there was only going to be a straight passageway that led to the throne room, but the House of Mammon looked like a legit dungeon.

    Eligor felt proud when he heard Ophelia¡¯spliment. A warm smile appeared on his face.

    "This is all thanks to our master."

    "I can tell."

    She answered honestly this time too. It was the answer that he wanted to hear, but Eligor felt pain for some reason. It felt like she was saying that he didn¡¯t do anything to contribute.

    Eligor and Ophelia arrived at his second shrine, which was the cafeteria. His first shrine was obviously the torture room.

    While maintaining his smile, Eligor asked Ophelia again.

    "Do you think the dungeon iscking or...is there something that should be added? Please be straightforward."

    Even though Eligor worked as the House of Mammon¡¯s butler for a long time, the dungeon that the previous two owners took care of was really small. As the female owner of the pub, he was sure that Ophelia would notice something that he missed.

    Ophelia¡¯s expression softened a little bit after seeing Eligor¡¯s sincere attitude. She spoke with a small smile on her face.

    "It¡¯s missing an entertainment facility."

    "Entertainment...facility?"

    "I was going to tell the master myself, but...it wasn¡¯t the right time to bring it up."

    The enemy wasn¡¯t going to attack right now. There was just a high possibility that the enemy would make their move in a few days and on top of that, they were targeting the House of Foras, not the House of Mammon. And there was a good chance that the House of Foras might do well in defending against the enemy.

    Still, they couldn¡¯t help but think seriously about the current situation.

    Ophelia continued talking.

    "This might sound funny, but spirits also have desires as well. They get stressed as well. If their desires aren¡¯t satisfied and they can¡¯t relieve their stress, they¡¯ll lose the will to fight. They won¡¯t be very efficient when working in the dungeon."

    "Um...are you saying that we need to build a pub or something within the dungeon?"

    "That¡¯s a required facility. The owner from two generations ago built a pub fac...it must¡¯ve been taken down before you joined."

    Eligor answered with a bittersweet smile.

    Ophelia shrugged her shoulders.

    "Having a gambling facility would be good too. It¡¯s also a great method to collect the spirits¡¯ monthly pay. They should win the jackpot once in a while, but...you understand, right? In the end, the gambling system is set up so that the house wins."

    She had an evil smile after saying that. It was natural for her to say something like that since she was the owner of thergest gambling house in the free city.

    Eligor wanted to remind her that she was a spirit as well, but spoke after clearing his throat.

    "I¡¯ll rmend it to the master."

    "I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m thinking about leaving tomorrow anyways. Also..."

    "Also?"

    "The biggest w is you, Eligor."

    Ophelia said it so naturally and because of that, Eligor didn¡¯t understand what Ophelia was saying. He blinked his eyes a few minutes after she said it.

    "The dungeon was close topletely fall...no, I acknowledge the fact that you were able to keep the dungeon together and prevented it frompletely falling. But...how should I say this? You were more than enough for this dungeon up until now. You are definitely an amazing butler. But not for the House of Mammon¡¯s future. You¡¯re too weak."

    Eligor was really close to objecting and ended up flinching after hearing Ophelia¡¯sstment. The words that he prepared disappeared from his thoughts.

    "As you know, butlers are supposed to take care of everything within the dungeon. It¡¯s safe to say that they¡¯re the second most important figure. And that¡¯s why doing simple tasks isn¡¯t enough. Butlers don¡¯t have to be the second strongest being within the dungeon, but they do need a power that fits their position. Butlers are thest line of defense when ites to dungeon defense. Especially during a time like this."

    Eligor couldn¡¯t say anything this time too. What Ophelia said was true. Most of the dungeon butlers were pretty powerful.

    Eligor recalled the fight with Foras in his head. Eligor couldn¡¯t do anything during that fight.

    Ophelia smiled brightly. She patted Eligor¡¯s weak shoulders.

    "But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here now."

    There was a lot of meaning behind thatment. Eligor¡¯s eyes were moving side to side and Ophelia looked straight into his eyes.

    "It probably won¡¯t happen right now, but if the House of Mammon bes bigger and it ends up affecting the free city, then...I¡¯ll have to close the pub and join the House of Mammon. I¡¯ll be the butler when that timees, so you don¡¯t have to overwork yourself."

    Ophelia stood up from her seat. She spoke after lightly patting Eligor¡¯s shoulder again.

    "You did well so far. Please hang in a bit longer."

    After saying those nastyments, Ophelia turned around. She walked towards the exit while wagging her red tail.

    ¡¯This should be enough, right? You¡¯re a cruel owner.¡¯

    Her first mission within the dungeon was to y the role of a viin.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t provide details on how she should do it. He just asked her to provoke Eligor a bit.

    Like Yong-Ho had assumed, Red Demons were a fighting race.

    Because of that, Ophelia believed that Eligor wasn¡¯t going to stay depressed for a long time.

    "Even though he¡¯s old and has a gentle personality, he can¡¯t hide the fact that he¡¯s a Red Demon.¡¯

    On top of that, Yong-Ho had the Power of Evolution. Is there someone that would easily fall into depression after witnessing several extraordinary miracles?

    ¡¯Show us the same willingness that helped you protect the dungeon that was falling apart. I have high expectations.¡¯

    Before leaving the restaurant, she slightly nced over at Eligor and giggled like a brat.

    That night.

    The Basic Training Ground now belonged to the House of Mammon and a red smoke filled the room.

    It filled the room until the sun came up.

    <Kaiwan¡¯s Inheritance #4> End.

 Chapter 65

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Offense #1></strong></h4>

    Yong-Ho woke up earlier than usual.

    It wasn¡¯t because he was worried about the things that could happen.

    "Master!"

    "Please hurry to the training ground!"

    "Eligor is dying!"

    Lucia¡¯s scream woke Yong-Ho up and he exited the room without washing up. While rushing out, Lucia continued talking to him.

    "Of course he won¡¯t really die."

    "But he went over his limit, so his body isn¡¯t in a normal condition."

    "He really spent all night hitting the puppet in the training ground!"

    When considering the current time, it meant that he¡¯s been hitting the puppet for eight hours straight.

    Of course a person doesn¡¯t die from exercising for eight hours. On top of that, Eligor was a demon and he even evolved Eligor¡¯s stamina.

    "Please take what I said literally!"

    "I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t rest even for a second!"

    It wasn¡¯t like Lucia watched Eligor¡¯s almost suicidal training from beginning to end. But she knew that Eligor was a Red Demon. Lucia knew about Eligor just as much as Catalina knew about him.

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth while running towards the training ground.

    Yong-Ho was the one that asked Ophelia to provoke Eligor a bit. And when he heard that Eligor sneaked into the training ground from Lucia, he was happy that his n worked.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t think that a stiff butler like him would abuse himself like this.

    ¡¯What the heck did Ophelia say to him?!¡¯

    Didn¡¯t she report that everything went well yesterday?

    It did work out well. The problem was that it worked out too well.

    When Yong-Ho arrived at the training ground, he opened the door without stopping to catch his breath. And he was so surprised by the red smoke that filled the room that he stopped breathing for a moment.

    Eligor was the source of the red smoke. Even in this moment, Eligor was punching the puppet and arge amount of sweat was rolling down and smoke was rising out of his body. It reminded him of a sauna.

    ¡¯He¡¯s been training to the point that heat was rising out of his body?¡¯

    Yong-Ho stopped after shaking his head. Eligor was a demon. It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s in the nature of a Red Demon to act that way.

    "His sweat isn¡¯t evaporating."

    "It¡¯s a special type of steam that Red Demons release during battle. Master! Please stop him!"

    "Eligor!"

    Yong-Ho shouted before Lucia finished her sentence. The voice belonged to his master, so Eligor stopped beating the puppet that he was beating all night long. He retracted the fist that was about to hit the puppet and turned around.

    "Master."

    However, he looked like he was kind of out of it. Both of his fists were in really bad condition and the puppet was covered in Eligor¡¯s blood.

    "For Red Demons, Berserk is activated when they¡¯re really focused during battle and I believe he was influenced by that."

    Berserk was the Red Demon¡¯s special characteristic. They weren¡¯t called a fighting race for nothing.

    Yong-Ho spoke as calmly as he could.

    "Eligor, are you okay? Do you recognize me? Can you move your body?"

    Eligor answered all of his questions and he must¡¯vee back to his senses because his eyes lit up again. But then a painful expression appeared on his face and his body fell to the ground.

    "He must¡¯ve felt the physical pain that he wasn¡¯t able to feel when Berserk was activated."

    "Thankfully, it¡¯s nothing serious."

    "Eligor, sit down. Do you want some water?"

    "Thank...you."

    It sounded like he forced himself to answer. Yong-Ho quickly grabbed the water bottle that was on his waist and gave it to Eligor. When he noticed how much Eligor¡¯s arms were shaking, Yong-Ho opened the lid and poured the water into Eligor¡¯s mouth.

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    "Why...no, it¡¯s fine. Just drink more water."

    Eligor felt shameful.

    He was embarrassed by the fact that he couldn¡¯t control himself and having his master feed him water was agonizing.

    But that was his own opinion of himself.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time Eligor thought he needed to get stronger.

    He had been thinking about it ever since he became the House of Mammon¡¯s official spirit.

    Was he suddenly using all of his energy in his training because Ophelia provoked him?

    There was a way.

    The Power of Evolution.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s power developed a spirit based on the information that it disyed.

    He need to fill the development rate, so that¡¯s why he was beating the puppet all night long.

    That was an embarrassment.

    The thought of deciding to rely on his master¡¯s power. During the past 10 years, he made excuses and was alwayszy about putting in the effort in getting stronger. Despite witnessing Yong-Ho¡¯s power several times, before Ophelia provoked him, he didn¡¯t think he would ever act like this.

    He might¡¯ve focused hard on hitting the puppet because of the embarrassment he felt.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t read Eligor¡¯s thoughts. But as the master and spirit, they had a connection. Yong-Ho was able to get an idea of what Eligor was feeling.

    Yong-Ho wanted to tell him that he was wrong.

    They discovered the training ground yesterday and all this time, Eligor did well as the butler. It was safe to say that he was doing the housekeeping by himself.

    Yong-Ho opened his mouth to talk, but what he said was pretty random.

    "You¡¯re manly, Eligor."

    Stubbornness and childishness.

    Hasty.

    Eligor¡¯s face turned red due to the embarrassment he felt again. Even though his skin was red, it was still noticeable.

    Instead of saying anything more, Yong-Ho activated the Power of Evolution.

    [Development Rate: 100/100]

    His efforts didn¡¯t go to waste. He managed to fill the development rate overnight. Of course the more Eligor develops, the more difficult it¡¯ll be for him to fill the development rate in the future. This training method won¡¯t work in the future.

    "Is it...possible?"

    When green mes rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes, Eligor carefully asked. And then he felt embarrassed again. It¡¯s because it felt like he shamelessly asked his master to use their skill.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t mind it. He ced his hand on Eligor¡¯s shoulder and smiled.

    "It¡¯s possible. I¡¯ll increase your rank instead of developing your strength or stamina. Close your eyes and rx."

    Eligor followed his instruction. Yong-Ho poured out his mana without any hesitation. He did have to use a lot more mana than he had expected, but he didn¡¯t think it was a waste.

    [Name : Eligor (M)]

    [Race : Red Demon ¨C Beast]

    [ss : Spirit (Mid-Rank)]

    [Elements : Fire Level 1 / Darkness Level 1]

    [Individual Nature]

    [Diligent / Upright / Loyal]

    [Individual Stat]

    [Strength / Stamina]

    [Development Rate : 0/100]

    All of his skills increased. On top of that, his skills weren¡¯t the only things that changed.

    "Wow."

    He wasn¡¯t called a Beast for nothing. Eligor¡¯s body was already strong thanks to his stamina, but now, he was really like a beast. Since he was shirtless, the change was more noticeable.

    His upper body was filled with muscles, causing it to look like an inverted triangle and there was hair all over his chest and arms. The wrinkles on his face decreased, which made him look younger than before.

    ¡¯Rejuvenation? No...Was Eligor old to begin with...or did his physical appearance change like the time when Smi evolved?¡¯

    Yong-Ho smiled as he thought about the random memory.

    Beastly man. That was the perfect description. Eligor reminded him of Hugh Jackman when he yed Wolverine. On top of that, he had a beard, so Eligor resembled Wolverine even more.

    "Energy is...overflowing within my body."

    He must¡¯ve felt extremely excited because Eligor¡¯s voice started shaking.

    Because his rank increased, the injuries on his body were all healed.

    Yong-Ho also felt himself getting stronger. Since Yong-Ho was getting stronger day by day, he didn¡¯t feel a big difference, but he did get stronger.

    ¡¯When a spirit bes stronger, the owner bes stronger as well. When the owner bes stronger, the spirits be stronger as well.¡¯

    Eligor became stronger. And he was going to get stronger from now on.

    "Shall we go back? We need to surprise everyone. Especially Ophelia."

    Eligor smiled at Yong-Ho¡¯sment.

    Instead of his usual warm smile, a confident smile appeared on Eligor¡¯s face.

    &

    His neat, ck butler suit couldn¡¯t hide the change.

    The spirits that were gathered in the cafeteria widened their eyes and looked at Eligor when he was walking between the kitchen and cafeteria.

    Catalina, who had been with Eligor since his older days, was really surprised.

    Catalina kept on opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish and then looked at Yong-Ho. Rikum and the Orc soldiers looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes.

    Yong-Ho had a satisfied smile on his face. Just yesterday, he was really worried because of what was happening in the empty regions, but right now, he was waiting for Ophelia to enter the cafeteria.

    And then, Ophelia appeared.

    "Hello, sir."

    As soon as she entered, she first showed her respect to Yong-Ho and sat in the seat she was assigned to. And then she tilted her head when she noticed the other spirits acting oddly.

    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with everyone? The Orcs are acting the weirdest.¡¯

    From her past experience, it was very rare to see Orcs with sparkling eyes.

    It only happens when they¡¯re eating something really delicious, when there¡¯s a woman in front of them or when they¡¯re feeling envious.

    "Hehe."

    Ophelia flinched when she heard someone giggle, so she turned her head. When Catalina noticed that she giggled, she quickly closed her mouth and acted like a cold, female warrior. But she couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling.

    ¡¯So silly.¡¯

    Ophelia lifted her head while thinking that maybe Yong-Ho should¡¯ve reced the personal guard first instead of the butler. She looked at the man that approached her. Like the other spirits, Ophelia¡¯s eyes widened as well and after blinking a few times, her jaw dropped.

    "Uh, uh, uh?"

    "Ophelia, flies will fly into your mouth. But there aren¡¯t any flies here since I¡¯m responsible for this area."

    Eligor ced a te full of food in front of Ophelia and casually turned around. Ophelia¡¯s eyes saw Eligor¡¯s beast-like back.

    Yong-Ho tried his best to hold in hisughter.

    Eligor was definitely a man. Even if he was old, he was still a child-like man.

    Ophelia came back to her senses after staring at Eligor¡¯s back. It seemed like she was going topliment him, but she quickly shut her mouth and looked at Yong-Ho. Ophelia was requesting for an exnation.

    But Yong-Ho wanted to enjoy this moment a bit longer. It was for his mental health as well as for Eligor¡¯s.

    "Let¡¯s eat."

    Yong-Ho spoke while raising a fork and the spirits started eating their food.

    All this time, Ophelia couldn¡¯t really tell what she was eating. She was busy ncing over at Eligor, who had a beast-like body and a warm smile.

    "Your powers are amazing, sir. No, amazing isn¡¯t enough to describe your power."

    After enjoying the small break they had after eating, Yong-Ho and Ophelia walked towards the dungeon entrance room.

    After thanking Yong-Ho for walking her to the entrance, she praised Yong-Ho¡¯s power.

    Yong-Ho had a satisfied smile. He spoke in a slightly modest tone.

    "It¡¯s nothingpared to the potential you brought out of Eligor."

    The Power of Evolution didn¡¯t have the power to create something out of nothing. It helped bring out the hidden potential that one had. The hidden potential that was marked in each of the development routes was proof.

    However, it was still true that Yong-Ho¡¯s Power of Evolution was an amazing skill.

    Ophelia spoke while smiling warmly.

    "My father was correct. The House of Mammon will definitely rise again."

    The chaos was scary and violent, but she wasn¡¯t worried. Ophelia now truly believed that the House of Mammon was going to rise again.

    "I look forward to working with you."

    "Of course, sir. I will serve you and the House of Mammon with everything that I have."

    When the owner and the spirit happily finished their conversation, Yong-Ho discreetly signaled Eligor with his eyes. Eligor, who had been standing next to Yong-Ho, said goodbye to Ophelia.

    "Good bye."

    "You do know that you¡¯re stillcking, right?"

    "I will continue improving myself."

    When Ophelia jokingly made thatment, Eligor spoke seriously with a calm expression.

    Ophelia smiled once again at his reply. As someone that acknowledged his willingness before, she spoke to her fellow Red Demon.

    "Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for our next meeting. Brother Eligor."

    "Well...uh, huh?"

    Eligor had the same expression as Ophelia when she was in the cafeteria and he even stuttered. Ophelia looked back at Yong-Ho with a satisfied smile. She showed respect to Yong-Ho, who had a bright smile on his face.

    "Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, will now leave."

    "Right. See you next time."

    Catalina also had a nk expression and after saying goodbye with her eyes, Ophelia looked at Eligor onest time. Eligor was still spaced out and after winking at him, Ophelia turned around. Her red tail was gently swinging back and forth.

    "She called you brother. Lucky guy."

    Yong-Ho turned around and Catalina came back to her senses and quickly followed behind him.

    Even during that time, Eligor kept on blinking his eyes. He was sure that he was the first one that attacked, but in the end, it felt like he was the one that got hit.

    How would he describe this?

    ¡¯Not bad.¡¯

    A warm smile appeared on Eligor¡¯s face. He turned around and walked back as the butler of the dungeon. He was slightly looking forward to the day when Ophelia would visit again.

    And a dayter.

    Eligor¡¯s expectation backfired.

    <Dungeon Offense #1> End.

 Chapter 66

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Offense #2></strong></h4>

    It was safe to say that Ophelia¡¯s second visit was unexpected.

    Between the House of Mammon and the free city, it took more than a day on horse, but it only took Ophelia a day toe back.

    Unless she really pushed her horse, she probably changed directions before arriving at the free city and returned to the House of Mammon.

    Ophelia was a mess and that was more than enough to exin how violent the ride back was.

    Her light, blonde hair was covered in dust and her neat and tidy clothes were messy.

    Ophelia¡¯s horse was covered in sweat and as soon as they arrived at the dungeon entrance, they copsed to the ground. Ophelia entered the House of Mammon without taking care of her horse.

    Yong-Ho was exploring the dungeon with the spirits and it didn¡¯t take him long to reach the dungeon entrance. However, 10 minutes felt like an eternity for Ophelia.

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    Yong-Ho asked directly when he arrived.

    He was curious as to why she returned so quickly and why she came here instead of using themunication device.

    All of those thoughts were condensed into that one question and after hearing it, Ophelia collected her breath. She assumed that he would have a lot of questions, but answering each and every one wasn¡¯t important right now. Ophelia didn¡¯t even greet him properly.

    "The House of Foras surrendered to the House of Abigail."

    He stopped breathing for a moment. Silence filled the room when the spirits heard what Ophelia said.

    They abandoned the dungeon and surrendered.

    Through that, they¡¯re able to avoid death.

    It was a reasonable choice.

    The House of Foras lost a reliable owner. The Orcs were the mainbat group and they lost them and the anxious spirits started leaving one by one.

    It might¡¯ve turned out differently if the situation was calm, but things were chaotic. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if another dungeonbat happened.

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth.

    There was one possibility he didn¡¯t think about. The House of Foras was the enemy¡¯s stepping stone, not a shield.

    "It¡¯s safe to say that it¡¯s rare for an owner to give up a dungeon and surrender without a fight. Please don¡¯t me yourself."

    "Even the spirits didn¡¯t think that the House of Foras would surrender so easily."

    "And the conditions weren¡¯t good enough to attack the dungeon. It can¡¯t be helped."

    Lucia spoke gently as if tofort him.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He wasn¡¯t trying to rely on Lucia and make himself feel better.

    He was trying to determine what was important right now.

    "What¡¯s the current situation of the surrender? Is the House of Foras under the House of Abigail¡¯s control? And how did they surrender?"

    It was safe to say that the moment the House of Foras surrendered, it belonged to the House of Abigail.

    What Yong-Ho wanted to know was when the House of Foras surrendered to them.

    And how they surrendered was important as well.

    Owners fight over dungeons in order to steal the owner¡¯s spirit.

    The owner¡¯s spirit.

    The mana that was built up within the Heart of the Dungeon.

    Yong-Ho could¡¯ve preserved the dungeon and used it as a second dungeon. It could be used as a branch office or to expand the dungeon.

    Ophelia kept on gulping. She had a hard time talking because she was sweating so much. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

    "Out of the spirits that left the House of Foras, some of them didn¡¯t actually leave. It was a way to hide the fact that they surrendered."

    Yong-Ho recalled the report that he heard from Ophelia. About the spirits that either went to the free city or joined a different dungeon after leaving the House of Foras.

    And out of those that left, the spirits that joined the House of Abigail didn¡¯t join because they wanted to. It¡¯s because they surrendered to them.

    "It¡¯s been a few days since the House of Foras told them that they wanted to surrender. And worst of all, during the few days that I visited the House of Mammon, Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, left the dungeon."

    "Is it to ept the House of Foras?"

    Eligor couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity and asked. Ophelia nodded her head.

    "While returning to the free city, my subordinate quickly notified me. Jungceroes should¡¯ve arrived at the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon by now."

    The House of Foras already fell into the House of Abigail¡¯s hand. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t even get the chance to stop them.

    Yong-Ho was thinking. He asked for more information before bing discouraged.

    "Did the House of Abigail¡¯s owner visit the House of Foras in order to register the Heart of the Dungeon?"

    "I can¡¯t say for sure. They could be visiting in order to register the sessor of the House of the Foras as their own spirit. However..."

    Ophelia suddenly stopped talking and bit her lips. She hesitated and then spoke again.

    "Personally, I think they¡¯re visiting in order to absorb the dungeon¡¯s spirit. The owner of the House of Mammon, the Demon of Fire, isn¡¯t an easy opponent. Instead of using the dungeon to advance, there¡¯s a high chance that they¡¯re choosing topletely get rid of all fights."

    The owners near the free city get their sources from the pub. Yong-Ho was known as the Demon of Fire thanks to Ophelia¡¯s database and he was known to be a tough opponent.

    Foras was known to be strong despite their old age, but Yong-Ho managed to defeat them and he even took down a Land Worm.

    Different thoughts popped into Yong-Ho¡¯s head. He gulped. He calmed himself down by thinking deeply.

    ¡¯If what Ophelia said was true.¡¯

    There was a low chance that another dungeonbat was going to ur soon. If Abigail leaves after breaking the House of Foras, then there wouldn¡¯t be any other dungeons around the House of Mammon.

    But he couldn¡¯t rx. There was still the possibility of Abigail using the House of Foras as an advancement base to invade the House of Mammon.

    ¡¯I won¡¯t be able to find an answer soon.¡¯

    The answer won¡¯t reveal itself just because he was being impatient about it.

    After feeling calm, Yong-Ho tried to calm down the spirits. He also didn¡¯t forget to credit Ophelia¡¯s effort for rushing back here.

    But before he could talk about them, a new issue came up.

    "A group of Orcs are quickly running towards here from the House of Foras!"

    "ording to the Dungeon Meerkats, they¡¯re all riding horses!"

    "Is the enemy nning on attacking us?!"

    Eligor spoke in a surprised tone. Rikum quickly shook his head.

    "A dungeon can¡¯t be invaded with a few Orcs. Master, are you able to provide detailed information regarding the Orcs that are approaching?"

    Yong-Ho was just as surprised as Eligor and he managed to calm down when he heard Rikum¡¯s voice. When he lightly waved his finger, Lucia replied.

    "There¡¯s a total of four Orcs."

    "The Orc that¡¯s leading them is wearing a piece of white fabric on their back."

    Letters of light were drawn in the air so that the spirits could see it as well.

    Rikum¡¯s face started glowing.

    "I¡¯m sure they¡¯re the Orcs that remained in the House of Foras and they¡¯reing here to surrender."

    Ophelia nodded her head.

    "I made sure that the news of Rikum surrendering to the House of Mammon was being spread discreetly. They could being here after hearing that their captain was here."

    Catalina looked back at Yong-Ho with a hopeful expression.

    It was good news.

    The value of the Orcs that left the House of Foras was disyed. Yong-Ho had enough evidence to assume what was going on at the House of Foras and what Abigail was going to do.

    "Lucia, open the dungeon door. We¡¯ll greet them at the dungeon entrance."

    After ordering Lucia, Yong-Ho looked back at the spirits. Catalina and Skull nodded their heads and Rikum and Ophelia followed Yong-Ho.

    "Catalina."

    A Dungeon Meerkat raised their voice while pointing at the Orcs that were approaching. After patting the Dungeon Meerkat¡¯s head, Yong-Ho waited for the Orcs to arrive. Rikum spoke energetically.

    "I¡¯m sure they were my subordinates."

    It looked like the Orcs recognized Rikum. Despite the fact that they were still far from the dungeon, Catalina noticed that their faces were mixed with anxiety, relief and happiness.

    "Captain Rikum!"

    As soon as they arrived, one of the Orc immediately jumped off their horse and yelled. The Orcs that arrived after them did the same. Rikum spoke with a stern voice.

    "You¡¯re in front of the master. Show your respect first."

    The Orcs already knew that Rikum became the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit, so they acted pretty quickly. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure if they did it because of the current situation or because they confirmed that Rikum actually surrendered, but they kneeled in front of Yong-Ho without any hesitation.

    "It is an honor to meet you, owner of the House of Mammon."

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t feel the special mana that spirits had from the Orcs. It¡¯s probably because their contract with the House of Foras ended.

    Yong-Ho spoke as calmly as possible.

    "I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. Did you work under Rikum?"

    "Yes, we worked under Captain Rikum."

    The Orc that had a white g on their back answered for the rest of the group.

    Rikum stepped in to get rid of Yong-Ho¡¯s curiosity.

    "What happened? Is it true that the House of Foras surrendered to the House of Abigail?"

    Everyone focused on the Orc. Even Skull looked at the Orc while holding their battle hammer instead of rolling around on the ground.

    The Orc was nervous due to the attention they were getting, but they spoke. The words that came out of the Orc¡¯s mouth was something that Yong-Ho and even Ophelia wasn¡¯t expecting.

    &

    "The owner of the House of Foras...the young owner was killed by Jungceros. And Jungceros is currently trapped in the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon."

    There was a need for an exnation. There were too many unanswered questions to ept it as is.

    The sessor of the House of Foras died?

    It was possible. The enemy could¡¯ve pretended to ept the surrender and ended up killing the sessor. This happened in both the demon world and the human world.

    But it was difficult to understand the part about Jungceros being trapped inside the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    Rikum urged the Orc to exin and they started providing information about the things they knew.

    "The young owner...no, I believed that the owner of the House of Foras wasn¡¯t able to protect the dungeon. The butler agreed as well. There were barely any fighting spirits and one by one, they started running away."

    It was something Yong-Ho expected. Instead of pressing them for more information, he waited patiently. The Orc nced at Yong-Ho and then continued talking.

    "There weren¡¯t that many to choose from. As the owner, the enemy...um, since the owner of the House of Mammon was considered an enemy, they couldn¡¯t surrender to you. So that¡¯s why they decided to surrender to Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail. They asked to get revenge on the House of Mammon in exchange for the surrender.

    "But Jungceros wasn¡¯t nning on doing it. After pretending to ept the surrender, they were nning on visiting the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon, kill the owner and destroy the Heart of the Dungeon. Because all they need to do is absorb the spirit."

    Ophelia exined and the Orc nodded their head with a surprised look on their face.

    "Jungceros brought guards and elite soldiers with them. As soon as they finished registering Foras¡¯s spirit, they showed their true face. But the butler didn¡¯t stand by and just watch."

    Eligor flinched when he heard the word, butler. The Orc spoke while tightening their fist.

    "The butler was suspicious of Jungceros from the start, so they built a trap just in case. Jungceros targeted the Heart of the Dungeon after killing the owner, but it was useless. The room that the butler made Jungceros enter contained a fake Heart of the Dungeon. The butler closed the dungeon."

    "Closed the dungeon?"

    When Yong-Ho asked, Lucia quickly replied.

    "When the owner dies, the Spirit of the Dungeon dies as well. But for the House of Mammon, even if the Spirit of the Dungeon dies, it doesn¡¯t mean that the facilities within the dungeon will stop working. They¡¯ll start using the mana that was stored and will experience a slow death."

    "The butler of the House of Foras probably chose to have a quick death rather than a slow death."

    "They probably closed the dungeon door by pouring the remaining mana into the dungeon trap. Since they used up a lot of the mana, the dungeon will die faster, but...it can trap the enemy that entered the dungeon."

    Instead of letting the dungeon die, the butler used it on the final attack.

    "The other Orcs and I escaped the dungeon through a secret passageway. But Jungceros is probably still stuck in the deepest part of the dungeon. The room that the butler led them to was a fake throne room and they had traps installed all around the room."

    Yong-Ho organized the situation once more.

    The sessor of the House of Foras died.

    Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, is trapped inside Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    Jungceros doesn¡¯t know theyout of Foras¡¯s dungeon. And the traps that were installed were dangerous to them.

    Of course the traps were dangerous to Yong-Ho as well. But Yong-Ho knew theyout of the House of Foras. The spirits that knew theyout were working under him.

    "How many soldiers did Jungceroes bring with them?"

    Ophelia caught a glimpse of something when Yong-Ho asked. The Orc blinked, then counted with their fingers and then answered.

    "They brought around 20 guards with them. Some of the guards probably died from the traps through."

    Yong-Ho calcted in his head. Greed raised their voice.

    If everything they said were true.

    Dungeon fight.

    It was time to attack.

    <Dungeon Offense #2> End.

 Chapter 67

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Offense #3></strong></h4>

    The conversation was moving at a fast pace.

    Catalina kept on licking her lips and in the end, looked at Yong-Ho while biting her lips.

    Catalina was able to understand the context of the conversation. If everything that the Orc said was true, then Yong-Ho had to make a move. The information was that valuable.

    But if what they said wasn¡¯t true.

    If this was a well thought out trap.

    Catalina didn¡¯t know the sessor of the House of Foras. Were they that stupid that they would let a tigere into their house just so they can bring their enemy down? Was Jungceros really that sneaky and evil that they would kill someone that surrendered without any hesitation?

    Catalina couldn¡¯t find the answer. Despite of that, Catalina remained quiet because she trusted Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho probably thought about the same things.

    In that case, how was he going to determine whether what they said was true?

    Catalina¡¯s expectations weren¡¯t wrong. Yong-Ho soon found a solution.

    "Ophelia."

    "Yes, sir."

    Ophelia immediately answered when Yong-Ho called her. Even though Yong-Ho gives his orders, Ophelia looked like she knew what she had to do.

    Ophelia waited for Yong-Ho¡¯s order. Just like Catalina, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t disappoint Ophelia.

    "Can you reenact the event that happened at the bar?"

    "I do need some time to prepare, but it¡¯s possible. I¡¯ll check to see if it¡¯s true or not."

    The Orcs were confused by their conversation since no one exined to them about what was going on. Rikum was surprised, so he asked Ophelia.

    "Are you saying that you¡¯re going to look into their minds?"

    "Because we can¡¯t trust them. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unreasonable to trust them just because they worked under you before?"

    Ophelia was straightforward and Rikum gritted his teeth because he felt that she was doubting him, but it onlysted for a moment. Rikum was the type of quickly make a decision, so he nodded his head.

    "Well...you¡¯re right. Please forgive my behavior, sir."

    After Rikum finished talking, he nodded towards Yong-Ho and took a step back. The Orc that was talking while kneeling in front of Yong-Ho looked at Rikum with a confused expression.

    "Cap-captain?"

    "It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re just testing to see whether the information provided is true. Nothing bad will happen to you, so trust me and stay still."

    When the Orc heard Rikum¡¯s calm voice, they gulped and then nodded their head. They looked nervous because of the sweat on their face, but it didn¡¯t look like they were worried about getting caught lying.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t judge right away. Since he decided to leave it to Ophelia, he was going to wait until she had the results.

    Ophelia took out a white chalk from the inner pocket of her vest and started drawing a magic circle on the ground. The circle was drawn with the Orc in the center, but a simr circle was at the bar as well. However, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t notice.

    Ophelia needed to really prepare when looking into the mind of a demon like Yong-Ho, but this time, she was looking into the mind of a naive Orc.

    After spending five minutes drawing the circle, she straightened her back and stood up.

    "I¡¯ll begin."

    Yong-Ho lightly nodded his head and agreed. The Orcs had a worried look since they didn¡¯t know what was happening, so they kept on looking at Ophelia and the Orc. Rikum prepared himself in case something happened.

    Catalina recalled what happened at the bar, so she stared at Ophelia¡¯s lips.

    Ophelia lowered herself so that her eyes were on the same level as the Orc¡¯s. She looked straight into their eyes and spoke.

    "Consider yourself lucky."

    The Orc tried to blink because they were confused, but they couldn¡¯t. Their eyelids were fixed. The Orc looked at Ophelia with a nk expression and Ophelia looked into the Orc¡¯s eyes again. She slowly closed the distance between her and the Orc.

    And right when their nose were touching.

    Eligor widened his eyes due to the surprise and Catalina ended up looking back at Yong-Ho. While looking downward, Yong-Ho waited for Ophelia to talk.

    The contact onlysted for a moment. After standing up, Ophelia took out a handkerchief and after wiping her lips, she looked back at Yong-Ho. The Orc still had a nk expression and was spacing out.

    "It¡¯s true. That Orc...Gokan witnessed the butler of the House of Foras being killed by Jungceros."

    Rikum released a sigh of relief and Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

    What Yong-Ho needed to do was quickly make a decision.

    ¡¯It¡¯s impossible to attack the House of Abigail.¡¯

    First, it was far.

    On top of that, Abigail didn¡¯t take all of their guards. Yong-Ho was afraid of attacking the House of Foras, so it didn¡¯t make sense for him to attack the House of Abigail just because the owner was missing.

    ¡¯Should I attack the House of Foras or not?¡¯

    There were definitely geometrically benefits. If Yong-Ho considered the possibility of Jungceros¡¯s group suffering from the traps, then he wouldn¡¯t have an issue in terms of numbers.

    But it was definitely dangerous.

    The House of Foras was the enemy¡¯s territory and it was hard to tell what Jungceros and their soldiers were capable of. If they make a mistake, they could actually lose to Jungceros and lose their lives.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    Even though it was dangerous, they could gain a lot from it.

    With one fight, Yong-Ho will be able to absorb not only Jungceros and the sessor¡¯s spirit, but also obtain the House of Foras¡¯s Heart of the Dungeon. The remaining inheritance was just a bonus.

    What he needed was information.

    And when it came to obtaining information, Yong-Ho was ahead of the owners that were near the free city.

    "Ophelia, how strong is Jungceros? Do you know anything about the guards and the spirits that they have?"

    Ophelia, a spirit of the House of Mammon and the owner of the bar, quickly replied as if she had already prepared for it.

    "Jungceros isn¡¯t a melee fighter like Foras. But since they¡¯re pretty big and strong, there¡¯s a possibility that they¡¯ll win at hand-to-handbat. Even though there isn¡¯t a lot of information about them...there¡¯s a high chance that y a nonbat role."

    Yong-Ho¡¯s Power of Evolution was also a nonbat power.

    There wasn¡¯t a rule that said that all demons had offensive powers like Foras.

    In the empty southern regions, the owners rarely started dungeon fights. Information about the owner¡¯s powers were limited.

    But information about their soldiers and spirits weren¡¯t very limited.

    "Jungceros¡¯s guard is an Ogre and they¡¯re just like my owner. Even though their naive, their strength and stamina are outstanding. They even fought against a group of Orcs at once and won."

    "What about whenpared to you?"

    "I¡¯m stronger."

    Even though it was sort of a childish reply, Ophelia¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t show a hint of arrogance. Her calm eyes were filled with nothing but the truth.

    Ophelia continued exining.

    "The spirits that they mainly purchase from the dungeon shop are the Living Armors. Gokan witnessed Jungceros being apanied by a group of Living Armors. Right?"

    Ophelia looked back at Gokan and Gokan was suddenly surprised, causing them to quickly nod their head.

    "That¡¯s right. I saw them with my own two eyes."

    A Living Armor was a spirit that Yong-Ho has never encountered before. He¡¯s never seen it in the dungeon shop catalogue either.

    Rikum helped Yong-Ho.

    "Since Living Armors aren¡¯t living things, they don¡¯t feel any pain and on top of that, they¡¯re immune to sword attacks. However, if we were to use a blunt weapon, we¡¯ll have a chance when fighting them. If their armor breaks, they¡¯ll be unable to fight even if they¡¯re a Living Armor."

    Skull swung their weapon when they heard blunt weapon.

    Yong-Ho started thinking again. Hepared the number of soldiers he could take with him and the number of soldiers that Jungceros possessed.

    Nothing was set when it came to battles.

    If it did exist, then Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat Foras.

    ¡¯High risk, high return.¡¯

    Greed reminded him. It guided Yong-Ho.

    "Let¡¯s prepare for battle. We¡¯ll form a group and attack the House of Foras."

    Yong-Ho quickly spoke. He turned to Eligor.

    "Eligor, defend the dungeon with Treant. I¡¯m going to attack the dungeon with Catalina, Skull, Smi, Ophelia, Rikum and the Orcs."

    Eligor hesitated for a moment. He had many different thoughts during the short time.

    But it was already decided. Eligor fixed his posture and showed his respect towards Yong-Ho.

    "The butler, Eligor, will wait for you to return, sir."

    Catalina and Skull were already prepared. Rikum spoke after quickly showing respect towards Yong-Ho.

    "I¡¯ll round them up within 10 minutes."

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t rush into registering the Orcs as spirits. Yong-Ho waved his finger and asked Lucia to summon Smi.

    After selling the war carriages to the dungeon shop, Yong-Ho had two left. It was enough to carry the soldiers.

    The important thing was time.

    Before the data fell into the hands of another, he had to quickly resolve this situation.

    Ophelia spoke as if she read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    "Jungceros is impatient and hot-headed. It¡¯s safe to say that they probably won¡¯t wait patiently until the mana in the dungeon runs out. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re moving to find the Heart of the Dungeon. And the damage they receive from the traps will only increase."

    If Jungceros left after finding the Heart of the Dungeon, then Yong-Ho would be ced in a difficult situation.

    Yong-Ho calmed himself again. Greed also asked him to calm down instead of pushing him.

    In order to gain something big, one needs to be patient at times.

    Yong-Ho tightened his grip around Aamon. Yong-Ho looked towards the north. That¡¯s where the House of Foras was located.

    &

    The carriage moved as fast as it could. It used the mana that was stored within the carriage and it didn¡¯t care that the horses were tired.

    It wasn¡¯t a proper operation. If the carriage operated this way, then its functions will stop right when they reach their destination.

    But they still had to use it that way. Yong-Ho looked out the carriage window and saw Smi flying ahead with Catalina on their back. He focused on the conversation they were having inside the carriage.

    On arge piece of paper, Rikum drew a map of the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon. Even though he was relying on his memories, he served under Foras for many years, so he barely made any mistakes.

    Gokan and the other Orcs pointed out the things that changed after the dungeon got a new owner. But since the owner didn¡¯tst a long time, there weren¡¯t any big changes.

    The House of Foras had a lot of secret passageways. The reason why Foras used Wall Break to attack Yong-Ho¡¯s weak point was because Foras had contemted a lot about Wall Break.

    From the outside, it looked likerge passageways were connected to each other, but there were many hidden passageways. The deeper part of the dungeon had more narrow passageways.

    "This is where Jungceros was atst. And...we don¡¯t really know where the real Heart of the Dungeon is located."

    Gokan spoke while scratching his head. Rikum asked Gokan.

    "Did all the spirits escape the dungeon? There aren¡¯t any spirits that were captured by Jungceros and is guiding them through the dungeon?"

    "Um...I can¡¯t say for sure, but most of them did escape. Jungceros and the owner...the spirits couldn¡¯t get close to their rendezvous point."

    Gokan didn¡¯t know where the real Heart of the Dungeon was located. But Rikum pointed to one area on the map and spoke. It was a room that was far from the room where Jungceros was trapped in.

    "I can¡¯t guarantee it, but there¡¯s a high chance that the Heart of the Dungeon is located in this area. The saying the beacon does not shine on its own base exists for a reason...when considering the butler¡¯s personality, they most likely ced it far from Jungceros."

    After nodding his head, Yong-Ho looked closely at the dungeon map. Even though he had the Orcs to guide him, he couldn¡¯tpletely rely on them. Memorizing the map was the best thing to do.

    The carriage increased its speed.

    After memorizing the dungeon map, Yong-Ho closed his eyes and thought about the infiltration.

    The first thing he had to do after entering the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    Time flew by.

    The two war carriages arrived at the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    <Dungeon Offense #3> End.

 Chapter 68

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Offense #4></strong></h4>

    The shape of Foras¡¯s dungeon entrance and the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon entrance was different.

    For the House of Mammon, arge door was attached at the bottom of the hill, but for the House of Mammon, a castle gate was attached.

    A fortress was created by piling stones and the dungeon itself must¡¯ve been located underground because from the outside, the castle gate was the only thing standing tall.

    The dungeon entrance waspletely sealed. Jungceros¡¯s war carriage was still next to the door, so there was a high chance that Jungceros was trapped.

    Gokan, who was leading the way, spoke.

    "There¡¯s a secret passageway that we used to escape. This way."

    After cing the war carriages near the gate, Yong-Ho followed Gokan. There was a forest not too far from the gate and a well with a cover was hidden between the grass.

    While Gokan and the Orcs were removing the cover, Rikum looked at Yong-Ho.

    "Like we¡¯ve mentioned before, we¡¯re able to move to different parts of the dungeon through these secret passageways. The problem is that we don¡¯t know where Jungceros is right now...is there an area you¡¯ve thought of beforeing here?"

    Ophelia also looked curious. She had expectations, but it looked like she was also testing him. Yong-Ho looked at both of them and spoke.

    "We¡¯ll go straight to the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room."

    Jungceros¡¯s final destination was the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure where Jungceros was right now, but he was sure that they were going to eventually find the room.

    It was a reasonable decision, but Ophelia didn¡¯t understand it right away. Rikum spoke with a slightly awkward expression.

    "Well...there¡¯s a high chance that the area I mentioned is where the real one is located. I don¡¯t exactly know where the room is..."

    "Skullllll!"

    Skull yelled to tell him not to worry and Catalina had a small smile on her face.

    Catalina and Skull knew something that Ophelia and Rikum didn¡¯t know.

    It could be a superiorityplex or it could be that Catalina was just excited about Yong-Ho¡¯s power, but she looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes and Yong-Ho patted her head. Ophelia and Rikum tilted their head in confusion and Yong-Ho spoke to them.

    "I¡¯ll find the way there, so don¡¯t worry. However...I don¡¯t think Smi will be able to fit in the narrow passageway."

    Since it was a secret passageway and Smi wasrger than an ordinary horse, it was possible for them to fit.

    After Yong-Homanded Smi to guard the passageway and the dungeon entrance, he turned back to Rikum.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    "Understood. I¡¯ll take the lead."

    Rikum knew that Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the type to make empty promises. Rikum didn¡¯t know how Yong-Ho was going to find it, but he decided to trust him for now.

    Gokan and the Orcs followed Rikum and Yong-Ho and Catalina followed behind them. Skull and Ophelia entered the well after the remaining Orcs entered.

    The passage that connected to the bottom of the well was filled with darkness. Rikum and the Orcs took out the lighting rod that they prepared and lit the passage.

    Rikum stopped after walking a few hundred meters. It¡¯s because there was a crossroad. Up till now, they walked towards the direction where the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room could be located. However, it was difficult to tell which way was the right way. They had to find the correct path.

    After taking the lighting rod from Catalina, Yong-Ho stood in front of Rikum. Instead of walking, he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

    What was the most valuable in the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon?

    What was the most valuable to Yong-Ho?

    Greed¡¯s eyes opened within Yong-Ho. They didn¡¯t hide their desire.

    An invisible energy started seeping out. The smoke-like energy were ripped into pieces and some of those pieces enveloped Catalina. The small smokes enveloped Ophelia and Skull as well.

    Yong-Ho calmed their desire. He strongly reminded Greed of the thing he wanted right now.

    The pieces of smoke gathered and became one. Therge, thick flow extended out to a specific location.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. He followed Greed¡¯s guide.

    Rikum and Ophelia didn¡¯t see Yong-Ho¡¯s Greed. But they did feel that something was out of ce. Ophelia was able to sense mana better than Rikum and she unconsciously gulped. Even though they weren¡¯t in a dangerous situation, sweat rolled down her face.

    ¡¯Greed.¡¯

    Ophelia encountered Yong-Ho¡¯s Greed once. Their personality was different from back then, but she was sure that the energy that was seeping out of Yong-Ho was Greed.

    He walked confidently. Catalilna and Skull followed behind without any hesitation. Yong-Ho knew where the traps were located since he studied the map, so he didn¡¯t hesitate or stop once.

    How much did they walk?

    Yong-Ho stopped. He ced his hand on an empty wall and forcefully released his mana.

    When a different mana collided with his, it released a sound. After a rattling sound filled the room, it revealed a secret door that was hidden within the wall.

    Rikum and the Orcs looked at Yong-Ho and the door as if they¡¯ve seen a ghost. Catalina was so excited that she couldn¡¯t hide the big smile that was on her face.

    Even though Ophelia was an information deal, she gulped due to the anxiety she was feeling.

    Everyone knew that each of the sins had their own special powers. In that case, was that Greed¡¯s special power?

    ¡¯The power to guide...the possessor¡¯s desire?¡¯

    It made sense. It was definitely a powerful skill. Greed¡¯s power didn¡¯t just stop there.

    A small smile appeared on Ophelia¡¯s face. Instead of looking back, Yong-Ho continued walking towards the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room. The room was the most important and the least harmful room.

    Despite of being employed under the House of Foras, the Orcs have never seen the Heart of the Dungeon.

    The Spirit of the Dungeon must¡¯ve died because the Heart of the Dungeon was reacting. It just looked like marble that was shining brightly.

    Yong-Ho looked at the Heart of the Dungeon that was sitting on top of an altar. The dungeon¡¯s history was shorter than the House of Mammon¡¯s and despite of it developing more than Mammon¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t as big as Yong-Ho thought.

    Greed aggressively reacted. Theyined to Yong-Ho about how thirsty they were.

    It was arge amount of mana. It was stronger than any of the spirits he absorbed. Yong-Ho agreed as well. He wanted to destroy the shield that was protecting the Heart of the Dungeon and absorb the spirit right now.

    But now wasn¡¯t the time. Now wasn¡¯t the time to use his mana to take the heart.

    The Heart of the Dungeon was safe.

    Jungceros still wasn¡¯t able to escape the dungeon.

    If Jungceros was far away, Yong-Ho could take the heart and make the dungeon his.

    If Jungceros was close, Yong-Ho could use the map to his advantage and ambush them.

    The dungeon¡¯s interior was dark. Because of that, Yong-Ho¡¯s hearing was more sensitive than when there was light.

    ¡¯If Jungceros is lost within the dungeon.¡¯

    And on top of that, if they were exploring every corner of the dungeon to find the Heart of the Dungeon.

    Boom!

    A boom could be heard beyond the darkness. It wasn¡¯t as loud, but he heard a scream as well. It mostly meant that a trap was activated.

    Even though Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t skilled in analyzing these types of situations, he was able to tell how close the sound was.

    It wasn¡¯t that far. And Yong-Ho¡¯s subordinates were able to discover a lot of information.

    "I think I know where it¡¯sing from."

    When Rikum spoke, Yong-Ho nodded his head.

    It was time.

    &

    Jungceros, the owner of the House of Abigail, couldn¡¯t hide their anger.

    Everything that happened up to the point where he strangled the young sessor to death was great. Even though they were still young and weak, they still had a strong spirit since they were the owner.

    But everything that happened after that was a mess.

    Despite of the fact that their father put his life on the line to protect the dungeon for many years, the young owner gave up the entire dungeon. However, the butler had a disapproving look on their face since day one.

    And in the end, the butler messed things up.

    Almost a day.

    It was the amount of time that Jungceros was trapped i the fake Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room.

    When Jungceros barely managed to break the magic seal, traps that were stacked on top of each other were waiting. It would take another day for them to break through the traps and search the dungeon. They didn¡¯t want to think about the number of spirits they¡¯ve lost so far.

    Breaking that butler¡¯s neck wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy Jungceros.

    Taking the Heart of the Dungeon wasn¡¯t satisfying enough.

    While grinding their teeth, Jungceros couldn¡¯t contain their anger and ended up hitting a wall. Jungceros was as big and strong as a Ogre, so with one hit, it made the ceiling and walls shake.

    "Useless pieces of shits!"

    Two Living Armors moved in order to break through the trap room, but when a giant weight fell from the ceiling, they werepletely crushed.

    There were 15 Living Armors in the beginning, but there was only seven left. And out of the 10 Gnoll soldiers, only four survived. But, it was a relief that Jungceros and Kun, an Ogre warrior and Jungceros¡¯s guard, were still alive.

    The Gnoll soldiers flinched when Jungceros expressed their anger. Out of the six soldiers that died, Jungceros killed one of them, so it was natural for them to react that way.

    The lighting device wasn¡¯t enough to get rid of the dungeon¡¯s darkness and this made Jungceros even more angry.

    While breathing heavily, Jungcerospared the worth between a Living Armor and one their Gnoll soldiers.

    From now on, a soldier will take the lead, not a Living Armor.

    While violently waving the lighting device that was in their hand, Jungceros looked back. The soldiers were behind them and Jungceros opened their mouth to yell at them to take the lead.

    But the thing that escaped their lips wasn¡¯t what they had originally thought.

    The number of Gnoll soldiers decreased.

    Jungceros only saw two instead of four.

    The soldiers looked at each other with a surprised look when they saw Jungceros¡¯s shocked expression.

    Four of them were here just now, but now it was just two of them. The other two that were with them disappeared.

    "Those bastards ran away?!"

    Jungceros approached the Gnoll soldiers while releasing an angry scream. One of them were so scared that they took a step back and they touched something that was hidden in the dark. The soldier instinctively used the lighting device to see what was beneath them.

    It was one of Jungceros¡¯s Gnoll soldiers. Blood was seeping out of their neck and their mouth was wide open.

    And in that moment.

    A light appeared along with the boom. The re onlysted for a moment, but everyone that was in the room covered their eyes.

    The things that happened in the dark were now happening in the light.

    Catalina used her dagger and cut a soldier¡¯s throat. Because of the strong light, Catalina¡¯s shadow mana wasn¡¯t as strong as earlier, but the attack was enough to kill a Gnoll soldier.

    Using the secret passageway that was in the ceiling, Ophelia jumped down and used her tail to strangle the other Gnoll soldier. On top of strangling them, Ophelia also broke their neck.

    The re disappeared. Jungceros managed to get their sight back and all they saw were the corpses of their soldiers.

    Someone was here. Traps weren¡¯t the only things Jungceros had to worry about now.

    "Get ready to fight! Protect the master!"

    When Kun, Jungceros¡¯s guard, yelled, the remaining Living Armors turned around and approached Jungeros.

    And someone was hitting those Living Armors¡¯ backs with a hammer. The blunt war hammer signaled that the fight started.

    "Skullllll!"

    The hammer hit the Living Armors¡¯ backs. Rikum and the other Orcs smashed the Living Armors¡¯ backs with a blunt weapon. Even through the fight began, the Living Armors had a hard time turning the table because they lost the advantage.

    The defenders had the advantage when fighting in the dark.

    Because of that, it wasmon sense for the attackers to prepare lighting devices.

    Jungceros did prepare lighting devices. However, most of their devices were taken because Jungceros spent two days and had to deal with the traps that were installed within the dungeon.

    When the Orcs suddenly invaded, Jungceros recalled the remaining powers within the House of Foras. As an owner ruled a dungeon, instead of running away, Jungceros screamed angrily while wielding their favorite sword.

    "Idiots! Kun! Kill them!"

    Kun responded to Jungceros¡¯s order. Kun screamed angrily towards the Orcs while wielding arge, dangerous mace.

    And Ophelia discreetly approached behind Kun. When Kun sensed a presence behind him, he quickly turned around, but it was toote. Ophelia quickly ran up Kun¡¯s back and hit the back of his neck using her hand.

    Break away.

    After digging into Kun¡¯s neck using her hand, Ophelia jumped off of Kun¡¯s shoulder. Kun waved his arms despite of the pain and ended up copsing on the ground. When Kun copsed, Catalina appeared behind him. She pierced the back of his neck with a knife.

    Only a few seconds passed after that, but the next attack was deadly.

    Blood flooded out of Kun¡¯s neck and he fell back while releasing a pant. His body started shaking and he was unable to get up.

    "Skulllll!"

    The scream that was released behind Jungceros provoked them once again.

    When Jungceros saw Kun on the ground, they started panting. They saw blood on Ophelia¡¯s hands and she was licking the blood off while wagging her tail.

    "The owner of the pub?! Why are you here?!"

    Instead of answering, Ophelia smiled brightly with blood all over her lips. Catalina was beside her and was wielding a dagger.

    And the darkness disappeared. The light was released from one of the lighting devices and it revealed the room.

    Despite of being blinded by the re, Jungceros was able to see the room. A Skeleton and Orcs were smashing the crushed Living Armors, the Gnoll soldiers were lying on the ground and Kun was shaking on the ground.

    They weren¡¯t the House of Foras¡¯s remaining soldiers?

    Did the female owner of the pub want a dungeon as well?

    If not that.

    "The Demon King of Fire!"

    Jungceros yelled when they noticed thest person to exiting out of the secret passageway.

    The House of Mammon¡¯s new owner.

    The Demon King of Fire that killed Foras and a Land Worm!

    Instead of answering, Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon. Ophelia and Catalina stood by his side and Skull stood up while wielding the war hammer.

    Was the owner of the pub working with the House of Mammon?

    Did the House of Foras¡¯s Orcs guide Yong-Ho?

    Jungceros stopped thinking about these questions. Instead of giving up or kneeling, they kicked off the ground and yelled.

    "Kun! Kill the enemy!"

    It wasn¡¯t a simple order. It was a childish scream.

    "Gahhhhhhh!"

    Kun, who was lying on the floor, stood up. He started running towards Yong-Ho. It reminded Yong-Ho of a dump truck.

    Jungceros¡¯s mana didn¡¯t only affect Kun. Their mana dominated over the mind, so it slowed down Catalina and Ophelia.

    "Skullll!"

    Skull yelled. Within that moment, Yong-Ho kicked Ophelia and pushed her. He threw his body and covered Catalina and he barely managed to dodge Kun.

    Kun wasn¡¯t able to control his own body, so he ended up charging into a wall. They must¡¯ve been at their limit because they weren¡¯t moving.

    And Jungceros approached Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho barely managed to dodge therge sword that struck like lightning.

    Jungceros didn¡¯t pick up the sword. They used their hands and put pressure on both Yong-Ho and Catalina. Jungceros looked straight at Yong-Ho and activated their power.

    The Demon King of Control.

    That was Jungceros¡¯s nickname. They were able to dominate their opponent¡¯s mind and control their movements!

    Jungceros used their power to control the Demon King of Fire. That¡¯s how they were able to turn the tables!

    Jungcerosughed out loud.

    They poured all of their mana into their power in order topletely crush Yong-Ho¡¯s resistance.

    But it was weird.

    The Demon King of Fire wasn¡¯t resisting at all.

    Yong-Ho was actually epting Jungceros.

    &

    Jungceros blinked.

    They saw a totally different environment.

    The sky and the ground was on fire. The entire world was enveloped red mes.

    Something was wrong.

    From all the times they used their power, this never happened.

    Jungceros started shaking. They felt fear. They felt arge presence looking down on them from a very high ce.

    "Ah...huh...?"

    They had a hard time talking properly. The only thing they could do was watch.

    You insignificant thing.

    Jungceros heard a voice from the high ce. Jungceros couldn¡¯t even disagree with their statement.

    The fire that was burning the entire world disappeared.

    And a figure that wasrger than them enveloped the world.

    Jungceros now knew. They realized that they were at a disadvantage. They managed to talk after gathering their energy.

    "Ki-King of Greed."

    Jungceros couldn¡¯t resist. Greed devoured Jungceros¡¯s mind. Their existence was exterminated.

    <Dungeon Offense #4> End.

 Chapter 69

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Offense #5></strong></h4>

    It felt like time stopped.

    Inside the room where the battle was taking ce, everyone remained still as if they froze. They were so still that one would probably wonder if they remembered how to breathe.

    But it didn¡¯tst long.

    The one that broke the silence was surprisingly the one that caused the silence.

    Jungceros¡¯srge body fell to the ground. It seemed like he was just leaning over, but he must¡¯ve not been able to handle his weight, because his body fell. And he didn¡¯t move anymore. He had a nk look on his face.

    "Pant, pant...pa..."

    Yong-Ho, who was being weighed down by Jungercos, raised himself up while panting. Catalina, who was within Yong-Ho¡¯s arms, quickly used her arms and legs to help him.

    It was hard to tell how this happened. Jungceros fell on Yong-Ho and their eyes met. And a few secondster, Jungceros became unconscious.

    "Mind oppression."

    Yong-Ho quietly spoke while trying to collect his breath. The sight of Greed devouring Jungceros impacted Yong-Ho. Jungceros and Yong-Ho were on the same level, so when Jungceros couldn¡¯t resist Greed, it excited Yong-Ho.

    "They tried to control my mind."

    That was enough. The Orcs were surprised because they didn¡¯t know what he meant, but it wasn¡¯t the same for Catalina and Ophelia. Ophelia actually felt joy and fear at the same time.

    Her joy was because of Greed.

    Her fear was also because of Greed.

    Jungceros protected his ce as the owner for many years. However, they were just an owner of a small dungeon in an emptynd. In the end, they couldn¡¯t go up against one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    That was Greed¡¯s power.

    It was such a strong will.

    It made her happy. The fact that the man standing in front of her was her happy, made her extremely happy.

    But at the same time, she felt fear.

    The day she first saw him at the pub.

    If Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop, Ophelia could¡¯ve ended up the same way as Jungceros. It would¡¯ve destroyed her mind and caused her to nk out like him.

    She didn¡¯t even want to think about it.

    She recalled the time she encountered Aamon and Greed within Yong-Ho¡¯s mind. It felt like she was going to fall into that fiery world again if she closed her eyes.

    Ophelia kept on gulping. Her body was covered in sweat.

    On the other hand, Catalina was feeling happy.

    She smiled brightly as if she was showing off the fact that Yong-Ho was her master and also the owner of the House of Mammon. The way her tail and ears moved showed how excited she was.

    Rikum recalled what happened at the bar and the reason he trembled was different from Ophelia¡¯s.

    Rikum didn¡¯t know about Greed or Aamon. Because of that, Rikum believed that Yong-Ho used a mind defense skill that overpowered Jungceros.

    Taking control of the female pub owner was surprising enough, but within a few seconds, Yong-Ho was able to destroy an owner¡¯s mind.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s state of mind of powerful. He earned a great deal of respect.

    Rikum¡¯s eyes went from Yong-Ho to Jungceros and then to Ophelia. Ophelia, who was covered in sweat, noticed Rikum looking at her and as the pub¡¯s female owner, she was able to catch Rikum¡¯s inner thoughts through his expression. Even though her hands and feet were trembling in fear because of Greed and Aamon, she forced a smile on her face and stood up from her seat. Someone needed "exin" the current situation.

    "Jungceros tried to take control of the owner¡¯s mind. But it was a very stupid act. Taking control of the mind isn¡¯t one-sided. It¡¯s safe to say that it¡¯s a mind battle between two figures. Jungceros probably thought they were a wave. And they also thought the owner was some sort sand castle. But, the owner was actually a shield. A kind of shield that will break the wave. And the result of that is shown right before you."

    The Orcs widened their eyes when they heard Ophelia¡¯s exnation. They nodded as if they now understood, and along with Catalina, they expressed their surprise and satisfaction at the same time.

    After feeling satisfied by how the Orcs reacted, Ophelia winked at Yong-Ho.

    Usually, someone would either kick the floor and others wouldin jokingly, but they didn¡¯t have the energy to do that.

    Their backs were still wet. They tried to hide it, but their legs were slightly shaking as well.

    That¡¯s what Ophelia¡¯s wink meant. After standing up from his seat, Yong-Ho answered the spirits that were focusing on him. His short answer made them cheer.

    "We won."

    A deration of victory.

    Catalina and Skull were the first spirits to cheer.

    &

    Even though his body was full of energy, his mind was exhausted. The length of the battle was short and was mostly one-sided.

    All Yong-Ho did was kick Ophelia and roll on the floor with Catalina.

    ¡¯I¡¯m not sly, I¡¯m not sly.¡¯

    After defending himself, he headed towards Foras¡¯s dungeon¡¯s Heart of the Dungeon with the spirits.

    Yong-Ho decided to absorb Jungceros¡¯s spiritter since their mind had been destroyed. It was a simple reason. It was to prevent the news of Jungceros¡¯s death from spreading.

    If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon dies.

    When Foras died, the Spirit of the Dungeon in Foras¡¯s dungeon died as well and Foras¡¯s sessor and the butler clearly sensed Foras¡¯s death.

    There was no reason to give unnecessary information to the House of Abigail.

    If they found out that Jungceros died, then they would¡¯ve made a move. Either the sessor or the butler will take the spirits and lead them to Foras¡¯s dungeon.

    Those kind of things should happenter. A day or twoter. After Yong-Ho and the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits took the items they needed.

    Even though the Orcs had a hard time carrying Jungceros¡¯s Ogre-like body, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Yong-Ho did his best to ignore the pants he was hearing behind him and continued moving forward.

    After being apanied by Catalina, Skull and Ophelia, Yong-Ho entered the Heart of the Dungeon and didn¡¯t waste any time. After standing in front of the Heart of the Dungeon, he raised both of his hands.

    Since the Spirit of the Dungeon died, there wasn¡¯t much of a reaction. The only thing Yong-Ho felt was a strong shield.

    After pouring his mana, he forcefully broke the shield. Yong-Ho absorbed the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s mana.

    When Yong-Ho poured out his mana, the Heart of the Dungeon released a red light.

    The heart was resisting. The dungeon can be considered as an enormous spirit and even though they lost their will, they still had their survival instincts.

    Yong-Ho gritted his teeth. He understood the mana by hitting onit. There was a reason why the small frys waited months for the House of Mammon¡¯s shield around the heart weakened. If Yong-Ho didn¡¯t grow through the Power of Evolution and spirit absorption, he would¡¯ve died already.

    Of course he chose to take a break after pouring his mana. Since mana hasn¡¯t been added to the Heart of the Dungeon, it was in its original condition.

    But Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t going to take care of it all at once. And the reason for that was simple as well.

    ¡¯It looks uncool!¡¯

    There were a lot of eyes watching. After his fight with Jungceros, the Orcs started looking at Yong-Ho with respect and praised him. Catalina looked at him the same way.

    It felt like she was saying, "If it¡¯s the master, if it¡¯s our master!"

    In order to protect the owner¡¯s dignity and loyalty, it had to be ended quickly.

    Yong-Ho overdid it. And he got rewarded it for his hard work. The shield around the Heart of the Dungeon couldn¡¯t endure Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and broke. To Yong-Ho, it felt like a window shattered.

    The Heart of the Dungeon, which was as big as two fists put together, broke. And a small marble that was a bitrger than a thumb appeared. The red light that appeared was the dungeon¡¯s spirit.

    When itnded in his hand, he felt a strong mana. Also, despite of the fact that the owner died and the dungeon was shut down, the Heart of the Dungeon still had arge of mana within them.

    Greed started wiggling. Even though they didn¡¯t say anything, Greed was definitely reacting to the mana that was in front of them.

    Yong-Ho was patient. After grabbing the spirit tightly, he opened the leather pouch that was hanging from his waist. Yong-Ho closed his eyes shut and put the spirit inside the pouch.

    The Heart of the Dungeon was the only one that could effectively absorb a Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s spirit.

    This was Lucia¡¯s job. In order to build various facilities within the dungeon and increase the dungeon¡¯s defensive power, Yong-Ho had to increase Lucia¡¯s powers.

    ¡¯I still have work to do.¡¯

    But, it wasn¡¯t something he could do right away. Even though he became exhausted after breaking the heart¡¯s shield, Yong-Ho gave his next order instead of resting.

    "Rikum, gather all the valuable items in Foras¡¯s dungeon and move it to the dungeon¡¯s entrance room. Since the dungeon¡¯s heart is destroyed, the traps won¡¯t work."

    Yong-Ho was now used to giving orders.

    After Rikum showed his respect, he took the Orcs and walked out.

    Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia next.

    "Ophelia, go back to the pub."

    "Yes, sir. I¡¯ll make up a story saying that the House of Foras¡¯s owner and Jungceros put their life on the line and killed each other. However, it¡¯ll only act as a set up. The information isn¡¯t something I can announce by using the pub¡¯s name."

    Yong-Ho was satisfied by how quickly she understood his intentions when he ordered her to return to the pub.

    And Ophelia was feeling satisfied as well. She was happy about serving a master that was capable and friendly.

    Yong-Ho spoke while smiling.

    "That¡¯s fine. If it buys us more time, I¡¯m satisfied with that. And I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll cause some chaos too."

    The story about the House of Foras¡¯s owner and Jungceros killing each other can be easily made up.

    But, who was the one that destroyed the Heart of the Dungeon?

    Who absorbed Jungceros¡¯s spirit and who took the dungeon¡¯s treasures?

    Anyone with a brain would question those things and there were only a few who could actually do those things.

    They couldn¡¯t use the pub to spread vague information like that. The rtionship between the pub and the House of Mammon had to be kept a secret.

    A baseless rumor.

    The source will be unknown, but it was convincing story. Saying that the spirits that ran away from the House of Foras saw it was enough.

    And this kind of rumor was enough to make the nearby owners confused. The House of Abigail won¡¯t be able to easily make their next move and the other owners won¡¯t be able to easily confirm that this was all done by the House of Mammon¡¯s owner.

    "Then, I¡¯ll take my leave. I hope you¡¯ll forgive me for not being able to send a separate carriage."

    "That¡¯s fine and thanks for today. And I¡¯m sorry for kicking you."

    Opheliaughed at Yong-Ho¡¯sstment. Like always, the way she bowed reminded him of musical actors that bowed at the end of the show. After that, she left the House of Foras.

    They must¡¯ve used a lot of money on increasing the dungeon¡¯s defense after Foras died, because the House of Foras didn¡¯t have a lot of treasures.

    However, it was still more than what the House of Mammon currently had.

    In the carriages that they rode in, it was filled with various gold and valuable items. But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop there. He took the artifacts that both Jungceros and Kun had. He thought about taking the Living Armors and melting them, but it would be odd if there weren¡¯t any signs of there being a fight, so he only took half of them.

    Since the seats were filled with items, they had no choice but to walk, but the spirits all had bright smiles on their faces. They felt good about winning, but it¡¯s because Yong-Ho promised a special bonus.

    It took them about three hours to collect the items after the fight was over.

    Within the deepest part of the House of Foras, Yong-Ho saw Jungceros lifeless body.

    A demon king¡¯s power was like the Joker in a card game.

    Yong-Ho was able to easily defeat Jungceros since their power was mind control, but when looking at just the process of the battle, there were a lot of close calls.

    Kun changed the battle when Yong-Ho assumed that Kun could no longer fight. And Kun was only able to fight because of Jungceros¡¯s power.

    Foras broke through Aamon¡¯s fire through coldness.

    Jungceros made Kun move despite of them being unable to move.

    What kind of powers did the other demon kings have?

    And among the kings that had the Seven Deadly Sins, what were they like?

    Yong-Ho emptied his head. Instead of contemting, he stretched out his hand and ced it on Jungceros¡¯s forehead.

    Getting stronger.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s Power of Evolution and Greed¡¯s power were getting stronger.

    A light appeared.

    Greed devoured Jungceros¡¯s spirit.

    <Dungeon Offense #5> End.

 Chapter 70

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Upgrade #1></strong></h4>

    Jungceros¡¯s spirit was delicious.

    The quality wasn¡¯t as good as Foras¡¯s spirit, but when looking at just the amount of the mana, it was more than Foras¡¯s.

    Whenparing it to food, itcks vor, but it can make a person feel full.

    Jungceros¡¯s element was darkness. Greed embraced Jungceros¡¯s darkness this time too and Yong-Ho felt a new element take ce within his mana.

    Mana made up a demon¡¯s body and spirit.

    And among them, the "demon kings" had a lump of mana that was purer than ordinary demons.

    A new horn didn¡¯t develop. However, his other skills increased.

    Yong-Ho enjoyed his powerful body and breathed in deeply. Even though he was just breathing in, he felt mana boiling in various parts of his body.

    When Yong-Ho felt the change, Catalina and Skull also realized that they changed.

    Catalina¡¯s darkness became stronger. The mana that helped Skull move their dead body became sturdier.

    Foras¡¯s power, coldness, became Yong-Ho¡¯s attribute.

    Jungceros¡¯s Mind Control made Yong-Ho¡¯s mind stronger.

    "Great."

    After feeling refreshed from absorbing the spirit, Yong-Ho quickly wrapped everything up.

    Jungceros was dead and this news was going to be delivered to the House of Abigail.

    Yong-Ho was sure that they were going to make a move. They might send some soldiers to the House of Foras.

    When looking at Jungceros¡¯s war carriage up close, Yong-Ho noticed that it was badly damaged. The horses that pulled the carriage ran away and the stone that was stored inside disappeared. Some of the spirits that left the House of Foras must¡¯ve taken it.

    With Rikum in the lead, the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits marched.

    Yong-Ho was in the forest that Smi was hiding in and rode on their back. The Dungeon Meerkats that belonged to the House of Foras looked at Yong-Ho desperately. It was hard to tell what the Dungeon Meerkats and Smi talked about while he was inside, but it looked like they were begging him to take them with him.

    :"Skull, Skull."

    After cing the two Dungeon Meerkats on each shoulder, Skull walked behind the group.

    Like always, Smi powerfully flew up into the air.

    ¡¯I¡¯m tired.¡¯

    After lying on Smi¡¯s back, Yong-Ho looked off into the distance. The sun was setting in the demon world.

    He wanted to sleep. But he couldn¡¯t. Yong-Ho forced himself to stay awake and looked at the ground. After spacing out a bit, he activated the Power of Evolution on the spirits.

    "Huh?"

    After looking at each one, he eximed without knowing. It wasn¡¯t because Catalina became stronger after Yong-Ho himself became stronger. Yong-Ho was focused on Skull.

    [Development Rate: 100/100]

    ¡¯When did it get to 100?¡¯

    After the unity evolution, Skull did participate in every battle. But thest time he checked, it was only at 50...

    ¡¯Oh.¡¯

    Yong-Ho smiled when he recalled something. On the day when Eligor was training all night, Skull was rolling around the training ground. Skull did the same thing the next day.

    Since Skull evolved several of times, building the development rate in the training ground was difficult. He found because when they first discovered the training ground, Skull had to use the hammer many times in order to gain one point.

    It did increase, but it meant that Skull would have to continuously use their hammer to fill the development rate.

    Physicalbor.

    That was Skull¡¯s and the Undead¡¯s strength.

    Skull didn¡¯t get tired. They had a remarkable talent when it came to doing repetitive jobs.

    When Eligor was spending all of his energy in the training ground, Skull was also using their hammer in the corner of the room. Even when Eligor left to do other tasks, Skull kept on hitting the puppets.

    And their efforts reached to 100.

    "Rock Skeleton Night."

    It was Skull¡¯s new advancement route. Skull must¡¯ve noticed Yong-Ho looking at them, because Skull looked up and waved their hammer. Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t hear them clearly, but it sounded like they were saying "Skulllll."

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes after feeling extremely satisfied. It was only for a moment, but Yong-Ho slept on Smi¡¯s back.

    &

    "Ohhh! You¡¯re back!"

    Just like the time when they returned from the free city, Eligor and the other spirits greeted Yong-Ho at the dungeon entrance room.

    Rikum, who was leading the spirits, didn¡¯t have to say anything for them to realize the fact that Yong-Ho won. The carriage full of items was proof of that.

    Since our side won, I¡¯m happy.

    The Goblins had simple thoughts like that and Spot had even simpler thoughts.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of the atmosphere, but the Princess Ant had a small smile her face.

    Yong-Ho let the Dungeon Meerkats meets their new family, and after getting off of Smi¡¯s back, he looked at Eligor. Despite of the fact that he became more built through the evolution, tears filled his eyes and Yong-Ho smiled at him.

    "I¡¯m back."

    Eligor wiped his tears with a handkerchief and nodded his head. Just like how Catalina and Skull got stronger, Eligor also became stronger thanks to Yong-Ho. When looking at just the physical strength alone, it was safe to say that the House of Mammon was the strongest.

    "Oh, but..."

    "Huh?"

    Instead of being happy about, Eligor looked at everyone with a perplexed expression. No matter how many times he blinked, there was something he didn¡¯t see.

    "N-no way."

    If someone didn¡¯te back after leaving for battle, it only meant one thing.

    Yong-Ho started blinking and wondered what was going on, but he realized that Eligor was worried about Ophelia.

    Eligor didn¡¯t know that she returned first and after seeing his worried expression, Yong-Ho wanted to y jokes on him.

    ¡¯Is it because they¡¯re the same race?¡¯

    No, it could be more than that.

    Yong-Ho stopped himself from smiling and started calming himself down. He was going to announce Ophelia¡¯s death while making the saddest expression.

    However, beside Yong-Ho, there was a spirit that couldn¡¯t lie at all.

    "In order to fulfill the master¡¯s order, Ophelia returned to the pub first."

    "Oh, I see."

    Eligor let out a sigh as if he really felt relieved and Catalina wagged her tail while enjoying the sight she was seeing.

    Even though Catalina ruined his fun, Yong-Ho ended up smiling. After patting Catalina¡¯s head, Yong-Ho asked Eligor if they had be close after arguing like cats and dogs. It affected him a lot.

    Eligor¡¯s red face became more red and the spirits started taking out the items and organizing them after Eligor ordered them to do so. Yong-Ho immediately headed towards the Heart of the Dungeon with Catalina.

    "I was waiting for you!"

    "I know this is sudden, but congrattions on your victory, sir."

    It was easy to tell from her voice that she had high expectations.

    Lucia was connected to Yong-Ho¡¯s mind and out of the Spirit of the Dungeons, she was quite smart. Even though she couldn¡¯t see it, she assumed that Yong-Ho brought her something.

    "Thump, thump."

    "Thump, thump."

    It sounded like she was begging him to give it to her, so Yong-Ho chuckled. Even though he took out the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon spirit, he didn¡¯t give it to her right away. He felt like ying a joke.

    "Thank you for the food."

    He then closed his eyes. With a serious expression, he got ready to consume it, but in his head, he imagined Lucia being anxious and not being able to stay still.

    Really? Are you really going to eat it all? You¡¯re not going to give me any? Really?

    Even though he couldn¡¯t hear it, he knew that was what she was thinking.

    It felt like he could see Lucia filled with tears in her eyes, just like Eligor.

    Was being sly his natural personality? Yong-Houghed out loud when he imagined Lucia crying because of his joke.

    He was taking it out on Lucia because his n on making fun of Eligor failed, but he stopped. Lucia¡¯s body emitted an odd light and he pushed in the House of Foras¡¯s dungeon spirit into the Heart of the Dungeon.

    It was the same refreshing feeling he felt when he first absorbed a spirit.

    Lucia felt that as well. That feeling was so great, that even Yong-Ho was affected by it even though they were only connected through their minds.

    [gkdkrgkdkr sjan aktdlTdjdy! sjan! sjan!]

    She must¡¯ve lost it because Lucia yelled with a strange voice.

    And it didn¡¯t just stop there.

    If the owner bes stronger, the dungeon bes stronger and when the dungeon be stronger, the owner bes stronger as well.

    The Heart of the Dungeon released a light. The light was more intense than the time he consumed the Land Worm¡¯s spirit.

    "I¡¯ll begin the development."

    "The Heart of the Dungeon will be bigger and more beautiful and I¡¯ll have better control over the dungeon."

    "Once it¡¯spleted, I can begin building new dungeon facilities. I can also improve the facilities that we already have."

    "I need about a day to develop."

    "Please wait one day."

    She spoke coldly at first and then spoke like her usual self towards the end.

    The Heart of the Dungeon started wiggling like a Slime. Instead of releasing an intense light, a faint green light was released.

    Dungeon Spirit Mid-Rank Training Ground

    Dungeon Bathhouse

    Stronger Wall

    Secret Passageway Between Rooms

    Dungeon Mid-Rank Workshop

    Dungeon of Space Completed

    The words of light that disyed in the air reminded him of when games updated. It was faint, but he saw a video as well.

    "The Dungeon Bathroom that will help relieve exhaustion. Try using it to relieve the spirits¡¯ exhaustion."

    In a low voice, Catalina read one of the sentences that was disyed in the air. Just like the dorms, it¡¯s a facility that uses mana to help the spirits rx.

    The Mid-Rank Training Ground and Secret Passageway caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    Eligor and Skull were able to develop faster than expected thanks to the Basic Training Ground. Once the Mid-Rank Training Ground ispleted, Catalina and the other spirits will be able to grow as well.

    ¡¯And the Secret Passageway.¡¯

    After recalling the-like passageway that was installed in the House of Foras, Yong-Ho nodded his head. Even though the passageway that was installed in the House of Foras was a bit too much, if they used it right, then it would be useful when suppressing the enemy.

    ¡¯And everyone will be able to discreetly move between the rooms.¡¯

    And the Door of the Space.

    The facility that Kaiwan stopped building. The very thing that was on top of Yong-Ho¡¯s To-Do list.

    Lucia fell asleep. When Yong-Ho realized it, he looked at Catalina so that they can quietly leave the room. But why? Catalina looked at the words of light with an extremely anxious expression. Her ears and tail looked really weak too.

    "Catalina?"

    When he called Catalina, she became flustered and looked back at him. After disying her cold, female guard look, she took a step forward and exited the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room.

    Yong-Ho looked at the word of light again. Which one of those made Catalina feel anxious?

    He didn¡¯t think long. Yong-Ho stopped thinking and exited the Heart of the Dungeon¡¯s room. Catalina, who was waiting for him outside of the room, greeted Yong-Ho with a bright smile.

    ¡¯Did I imagine it?¡¯

    No way. He definitely saw it. But he stopped thinking about it and since Catalina was back to her usual self, Yong-Ho turned his attention elsewhere.

    He returned to the dungeon andpleted the major tasks. Now, all he had to do was rest.

    ¡¯No, that¡¯s not true.¡¯

    His work wasn¡¯t done. He needed toplete as many things as possible before the House of Abigail and the owners started making their moves.

    "Um...I hope you¡¯re not thinking about exploring the dungeon..."

    Catalina asked while inspecting Yong-Ho¡¯s expression. But Yong-Ho shook his head. If possible, he wanted to collect all of Kaiwain¡¯s inheritance, but since Lucia was asleep, exploring the dungeon was impossible.

    There was something else.

    After petting Catalina¡¯s head, Yong-Ho looked back at the throne.

    &

    "I love you, valuable customer. What can I help you with?"

    <Dungeon Upgrade #1> End.

 Chapter 71

    <Dungeon Upgrade #2>

    ¡°I love you, valuable customer. What can I help you with?¡±

    His eyes were fixed on the only figure that was standing in the white room.

    As usual, the red-haired Sitri was beautiful.

    While sitting on a white, antique chair, Sitri greeted Yong-Ho and motioned him to sit. Within moments, a chair appeared behind Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho was used to it now, so he calmly sat in front of Sitri. Sitri spoke first as usual.

    ¡°You¡¯ve be stronger.¡±

    Unlike his horns, the change wasn¡¯t something that can be seen with bare eyes.

    Instead of going into details, Yong-Ho just smiled and Sitri responded by slightly opening her eyes. There was a reason behind Yong-Ho¡¯s smile.

    Yong-Ho became stronger.

    After the fight with Foras, he consumed the distortion, a Land Worm and Jungceros¡¯s spirit. Even though it was a short period, the change was so big that it was safe to say that he was a different person.

    It couldn¡¯t bepared to when he first met Sitri. And that big change made Sitri smile every time.

    Sitri fixed her posture. Her legs were no longer crossed and even though she was wearing a long dress, Yong-Ho instinctively looked at her legs. Sitri giggles.

    ¡°It seems like you recently visited the pub...did things go well with Ophelia?¡±

    The details involved many different things. Yong-Ho ced his elbow on the armrest. He touched his chin and looked at Sitri.

    ¡°You already knew.¡±

    He stated the obvious and instead of denying it, she gracefully nodded her head.

    ¡°But that¡¯s all I know. What happened afterwards...I can only imagine it.¡±

    Sitri knew that the pub¡¯s female owner used to be Mammon¡¯s spirit in the past.

    Yong-Ho recalled the time when Sitri told him that he needed to find a different method of obtaining information.

    ¡®Is it safe to assume that she led me to meet Ophelia?¡¯

    Yong-Ho shook his head. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like the idea that Sitri controlled him.

    Deciding to visit the pub and the timing was decided by Yong-Ho.

    Sitri remained calm. He wanted to erase the calm look that was on her face, but it was unnecessary. He stopped touching his chin and spoke.

    ¡°It was a great meeting. She¡¯s very talented.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because her father was the most talented spirits among the spirits that served under Kaiwan. Red Demons are known to be a faithful race.¡±

    Even though she didn¡¯t mean much by it, there was a word that caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    Instead of ying hard to get, Sitri provided him with information.

    ¡°In the demon world, the Red Demons are a popr fighting race. Even though they¡¯re not as talented as dragons, Suras or Archdemons, they grow very quickly. The Red Demons that have reached their limit are extremely strong. The dragons are the strongest in the demon world when ites to hand-to-handbat and among them. Ancient Dragons are dragons that havepletely developed and the Red Demons are able to take them down. However...this only applies when they¡¯ve grown. A Red Demon that hasn¡¯t grown is weaker than an Orc.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but think of Eligor¡¯s face when he heard thest part.

    ¡°Red Demons are very talented in hand-to-handbat. Even if they increase their mana, they rarely use it. They prefer to use that mana to strengthen their body. It¡¯s also very efficient. It¡¯s very rare for a Red Demon, like Ophelia, to be skilled in a psychological type magic. She probably worked very hard to learn it.¡±

    She was very detailed and Yong-Ho naturally agreed with her. It¡¯s because both Eligor and Ophelia¡¯s bodies had better potential than their mana.

    ¡®The race that can even bring down an Ancient Dragon...¡±

    Even though he didn¡¯t know much about the different races in the demon world, the word, dragon, was enough for him to imagine a strong creature in his head.

    He became curious. Sitri continued talking without hesitation.

    ¡°An example of a Red Demon that reached their limits...in the dungeon shop that I¡¯m a part of, one of the Board of Directors named Orobas is known to be the strongest. He¡¯s known as the ¡®Demon Prince¡¯ in the demon world and he possess an enormous amount of physical strength. When ites to strength alone, no one in the dungeon shop or the demon world is able to take him down.¡±

    Words that excited Yong-Ho kept on flowing out.

    Five Board of Directors, enormous physical strength, Demon Prince.

    A ce higher than the sky and lower than the ground. It felt like Yong-Ho encountered a new type of power that wasn¡¯t a part of this world.

    He can be as strong as him. He could even be stronger than Orobas.

    ¡°The same applies to demon kings.¡±

    Sitri suddenly spoke. Her long eyshes softly went down as she blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Demon kings also grow. A weak demon king may be simr to a Goblin. But for the strongest demon king...a wave of a hand they can burn the sky and dry out the sea. They can take down not only one, but many Ancient Dragons. They can take down an entire army without any issues. They¡¯ll end up cutting off their heads the moment they look at them.¡±

    The familiar words excited Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho could feel that Sitri was talking while thinking of someone.

    ¡°There is a limit to a demon king¡¯s power. But it¡¯s possible to grow. A new wall will be waiting when the old wall is destroyed, but all you have to do is destroy the new wall. As long as the demon king is growing and has the will the grow, there¡¯s no limit. However, if they stop or lose that will...they¡¯ll be trapped within the limit they created for themselves and won¡¯t be able to grow anymore.¡±

    Foras was the Demon King of Coldness.

    Was their power only limited to creating coldness? Was it a power that couldn¡¯t be developed further?

    Jungceros¡¯s nickname was the Demon King of Control.

    Through mind control, they could paralyze their opponent or force them to move a certain way. But, if that¡¯s all their power did, then the nickname was a waste. It can definitely be developed further. It can be a stronger power. But both Foras and Jungceros couldn¡¯t grow anymore. They became still.

    The Power of Evolution probably had its limits as well.

    He can only use the power on spirits that¡¯s been officially registered, so in some ways, that was the power¡¯s limit.

    There could also be a limit to the number of spirits he can use the power on.

    But that was just the current limit.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes longer than usual. He then opened them and looked at Sitri, who was looking at Yong-Ho during the entire time.

    It was definitely not an ordinary rtionship.

    It was different from the rtionship that a customer and a merchant had.

    Sitri wanted Yong-Ho to grow. Even though she didn¡¯t guide him every step of the way, every time they met, she would throw out warnings and advice and it helped him a lot.

    But why?

    Could it be because there was a really intimate rtionship and it wasn¡¯t simply because she was the guardian of the House of Mammon?

    Like Ophelia. In the past, out of the twelve spirits that ruled the demon world with Mammon, maybe she was one of Mammon¡¯s...

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not it. Like I¡¯ve exined before, I¡¯m just an important figure within the dungeon shop. So that¡¯s all you need to think about when you see me.¡±

    Sitri spoke bluntly as if she read Yong-Ho¡¯s mind and finished it off with a smile.

    Yong-Ho felt an invisible wall. And that¡¯s when he understood.

    From the beginning, Yong-Ho told himself that he wouldn¡¯tpletely trust Sitri.

    He did want to depend on her after thinking that maybe she could be a spirit of the House of Mammon.

    He didn¡¯t like it. The rtionship they had now was more than enough.

    ¡°It looks like you brought a lot of items with you. I¡¯m excited to see what kind of items you¡¯ll be purchasing this time.¡±

    Sitri spoke like a merchant and Yong-Ho stated that that was the reason why he visited the Virtual Space.

    His meeting with Sitri wasn¡¯t as important.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I would like to purchase.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you with that today.¡±

    Sitri stood up from her seat and despite of the fact that there wasn¡¯t a bookshelf, she took out severalrge books. It was physically impossible, but this was the Virtual Space and Sitri was a strong demon.

    ¡°Did you want to purchase another spirit? Or weapons? If not those, then items?¡±

    The catalogues left Sitri¡¯s hand and were ced in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of looking at the catalogues, Yong-Ho looked at Sitri and answered.

    ¡°All three of them.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be helping me with my performance. Even though I¡¯m not the assigned merchant, I¡¯m d I put in a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°Are you still insisting on saying that you¡¯re not the assigned merchant?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s true.¡±

    Yong-Ho just smiled and let it go. He opened the catalogues.

    &

    Impulse buying usually happens when one visits the market unexpectedly.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho made a shopping n before connecting to the Virtual Space.

    First, he needed to purchase three Iron Golems and Skeleton Workers.

    He wanted to use the Iron Golems during fights and for helping out around the dungeon. And for the Skeleton Workers, Yong-Ho wanted to use them during fights.

    Yong-Ho nned on creating an elite Skeleton group where Skull would be the leader.

    Undeads are known to never get tired and can continuously do the same job as long as mana is provided. With that kind of perseverance, they¡¯ll be able to slowly build their Development Rate in the training ground.

    ¡®I did decide on evolving them into Death Knights.¡¯

    He wanted to create a group of knights.

    The best Undead unit that included the Death Knights and Lich.

    Of course he still had a long way to go until that happened, but he knew it was worth the investment.

    ¡®With Skull, I¡¯ll start off with six. As for the unit name, Skull Unit should be fine, right? And for the rest of the Skeletons, I think giving them call signs like, Skull Two, Skull Three should be fine.¡¯

    Three Iron Golems and five Skeleton Workers.

    He decided to purchase those eight spirits and now, he had to purchase various materials and necessities for the dungeon. He also needed to purchase materials for building the basic workshop.

    While listening to Sitri¡¯s advice, he purchased the things that were on his list.

    However, during thest moment, something unexpected happened. He had a strong desire to impulse buy.

    ¡°Rank Four Spirit Catalogue¡±

    Sitri showed the cover with a smile and Yong-Ho realized again that Sitri was a merchant.

    ¡°Only look.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±

    Would he be able to only look?

    Yong-Ho extended out his hand and calcted his remaining budget. He opened to the first page as if he was being tempted by the devil.

    &

    ¡°I love you, valuable customer. I really, really love you.¡±

    The beautiful Mystical Elf had a soft waist and by recalling Catalina¡¯s face and voluptuous body, he was able to endure it.

    He was able to prevent himself from purchasing the strong-looking Troll Warrior by recalling Eligor and Ophelia.

    For the Skeleton Knight, he didn¡¯t have the desire to purchase it since he had Skull.

    But, there was a spirit that tested Yong-Ho¡¯s strong will to not purchase anything.

    ¡°Aw-awesome.¡¯

    Nightmare.

    It was a horse-shaped spirit that was a higher rank than the Phantom Steed.

    It was big and beautiful. Even though they were shaped like a horse, their body and appearance looked intense. Saying that they were the best horse wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    Their entire body was ck, but their mane was white and green mes rose out of their eyes.

    ¡®But I have Smi!¡¯

    Smi would soon evolve into an awesome Fire Dragon. That¡¯s why he was able to stop himself.

    No. It was impossible.

    What if Skull rode Smi after evolving into a Skeleton Knight? Or Catalina could ride them.

    Battles happened outside of dungeons as well. Having transportation was important too.

    ¡®This is how much I think about you guys.¡¯

    After making up different excuses, Yong-Ho expressed that he wanted to purchase the Nightmare and Sitri replied by disying the most beautiful smile.

    He was really done now.

    After making an impulse purchase, Yong-Ho¡¯s time was almost up and instead of saying goodbye, Sitri started talking.

    ¡°If you continue bing stronger...I rmend ying in a bigger pool.¡±

    ¡°Bigger pool?¡±

    Yong-Ho asked without realizing it and Sitri nodded. She took out flyer between her breasts and handed it to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Dungeon Shop Auction House¡±

    Yong-Ho lifted his head. Sitri gently took a step back.

    ¡°The chaos will only be worse. If you survive the chaos and be even stronger...I¡¯ll make sure to serve you next time.¡±

    Sitri gracefully expressed her respect towards Yong-Ho. She finished by disying the same smile she always had.

    ¡°I love you, valuable customer. I look forward to our next meeting.¡±

    The white world was now filled with darkness.

    Yong-Ho naturally closed his eyes.

    ¡®Dungeon Shop Auction House...¡¯

    Why did Sitri call that ce a bigger pool?

    His thoughts disconnected. When Yong-Ho opened his eyes, he saw Catalina and Eligor¡¯s face.

    <Dungeon Upgrade #2> End.

 Chapter 72

    <Dungeon Upgrade #3>

    It became quite busy.

    After returning to the dungeon, Yong-Ho visited the basic workshop and talked with Bugrim.

    Bugrim still couldn¡¯t talk, but he must¡¯ve focused all of his energy on creating items because he created a lot of things while Yong-Ho was away.

    ¡°He said with a decent brazier and anvil, he¡¯ll be able to create better items.¡±

    Eligor exined on behalf of Bugrim. Yong-Ho questioned with his looks on how theymunicated and Eligor exined that they used their bodies tomunicate.

    Even though Bugrim couldn¡¯t speak, he could hear and thanks to the Evil Spirit of the Past, he was able to understand the other spirits.

    Bugrim was full of ambition. He wasn¡¯t the same as the Bugrim that was inside the prison cell.

    Yon, the Goblin, probably became hopeful after hearing about the body recovering after one evolves.

    The spirits, including the Goblins, didn¡¯t know that Yon had evolved, but since the dying Yon revived, that¡¯s all that mattered.

    [Development Rate 15/100]

    Since Bugrim¡¯s skills had already been well-developed, his rate Development Rate wasn¡¯t increasing very much.

    After Yong-Ho convinced himself that everything will pay off as long as he works hard, he headed towards the workshop.

    The Princess Ant and Spot were in the training ground swinging a stick. Spot was swinging with enthusiasm, but the Princess Ant was only swinging it because Spot told her. But thanks to that, her Development Rate was increasing.

    The farm was where the Princess Ant was staying and thanks to Bugrim¡¯s hard work, it turned out really nice. And Spot¡¯s dog house was located within the farm as well.

    After seeing the Golems working on the gold mine, Yong-Ho finished his dungeon visit and headed towards the spirits¡¯ dormitory.

    It was because of Jun. Jun was the only girl out of the Goblin Rangers and the only one that wasn¡¯t a Hobgoblin.

    By putting his focus on the ring, Yong-Ho evolved Jun into a Hobgoblin while everyone was watching.

    Hobgoblins had longer arms and legs than Goblins and their faces looked like a human¡¯s.

    Jun¡¯s messy appearance became a lot cleaner and their curved back became straight, making her taller.

    Ordinary Goblins had the body of a child and Hobgoblins had the body of a teenager.

    Among the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits, Spot was a veteran, so Yong-Ho evolved Spot into a Kobold Runner.

    Spot¡¯s body didn¡¯t grow bigger like the Goblins, but overall, he did look more agile.

    ¡®Does it really influence them?¡¯

    The same question he had when a handle appeared on Smi¡¯s back popped into his head again.

    Jun became more feminine and Spot¡¯s aggressive-looking appearance became cute.

    It seemed like Yong-Ho¡¯s thoughts influenced the spirit¡¯s outer appearance whenever they get promoted or evolved.

    ¡®I should think about good things.¡¯

    Catalina and Eligor were standing beside him and as Yong-Ho look at them, he chuckled. Catalina and Eligor thought Yong-Ho was satisfied with the evolution andughed with him.

    The next day was pretty busy as well.

    Receiving the items that the dungeon shop sent was a lot of work, but handing over the valuable items was a lot of work as well.

    Eligor and the Goblins cheered when they saw the three Iron Golems. The Iron Golems looked like they belonged on the battlefield rather than helping within the dungeon. Even though their movement was slower than a Rock Golem, they were stronger and was better at defense.

    Skull had various reactions when they saw the Skeletons that were going to be working them.

    Skull was nervous at first and then satisfied. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure what was going on inside Skull¡¯s head, but after seeing Skull swing the hammer andmand the Skeletons, Yong-Ho thought he looked like a general.

    Skull still had a long way to go. The Skeletons were limping and they all had the same nk expression that Skull had.

    Everyone admired the Nightmare when they entered.

    It seemed like the anaesthetic magic hasn¡¯t worn off yet because Nightmare started blinking with a nk expression. Despite of that, they were overflowing with elegance.

    It was obvious as to what Nightmare¡¯s role was going to be, so Smi nced over at Yong-Ho nervously.

    Yong-Ho thought Smi was cute andughed out loud. Instead of making fun of them, he petted their head and spoke loudly.

    ¡°Nightmare¡¯s owner hasn¡¯t been decided yet. But one of the spirits in the House of Mammon will be its owner.¡±

    Rikum and the Orcs¡¯ ears shot up like Catalina¡¯s. Catalina¡¯s ears also shot up and wagged her tail. Skull stroked Nightmare¡¯s mane as if they were already the owner and looked satisfied by what they saw.

    Even though the delivery courier left, they weren¡¯t done.

    ¡°Master, Lucia has returned looking more beautiful than ever.¡±

    ¡°Ta-da.¡±

    Lucia was done with upgrading the Heart of the Dungeon and spoke excitedly. In his head, Yong-Ho imagined a blue-haired girl wearing a white dress and spinning in ce.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯ve be prettier.¡±

    Yong-Ho touched the Heart of the Dungeon while agreeing with Lucia. Before, the Heart of the Dungeon was a smooth sphere, but after the upgrade, it had corners. Now, it looked more like a giant gem than a marble.

    ¡°Like I¡¯ve informed you before, I¡¯m able to add various facilities.¡±

    ¡°And since I have stronger control of the dungeon, I¡¯ll able to control arger area than before.¡±

    ¡°And the number of spirits that can be registered into the dungeon has increased as well.¡±

    Lucia disyed windows of light in front of Yong-Ho. In the windows, it disyed the facilities that can be built as well as a short description.

    Among them, Yong-Ho pointed to the Door of the Space.

    ¡°Can we begin right away? Kaiwan did start building it.¡±

    ¡°Um...we can begin the process, but since we¡¯recking the materials, we won¡¯t be able toplete it.¡±

    ¡°Materials?¡±

    ¡°I can use my mana to charge the energy source that the Door of the Space needs, but in order to activate it, we need a magical equipment and knowledge. I rmend purchasing magic books rted to the Door of the Space either from the dungeon shop or outside.¡±

    ¡°Is it simr to when aputer is missing a software?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a simr situation.¡±

    Lucia, who shared knowledge and memories with Yong-Ho, replied right away. Her voice sounded like she had a bitter smile on her face.

    Purchasing a magic book from the dungeon shop.

    ¡®Now that I think about it, we do need a magician as well.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t talking about a magician that participated in battles. In Korean RPGs, the magicians used elements like fire and thunder to attack the enemy, but, Yong-Ho already had substitutes for that role. Yong-Ho and Smi could fulfill that role.

    A schr rather than a fighter.

    A magician than can provide various support and tactics rather than casting strong, offensive spells.

    ¡®It¡¯ll even be better if they were overflowing with knowledge.¡¯

    While thinking about Catalina, he recalled the Mystical Elf that he gave up on and told himself that it was already in the past. He shook his head to get rid of the thought and focused on upgrading the dungeon.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s work on the Door of the Spaceter...and work on the Training Ground for the mid-ranking spirits. Let me know the materials and the amount of workers that are needed.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll provide Eligor with the details, like always.¡±

    Catalina, who was standing beside Yong-Ho, begged with her eyes to build a bathhouse, but it wasn¡¯t the most important facility. Catalina¡¯s tail dropped to the ground and Yong-Ho felt bad, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡®But.¡¯

    Yong-Ho looked at the window of light that contained the Door of the Space.

    The things he needed toplete the Door of the Space.

    There was a lot. A lot of items were required in order to install it.

    ¡®It¡¯s amazing that Catalina and Eligor were able to open a temporary one.¡¯

    Not only did they use the remaining mana within the House of Mammon, they ended up using the magic scroll they had been saving.

    It¡¯s possible that Sitri intervened.

    The past two days passed by really quickly.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t waste any time during those two days. He evolved all the Skeletons into Skeleton Soldiers and by gathering Catalina, Skull and the dungeon¡¯s main troops, he resumed exploring Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance.

    After exploring for two days, he discovered an official torture room and an enormous jail. The facility that Yong-Ho wanted to discover was a magical library, but since Eligor looked really happy, he couldn¡¯t help butugh with him.

    And on the third day.

    Instead of continuing the exploration, Yong-Ho sat on the throne and looked at the loyal spirit.

    ¡°Ophelia, Endelyon¡¯s daughter, is here to greet the owner of the great House of Mammon.¡±

    Even though they installed a long-distancemunicator, she had items to give to him so she decided to visit the House of Mammon.

    After she finished greeting Yong-Ho, she looked over at Eligor and winked at him. Eligor replied with a cough. Catalina¡¯s ears started pping as she tried to hold in her smile.

    As always, Ophelia¡¯s report was straightforward.

    ¡°The butler of the House of Abigail appointed Jungceros¡¯s daughter as the new owner. She¡¯s already the general of the dungeon and on top of that, she has a feisty personality, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll surrender to the other owners. They¡¯re currently saving up the dungeon¡¯s main power.¡±

    Foras¡¯s dungeon was the shield and even though the dungeon was no longer there, distance was thest barrier between the House of Mammon and the House of Abigail.

    It was probably okay to rx for now.

    ¡°The House of Abigail and the owners around that area currently believe that the House of Foras¡¯s new owner and Jungceros gave it their all and killed each other. However, since there are a lot of suspicious parts, this rumor probably won¡¯tst long. There¡¯s already an owner that¡¯s investigating the House of Foras¡¯s remains.¡±

    He just wanted to buy some time. This was what Yong-Ho expected.

    Ophelia took a deep breath. It was as if the thing she was about to talk about was the most important. Ophelia spoke with a serious expression.

    ¡°Embrio started advancing south again. Vitaline was one of the owner that joined the union and after the union fell, they ran away. But Embrio beat them to death and then took their dungeon. It¡¯s still pretty far away from the House of Mammon, but...if they continued moving at this pace, they¡¯ll be here within three to four months at the earliest and six months at thetest.¡±

    In a game, Embrio could be considered as the empty southern region¡¯s final boss.

    An enemy he was eventually going to have to face.

    If Embrio continued moving south, then Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    ¡°And...this may applyter on in the future, but, it seems like the conflict between the King of Pride and the King of Envy has be more intense. There are rumors within the demon world that there may be an all-out war.¡±

    It was a big deal when two kings out of the six kings shed with each other. But, as Ophelia stated, they were far away and since Yong-Ho had to deal with Embrio first, that¡¯s all he focused on.

    Ophelia knew that as well. Ophelia didn¡¯t mention the conflict between the two kings just to deliver the news to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°If an all-out war does ur, then there¡¯s a good chance that the other kings won¡¯t be able to focus on empty southern region.¡±

    The empty southern region hasn¡¯t had a king for a long time and there are rumors saying that it¡¯s because the other kings intervened.

    It was just a rumor. But, the credibility was extremely high.

    The six kings didn¡¯t want a seventh king to appear.

    Even though the empty southern region was useless, it was big and it was significant since Mammon, the King of Greed, first rose to power in that region.

    Embrio wanted the empty southern region to be unified, so this was their chance. They might advance faster depending on when the two kings go to war.

    There was a time limit.

    Yong-Ho decided that being aware was enough. Instead of torturing himself with useless thoughts, he decided to focus on bing stronger.

    ¡°Ophelia, did you learn martial arts from your father?¡±

    Ophelia replied immediately.

    ¡°Yes, I learned it from my father. It¡¯s a type of martial...sir?¡±

    Ophelia stopped talking and called Yong-Ho. It¡¯s because Yong-Ho had a strange expression.

    ¡°Military? It¡¯s not the military that I¡¯m thinking of, right?¡±

    ¡°Um...I¡¯m not sure what kind you¡¯re thinking about, but...the martial arts is from the human world. Thanks to the distortions and the connection to the human world, knowledge of the human world has spread throughout the demon world. And the martial arts that I learned was one of them. My father improved it so that the Red Demons could learn it.¡±

    Opehlia looked proud. It seemed like she really respected her father because whenever she greeted Yong-Ho, she would always mention her father¡¯s name.

    ¡®Martial arts...¡¯

    Yong-Ho slightly turned his head to the side and saw Catalina and Eligor.

    ¡°Ophelia, is there a type of martial arts that you can teach Eligor?¡±

    Eligor¡¯s eyes widened when he heard Yong-Ho¡¯s question and Ophelia smiled brightly.

    ¡°There is. My father worked on it as well. It¡¯s focused on having the advantage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make sure to train him well.¡±

    While Yong-Ho and Ophelia were enjoying the conversation they were having, Eligor was feeling chaotic and couldn¡¯t snap out of it.

    Yong-Ho spoke again.

    ¡°And...is there one that I can learn?¡±

    Yong-Ho was currently learning basic fighting skills from Catalina.

    However, since Catalina¡¯s fighting skills required the user to be agile, Yong-Ho was only able to learn the basics.

    He thought about learning from Rikum at first, but since Rikum specialized in usingrge swords and axes, it wouldn¡¯t work out for Yong-Ho since he used ance.

    Catalina¡¯s tail and ears dropped when she heard Yong-Ho¡¯s question. Ophelia saw Catalina¡¯s sad face and also saw that Yong-Ho was feeling bad, so she bit her lower lips. She contemted for a bit and then replied with respect.

    ¡°I can use the pub and search for one that¡¯s worthy enough. If not, I¡¯ll at least be able to obtain a book. But...with all due respect, I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s necessary. The best teacher is standing right next to you.¡±

    After she answered, Ophelia focused her attention on one ce and thanks to that, Yong-Ho, Catalina and Eligor were able to quickly understand who she was referring to.

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.

    Ophelia was looking at Aamon.

 Chapter 73

    Note: Hello everyone! Please wee Joe, the new editor for The Dungeon Maker.

    Joe will be editing the chapters and will be helping me out! ^^

    Joe¡¯s Twitter:

    <h4><strong><Dungeon Upgrade #4></strong></h4>

    Edited By: Zeroth Deuce (Twitter: )

    There were various types of swords.

    All of which embody the name sword, because they share simr characteristics.

    So even if a weapon is called a sword, depending on the type, both the shape and use can be different.

    The same applied tonces.

    Lances have a lot of different types as well.

    Eastern and westernnces were different.

    There was also a big difference between a one-handednce and a two-handednce.

    It depended on whether the user wanted to stab the enemy or twirl it around so that the enemy couldn¡¯t get close.

    Was it going to be used in a battle between two groups or in a battle where the user is alone?

    Some mythrilnces are paired with axes, while there are somences with specialized poles which utilises the handle¡¯s flexibility.

    There was a huge difference.

    Because of that, everynce was different. The user needed to be sure of the type ofnce and the type of skill they were going to learn.

    The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon, wasn¡¯t an ordinarynce.

    And right now, it looked more like an iron stick than ance.

    Learning from a book or manual will have a negative impact on a beginner like Yong-Ho.

    He needed a teacher that can fix his posture and call out his bad habits.

    Someone that understands Aamon¡¯s special skills.

    Someone that has been using thence for a long time.

    Someone that¡¯s able to really grasp Yong-Ho¡¯s movement.

    There was someone that had all of those requirements.

    Ophelia spoke in a pleasant tone.

    "Sir Aamon, no, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon, isn¡¯t an ordinarynce. Out of the 12 spirits that Mammon, the King of Greed,manded, it¡¯s known to be one of the most noble and powerful demons. Aamon is the spirit that stood by Mammon¡¯s side the longest. It experienced many wars and learned many fighting skills duringbat in that time. Ophelia, Endelyon¡¯s daughter, swears on her father¡¯s name that out of all thences, it¡¯s safe to say that Aamon is the strongest in the demon world."

    Learning how to use ance from ance.

    Even though it¡¯s an answer that one would likely hear from the Chinese philosopher, Doga, Ophelia was very serious.

    Aamon had a will. Which Ophelia thoroughly experienced at the pub.

    After she finished talking, Ophelia gulped. It¡¯s because she remembered the time she encountered Aamon.

    An overpowering figure that ruled over the fiery world.

    Even though she just recalled that single moment, her back started to sweat. The cold sweat didn¡¯t stop.

    Since Catalina and Eligor never encountered Aamon¡¯s will, they didn¡¯t react like Ophelia did. Catalina looked at Aamon with expectation and Eligor nodded as he wondered why he didn¡¯t think of that in the first ce.

    ¡¯Learning how to use thence from Aamon.¡¯

    Yong-Ho tried recalling the time he first encountered Aamon.

    Red eyes.

    Overwhelming was the only word he could think of.

    After that, Yong-Ho felt Aamon¡¯s presence several times.

    Using its fire, controlling Ophelia and consuming Jungceros¡¯s mind.

    Yong-Ho ced Aamon on hisp. He activated the Power of Evolution.

    [Name : Aamon (?)]

    [Race : ???]

    [ss : ??? (???)]

    [Element : Fire ??? Level / ??? ??? Level]

    [Development Rate : 57/100]

    Aamon¡¯s stats were filled with question marks.

    But as always, Yong-Ho was optimistic. The development rate had increased a lotpared tost time.

    ¡¯57!¡¯

    It may be a little more than half, but when thinking optimistically, half of the rate was already filled. Yong-Ho was sure he would be able to evolve Aamon soon.

    "Right, they always say to strike while the iron is hot."

    After deactivating the Power of Evolution, Yong-Ho said it to everyone, including himself.

    Eligor quietly spoke with a worried expression.

    "With all due respect...it may be dangerous."

    Aamon¡¯s existence was too great. It was ufortable for Eligor to say since Yong-Ho ruled over him, but Yong-Ho was no match to Aamon in his current condition.

    What would happen if Aamon suppressed him? What if he gets harrassed?

    As someone that had personally experienced Aamon, there was a hint of fear and hesitation on Ophelia¡¯s face when she heard Eligor¡¯sment.

    But Catalina didn¡¯t think that way.

    When Yong-Ho first wielded Aamon, Catalina was next to him and she watched. She was also there when Yong-Ho first controlled its fire.

    Aamon acknowledged Yong-Ho as its owner. If not, then Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t have been able to control its fire.

    Catalina didn¡¯t express her opinion. But as they were connected as a spirit and owner. Yong-Ho knew how Catalina felt. Both of them softly smiled at each other.

    "I believe in you too!"

    Lucia raised her voice.

    Yong-Houghed out loud without realizing, so he fixed his posture. After taking a deep breath, he grabbed Aamon, who was sitting on hisp.

    He closed his eyes.

    No one had taught him, but he was able to figure it out.

    Yong-Ho spoke to Aamon.

    &

    The world was on fire.

    The fire kept on burning the sky and ground which eventually became one.

    Someone was swinging thence within the fire.

    Arge male.

    Even though they just had a bulky build, they looked like a giant.

    Thence drew a wheel. Not only did it split the fire, but in the end, it even yed with it. It looked like a fancy flower was blooming.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t see the male¡¯s every movement. He wasn¡¯t moving fast, but that was just how Yong-Ho felt.

    It was an overwhelming amount of information. It was even difficult to imagine what kind of move he was going to make next.

    Yong-Ho just watched. And he was falling for it. Yong-Ho felt like he was one with the male¡¯s movement.

    He consciously closed his eyes again. He felt the fire. And different figures appeared inside Yong-Ho¡¯s head.

    It was the fire¡¯s memory. The fire burned its body and expressed everything in this world.

    He saw people.

    Not one, but many.

    A figure holding a giant sickle wasmanding the battlefield. The figure had the head of a wild goat and they had a horn. Their body was covered in ck fur.

    A woman that covered her face with a eyepatch walked through the fire. She had gold hair and everything on her body was red. The sword on her waist was thin and it resembled a crescent moon.

    After that, many different figures passed though his head like a vision.

    Fraternal twins that were looking at each other.

    A barbaric warrior that was wearing a lion skin.

    A Centaur that was aiming their arrow towards the sun.

    A bull-like male that was roaring while being covered in his enemies¡¯ blood.

    A woman with ck hair that had a warm expression and was holding a water bottle.

    There was even more after that. He saw a woman and a man and even saw deformed monsters sometimes.

    Yong-Ho soon realized.

    He had became aware.

    ¡¯Mammon¡¯s spirit.¡¯

    The King of Greed¡¯s 12 spirits. The great spirits that controlled the demon world with the King of Greed.

    The visions disappeared. And Yong-Ho saw a man¡¯s back.

    He was walking up the stairs. The wind made the cape flutter.

    The sky was blue. It wasn¡¯t the demon world¡¯s colorful sky.

    The man climbed the steep stairs.

    At the end of the staircase, arge throne made of stone was sitting there.

    The man didn¡¯t look back. And behind him, Mammon¡¯s spirits appeared one by one. They all followed him up the stairs.

    The man¡¯s name.

    They disappeared.

    Everything turned into mes and flew away.

    Arge eye looked at Yong-Ho.

    My young owner.

    It was different from when Yong-Ho first met them. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t tremble in fear. Yong-Ho looked at Aamon as their master. Then he started speaking naturally.

    "That was you."

    He was talking about the man that was walking up the stairs.

    The man that was twiring thence within the fire.

    Even though they weren¡¯t big, it felt like they were a giant.

    He felt Aamon smile.

    Even though Aamon didn¡¯t talk a lot, Yong-Ho knew this time as well.

    That was Aamon¡¯s form before they turned into ance.

    The time when Aamon was known as the Lance God. It was the memory of a demon that ruled the demon world long time ago.

    Aamon taught Mammon how to wield ance.

    The fire¡¯s memories were short, but they had an impact. Yong-Ho understood the things that couldn¡¯t be expressed with words.

    Young owner.

    They had just learned how to walk.

    Just like the King of Greed, climbing those steep stairs towards the tall throne is impossible right now.

    But that only applies to now.

    If you have the will to move forward, then I will be your support.

    Yong-Ho replied with his mind and not with his voice.

    He felt Aamon smile again. The fire grew bigger and covered everything.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.

    Everyone was looking at Yong-Ho worriedly and when he shot up, they all became shocked by his action.

    "Master?"

    "Are you okay?¡¯

    "Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt anywhere, are you?"

    Everyone was worried, so they all asked about his well-being.

    Yong-Ho blinked. He saw Catalina who was about to cry. And then he saw the anxious Eligor and then Ophelia, who released a sigh of relief. He also had a vision of Lucia letting out a sigh of relief as well.

    "It¡¯s been more than two hours since you¡¯ve contacted Aamon."

    "Everyone was really worried. We were worried."

    He thought it only happened for a moment, but a lot of time had passed. Yong-Ho realized that he was covered in cold sweat. He probably groaned during those two hours. He understood why Catalina¡¯s ears looked so weak and why she was looking at him with a worried expression.

    ¡¯But.¡¯

    It was worth it. After reassuring everyone with a soft smile, he stood up while holding Aamon. After he motioned Catalina and Eligor to step back to make room, he raised Aamon.

    Fire appeared. The red mes enveloped all of Aamon and then disappeared with the wind.

    "Oh!"

    Catalina eximed. Eligor and Ophelia couldn¡¯t hide the smile that was on their faces.

    Aamon¡¯s form changed.

    The one meter iron stick now increased to two meters and took on the form of ance.

    Just like before, it didn¡¯t have any special shape and looked like a boring, red stick. But he couldn¡¯t judge Aamon just on the outer appearance alone. Everyone that watched was able to feel Aamon¡¯s power.

    Yong-Ho wielded Aamon with both of his hands.

    It was different from before.

    He felt himself being unified with Aamon.

    Another fire was released and Aamon changed its form to a red bracelet. The bracelet wrapped around Yong-Ho¡¯s right arm as if it was alive.

    Catalina¡¯s ears and tail started moving at a fast pace. Eligor had tears in his eyes and Ophelia chanted her father¡¯s name as if it was some sort of spell.

    ¡¯Mammon¡¯s spirits.¡¯

    The King of Greed, Mammon, was the one walking up the stairs. And his 12 spirits were following behind him.

    Yong-Ho saw himself walking up those stairs. And he also saw his loyal spirits following behind.

    My young owner.

    After it called out onest time, Aamon remained silent. But Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t surprised. It¡¯s because he had already understood how he was going to learn about thence from Aamon in the future.

    Yong-Ho petted Catalina¡¯s head.

    And then he made fun of the crying Eligor with Ophelia.

    &

    A few dayster.

    Yong-Ho took Skull¡¯s unit and continued the dungeon exploration. The library was another facility that was on Kaiwan¡¯s map and he seeded in finding it.

    Even though there weren¡¯t any traces of special mana in the library, there were hundreds of books.

    The library door had the crest of a wolf swallowing the moon and when Yong-Ho opened the door, he experienced Kaiwan¡¯s memory.

    Kaiwan¡¯s younger sibling, who possessed a weak body, enjoyed this ce. Kaiwan, who loved her younger sibling, simrly enjoyed spending time at this library.

    ¡¯Kaiwan.¡¯

    Every time they found Kaiwan¡¯s inheritance, the House of Mammon became stronger.

    Because of her, the House of Mammon managed to survive, allowing Yong-Ho to be the owner.

    The armory, gold mine, his connection with Ophelia, the Ring of Distortion and the bracelet that allowed him to store mana.

    Yong-Ho received a lot from Kaiwain. If it weren¡¯t for her inheritance, then they would¡¯ve lost the dungeon.

    The woman with gray hair had a violent expression.

    Yong-Ho saw her smiling face when she was in front of her younger sibling. Because of that, Yong-Ho touched the crest with a gentle expression.

    A week after they discovered the library.

    Yong-Ho had now acquired all the areas that was on Kaiwan¡¯s map.

    And that meant that he was now in control of 80% of the first floor.

    Things were still hidden in the remaining 20%.

    He didn¡¯t know how many levels the basement had and which of Mammon¡¯s spirits and inheritance existed there.

    The King of Greed was walking up the stairs.

    Yong-Ho remembered seeing his back.

    It was slow, but steady.

    <Dungeon Upgrade #4> End.

 Chapter 74

    <h4><strong><Mammon¡¯s Arena #1></strong></h4>

    Editor: Zeroth Deuce (Twitter: )

    The five Board of Directors had extremely powerful skills.

    They were all demon kings that had their own dungeons and these important figures were known to be physically very powerful within therge demon world.

    Orobas, the one with superhuman strength, was extremely powerful.

    But that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t strong in other areas.

    Bifron, the most intellectual demon, believed that Orobas¡¯s real strength was his unbreakable body.

    Red Demon, a fighting race, had trouble learning magic.

    It¡¯s safe to say that there weren¡¯t any Red Demons that were known to use magic.

    But it didn¡¯t mean that they were ipetent. Physically, they were above average, so they possessed strong mana and had the ability to use that mana to strengthen their body.

    This was the source for the Red Demon¡¯s amazing physical abilities.

    Body strengthening.

    By pouring out their mana, it makes their body both faster and firmer.

    Orobas could be considered as the strongest amongst the Red Demons, so strengthening his body more was honestly useless. But, he didn¡¯t stop training. Despite bing the great Demon Prince after developing himself for a long time, he was neverzy.

    Orobas was ying Cat¡¯s Cradle with his beautiful maiden, Silvia, a Dryad he treasured. On the outside, it looked like he was flirting with her, but this was part of his exercise.

    Orobas was too strong. When Orobas didn¡¯t use his mana to strengthen his body, he needed to train himself on controlling his strength. If he used his body without thinking, giving his lovely Silvia a light hug would break her body, causing her to die.

    Silvia was ying Cat¡¯s Cradle extremely seriously. Orobas liked how Silvia did her best in everything she did no matter how small the task was.

    Silvia also felt that way. In the demon world, Orobas was known to be the strongest physically and seeing him striving to be stronger made Silvia¡¯s heart beat faster.

    While ying Cat¡¯s Cradle, Silvia asked Orobas a question.

    "Master, howe you never take a break from your tasks? It¡¯s like you¡¯re chasing someone."

    Orobasughed out loud when he heard Silvia¡¯s question.

    She was an odd one, but sometimes, she would hit the nail on the head.

    "You¡¯re right. I am chasing someone. Maybe...no, to be honest, I¡¯ve already surpassed their skill."

    Silvia looked curious because this was the first time she heard it. It was Orobas¡¯s turn, but Silvia put the string down and looked at him so that he could keep talking.

    Her mischievous behavior was cute. Orobas gently touched Silvia¡¯s light green cheeks and replied.

    "It happened a long time ago. It happened when I was a really small and weak child."

    Orobas looked into Silvia¡¯s green eyes. While looking into her eyes, he imagined his past, present and future self.

    The Red Demon thatpletely changed his world.

    Before bing the Demon Prince, he wondered if that demon actually existed and thought that maybe it was his imagination as that figure was extremely powerful.

    "Like me, they had a horn on their head. But the shape of it looked like a bull¡¯s horn."

    "A bull? The one with horns that moos?"

    "Yeah, that¡¯s a bull."

    Silvia was now in Orobas¡¯s arms. Orobas gently hugged her body and continued talking about the past.

    It was the story of a giant, red man.

    &

    "I feel like I¡¯m going to die.

    Yong-Ho was in bed and after he opened his eyes, that was the first thing he said.

    He really felt like he was going to die. No, in his head, he already died several times.

    Yong-Ho and Aamon¡¯s minds were connected. In many ways, this unity was a lot stronger than the connection he had with Lucia.

    There was a reason why Ophelia and Jungceros encountered Aamon first instead of Greed.

    Aamon trained Yong-Ho within his mind.

    Aamon shrunk in order to match Yong-Ho¡¯s skill level, so he couldn¡¯t have a long conversation with Yong-Ho. But, Aamon was able to show visions to Yong-Ho.

    It was a silent training that happened in his mind.

    Yong-Ho saw Aamon¡¯snce skills during his prime days. He slowly familizarized it with his body. Maintaining concentration within the fiery world wasn¡¯t easy. To Yong-Ho, maintaining the area he prepared for his training with Aamon was difficult.

    Aamon silently taught Yong-Ho and he wasn¡¯t sure if Aamon was just quiet or if this was his teaching method, but Aamon nevertheless carved thence skill into Yong-Ho¡¯s body. He was learning by repetition.

    After finishing his training to the point where he was losing his mind, he motioned Yong-Ho to spar with him.

    Honestly, the process wasn¡¯t that painful. It always ended with a single blow.

    ¡¯At least I¡¯m not closing my eyes anymore.¡¯

    However, just because he didn¡¯t close his eyes, it didn¡¯t mean he was able to grasp Aamon¡¯s attack.

    "It¡¯s extremely important to ovee your fears and watch your opponent¡¯s attack until the very end! Was what the dungeon shop¡¯s basic fighting guide said. By watching one¡¯s opponent, one can either dodge or block. One can even counterattack."

    "Well, even before sparring with Aamon, you didn¡¯t really close your eyes anyways."

    That¡¯s right. The battles he had experienced was proof of that.

    Lucia continued talking.

    "I¡¯m not saying this because you¡¯re my master, but you¡¯re good at fighting. Even Ophelia said it."

    "So have some confidence and keep fighting."

    "Yeah, I will."

    Lucia smiled warmly because she was satisfied by his answer. If she was next to him, he probably would¡¯ve petted her head like Catalina.

    ¡¯Skilled in fighting.¡¯

    He was definitely skilled. He was more talented in the fight itself than in martial arts.

    If he didn¡¯te to the demon world, Yong-Ho would¡¯ve lived his whole life without knowing that he had talent in fighting.

    Yong-Ho suddenly remembered his cousin that moved to Ennd a few years ago. Even though he always looked like he was in a daze, he was physically talented and had a keen eye. It meant that he was good at grasping his opponent¡¯s movements.

    ¡¯I wonder how he¡¯s doing.¡¯

    No matter where he was, his cousin was probably living a more peaceful life than Yong-Ho.

    After getting up from his bed, Yong-Ho quickly washed his face from the bowl that was prepared earlier and then lightly stretched his body.

    Like always, he had a lot to do today.

    &

    Even though he had slept in more than usual, he was still able to meet up with Catalina since she always had a hard time waking up in the morning.

    Since she slept in a bit more than usual, Catalina had a bright expression.

    ¡¯No, is she regretting it?¡¯

    Her expression told him that she wanted to sleep a bit more.

    The reason why she had a difficult time waking up in the morning isn¡¯t because she was in a bad mood. Catalina was a mix between a Dark Elf and Subus and no matter what others said, Subus was a nocturnal race. Catalina was more active at night and that was probably because of the Subus blood that was flowing within her.

    Yong-Ho wanted to let Catalina sleep in a bit more in the morning, but both Catalina and Eligor were against it. Both of them said there wasn¡¯t a guard alive that woke upter than their owner.

    An Orc was now in charge of the kitchen and after serving them ate breakfast, Yong-Ho pinched Catalina¡¯s cheeks instead of petting her because she was dozing off. Catalina became sad because she was embarrassed and after being satisfied with her expression, Yong-Ho ate his soup.

    ¡¯Will it be better if I developed their taste buds?¡¯

    Yong-Ho was referring to the Orc in the kitchen.

    During the past month, the number of spirits had increased and because of that, Yong-Ho found out more details about the Power of Evolution.

    It¡¯s because he had a lot of samples.

    First, he already knew about this, even if two spirits were part of the same race, their skills and development were different.

    Second, all spirits didn¡¯t advance the same way even if they were part of the same race. There was also a difference in the advancement.

    He was able to find out about this difference thanks to the Skeletons.

    The advancement process from the Skeleton Soldier to the Warrior was different dependent on the Skeleton. For some, they have to be developed several of times in order for the Skeleton Warrior advancement route to appear and for others, like Skull, the advancement route opens up after developing just once. Whereas for some, the Skeleton Archer advancement appeared instead of the Skeleton Warrior.

    Every time a spirit develops, they require arger development rate. Because of that, the moreplicated a development process is, the harder it is for a spirit to advance. And Yong-Ho assumed that there probably won¡¯t be another advancement route after the Skeleton Knight.

    ¡¯Catalina and Skull have really outstanding skills. Eligor¡¯s is pretty good too.¡¯

    Catalina had many hidden advancement routes and Skull was the same because every time they evolved, the advancement ranks would keep appearing. On top of that, every time they evolved or advanced, their potential development grew as well.

    Eligor was also pretty talented. As soon as Eligor evolved, the Red Demon ¨C Beast¡¯s next advancement was physical strength and stamina.

    Andstly.

    The most important difference.

    The Power of Evolution was applied differently between spirits that belong to the dungeon and ordinary spirits.

    For ordinary spirits, Unification Evolution didn¡¯t appear. Even though Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t break down the details of the Power of Evolution, there were things Yong-Ho could assume based on his instincts.

    Unification Evolution only worked on spirits that belonged to the dungeon. And even though he didn¡¯t have a lot of samples, he assumed that the Power of Evolution affected more on these spirits than the ordinary ones.

    It was obvious when thinking about the rtionship between the demon king and their spirits.

    After Yong-Ho finished eating, he visited the Mid-Rank Training Ground that was located next to the Basic Training Ground.

    "Skull, Skull."

    Skull was training the Skeletons and when he saw Yong-Ho, he smiled brightly.

    Since Skull advanced to a Skeleton Knight, they couldn¡¯t increase their Development Rate at the Basic Training Ground. But the Mid-Rank Training Ground was different because the spirits trained using mana and that¡¯s how they increased their Development Rate.

    Unlike the puppets in the Basic Training Ground, the puppets here were able to dodge and counterattack. Since it was like being in a real battle, spirits were able to increase their Development Rate at a faster pace.

    Yong-Ho disyed a satisfied looked on his face as he watched the Skeletons train. The Skeletons all looked the same at first, but now, he was able to see their different personalities.

    Skull¡¯s group had to be the perfect team.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho didn¡¯t evolve the Skeletons the same way.

    For the Skeletons that will be holding a shield and in charge of the defense, he strengthened their bones and developed their frame. Whereas for the ones that will use ance or shoot arrows, he evolved them individually depending on their skills.

    "Skull, Skull. Skulllllll."

    Skull talked while swinging his hammer. Even though Yong-Ho didn¡¯t understand, it sounded like Skull was saying the Skeletons needed to be trained more.

    Yong-Ho patted Skull on their shoulder. Training in the Mid-Rank Training Ground all night must¡¯ve paid off because their Development Rate was almost full.

    ¡¯Is Iron next?¡¯

    After the Rock Skeleton Warrior, it was the Iron Skeleton Knight.

    Iron Golem was waiting in the corner of the Mid-Rank Training Ground and after Yong-Ho looked back and forth between the golem and Skull, heughed and looked towards the Basic Training Ground. The Princesses Ant and Spot were using the lifeless puppets to train.

    After developing her emotions, Princess Ant had a much more noticeable expression. Even though she still looked like a girl, it felt like she had matured.

    It¡¯s safe to say that thanks to the spirit training grounds, the Development Rate of the spirits had increased much faster. The Goblin Rangers and the Orcs also visited whenever they had the time to increase their Development Rate.

    ¡¯An elite group. Oh yes, an elite group.¡¯

    The beginning was difficult, but the result would make it worth it.

    After feeling satisfied with the Mid-Rank Training Ground, he headed to the arena that was located on the left. Ophelia and Eligor were having fun in there.

    "One round!"

    After Ophelia called it out energetically, she quickly stood up. While Eligor was lying on the floor and wasn¡¯t moving.

    Yong-Ho spoke after clicking his tongue.

    "Go easy on the old man."

    "Oh jeez, Eligor is still young when considering his condition. Right? Older brother?"

    Even though Ophelia spoke while giggling, Eligor didn¡¯t reply this time either. He was probably exhausted because he didn¡¯t even greet Yong-Ho.

    "But why do you always wrestle at the end?"

    "Just hitting each other isn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s also good for training your senses."

    Yong-Ho wondered if it really was effective after seeing Eligor on the ground, but when he thought about it, he repeatedly experienced the same thing from Aamon.

    He understood Eligor¡¯s pain as he looked at him and Ophelia approached Yong-Ho with a smile.

    "Master, would you like to spar?"

    "Thanks for the offer, but I have work to do. Go another round with Eligor."

    Eligor flinched when he heard Yong-Ho¡¯s suggestion, but no one paid any attention.

    Ophelia slightly tilted her head and asked Yong-Ho.

    "Are you going to look around the first floor again?"

    "I wanted to look around more."

    There was a reason why Kaiwan only explored 80% of the first floor. It was easy to find the first floor and out of the entire area, the first floor made up 80% of it.

    The hidden 20%.

    The arena, as well as the passageway that led underground, was probably included in that 20%.

    In some ways, Yong-Ho was being too hasty. Even though Lucia grew a lot, there still wasn¡¯t enough mana because the number of facilities within the dungeon was increasing at a fast pace. For the areas that he found recently, Lucia was barely able to control them. Even if Yong-Ho found the passageway that led underground, it would be impossible for Lucia to control it.

    ¡¯But still.¡¯

    He wanted to find the remaining 20%.

    Ophelia rated Yong-Ho¡¯s ambition very highly, so she acknowledged his request. Instead of asking Yong-Ho again, she helped Eligor stand up.

    Yong-Ho let Ophelia take care of Eligor and walked out of the room with Catalina, who kept on looking back.

    He then headed deeper into the dungeon.

    <Mammon¡¯s Arena #1> End.

 Chapter 75

    <h4><strong><Mammon¡¯s Arena #2></strong></h4>

    Editor: Zeroth Deuce (Twitter: )

    Among the facilities that were located deep within the dungeon, the Library and the Magic Laboratory were probably the most important.

    Kaiwan¡¯s Library was actually pretty empty. It was because there simply wasn¡¯t arge enough variety of books. Nevertheless, the books were still taken care of pretty well. He knew that Kaiwan had used them with the utmost care.

    Since most of the spirits in the House of Mammon didn¡¯t really read books, no one was using the Library. The spirits however were told to register if they ever wanted to use it, but Eligor was the only one that did and the sole book that he was interested in was the cooking one.

    After passing the Library, that still lingered with Kaiwan and her little brother¡¯s scent, Yong-Ho headed towards the Magic Laboratory.

    Theboratory was just as big as the training ground. Half of the room was empty space which was probably used to test out magic spells.

    ording to Lucia, this ce was used to study various types of magic, but...

    ¡¯We don¡¯t have anyone to do that.¡¯

    Out of the spirits within the House of Mammon, Ophelia was the only one that was skilled in magic, but she was a Red Demon. The fact that she was able to use magic was already amazing, so it would be hard to ask her to do any more.

    Yong-Ho again realized how important a magician was. He decided to look into it the next time he visited the dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space.

    After stepping out of theb, Yong-Ho stopped. Even though Kaiwan had developed 80% of the first floor, it didn¡¯t mean she had filled every part of it. When Yong-Ho was thinking about installing new facilities in the first half of the dungeon, he had made a few empty rooms and Kaiwan¡¯s first floor had empty rooms as well.

    ¡¯The ce connected to the remaining 20%.¡¯

    He looked at the dungeon map that was floating in the air and after thinking for a bit, Yong-Ho looked back. Since it was still morning, Catalina was trying her best to stay awake.

    "Catalina."

    "Uh, ah, yes, sir. I wasn¡¯t falling asleep. I wasn¡¯t. Really..."

    Her voice became quiet towards the end of her sentence. Yong-Ho knew that she wasn¡¯t falling asleep, so he just patted her head.

    ¡¯Now that I think about it.¡¯

    How did Catalina be a spirit in the House of Mammon and as a guard?

    It was a question that suddenly popped into his mind.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina had a close rtionship because he was the demon king and she was a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon. However, they didn¡¯t know a lot about each other.

    ¡¯I should ask. It¡¯ll wake her up and change the mood.¡¯

    After contemting a bit, Yong-Ho made his decision. He asked in a friendly tone.

    "How did you be a spirit for the House of Mammon?"

    It was more direct than he originally thought. Catalina pped her ears once and answered with a warm smile.

    "I was thrown away in the Free City and the former guard took me in."

    She could¡¯ve felt bitter about it, but her face didn¡¯t show any signs of such thoughts. She continued speaking in an affectionate and longing tone.

    "It happened when I was really young, but I still remember the very day I became a spirit under the House of Mammon. I was an orphan and it became my very first home. I¡¯m not very good at expressing my feelings, but...I really like the House of Mammon. I really like it. I also really like you as well, sir."

    Catalina finished talking with a bright smile, but instantly became embarrassed. LIke she had mentioned, she wasn¡¯t good at expressing herself, but she especially became embarrassed because of what she saidst.

    And Yong-Ho became embarrassed as well. It was because of a very simple reason.

    ¡¯I-it¡¯s my first time.¡¯

    Yong-Ho had attended an all-boys school and majored in Engineering. This was the first time someone close to his age, or at least looked close to his age, told him that they liked him.

    Yong-Ho was the first one that calmed down. He thought logically.

    ¡¯There¡¯s a lot of meaning behind the word, like.¡¯

    Catalina also liked the House of Mammon and Eligor. Yong-Ho patted her head again.

    "Shall we keep moving?"

    "Yes, sir."

    Catalina¡¯s ears looked slightly weak for some reason, but she answered confidently.

    &

    The remaining 20% wasn¡¯t just made out of inactive rooms. Most of them were actual walls, and in order to create a path, the dungeon required a lot more mana and time investment than before.

    Yong-Ho focused on the fact that Kaiwan kept the Arena a secret from the other spirits.

    A secret path will never remain a secret forever. As someone could coincidentally find it when they pass by.

    A ce where there wasn¡¯t a lot of people. A ce that only Kaiwan visited. A ce close to the remaining 20%.

    He excluded the Library. The Library was like a castle to Kaiwan¡¯s younger brother, so she probably didn¡¯t create a passageway between the Library and the Arena.

    Yong-Ho walked forwards. Kaiwan¡¯s Break Room was located deep within the dungeon and in that room which was a bitrger than Yong-Ho¡¯s bedroom, he activated Greed¡¯s power.

    Desire. Expectation. Craving.

    He set his mind on it. Greed rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s body like fire and after splitting into many sections, it searched all the rooms.

    Yong-Ho gathered all of the sections into one. The section that was wrapped around Catalina became the base and when Greed became whole, it pointed to one direction.

    Yong-Ho suddenly recalled the time he first encountered Aamon.

    Yong-Ho followed Greed and when he saw the crest of a wolf swallowing a moon on the wall, he ced his hand on it. The mana awakened the power that was flowing through the House of Mammon¡¯s blood.

    ¡¯A secret passageway.¡¯

    The wall next to the crest made a sound and opened like in the movies. The passage that it revealed was so narrow, that only one person would be able to walk through it.

    Greed continued guiding Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho gulped and after looking back at Catalina, she quickly grabbed the lighting device and gave it to him.

    "I¡¯ll take the lead."

    That¡¯s what he told Catalina after she gave him the device. Catalina had the ability to see in the dark, but since Yong-Ho was being guided by Greed, it was more efficient for him to lead.

    Catalina hesitated for a moment because she was the guard, but in the end decided to let Yong-Ho lead.

    The passageway was longer than he had imagined.

    The cold darkness consumed both the light and sound and the deep silence prevented them from hearing their own footsteps. This overwhelmed both Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    Yong-Ho continued walking. And then stopped momentster. It wasn¡¯t because they were at the end of the passageway.

    ¡¯We got disconnected.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t feel Lucia, who was always connected with him. Even though he was inside the dungeon, it felt like he was outside instead.

    Yong-Ho felt disconnected. When did he lose connection with Lucia? Or did they instead get disconnected right after entering the passageway?

    ¡¯When I obtained Aamon.¡¯

    He got disconnected with Lucia back then too. Yong-Ho had a hunch. This passageway must be outside of Lucia¡¯s control range.

    But that didn¡¯t stop him. Yong-Ho followed Greed¡¯s guidance. Momentster, time was also consumed by the darkness. Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t tell how long he had been walking through this passageway.

    Another step.

    Greed¡¯s guidance suddenly disappeared. Even though he was still in darkness, Yong-Ho was now able to see arge door.

    A crest of a dragon that was reigning over the world.

    Even though he didn¡¯t extend his hand out, the door opened. The light consumed the darkness.

    "Wee to the House of Mammon¡¯s Arena."

    The voice woke him up. The voice belonged to a female and was slightly deep and rough.

    Before them was a dark hallway made out of stone. It was wider than the secret passageway. Four people could probably walk through it together.

    Yong-Ho breathed in and looked around. Naturally, there should¡¯ve been another door behind the door he had walked through, however instead, it revealed a long hallway.

    Catalina kept her guard up while looking straight ahead. Yong-Ho also saw a woman in front of them.

    It was a woman that was wearing arge, ck robe. She was also wearing an empty, gray mask so he couldn¡¯t see her face. If it wasn¡¯t for the robe that was wrapped tightly around her body, he wouldn¡¯t even have known that she was a woman.

    After showing her respect to Yong-Ho, she fixed her posture. Yong-Ho became nervous when he heard "the House of Mammon¡¯s Arena," and the woman closed the distance between them. She spoke more quietly and discreetly than before.

    "The one that found the Arena, what is your name? And what is your father¡¯s name?"

    When the woman approached, Catalina reacted. Yong-Ho restrained Catalina with his hand and spoke while looking at the woman¡¯s mask.

    "Chun Yong-Ho. I¡¯m the House of Mammon¡¯s new owner. My father¡¯s name is Chun Do-Il."

    The woman didn¡¯t reply to Yong-Ho¡¯s answer right away. It could¡¯ve been his imagination, but he felt her feeling embarrassed and disappointed.

    Before he could ask why, she came closer. She asked in a slightly more impatient tone.

    "Then, your grandfather¡¯s name..."

    "That¡¯s enough."

    A new voice interrupted her. A veryrge hand divided the space between Yong-Ho and the woman.

    The new voice had suddenly appeared and since they weren¡¯t able to feel its presence, Catalina became surprised, causing her to take out her weapon. Yong-Ho also backed up.

    The new voice belonged to a Giant that was wearing a ck suit. The Giant had red skin, two horns on his forehead and a long, red tail. Ophelia and Eligor both came to Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    The Giant looked at Yong-Ho while stroking his beard and then smiled.

    "Please excuse my assistant¡¯s rudeness. My name is Gusion and I¡¯m the manager of the Arena."

    Greeting him back was the right thing to do. But Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t do so because of the thought that suddenly popped into his mind. The woman who was standing behind Gusion, Yong-Ho noticed that she was acting impatient.

    It was a ridiculous thought. There wasn¡¯t enough proof. But he had a hunch.

    "Kaiwan?"

    The woman reacted. The impatient woman looked up and Gusion¡¯s smile became twisted. Catalina watched Gusion while cold sweat was rolling down her face.

    They then heard a voice.

    "Are you Cayenne¡¯s descendent? How¡¯s Cayenne doing?!"

    "I said that¡¯s enough!"

    The Giant¡¯s power exploded. The power that suddenly exploded overwhelmed everything. The woman who was frantically asking questions sat down while releasing a painful moan and Catalina¡¯s hand started shaking. Catalina knew she had to protect Yong-Ho, so she managed to stand in ce, but that was her limit.

    Gusion red at Yong-Ho. The overpowering energy Gusion released made it seem like he was going to put down Yong-Ho at any moment.

    But at that moment, there was something that tore his energy into pieces. There was something that consumed that power and protected Yong-Ho.

    Fire.

    It wasn¡¯t the green fire that represented Yong-Ho¡¯s soul. It was the Red Lotus¡¯s fire that rose up and pushed away Gusion¡¯s pressure.

    This time, Gusion disyed various expressions. Anger, shock and joy he simply couldn¡¯t contain!

    "Aamon?! Is it really Aamon?!"

    Aamon answered. The Red Lotus¡¯s fire became bigger and was even more beautiful. His monstrous voice filled the entire hallway.

    "Kneel in front of the King of Greed! Gusion, the one who possesses superhuman strength! Mammon¡¯s spirit!"

    Confronting a Giant was more than enough to destroy everything around them. Catalina just couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, causing her to copse, but Yong-Ho managed to hold her by her waist. Green mes rose up within the Red Lotus.

    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho also looked at Gusion.

    Despite the really tense atmosphere, Gusion spoke.

    "Mammon¡¯s spirit, Gusion, acknowledges the King of Greed¡¯s return."

    He didn¡¯t kneel. It actually seemed like Gusion was trying to test Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t really mind it and instead of looking back at Gusion, he looked to the side. It wasn¡¯t because he was scared of Gusion. He instead looked at the woman that was on the ground and panting.

    Her mask was off. Her eyes were filled with despair, disappointment and embarrassment instead of fierceness. Through her tightly sealed lips, she expressed the feelings that she simply couldn¡¯t hide.

    Yong-Ho was sure. He knew that face and voice.

    The owner covered in ash. Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion.

    It was her.

    <Mammon¡¯s Arena #2> End.

 Chapter 76

    <h4><strong><Mammon¡¯s Arena #3></strong></h4>

    Editor: Zeroth Deuce (Twitter: )

    It felt like an intense feeling was held in his hands.

    When she realized that Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the son of Cayenne, her younger brother, she was disappointed.

    But she couldn¡¯t give up.

    Maybe he was Cayenne¡¯s descendant. Maybe not his son, but either his grandson or great grandson.

    Kaiwan even asked how her brother was doing.

    However, she couldn¡¯t talk. Besides her feelings, there were other things that she wanted to say, but she still couldn¡¯t say anything.

    It wasn¡¯t because she was trying to control her anxious and impatient emotions. She simply wasn¡¯t allowed to speak. Kaiwan¡¯s lips didn¡¯t open and just twitched. Yong-Ho knew why.

    Gusion.

    He was controlling Kaiwan. He didn¡¯t give her permission to speak.

    Yong-Ho was able to imagine it in his head.

    He also had an idea as to how Kaiwan was alive despite the rumors saying that she had died.

    Gusion was still looking at Yong-Ho. It was cold. His eyes were filled with many different emotions, but it was obvious that Gusion didn¡¯t like him.

    Yong-Ho felt Gusion resisting.

    It was more like impulse. It was probably because of Kaiwan.

    This was the first time he had ever saw Kaiwan up close. They had never talked before.

    But Yong-Ho always felt thankful towards her. He pitied her and felt warmth after seeing how much she loved her younger brother.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know the details, but after knowing that Gusion was controlling her, he didn¡¯t like him.

    "Cayenne is the name of the owner from two generations ago. It¡¯s been over a decade since you¡¯ve disappeared."

    Yong-Ho spoke.

    Intense emotions filled Kaiwan¡¯s eyes. She gasped when she heard about her brother. She wanted to hear more.

    Yong-Ho then realized that he had made a mistake.

    Kaiwan was expecting it.

    When Kaiwan disappeared, she was in her 20¡¯s. Her brother, Cayenne, was a teen, so even if it¡¯s been over 10 years, there¡¯s a very high chance that he was still alive.

    Isn¡¯t it possible for her to meet her brother?

    Wouldn¡¯t she be able to reunite with him?

    She couldn¡¯t open her mouth. Kaiwan couldn¡¯t continue the conversation and she didn¡¯t want to hear mention of his death.

    She desperately desired to see him. Tears were rolling down her white cheeks. Despite having fierce-looking eyes, her eyes were filled with different emotions and Yong-Ho felt sorry for her.

    He was the owner from two generations ago.

    Whether he died from an ident or at an early age, there was a high chance that he had died.

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t consider that possibility. No, it¡¯s more like she was deliberately ignoring it.

    Her eyes moved to Yong-Ho¡¯s finger. The ring that she gave to her brother.

    The object that contained the Power of Distortion.

    You¡¯re Cayenne¡¯s sessor.

    Are you his grandson? Is Cayenne¡¯s blood flowing through you?

    Yong-Ho felt like he could hear her. She sounded so desperate that it was painful to just look at her.

    Tell me. Tell me. Tell me something, anything!

    It was a quiet cry. And it waspletely blocked. When Gusion¡¯s hand came between them, the darkness consumed Kaiwan. The darkness covered the location where Kaiwan was standing.

    Yong-Ho red at Gusion. Gusion enjoyed the way Yong-Ho was ring at him. He enjoyed how hostile Yong-Ho was and his expression told Yong-Ho toe at him.

    "I think the gatekeeper was acting very rudely. I just wanted the minions to take her, so just stop. It looks like you¡¯re going to hit me."

    "Gusion."

    Aamon spoke quietly. He was slightly angry.

    But Gusion chuckled as if he didn¡¯t care.

    "One greeting is enough to show respect. And I only did it because of you, Aamon. Just because he has the power of Greed doesn¡¯t mean this kid is actually Master Mammon. And just because he¡¯s the owner of the House of Mammon doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s my owner as well. I¡¯m Mammon¡¯s spirit. Mammon is my only owner."

    Gusion looked more fierce. He was almost growling towards the end.

    "This is the Arena. And I am Gusion, the manager of this ce. The Arena has its own rules and the only one who can break them is Mammon. So obey the rules."

    The already big Gusion looked evenrger. Yong-Ho felt like he was going to be crushed. Aamon released his fire and managed to protect Yong-Ho and Catalina from Gusion¡¯s pressure, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Catalina¡¯s body was covered in sweat and she was panting and Yong-Ho had to use his remaining power to release the fire.

    A faint smile appeared on Gusion¡¯s face.

    "You returned to your previous form on your own, Aamon. Is it to match with the owner of an empty house, huh? This ce is filled with Master Mammon¡¯s power, but that¡¯s all you can do. As your rival, it¡¯s very disappointing."

    "That was my choice. Don¡¯t look down upon my young owner, Gusion. Like you had mentioned, you should be following the Arena¡¯s rules. I¡¯m not your opponent. Face the King of Greed."

    "You¡¯re still acting like a teacher¡¯s pet."

    Gusion stretched and gathered his strength. The enormous amount of pressure disappeared and the nk space consumed Catalina and Yong-Ho once more. Yong-Ho tried his best to stand still while Catalina was holding onto Yong-Ho¡¯s arm that was wrapped around her waist.

    "The King of Greed, Aamon¡¯s young owner. I¡¯ll introduce myself again. My name is Gusion and I¡¯m the manager of Master Mammon¡¯s Arena. Out of Mammon¡¯s spirits, I¡¯m definitely the greatest of them all."

    Gusion extended his hand out for a handshake. Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure if Gusion was being considerate or if he was left-handed, but he extended his left hand out anyway. Yong-Ho looked at Gusion as he extended his left hand out.

    His hand was rough and strong. It felt like he was touching a hard rock and not a person¡¯s hand.

    "A guard that relies on her owner. Even if it¡¯s an empty house, the House of Mammon has definitely fallen."

    Catalina flinched when she heard Gusion¡¯sment.

    When anger filled Yong-Ho¡¯s face again, Gusion released a satisfiedugh.

    "Let¡¯s not talk while standing. Like Aamon mentioned, we need to follow the Arena¡¯s rules. Shall we go inside?"

    The Arena was dangerous.

    Gusion wasn¡¯t friendly.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t want to avoid his provocation.

    He wanted to know about Kaiwan and the Arena¡¯s rules that Gusion had mentioned earlier.

    "Young master, he will not be able to harm you directly. Don¡¯t worry. You are the King of Greed and I am here with you."

    Only Yong-Ho was able to hear Aamon¡¯s voice.

    Like Gusion mentioned earlier, Mammon¡¯s power was filled within the Arena. Normally, Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t be able to talk with Aamon like this, so just how powerful was Aamon?

    Greed opened its eyes within Yong-Ho. The fire within him told him to move forward.

    "I¡¯ll go with you."

    Catalina gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t rely on Yong-Ho and stood on her own.

    Gusion ridiculed Catalina with his eyes.

    Yong-Ho felt angry again.

    Aamon calmed Yong-ho down. He supported Yong-Ho and gave him strength.

    Even though Catalina didn¡¯t have Aamon¡¯s protection, she still stood up straight and met Gusion¡¯s eyes.

    Catalina¡¯s determination and feelings could be seen in her eyes. She didn¡¯t care if others talked badly about her. She did it for Yong-Ho, to protect her owner¡¯s honor, so she decided to endure it with everything she had.

    Because of that, Yong-Ho calmed his anger. Instead of losing it, he spoke to Gusion in an angry tone.

    "Lead the way, Gusion. Exin the Arena¡¯s rules."

    "As you wish. This way."

    Gusion turned around and took the lead. It was only for a moment, but right before he turned around, he had a pleasant and kind smile.

    Every time Gusion took a step, the light on the ceiling turned on and lit up the dark hallway. Gusion started to speak.

    "Master Mammon built this ce to help the future generations grow and for me. Well, half of it was also probably for entertainment."

    Yong-Ho understood the part about the future generations. But, for Gusion?

    "Including myself, a lot of spirits exist within the Arena. The Arena is a separate area from that empty House of Mammon. There are many levels within this ce and there are spirits that are in charge of those levels. I call them Floor Masters."

    Yong-Ho read about this in Kaiwan¡¯s journal.

    Yong-Ho analyzed Gusion¡¯s exnation. When he called the House of Mammon empty, he was probably looking down on Mammon¡¯s descendants for not being able to control Greed¡¯sbyrinth and remaining on the first floor.

    ¡¯Or he could¡¯ve used that word because it was actually empty.¡¯

    It was something he had been thinking about ever since Sitri mentioned Greed¡¯sbyrinth.

    Could it be that there were two dungeons within the House of Mammon?

    Greed¡¯sbyrinth and a dungeon to hide Greed¡¯sbyrinth.

    Gusion continued exining.

    "The Arena¡¯s rules are simple. The challenger will go up against the Floor Masters on each floor. If the challenger wins, then they¡¯ll receive the reward that Master Mammon has prepared and if they lose, they¡¯ll be punished. The punishment is different for each level. Well, the master did build it for future generations, so the punishments aren¡¯t that bad. But there are levels that are still pretty bad."

    Yong-Ho recalled Kaiwan¡¯s face.

    She made the House of Mammon stronger through the Arena, but she eventually disappeared one day. But now, Gusion, who managed the Arena,was treating Kaiwan like a ve.

    Yong-Ho was sure it was her punishment.

    "Anyone can be a challenger. A guard, butler or even an ordinary spirit can be a challenger. The reward is the same despite of status. However their punishment is a lot worse. Like I¡¯ve mentioned many times before, this ce was built for future generations. It¡¯s only fair that the reward and punishment are on the same level."

    Gusion stopped walking. Once they passed the dark hallway, an extremelyrge room appeared. It was as big as the Colosseum in Rome. There were thousands of seats and below them, there was a giant circr arena.

    Even though it was indoors, they could feel a cool wind. Gusion turned around with his back towards it. He looked at Yong-Ho and opened up his arms.

    "And the Arena¡¯sst rule. Master Mammon left thisst rule for the future generations as well as for myself. The challenger that beats every level will be the owner of the Arena. They¡¯ll be able to control all the spirits that¡¯s within the Arena as well as myself."

    Another strong wind blew through the room. Gusion had a big smile on his face.

    "Aamon¡¯s young owner. Do you want to know about Kaiwan? Do you want to free her? Do you want to make me kneel? In that case, conquer the Arena. Be the owner of this body. Only if you believe you can do it!"

    Gusionughed out loud. There was a loud roar and the door to the hallway suddenly closed.

    "Another rule. Those that enter the Arena can¡¯t just leave. They need to try at least one level. When in a group, it¡¯s fine if only one of the members fights."

    Gusion looked down at Yong-Ho. Instead of answering, Yong-Ho raised his right arm and released green mes. Aamon, who was wrapped around Yong-Ho¡¯s wrist, transformed into a fierynce and Yong-Ho grabbed him.

    Gusionughed. He wasughing because he was actually having fun. Heughed out loud for a long time.

    "We have a new challenger. Wee to the Arena, King of Greed."

    Mammon¡¯s Arena.

    The fight on the first floor had begun.

    <Mammon¡¯s Arena #3> End.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77 - The Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon #1

    Trantor: Jen

    Editor: Zeroth Deuce

    A man wearing a ck robe and a beast shaped mask guided Yong-Ho.

    Even though their outfit was simr to Kaiwan¡¯s, they had arge and firm body, so it was easy to tell that they were a male.

    However, they didn¡¯t show any interest towards Yong-Ho. All they did was walk ahead slowly.

    Could it be that he used to be an owner too?

    The House of Mammon¡¯s history was long. Kaiwan probably wasn¡¯t the only one that found the Arena and became a challenger.

    Once they were near the audience seats, the man opened a door to a hallway that led to the arena. After meeting Yong-Ho, he spoke for the first time.

    ¡°The challenger may enter the arena. Those that came with the challenger cannot enter. Please watch from here.¡±

    He spoke in an unsophisticated way and the way he talked was rather awkward.

    Instead of replying, Yong-Ho looked down at the arena. He imagined a tower because Gusion mentioned that there were Floor Masters on each level and stairs that led to the dungeon. But, it seemed like the Floor Masters actually came to the Arena.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    Catalina called Yong-Ho. She used up a lot of her mental energy from trying to endure in front of Gusion, so she looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.

    Herrge eyes were filled with anxiety and concern. She didn¡¯t show it in front of Gusion, but when she first encountered Kaiwan, Catalina was actually really agitated.

    What if Yong-Ho ends up in the same position as Kaiwan?

    Yong-Ho understood how she felt. He was worried as well, but he smiled nheless. He used his empty left hand and patted Catalina¡¯s head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Catalina replied confidently. Like always, her tail and ears showed her true emotions.

    Yong-Ho smiled again. After patting her head once more, he turned around. He walked towards the arena without any hesitation.

    The Arena¡¯s atmosphere was cold.

    ***

    Despite the fact that there were thousands of seats, only a few of them were filled up.

    They were filled with a small group of spirits from the arena and since there were only about 30 of them, it was impossible to fill all the seats.

    But because of that, it was easy to spot Yong-Ho. He was like a dark tree standing in a field of white snow.

    Out of the spirits that belonged to the Arena, there were some that were able to move freely.

    Some male, some female. There were kids, elders, young women and teenagers.

    While sitting in groups of twos or threes, they were looking at both Yong-Ho and Catalina. Catalina felt them looking at her, but she didn¡¯t turn around or approach them. She just sat in her seat and solely focused on Yong-Ho.

    Gusion sat in a special seat that was located in the center of the audience seats. Three chairs were located within therge space. The seat right of Gusion was empty. But on his left, a figure that was on the same level as Gusion was sitting there. Aamon, or more like his alter ego, was sitting there in the form of a Red Lotus Flower fire.

    It was safe to say that Mammon¡¯s Arena was Mammon¡¯s magic barrier. Even though Aamon¡¯s body was with Yong-Ho, it was possible for him to take a part of his conscious and ce it next to Gusion.

    Gusion scratched his chin as he watched Yong-Ho walk towards the arena after patting Catalina¡¯s head. Gusion put on an uninterested look as if to hide his true feelings.

    ¡°Do they have a chance?¡±

    ¡°Are you interested?¡±

    Gusion didn¡¯t reply right away when Aamon asked. He pouted for a moment and then snorted.

    ¡°It was a stupid question. You¡¯re only serving under that young owner because he has a chance at winning.¡±

    He was speaking to Aamon, the Red Lotus Flower Lance.

    Out of all of Mammon¡¯s spirits, Aamon was special, so he probably wouldn¡¯t decide on an owner so easily.

    ¡®However.¡¯

    Or maybe he was in a hurry? Aamon wasn¡¯t in the Arena like Gusion. There¡¯s a possibility that Aamon made a hasty decision since he was the only one that knew how much time had passed.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. But, I want to ask you too. Isn¡¯t it you that¡¯s been pressed for time?¡±

    Gusion flinched because it seemed like Aamon read his mind.

    Aamon was able to learn a lot of things just from the way Gusion treated Yong-Ho. But he stayed silent and Gusion gritted his teeth. Gusion stopped scratching his chin and leaned back into his chair.

    ¡°As you know, we¡¯re unable to feel the same sense of time in the Arena. A majority of the flow of time has been suppressed, but...it¡¯s also because this space is Master Mammon¡¯s barrier. Kaiwan...it¡¯s understandable as to why she¡¯s so cautious. She knows that time has passed, but doesn¡¯t exactly know how much. Sometimes it feels like it¡¯s only been a few days, but it¡¯s actually been a few years.¡±

    Gusion closed his eyes. He was able to vividly remember a few memories.

    ¡°But, I do have an idea. Because I¡¯m used to this space. It¡¯s not like I spend my time sleeping like Kaiwan and the other Floor Masters. A lot of time has passed. Over 1,000 years have already passed. But it feels like it only happened yesterday. The time when I followed the master and walked up those stairs.¡±

    Skyscraper stairs.

    It was like Gusion had mentioned. Aamon was able to vividly remember that moment as well.

    And that wasn¡¯t the only thing he was able to remember.

    Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The greatest demon king in the demon world¡¯s history.

    Hisst.

    Hisst moment.

    Gusion gritted his teeth. Even though he didn¡¯t mention it, it was obvious that he was thinking about that ¡°moment.¡±

    ¡°Gusion.¡±

    ¡°I know. I know, Aamon. It was the master¡¯s wish and because of that, I still respect him. I just want to follow him and walk up those stairs again. Even if it¡¯s in my dreams.¡±

    Gusion released a heavy sigh. Instead of replying to him, Aamon gave him some time.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had an emotional conversation like this.¡±

    Gusion smiled. He leaned forward again and made a demeaningment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s safe to say that there aren¡¯t any punishments on the first floor. Your young master may feel disappointed from being defeated, but he won¡¯t die or get detained.¡±

    Only Gusion was able to make such annoyingments like that.

    Aamon smiled. Even though he was just a fire, Gusion knew. And because of that, he had high expectations. He didn¡¯t make thosements to Yong-Ho just to provoke him.

    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±

    Aamon spoke. Gusion and Aamon turned their attention to the arena and watched Yong-Ho.

    ***

    [Mammon¡¯s Arena First Floor]

    [Floor Master : Steel Ox]

    [Max Number of Challenges per Day : 3]

    [Reward : Two Choices]

    [Punishment : Mental Pain]

    Yong-Ho slightly opened his eyes when he read the letters of light that were disyed in the air. He made a shortment.

    ¡®It¡¯s...honest.¡¯

    On the other side of therge stadium, that was about 50 meters in diameter, arge ox was standing there. It was as if they were made out of steel because Yong-Ho felt a certain heaviness.

    The Steel Ox released a low growl. They were about two meters tall with a horn on its head that was both extremely long andrge. Fire came out of its nose every time it breathed out..

    Aftering to the demon world, Yong-Ho had fought against both a Smander and a Land Worm, but this was his first time fight against an ox.

    ¡®But in the end, the basics are the same.¡¯

    Yong-Ho changed his pose as he wielded Aamon with this right hand. Aamon was now two meters long and Yong-Ho¡¯snce technique was closer to the Eastern style rather than the Western style.

    ¡°Ready.¡±

    ¡°Start!¡±

    As soon as the letters of light shattered, he heard the sound of a loud drum. But Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to focus on anything. The ground was shaking. The Steel Ox jumped forward and charged like a runaway lotive.

    Yong-Ho quickly threw himself to the side. He couldn¡¯t counter it head-on. After rolling on the ground once, he stood up. The ox passed through the area that Yong-Ho was originally standing in and after moving about 20 meters, the Steel Ox quickly changed its direction. As soon as Yong-Ho stood up, he kicked off the ground.

    He didn¡¯t have time.

    Yong-Ho moved as soon as he thought of it. He waved Aamon roughly in the air and created a wave of fire.

    The wave of fire that was released head-on was pretty horrifying. However, the Steel Ox must¡¯ve not cared because it didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest. The ox instead charged even faster and broke through the wave of fire.

    The fire dispersed.

    As expected, the fire didn¡¯t affect the Steel Ox at all. The ox didn¡¯t even stay within the fire for that long. But, there were results nevertheless. Yong-Ho¡¯s original n was to blind the Steel Ox so he didn¡¯t have to roll around to dodge the ox¡¯s attacks. He remained standing at the side while the Steel Ox charged in a straight line.

    As soon as the Steel Ox realized that it had missed, it tried to change directions, but its speed got in the way. Right when the ox was about to turn, Yong-Ho targeted its ankle and attacked with Aamon.

    nk!

    Aamon bounced off as the sound of metal filled the stadium. The unexpected counter made Yong-Ho¡¯s arms numb. Even though Yong-Ho was the one that attacked, he was affected more than the ox.

    Fire came out of the Steel Ox¡¯s nose. His opponent changed direction and Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He ignored the pain he felt in his arms and threw his body when the ox charged yet again.

    The ox was fast and hard. Fire and ordinary attacks didn¡¯t work.

    Catalina was really nervous. Most of the spirits that were watching startedughing when they saw Yong-Ho roll around on the ground.

    Cold sweat started rolling down Yong-Ho¡¯s face. Even though his attacks had failed, he didn¡¯t lose concentration or feel discouraged. He released another wave of fire and blocked the view between him and the Steel Ox.

    The ox¡¯s attacks were simple. They were fast, but they moved in a straight line, so Yong-Ho was able to predict its attacks. Just blocking the ox¡¯s view was more than enough to decrease its uracy.

    The ox charged again.

    Yong-Ho had an idea while dodging his opponent. He was clearly aware of the arena¡¯s entire structure and his current position.

    He read the mana¡¯s flow. The Power of Evolution analyzed targets for development purposes. And of course, the flow of mana was included in that analysis.

    The Steel Ox wasn¡¯t Yong-Ho¡¯s spirit. It was impossible to do an analysis. But, it didn¡¯t matter. Right now, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t expecting the Steel Ox¡¯s development information.

    Red mana was flowing out of the Steel Ox. That mana created a constant flow. The ox didn¡¯t simply use their strength to charge towards Yong-Ho. The ox also used mana to charge really fast.

    The flow of mana showed Yong-Ho the direction the Steel Ox was going to go.

    Boom!

    The ground shook. Yong-Ho dodged the ox¡¯s attack once again. The Steel Ox became angry and released a growl. Yong-Ho gulped. Reading the flow of mana during a battle was really difficult, but he had to continue doing it. He also didn¡¯t forget about the arena¡¯s structure. Whenever the Steel Ox charged, it created fire. The ox threw itself while charging in a straight line.

    A different sound was released this time. It seemed like the entire stadium was shaking.

    Beyond the fire that was destroyed, Yong-Ho saw the Steel Ox twist its body. The ox¡¯s horn was stuck to a wall, like Yong-Ho had expected, but he had to dy his opponent more.

    Yong-Ho immediately made his next move. This time, Yong-Ho charged towards the Steel Ox.

    His n to make the Steel Ox charge in a straight line and crash into the wall was great. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most creative n, but since he actually executed it, Gusion gave Yong-Ho a lot of points.

    But, what was he going to do now?

    Yong-Ho¡¯s attack didn¡¯t affect the Steel Ox. Despite the fact that the ox crashed into the wall, its horns were perfectly fine.

    Gusion leaned forward more. The spirits that were watching spoke louder. Catalina clenched her hands. Kaiwan, who wasn¡¯t allowed to speak, desperately watched Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho jumped. Aamon transformed into a knife and released fire once again. The wave of fire was useless. Yong-Ho knew it as well. That¡¯s why, he targeted something else this time.

    He focused the fire towards the tip of the de. Instead of creating arge fire, he focused a small amount on a single area and created a fiery de.

    Aamon¡¯s tip shined brightly. An immense amount of heat was released from the white light.

    The Steel Ox felt the need to be cautious. It used its strength to twist its body and before Yong-Ho could reach it, the ox destroyed the arena¡¯s wall, and turned around.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t surprised. He read the mana this time too. The Steel Ox¡¯s horn was drawing a curve and when Yong-Ho charged towards it, the ox barely managed to dodge him. Because of that, Aamon pierced into the Steel Ox¡¯s body.

    It worked. The fiery de pierced through the Ox¡¯s body. It screamed. But, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop. He poured the remaining mana through Aamon.

    Fire shot out of the holes that were all over the Steel Ox¡¯s body. The ox looked down on Yong-Ho because of the wave of fire he released earlier, but now the ox was powerless against the fire that was entering it.

    It couldn¡¯t even scream. The ox weakly fell to the ground. It transformed into light and disappeared.

    The spirits that were watching pped with joy. Catalina stood up from her seat and pped her ears and wagged her tail while Kaiwan released a sigh of relief.

    ¡°First Floor Completed Sessfully.¡±

    ¡°Please choose your reward.¡±

    Words of light appeared in front of Yong-Ho. Instead of replying, he turned around and looked up. He looked at Gusion, who was sitting in the middle of the audience seats.

    Gusion looked down back at him. He couldn¡¯t contain his excitement when Yong-Ho looked at him.

    He knew how Yong-Ho fought.

    He knew that Yong-Ho read the flow of mana and was able to freely control the fire by using Aamon.

    ¡°You asked if he had a chance, right?¡±

    Aamon asked and Gusion momentarily looked at Aamon with a nk expression. A big smile appeared on his face as he nodded.

    ¡°You chose a worthy owner, Aamon. But you¡¯re making a mistake if you think he¡¯ll be my owner just from this one battle. Even Kaiwanpleted the first floor.¡±

    Instead of replying, Aamon created a bigger fire. He looked at his young owner.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78 - The Red Lotus Demon Lance Aamon #2

    Trantor: Jen

    Editor: Zeroth Deuce

    When both Aamon and Gusion were looking at Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho also looked back at them.

    He then looked at Catalina and smiled, who was joyfully jumping up and down and looked like she was going to jump at him at any moment. He then further observed the rest of the audience.

    Most of the spirits in the audience were spirits that he didn¡¯t know the names of. However, Kaiwan was sitting amongst them.

    She was far away, so he couldn¡¯t read her expression. However, there was a certain warmth that simply couldn¡¯t be contained and he felt it.

    If he yelled, she could probably hear him. But, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to say anything. What would he say to her now?

    That her younger brother fell sick and died? That he lost everything his loving sister achieved and was depressed until his veryst breath?

    He had to tell her eventually. But, now wasn¡¯t the time. Not now.

    Yong-Ho turned around again. Even though the Steel Ox¡¯s corpse had turned into light and disappeared, a pile of light still remained in the same spot.

    It was simr to the distortion that he had saw before.

    A lump of pure mana.

    Mammon¡¯s Arena wasn¡¯t created only to provide fighting experience and various artifacts to the future generations.

    This lump of pure mana was probably the reward they would¡¯ve received once they defeated the Floor Master.

    Yong-Ho reached out with his left hand without hesitation. The colorful mana was swirling and it sucked into Yong-Ho¡¯s hand.

    It was the same as absorbing ordinary spirits. Nothing was different.

    Overwhelming pleasure.

    A feeling that his mana had been increased.

    But momentster, Yong-Ho had a hunch.

    It was different from the other spirits he had absorbed. Not only Greed, but the blood flowing within him was screaming at him that it was different.

    ¡®Mammon¡¯s mana!¡¯

    Traces of the king was contained in Yong-Ho and Kaiwan¡¯s mana, but this was much more than that.

    It was Mammon¡¯s actual mana.

    When he realized it, he felt even more pleasure. The purity and intensity of it made his spirit tremble.

    Ancestors¡¯ power.

    It was the greatest piece of power which acted as the source of the House of Mammon¡¯s kings.

    Whenparing just the amount of pure mana, it was actually less than the mana he had obtained when he defeated Foras. However, it had a different effect. All of Yong-Ho¡¯s body reacted to Mammon¡¯s power and the effect of synergy between them was really surprising.

    Kaiwan was definitely a genius. She was also hard-working at the same time.

    Even so, she was still extremely strong for her age.

    How was that possible? What made her really strong?

    He had solved that riddle just now. Mammon¡¯s Arena made her strong. The power of the ancestors of the House of Mammon had awakened her.

    And Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop there.

    The moment Mammon¡¯s power made him shudder, there was a skill that made him open his eyes.

    Green mes rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes. The experiences he had stacked prior to fighting Foras was screaming at him.

    Evolve.

    Advance.

    Advance forward!

    It was in front of everyone, including Gusion. But Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t hold himself back any longer. Greed was urging deep within his body. The Power of Evolution encouraged Greed.

    ¡°Mana Development.¡±

    Light enveloped Yong-Ho¡¯s body. The green fire covered his entire body and it grewrger.

    All the spirits were surprised. Even Catalina couldn¡¯t calm down.

    But there was someone else who was the most surprised.

    Gusion stood up from his seat. He was speechless. He yelled out a question without looking back.

    ¡°Is that, is that really the Power of Evolution?!¡±

    Aamon didn¡¯t answer. The answer to Gusion¡¯s question was already in front of him.

    Yong-Ho roared.

    The green fire shot up and then disappeared after breaking up into smaller pieces.

    The third horn that was on Yong-Ho¡¯s forehead disappeared. New horns appeared on top of the two horns that were located right above his ears.

    The fourth horn.

    The number of horns represented how powerful one¡¯s mana was.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t develop his mana. He broke it and created a new set. It was bigger and deeper than before and this time he could fill it with even stronger rmana.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the only one that transformed.

    Within a demon family, gaining another horn is like a turning point for the one that gains it.

    ck mana was gushing out of Catalina¡¯s entire body. A shadow-like thing surrounded Catalina¡¯s body. And within that shadow, Catalina hugged herself. She released a painful cry and then it turned into a joyful scream.

    Another horn appeared on top of the horn that was located above Catalina¡¯s right ear. It was her third one. Since she was directly contracted with the House of Mammon, it personally impacted her. She was now one step higher in following Yong-Ho, no, her king.

    The shadows that enveloped her disappeared. Her entire body was covered in sweat and she copsed while panting. She was so exhausted than even panting was difficult for her, but her face was filled with joy.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s and Catalina¡¯s transformation happened almost at the same time and it ended almost at the same time too.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and enjoyed his transformation.

    Thanks to the fourth horn, his mana and his physical abilities had be extremely strong.

    He also felt Catalina¡¯s transformation. Eligor and Skull were outside of Mammon¡¯s Arena so he couldn¡¯t feel them, but witnessing Catalina¡¯s change was more than enough.

    When Yong-Ho opened his eyes after calming down, two boxes of light appeared before him.

    He was sure that it was the reward that he was promised right before starting the match.

    But before Yong-Ho was able to pick one, a sudden change ured. Beside the boxes of light, another box appeared.

    He was immediately going to ask Lucia, but Yong-Ho closed his mouth. His senses were really sensitive and he knew Gusion¡¯s intentions.

    Gusion, who was sitting in the center of the audience,nded right in front of Yong-Ho. Gusion was physically big and since hended a few meters away from Yong-Ho, the ground shook when hended.

    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho and stood up from the spot where he hadnded. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t avert his gaze.

    He was definitely strong. But, it was different from when he had first encountered Gusion.

    The overpowering feeling was different. The emotions in his eyes had also changed as well.

    Gusion looked at Yong-Ho without saying anything. And then, a small smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Congrattions. You beat the first level. It¡¯s been a while since apetitor has beaten the first level.¡±

    It was definitely a friendly voice. However, Yong-Ho kept his guard up because he knew Gusion was still testing him.

    That feeling was difficult to exin. Yong-Ho felt that Gusion was holding something back.

    ¡°Since you beat the first level, you need to be rewarded for it. Two boxes are usually offered, but I added another one just for you. Pick one out of the three. You won¡¯t get a losing ticket, so don¡¯t be burdened about it.¡±

    Basically, it meant that the quality of the rewards weren¡¯t equal.

    ¡°I would rmend thinking...¡±

    ¡°This one.¡±

    Before Gusion finished his sentence, Yong-Ho picked one of the boxes.

    It wasn¡¯t a hasty decision.

    Greed was guiding him.

    Which one would be the most valuable to Yong-Ho?

    Which one will help Yong-Ho achieve his goal?

    Gusion didn¡¯t see any hesitation in Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes and he turned to the Red Lotus Demon¡¯s fire. Aamon didn¡¯t reply this time either. But, Gusion understood.

    ¡°Greed.¡±

    It was helping Yong-Ho. It relied on Yong-Ho¡¯s will and based on that, it activated a part of its power.

    The young owner that Aamon had chosen.

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprising gift. Definitely a surprising gift.¡±

    Gusion mumbled as he opened his arms. He was telling Yong-Ho to quickly open it and after Yong-Ho extended out his left hand, he released his mana.

    The box of light broke down and dispersed. The item that was insidended on Yong-Ho¡¯s left hand.

    ¡°Skeleton Mage Scroll.¡±

    The other two boxes disappeared. Before they disappeared, Yong-Ho briefly saw the items that were inside them. One contained gold and the other contained a dagger that had magic abilities.

    ¡°The scroll allows you to summon one Skeleton Mage. Use your mana and then rip it. The type of Skeleton that will be summoned will be based on your luck.¡±

    Gusion gave a simple exnation and Yong-Ho nodded. He understood why this scroll was more valuable than the dagger.

    He was already thinking about how he should use the Skeleton Mage.

    ¡°How about it? Want to start the second level?¡±

    Gusion asked. Yong-Ho felt Greed stirring inside him once again. It was telling Yong-Ho that they wanted to feel Mammona¡¯s mana once more.

    But Yong-Ho restrained himself.

    He used too much of his mana. Thanks to the evolution, his mana capacity increased and a small amount of mana was restored, but notpletely. On top of that, the third horn that Catalina was unexpected, so she was pretty tired too.

    The Arena¡¯s Floor Masters weren¡¯t easy opponents. Continuing like this would only have a negative effect.

    ¡®But...¡¯

    Yong-ho looked ahead. Even though he made up his mind, he kept on hesitating because Kaiwan was stuck in his mind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, young owner.¡±

    ¡°You cannot rescue her with the power that you have now.¡±

    Aamon exined to Yong-Ho quietly. Since it was happening inside his head, Gusion couldn¡¯t hear him.

    Kaiwan was looking at Yong-Ho desperately. She wasn¡¯t asking him to rescue her. She was asking Yong-Ho to tell her about her brother. She was saying that any news would be fine.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and ignored her. Next time was what he told himself and then he looked at Gusion.

    ¡°No, I¡¯lle backter.¡±

    ¡°Anytime. Master Mammon and I will always wee you to the Arena.¡±

    The man with the beast mask that led Yong-Ho into the arena stood in front of him. After showing his respect to Gusion, he guided Yong-ho once more and walked past Gusion and headed towards Catalina.

    Gusion turned around and looked at Yong-Ho¡¯s back. A frown appeared on his face as if his mind was filled with different emotions.

    ¡°Too small.¡¯

    Yong-Ho can¡¯t bepared to Mammon.

    He wasn¡¯t good enough to bepared to the great king that led his spirits up the skyscraper-like stairs.

    Despite that, Gusion couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge him.

    ¡°They¡¯re simr. It¡¯s very small. Very small though.¡±

    He just beat the first floor. He was nothing but a weakpetitor right now.

    Aamon smiled at Gusion¡¯s stubbornness. He looked at Gusion with his divided conscious.

    Aamon also remembered the same thing as Gusion.

    Thest moment of the strongest king in the demon world.

    Thest road he had walked on.

    The image of him leading everyone.

    The Red Demon Lance Aamon fired up and then walked past.

    He looked at the present, not the past. He took another step forward.

    Just like old times.

    Following behind the king.

    The wind blew.

    The Red Demon¡¯s fire rose up.

 Chapter 79

    <u><b>Trantor: Jen</b></u><b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b><b><u> </u></b>

    <b><u> </u></b>

    After following the man with the beastmask out of the arena, Yong-Ho headed straight towards Catalina. She wassitting in the front row while the spirits that were watching were sittingseveral rows behind. They were looking at Yong-Ho and talking amongstthemselves, but it didn¡¯t seem like they were going to approach him.Yong-Ho looked at them for a briefmoment. Amongst them sat Kaiwan, where just by looking at her face and bodnguage, it was obvious that she wanted to rush straight towards him, but wasinstead suppressing it. The spirits, however, weren¡¯t acting that way. Theylooked rxed when looking at him, but also kind of cold.¡®The Arena¡¯s spirits.¡¯It couldn¡¯t apply to all of them, but apart of them were most likely previous owners of the House of Mammon, just likeKaiwan.

    They entered aspetitors, but lostand now remained here at the Arena.Yong-Ho turned his attention away. Itwas difficult to avoid Kaiwan¡¯s gaze because she was desperately trying to gethim to see her.¡°Are you okay?¡±¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Catalina barely managed to answer whenYong-Ho asked. However, her body answered differently because her ears and tailweren¡¯t moving in the slightest.But her expression was bright. Yong-Howon and further grew in power. Catalina gained another horn, so it was obviousthat she was happy about that.Yong-Ho softly patted her head when shetried to stand on her own and then disyed a warm smile. After transformingAamon back into a bracelet, he turned around and spoke.

    ¡°Get on.¡±¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±¡°Get on. I¡¯ll carry you. You can hardlystand, let alone walk.¡±Yong-Ho turned his back to her, kneeledand signaled her with his finger to get on.Catalina blinked her eyes a few timesand then turned around. The Arena¡¯s spirits were having fun watching as theylooked down on Yong-Ho and Catalina. Catalina had better hearing than Yong-Ho,so she was able to hear their conversations.¡°Catalina?¡±¡°Oh, uh, yes.¡±When Yong-Ho called her, her earsturned red and she carefully stood up from her seat. She ignored their staresandments and got on to Yong-Ho¡¯s back. The only time she had ever got onsomeone¡¯s back was when the previous guard had carried her when she wasyounger. It was really awkward, but she managed to wrap her arms aroundYong-Ho¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Good.¡±After grabbing Catalina¡¯s thighs,Yong-Ho stood up. It was a good thing that she couldn¡¯t see his face because hehad turned slightly red. This was his first time carrying a girl and the thingshe felt through his back seemed extremely soft.

    ¡°What the heck are they doing?¡±Gusion asked as he watched them fromafar. Since Catalina¡¯s senses had been heightened, she had clearly heard him.She tightened her lips and buried her face into Yong-Ho¡¯s back.Yong-Ho looked straight at Gusion. Hedidn¡¯t look that intimidating since Catalina was on his back, but it didn¡¯treally matter. He spoke loudly.¡°I¡¯ll be going now. I¡¯ll see you nexttime.¡±¡°Anytime.¡±A satisfied smile appeared on Gusion¡¯sface after he answered out loud. He was extremely satisfied when Yong-Ho saidthe words ¡°next time.¡±Gusion probably wasn¡¯t as bad as manythought. He only acted that way because he was being loyal to his owner,Mammon. Even though he told Yong-Ho that he couldn¡¯t acknowledge him yet, onceYong-Hopleted the levels, Gusion would acknowledge him as his owner.Whenparing that smile to the one hehad first disyed, Gusion was definitely being friendly.

    ¡®Is he like Zhang Fei from the Recordsof the Three Kingdoms?¡¯

    It just popped into his head, but hethought it was a decentparison.On top of that, he had arge frame.He was known to have superhuman strength, so his muscr strength was probablyunlike the others. He was a Red Demon after all.

    ¡®I still dislike him though.¡¯Kaiwan¡¯s was one of the greatest ownersto have existed. Gusion didn¡¯t physically abuse her, but Yong-Ho still didn¡¯tlike the way he was treating her.Yong-Ho turned around and afterignoring Gusion, he briefly looked at the spirits and Kaiwan before leaving theArena.Even though it was just their eyes thatmet, it felt like he was able to hear her voice.Anything is fine.Anything is fine so please tell me!¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯He couldn¡¯t say it. Kaiwan desperatelywanted to hear some news about her brother, but the only news he could give herwas of his death. He couldn¡¯t do that to Kaiwan in her current state.¡®Someday, someday.¡¯Yong-Ho didn¡¯t really have any interestin her brother. The only thing Yong-Ho knew about him was that he had diedwhile filled with despair and remorse.Yong-Ho turned around as if he wasignoring her and then started walking away. The man with the beast mask walkednext to Yong-Ho and guided him to the passageway that led them outside of theArena.The man then stopped walking when theyapproached the passageway. He then pointed to the passageway as if he wassaying that his job was done and then disappeared.Yong-Ho pushed Catalina up and walkedinto the passageway. It was different from when Gusion was leading because whenYong-Ho was leaving, the lights that appeared on the ceiling started todisappear one by one untilplete darkness filled the space.How long had he been walking?Yong-Ho stopped. Now there was only onelight that was shining down upon him.Before leaving the Arena, Yong-Ho hadto ask a question.¡°Aamon.¡±¡°Speak, my young master.¡±

    Aamon replied right away. The Red LotusDemon¡¯s me appeared in front of Yong-Ho.Catalina gulped while staying onYong-Ho¡¯s back. Yong-Ho then asked while looking at the me.¡°Mammon...how the King of Greed die?¡±

    The strongest demon king in the historyof the demon world.He was ced in the top three out ofthe Seven Deadly Sins and also had four superhuman skills.He was one that called strong spirits,like Aamon and Gusion, as his own.

    No one knew how he had really died.The only avable information was thatMammon had suddenly passed away and because of that, the House of Mammon hadcrumbled.How did Mammon die?He wasn¡¯t curious at first. Mammonexisted over a 1,000 years ago, so Yong-Ho simply left it at that.But not now.He wanted to know. It felt like therewas some sort of secret to this death.

    Aamon didn¡¯t reply right away. Becausehe spent time with Mammon until hisst moment, he remained quiet. It seemedlike the me that was moving with the wind was disying Aamon¡¯s feelings.

    Yong-Ho waited. Catalina was afraidthat she would make a sound, so she kept her mouth shut.¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot tell you yet, myyoung master.¡±He said ¡°yet.¡± Yong-Ho decided to leaveit at that.He asked another question. It was moreof a confirmation than a question.

    ¡°You said I can¡¯t rescue Kaiwan justyet, right?¡±¡°Yes, not yet. But someday, in the nearfuture, I believe that it will be possible. I believe that.¡±Even though he was just a me,Yong-Ho felt like he saw Aamon smile. Catalina had the same feeling too.Aamon must¡¯ve felt satisfied with hisanswers, because the Red Demon¡¯s me disappeared. Yong-Ho watched the medisappear with the wind and then breathed in deeply. Instead of looking back,he took a step forward and exited Mammon¡¯s Arena.***He wasn¡¯t sure how many additionalsteps he took in the total darkness. It was so dark that Catalina, who was ableto see through the darkness, couldn¡¯t make out anything that was ahead of them.Yong-Ho calmed himself down and walkedforward. Momentster, he felt his disconnected senses connecting to thedungeon again.¡°Master! Where did you go?!¡±Lucia¡¯s voice rang loudly in his head.This finally meant that Yong-Ho waspletely out of the Arena and was now inthe first floor of the House of Mammon, the area that was under Lucia¡¯scontrol.Yong-Ho also felt relieved when heheard her worried and relieved voice. He felt like he had finally returnedhome.¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. First, gatherEligor, Skull and Ophelia to the Library.¡±¡°Got it.¡±¡°Eligor and Skull experienced ahuge...oh my! You gained another horn! And your mana has increased a lot aswell!¡±¡°Catalina¡¯s mana has be extremelystrong as well. What exactly happened in there?!¡±

    Instead of answering, he disyed aslightly awkward smile and even though Lucia was mentally connected to him, shedidn¡¯t push him anymore.¡°I understand. I¡¯ll ry your messageto the three spirits.¡±After he finished talking to Lucia, hewalked out of the darkness and headed towards Kaiwan¡¯s Break Room. He feltCatalina quietly release a sigh of relief.

    ¡®I think I know why Kaiwan kept thelocation of the Arena a secret from the spirits.¡¯One was able to earn big rewards in theArena. The rewards, which included Mammon¡¯s mana, were extremely appealing.

    As someone that cleared the firstlevel, Yong-Ho was curious about the second level¡¯s reward. His opponent on thefirst floor was tough, so the Floor Master of the second level was probablystronger, but Yong-Ho was far more interested in the rewardpared to theFloor Master or the fear of losing.Once one jumps in, they can¡¯t stop.If Ophelia¡¯s father participated, heprobably would¡¯ve kept on going until hisst breath.ording to Gusion, the punishment wasa lot weaker for the owners.And Kaiwan experienced the punishmentthat was already set in the Arena. In that case, what kind of punishments didthe spirits experience? Losing one¡¯s life probably wasn¡¯t the worst punishment.

    ¡°Catalina, never participate in theArena without my permission. Got it?¡±Catalina gulped when she heardYong-Ho¡¯s request. From the way she reacted, she must¡¯ve had a slight interest.¡°I understand. I¡¯ll follow your orders,sir.¡±

    That was like Catalina. Yong-Ho feltrelieved when she answered honestly. After fixing Catalina¡¯s posture, he headedtowards Kaiwan¡¯s Break Room. ***¡°You went to the Arena?!¡±The Library was supposed to be a quietce, but it was filled with shock.The voice belonged to Ophelia. Yong-Hofelt a bit flustered by Ophelia¡¯s unexpected reaction, but he quickly noddedhis head.¡°I did. I cleared the first floor. Andthanks to that, me, Catalina...and Eligor and Skull, all changed.¡±Yong-Ho looked at Eligor and Skullwhile replying. Eligor and Skull had be stronger, just like Catalina.Eligor still had the same number of horns, but his mana became stronger, so hisbody now released a beast-like energy. Skull, who had be the Iron SkeletonKnight, had no way of releasing his mana, so Yong-Ho instead felt an immenseamount of mana within Skull¡¯s body.Ophelia couldn¡¯t control herexcitement. It was refreshing to see this side of her because she was usuallyalways calm and cold.¡®Did she hear something from herfather?¡¯That wasn¡¯t the only thing. Catalina,who had obtained a third horn, was sitting in front of Ophelia.Based on the amount of mana and thepurity, Ophelia was still stronger however. Excluding Aamon, Ophelia was thestrongest out of all the living spirits in the House of Mammon.But if this continued, then someoneelse would likely end up taking that spot.Yong-Ho was expecting such a thing tohappen and would be overjoyed if it did.. Since it would mean that the House ofMammon¡¯s spirits had be that much stronger.But, it didn¡¯t mean that he wantedOphelia to fall behind. She might not be as strong as her father, but she stillwanted to be stronger. She was extremelypetitive, however it was betterthan not beingpetitive at all.¡°Please, please make me your personalspirit, sir!¡±Her request was straightforward.Yong-Ho smiled awkwardly.Of course Yong-Ho wanted to make herhis personal spirit. But the reason why he didn¡¯t bring it up was because shewould be ¡°bound¡± to him.Spirits that belonged to the dungeonalso belonged to the owner. If the dungeon died, then they would die as well.They were different from ordinaryspirits since ordinary spirits were able to terminate their contract at anytime. Bound spirits would end up sharing the same fate as their owner.

    They devote their entire body and soulto their owner.That was the difference. That¡¯s why hecouldn¡¯t make such an offer so easily.

    On the other hand, there was a reasonwhy Ophelia didn¡¯t make the request before.It wasn¡¯t because of the constraintsthat Yong-Ho had thought of and it wasn¡¯t about having anxiety about having togive her life to him.The ces were limited.The owners in the empty regions tendedto have a minimum of three and a maximum of five personal spirits. Even the sixstrong kings that were controlling the demon world probably only had about 10.When thinking about the Power ofEvolution and the House of Mammon¡¯s dungeon characteristics, the spirits werebound to grow at a fast rate. During these two months, Catalina and Eligor hadbe so much stronger.For Skull, Yong-Ho purchased him fromthe dungeon shop and he was nothing more than an ordinary Skeleton Worker, butSkull had grew a lot since then.That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t say it. But, nowshe couldn¡¯t wait any longer. The moment she was suppressed by Greed and Aamon,she had figured out that Yong-Ho was the new King of Greed and that was whenshe had made her decision.

    That she would be the King of Greed¡¯sspirit.

    ¡°Ophelia, please calm down. You¡¯re infront of the Master, so please be respectful.¡±When Eligor spoke calmly, Opheliarealized that she had been acting too excitedly. But instead she moaned andcouldn¡¯t sit back down in her seat.

    Eligor looked back at Yong-Ho for her.He spoke while showing his respect.¡°Master, I would like to make the samerequest. Ophelia will definitely be a great help to the House of Mammon.¡±Ophelia was touched by Eligor¡¯sunexpected support, she looked at him with a grateful expression. It felt likesomeone was cheering her on.Before answering, Yong-Ho looked backat Skull and Catalina. Skull had a satisfied smile and Catalina lightly noddedand agreed with Eligor¡¯sment.Which meant that everyone had agreed.¡°Okay, if it¡¯s okay with you Ophelia,I¡¯ll make you my personal spirit. But, there¡¯s something else I need to tellyou.¡±Ophelia, who had lost her cool, quicklysat down and listened to Yong-Ho. Eligor also paid attention to him.Yong-Ho took a deep breath andorganized his thoughts. The first topic was obvious.¡°The owner from three generations ago.Kaiwan, the Queen of Distortion, is alive.¡±As soon as he finished talking, bothEligor and Ophelia stood up from their seats.<b><u></u></b>

    <h4><u> Announcements </u></h4>

    <h4><u> 1. Future of Dungeon Maker </u></h4>

    As many of you have already noticed Jen is no longer able to trante due to workmitments, so I have decided to publish all the remaining chapters that she has already tranted on this website (11 after this chapter).

    However, I¡¯m also capable of tranting and I am currently tranting another novel which would hopefully be ready by the start of next month. Thus, the future of Dungeon Maker, on this website, highly depends on if I¡¯m able to trante both novels at the same time.

    I¡¯ve recently obtained the full raw source of Dungeon Maker and started tranting the novel today, so hopefully by the time the chapters already tranted by Jene to an end, I¡¯ll have arge enough backlog to maintain a consistent release schedule of at least 3 chapters per week.

    However, if I¡¯m incapable of keeping up with a decent release schedule, I¡¯m going to pass this novel to another trantor who has kindly offered to pick it up. Hopefully everything should work out fine either way, so there¡¯s no need to worry :D.

    <h4><u> 2. Missing Chapter </u></h4>

    Does anybody remember a weird time skip when Yong-Ho was travelling to the free-city, after killing thend worm? Well after checking the raws on Munpia, I realised that there¡¯s a missing chapter that hasn¡¯t been tranted yet between chapters 53 and 54.

    Well not to worry, I am currently tranting it as of this moment and will hopefully have it published alongside the next chapter (chapter 80)ter on this week. Be sure to look out for a link (called: Chapter 53-2 - Free City #3) in the next chapter, as well as on: the home page, Dungeon Maker novel page and Novelupdates website.

    <h4><u> 3. Donations </u></h4>

    I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m only going to start epting donations until I have arge enough backlog of chapters to ensure a consistent release schedule and Dungeon Maker¡¯s future on this website. Until then if you wish to help in anyway, please just spread the word of this great novel to all those who will hear it :D.

    <h4><u> 4. Comment Section </u></h4>

    To the eagle-eyed among you, you may have noticed that I¡¯ve updated thement section. I disliked the old one, as it felt too clunky and difficult to use, so I decided to change it to a more user-friendly style that¡¯s both easier to use and most importantly allows the posting of great memes.

    If you¡¯ve managed to make it this far, thank-you very much for reading and hopefully you¡¯ll stick around as we continue this great journey together :D

 Chapter 80

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    ¡°She¡¯s...alive?¡±

    ¡°Did you see her at the Arena?!¡±

    They both stood up at the same time,but the emotions in their voices were different.

    Ophelia sounded shocked, butaffectionate. It was quite different from Eligor¡¯s shocked reaction. Opheliacouldn¡¯t control her feelings. This type of excitement that she felt wasdifferent from the other ones she had expressed before. She sat down andmumbled to herself.

    ¡°Oh my. Oh my gosh. She¡¯s...¡±

    Ophelia has never met Kaiwan before.

    But she was the daughter of Endelyeon,the one that admired Kaiwan. She heard a lot of stories from her father andnaturally, she started admiring Kaiwan as well.

    Ophelia recalled her father¡¯s face. Heleft because Cayenne, Kaiwan¡¯s brother, was weak, but he couldn¡¯t forget aboutthe House of Mammon. She remembered him saying that the House of Mammon wasgoing to rise up again after watching it fall.

    What would she say if she met Kaiwan?

    That her father abandoned her brother?That he left the House of Mammon because it wasn¡¯t up to his standard?

    She wasn¡¯t scared of Kaiwan¡¯s anger.She was scared of facing her sadness.

    Kaiwan would probably understand. Ifshe was the Kaiwan that Ophelia knew, she would say that she knew he was goingto leave.

    Kaiwan wrote a letter in case shedisappeared and in that letter, she mentioned that if Endelyeon left, she wouldrespect his decision.

    But, but still!

    Ophelia was extremely worried.

    She came up with an excuse.

    Endelyeon was extremely heartbrokenwhen Kaiwan disappeared, so he wondered around in the empty wilderness for along time. When he returned with the young Ophelia, the House of Mammon hadalready fallen.

    And if he didn¡¯t leave?

    Then the dungeon monsters wouldn¡¯t havetaken the armory and the gold mine.

    Even though Cayenne was a weak owner,the House of Mammon still wouldn¡¯t have fallen that much.

    The excuse no longer sounded like anexcuse.

    Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t read all of Ophelia¡¯sfeelings. But, he had a feeling. Whenever she greeted him, she mentioned herfather¡¯s name. She respected and loved him that much, so it was only naturalthat she would be shaken up after hearing that Kaiwan was alive.

    ¡°The Arena rewards thepetitor whenthey clear the floor, but there¡¯s a punishment if they lose. The punishment canget worse depending on the floor, but...I think Kaiwan became part of the Arenaas punishment for losing.¡±

    Ophelia used Yong-Ho¡¯s voice as a guideand after managing to calm down, she bit her lips.

    Yong-Ho continued talking.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just Kaiwan. I can¡¯t confirmit, but I think there¡¯s more. I think out of all the House of Mammon¡¯s owners,most of the ones that disappeared may be in the Arena.¡±

    Eligor kept on gulping. He recalled theHouse of Mammon¡¯s family tree. Kaiwan wasn¡¯t the only owner that had suddenlydisappeared.

    If what Yong-Ho said about the ownerswas true, then.

    And if there were spirits at the Arenathat were strong enough to take down those owners, then.

    ¡°Gusion, the manager of the Arena, saidthis. If I clear every floor of the Arena, then I¡¯ll be able to control all thespirits that are serving in the Arena.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke. Eligor and Ophelia, whowere still shocked by the news, had huge reactions.

    ¡°Gusion, the one with superhumanstrength.¡±

    Ophelia said his name as if she wassighing. Eligor yelled as he clenched his fist.

    ¡°One of Mammon¡¯s 12 spirits. Thestrongest one. Out of all the Red Demons, he¡¯s known to be the strongest one inhistory!¡±

    That was Gusion.

    He was so strong, that he was known asthe strongest Red Demon in history.

    ¡°I apologize for my immature behavior.But...but it¡¯s hard to not react to that news. If you were able toplete theArena...and if you¡¯re able to control all the spirits that are in the Arena...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll even be able to go against thesix kings that are controlling the demon world.¡±

    Ophelia finished Eligor¡¯s sentence.

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    Having Gusion under his control wouldbe a huge sess. And if the previous owners and the spirits that defeatedthem were under his control, then!

    Just imagining it made him excited. Itmade him shudder.

    However, Catalina didn¡¯t seem excitedat all during the conversation. Her ears actually looked weak. It was easy totell that she was worried.

    That sight calmed Eligor down.

    He had forgotten about the dangers itcould cause because he was so focused on the big prize.

    Kaiwan and the other owners were in theArena because they had failed.

    The same thing could happen to Yong-Hoas well.

    The excitement that Eligor feltdisappeared.

    He sat back down and when he slightlymoved his mouth, Yong-Ho waited for him to speak.

    Momentster, Eligor managed to talk.

    ¡°Are you nning on going back to theArena? Like Kaiwan?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Yong-Ho answered camly. Yong-Ho hadalready thought about all the things that both Ophelia and Eligor were thinkingabout.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to gowithout a n.

    But that didn¡¯t mean he was going toback out.

    He wanted to get stronger through theArena.

    He wanted to rescue Kaiwan.

    ¡°I understand. Eligor the butler willfollow you, sir.¡±

    Eligor spoke seriously and Yong-Hodisyed a warm smile. The spirits were really worried about him, so Yong-Hobrought up another topic.

    ¡°Those are the two announcements that Ihad for you guys. Next is something a bit different.¡±

    Yong-Ho stopped talking for a momentand turned his head. Everyone else followed Yong-Ho and looked in the samedirection.

    ¡°Skullll?¡±

    Skull tilted its head. Yong-Ho took outa scroll.

    ***

    As he created the Skull Army, Yong-Honaturally inspected different types of Skeletons.

    Of course each Skeleton had differentpersonalities. The potential evolution and the advancement routes were proof ofthat.

    But as a race, they shared the samecharacteristics.

    Skeletons were undead monsters thatwere made out of bones. Skeleton Workers were the lowest rank and Death Knightand Elder Lich were the highest rank, but they all belonged to the Skeletonrace. Bone Dragons were technically part of this race too.

    Lower rank Skeletons rarely had aconscious.

    Skull was a rare case because it had anego despite starting out as a mere Skeleton Worker. Skeleton Soldier was rightabove the Skeleton Warrior and their ego was about the same as a Golem.

    Among the Skeletons that were in theSkull Army, there was one that barely had an ego despite being a SkeletonWarrior.

    Yong-Ho was standing in the corner ofthe library and he ripped the Skeleton Mage scroll that he earned from theArena.

    Even though he didn¡¯t use his mana, thescroll still activated the magic.

    White and blue lights appeared. The twocolors started spinning in the air like a distortion and as it spun faster, itreleased another strong light.

    A Skeleton stood where the light was.Like the other Skeletons, it looked like a human.

    ¡°Skeleton Mage?¡±

    Despite being a Red Demon, Ophelia wasknown to be the strongest mage in the House of Mammon and she noticed howspecial the Skeleton Mage was.

    Yong-Ho nodded his head. The scrollused the remaining mana and disyed letters of light in the air. It wasn¡¯tlike the message that Lucia disyed. They were letters used in the demonworld.

    [Skeleton Mage]

    [Thunder]

    [Magic Ability: Enchant Magic (Thunder)/ Lightning Arrow]

    Just like the other Skeletons, the mageprobably didn¡¯t have an ego because it just stood there.

    Ophelia spoke.

    ¡°A Skeleton Mage is a spirit that¡¯sonly created through a special order. It¡¯s impossible for them to learn newmagic, but they¡¯re very skilled in the magic they already know. Since theydon¡¯t really have an ego, they¡¯re required detailed instructions, but withEnchant Magic and Lightning Arrow...I believe it¡¯ll increase our fightingpower.¡±

    Enchant Magic enveloped a weapon withthunder and Lightning Arrow was a arrow that released magic shaped likelightning.

    But Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t going to besatisfied with just that. If he were to only use the mage for its magicalpowers, then Greed wouldn¡¯t have reacted to that scroll.

    Yong-Ho activated the Power ofEvolution. He looked at Skull and noticed that after it became an Iron SkeletonKnight, the Mid-Rank Training Ground didn¡¯t really help in increasing hisdevelopment rate.

    A light appeared. The light connectedSkull to the Skeleton Mage. The words that Yong-Ho was expecting were showingup in the box of light.

    [Skeleton Magic Knight]

    A unison between the Skeletons.

    On top of that, the Skeleton Mage had alow ego. Skull had a strong ego even when it was a Skeleton Worker, so there¡¯sno way that the Skeleton Mage would consume Skull.

    He did think about evolving theSkeleton Mage, but decided that this was the best route.

    For warrior spirits, increasing theirphysical strength was enough, but for magic spirits, it was important that theylearned new spells. There was no guarantee that the mage would learn a newspell if Yong-Ho evolved it. And if the Skeleton Mage¡¯s ego became strongerafter the evolution, then things could turn out differently than what Yong-Hohad imagined.

    This unison was an investment for thefuture and also a test.

    And since he didn¡¯t have ns tocreate a High-Rank Training Ground anytime soon, he had saved the developmentrate for just this moment. And it was time.

    ¡°Ready?¡±

    Yong-Ho asked Skull. Since this wasSkull¡¯s third time, Skull answered without any hesitation.

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    This was the first time Ophelia wasseeing a unison, so she didn¡¯t know what Yong-Ho was going to do. Catalina andEligor smiled and took a few steps back.

    ¡°Master? Eligor?¡±

    Eligor grabbed the confused Ophelia andpulled her back. He made sure that she stepped back far enough so that Yong-Hohad enough space.

    Yong-Ho raised his hands. He ced hishands on Skull and the Skeleton Mage¡¯s shoulders and drew out the dungeon¡¯smana through Lucia. He poured arge amount of mana into both spirits.

    Unity Evolution.

    Arge, green light appeared. And whenthat light disappeared, a Skeleton Knight enveloped in blue light was standingbefore them.

    Ophelia¡¯s eyes widened when she feltthe Skeleton Mage¡¯s mana from Skull. She didn¡¯t say anything and just looked atYong-Ho, Eligor and Skull.

    Excluding the mana that was needed tomanage the dungeon, Yong-Ho used nearly all of it. He took his hands off ofSkull and carefully called his name.

    ¡°Skull?¡±

    ¡°Skullllll!¡±

    Skull answered energetically, thengrabbed the hammer and raised it up high and casted a spell.

    Enchant Magic!

    A blue thunder enveloped the hammer.

    The Skeleton Mage¡¯s mana was added ontop of the mana that Skull already had. And Skull understood how to control thenew power.

    Skull swung his hammer that wasenveloped in thunder and then pointed it towards an empty part of the library.

    Thunder was released from the hammer.It was the Lightning Arrow.

    ¡°Oh! Ohhhhh!¡±

    When Yong-Ho eximed, Skull swung thehammer in the air again. Skull was going to show this during the Skull Army¡¯straining.

    Every time Skull swung the hammer, thesound of thunder filled the air. Because there was a spark, it sounded like asmall thunderbolt.

    Yong-Ho was extremely satisfied. Hewhispered to Catalina, who was standing next to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give the Nightmare to Skull.You¡¯re okay with that, right?¡±

    Catalina, who waspeting againstSkull over ownership of the horse-shaped spirit, nodded. Skull was the leaderof the Skeleton Army and on top of that, Skull was now a mage that had theability to cast spells, so giving the Nightmare to Skull seemed like the bestchoice.

    When Catalina happily approved, Yong-Holooked at Skull happily. The final goal he had in mind for Skull¡¯s changes.

    Death Knight?

    No.

    A being that mixed the Death Knight¡¯spower and the Lich¡¯s mana. The first Undead Magic Knight!

    Just imagining it made him proud.

    ***

    That night, Ophelia left the House ofMammon like she had nned and returned to the Free City. She would bereturning a few dayster. They decided to register her the next time shereturned.

    After Yong-Ho finished eating with thespirits, he returned to his bedroom and took out Kaiwan¡¯s journal. He wanted tocheck the information about the Arena.

    But after turning a few pages.

    Yong-Ho¡¯s hand stopped. Instead oflooking through the journal, he took out a different book.

    Cayenne¡¯s record.

    Cayenne¡¯s journal.

    He recalled the face Kaiwan made whenshe asked about her brother. Yong-Ho opened Cayenne¡¯s journal.

    He slowly read the information writtenthere.

    <h4></h4>

    <h4><u> Missing Chapter </u></h4>

    Hey everyone,

    I haven¡¯t yet finished the missing chapter (53.5) but should have it finished soon, and will publish it alongside chapter 81 in a couple days. Sorry for the dy.

 Chapter 81

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b><b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b><b><u> </u></b>

    <b><u> </u></b>

    Yong-Hosaw light beyond the darkness.Itshined like the stars on a night sky and as it disyed different colors, itcreated an image.Yong-Howas dreaming and as he saw that light. He was suddenly aware that he wasdreaming and realized that this wasn¡¯t the first time he had experienced this.Itwas simr to when he had peeked into Kaiwan¡¯s memories.Helooked into the light. The images that the light created became a vividreality.¡°Elunelooked at me!¡±¡°No!Elune looked at me!¡±Itwas an aerial garden that was built in the demon world. Among the red and bluecolored sky, purple was also mixed in, making it seem like the sky was painted.Gusionwas standing in the aerial garden and was looking down. He chuckled when heheard the voices from the ground. They probably thought no one could hear them,but they were wrong.Theaerial garden was created by attachingrge, thick chains to a enormousfloating stone. This aerial garden was one of the ces that Mammon enjoyedresting in. The ones that were talking underneath the floating stone were WoodElves and they took care of managing the aerial garden.¡°Right,so which one did you look at?¡±Gusionasked while chuckling and a frown appeared on the face of the woman that heasked. She just pointed to her eyes instead of answering.Ared, leather string was covering her eyes.Thewoman had long, gold hair that went past her butt and was wearing a bright pinkoutfit. Overall, it was short and revealing, but its purpose wasn¡¯t to make herlook more feminine. She liked it because it wasfortable and felt cool.Shewas a mix between a dragon and an Elf, but she looked like an Elf. The scalethat was located somewhere on her body was the only dragon-like feature shehad.Thisapplied to most of Mammon¡¯s spirits, but she was pretty popr among thespirits that were in the House of Mammon. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say thatshe was the most popr.Thered string covered her eyes because she was blind. However, she had the abilityto look at the world through a different method.¡°Eluneis contemting whether to get rid of this good-for-nothing spirit that jokesaround all day. No, really.¡±

    Heheard a cheerful voice.Itbelonged to a male and this was the first time he had ever heard it. But themoment the sound touched Yong-Ho¡¯s ears, he felt his soul tremble.

    Itwas the voice of Mammon, the King of Greed.Hewanted to turn around. He wanted to turn his head and look at Mammon¡¯s face.Buthe couldn¡¯t. Just like the time when he looked into Kaiwan¡¯s memories, his eyeswere fixed and the only thing he could look at was Gusion, who was busughing, and Elune, who was pouting.Heheardughter. Many differentughters that were mixed in with Mammon¡¯s. Itwas probably Mammon¡¯s spirits.Itwas a peaceful atmosphere. It was like looking at a harmonious family.Elune,who was still frowning, looked like she was going to stay something, but in theend turned her head. Instead of using her eyes, she had a different way oflooking at the world, and she noticed something approaching the garden. Sheexpressed her difort when she heard Gusion¡¯s joke.

    ¡°She¡¯ing. She¡¯s by herself this time too.¡±

    Shetried to suppress her emotions, but a part of her was still on edge.Gusionand everyone else looked in the same direction as Elune.Yong-Hoand Gusion both looked at the same thing.Awoman was on top of the aerial garden.Thewind was blowing around her red hair. &¡°Red.¡±Yong-Hoopened his eyes as soon as he had said it and instead of looking at the garden,he saw the ceiling of his bedroom. After he had obtained four horns, he wasable to see in the dark better and could make out the different patterns on theceiling.

    Alongwith Kaiwan¡¯s, he saw Mammon¡¯s memory.Wasit a memory that remained in the mana that he had absorbed in the Arena?

    ¡®Butstill...¡¯Then,howe he wasn¡¯t able to see Foras or Jungceros¡¯s memory? Of course, he wouldonly feel ufortable if he did.¡®MaybeMammon¡¯s blood is the key for seeing these memories.¡¯Hedidn¡¯t n on going to sleep, however the exhaustion had forced him to do so.Instead of sleeping more, Yong-Ho decided to get up from the bed. After brieflywashing his face, he headed to the library.

    Kaiwancreated the library for her younger brother.Eventhough Kaiwan enjoyed books, she had major responsibilities, so she wasn¡¯t ableto really take her time in reading the books that were in the library.Sheexpressed her love towards her brother by cing high-quality furniture in thelibrary. The library also had preservation magic, so the books looked brandnew.Yong-Hostood in front of the bookshelf that contained books rted to Mammon¡¯sspirits.Mammon¡¯sspirits were historical figures and since they were the spirits of the mostpowerful demon king in history, they were quite popr.Thewinners of that period were usually lenient towards the dead.Whenthe House of Mammon suddenly fell, the demon kings that lived in the same eraas Mammon didn¡¯t get rid of or suppress his spirits.Inthe demon world, there were many stories and songs about Mammon¡¯s spirits andthere were several books about them as well.Cayenneliked these stories a lot. His journal contained many stories about Mammon¡¯sspirits.¡®Thisone?¡¯Elune,the one that cuts down the night.Shewas one of Mammon¡¯s spirit and at the same time, was one of the guards thatprotected Mammon¡¯s side.Eventhough she was blind, she was one the greatest ever warriors and the citizensof the demon world adored her by calling her the Witch of the Sword.Therewere a lot of stories about Elune among Mammon¡¯s spirits.Elunehad great beauty and even though she was blind, she was so strong that she wasgiven the name, Witch of the Sword. And since she was also in a romanticrtionship with Mammon, it was obvious that there would be a lot of storiesabout her.¡®Anddeath.¡¯AfterMammon died, Mammon¡¯s spirits weren¡¯t sealed away. Some lost their lives andout of those spirits, Elune was the first spirit to have died.Eventhough Yong-Ho saw him once in his dream, he thought it was really unfortunate.It may of been because he had talked to Gusion only a few days ago.Ifhe asked Gusion, assuming that Gusion would tell him the truth about her, hewould be able to find out, however Yong-Ho already knew that Elune was Mammon¡¯slover anyway.

    Theone that he wanted to ask about, was the woman with red hair that had expressedher difort.Hecouldn¡¯t see her face. All he saw was her red hair dancing in the wind.Buthe was still able to tell.¡®Sitri.¡¯Hewas certain it was her. He couldn¡¯t think of anyone else other than her.LikeSitri mentioned before, she wasn¡¯t one of Mammon¡¯s spirits. Then, what was herrtionship with him? Was she another lover of his?¡®Wasthat the reason why she was keeping a close eye on the House of Mammon?¡¯Becauseit belonged to the man she loved?

    ¡®Let¡¯sstop here.¡¯Themore he thought about it, the wilder his imagination would be.Yong-Hograbbed the books that contained information about Elune as well as Gusion.Andthen, Lucia spoke.¡°Master.¡±¡°Bugrimfinished the items that he¡¯s been working on.¡±

    Shemust¡¯ve waited until he finished grabbing all the books. After Yong-Ho gave herseveral tasks, he exited the library, and headed towards the workshop. ***Eventhough he was standing still as a rock, Yong-Ho saw desperation in Bugrim¡¯seyes, Skull and Smi and Nightmare were having a staring contest.¡°Skulllll!¡±Skullraised its hammer to show respect towards Yong-Ho. After being unified with theSkeleton Mage, Skull must¡¯ve understood the idea of showing respect because hedidn¡¯t roll about on the ground as much as before.Smialso bowed and to show that it wasn¡¯t going to lose to Smi, Nightmare copiedand bowed its head as well.Yong-Holightly nodded his head in response and approached Bugrim. Bugrim, who wasn¡¯table to speak, bowed his head and handed one of the items that was on hisworktable.Itwas a well-made saddle.Thesaddle was created from the Land Worm¡¯s skin, that Ophelia had provided, andthe various magic, bones and leather that were in the House of Foras¡¯swarehouse. Even though Yong-Ho was ignorant about these things, he was stible to tell that this saddle was very well-made.¡®He¡¯sreally talented.¡¯Afterchecking the pouch and foot pedal that were attached, Yong-Ho gave the saddleto Skull. Bugrim then handed Yong-Ho arge saddle that was made for Smi.Eventhough Smi was just as big as Nightmare, its body was different, so anordinary saddle wouldn¡¯t fit. Yong-Ho happily took the saddle and approachedSmi. Smi looked over at Nightmare once and then kneeled on the groundafter putting its wings down.WhenNightmare saw Smi, it approached Skull. They must¡¯ve be rivals whileYong-Ho was away.Thesaddle changed the riding experience. There was a handle on Smi¡¯s back, sono matter how fast Smi flew, the rider probably wouldn¡¯t fall.¡®Theissue is what happens after the evolution.¡¯Smiwould be physically bigger after it evolved. Bugrim may have to create anew saddle every time Smi did so.Skulso rode on Nightmare after putting the saddle on. He was pretty heavy sincehis body was made out of steel, but Nightmare didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it.¡®Oris Nightmare just enduring it because Smi was here?¡¯Yong-Howas going to have to search for Skull¡¯s next unison for Nightmare. The firstthing he thought of was titanium, but he wasn¡¯t sure if there was such a thingas a Titanium Golem. It would probably be faster to find mithril or orichalcum.Aftergetting off of Smi, Yong-Ho looked at Bugrim. Even though he couldn¡¯t speak,Bugrim was able tomunicate with his eyes, just like Kaiwan.Luciaspoke as if she felt bad for him.¡°Whenhe doesn¡¯t have any work, he¡¯ll train really hard at the training ground.¡±Hemust¡¯ve heard that he needed to fill his development rate in order to get¡°healed.¡±ButYong-Ho was the only one that was able to see his stats. The only thing Bugrimcould do was work hard and train hard.Thanksto his efforts, his development rate waspletely filled. Yong-Ho activatedthe Power of Evolution without any hesitation and ced his hand on Bugrim¡¯sbulky shoulder.[ManaEvolution 1/2]Eventhough there was a green light, there wasn¡¯t a big difference. Yong-Ho lookeduneasy when he looked at Bugrim and Bugrim looked at himself excitedly, but wassoon disappointed. But it onlysted for a moment. Even though Bugrim¡¯s manahadn¡¯t been fully recovered, his body was still in a better condition.Yong-Hoimmediately spoke to Bugrim.¡°I¡¯msure there will be good results after you get cured one more time. But, don¡¯toverdo yourself.¡±Bugrimexcitedly nodded his head. He looked like he wasn¡¯t going to hold himself back.¡®I¡¯mlooking forward to it.¡¯Bugrimwas able to make high-quality saddles without mana. He would be able to makeamazing magical items once his mana recovers. Yong-Ho had high expectations ondefensive items far more than weapons. Like magical armor.

    AfterYong-Ho told Bugrim not to overdo it again, he exited the room with Skull.Yong-Hostopped in the dungeon passageway. Usually, he would rest up, because he wasnning onpleting the Arena¡¯s second floor tomorrow morning.Buthe wanted to connect to the dungeon shop¡¯s Virtual Space first. He wanted toask Sitri about Gusion, Mammon¡¯s spirits and the Arena. He also wanted to knowif Sitri knew about Kaiwan being trapped in the Arena.Sincehe could do this in the throne room, Yong-Ho started walking. But, right whenhe passed the bathhouse there was an emergency.¡°Master,I received report from the Dungeon Meerkats.¡±¡°Opheliais currently approaching the dungeon at a fast pace. She¡¯s riding a monsterthat¡¯s able to fly instead of a horse.¡±¡°Ithink there¡¯s something wrong.¡±Ophelia¡¯svisit to the House of Mammon was always kept a secret. But it was differentthis time. If she didn¡¯t obtain it whileing here, it meant that she hadrode that monster all the way from the Free City, which was an act that wasquite noticeable.ordingto the conversation he had with Ophelia yesterday, she was nning on visitingtwo dayster. What happened? Did she want to be a spirit that badly?There¡¯sno way. He was sure that something serious had happened.¡°Lucia,call Eligor, Catalina...and Rikum to the dungeon entrance room. We¡¯re going outto meet Ophelia.¡±¡°Yes,sir.¡±Yong-Horode on Smi while Skull rode on Nightmare. The two raced towards theentrance as if they were racing each other.***¡°Ophelia,the daughter of Endelyon, would like to have an audience with the owner of thegreat House of Mammon. We have a big problem.¡±Hemust have caught their eye.Yong-Holooked towards the free city again, instead of answering right away.

    Hereplied with a nod. ***Thefree city could be called a ¡®Dungeon-lessnd¡¯.

    Likea Dungeon, their were demons and beasts who all lived in one ce andmaintained their own order.Itwas the three ¡®Dungeon-less Kings¡¯ who ruled the free city.Thethree Kings had power equal to one another and divided the free city into threeparts, reigning as kings in each of their districts.Ofcourse, they did not have dungeons. So in reality they were not truekings, and the power under theirmand was not as strong as that of Dungeonmasters.Buteven so, they were the ones that ruled the free city.Athree-man team.Amongthem, it was the owner of the pub who had asked Yong-Ho to meet with them.

    Thered demon Ophelia.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

    <h4><u>Missing Chapter</u></h4>

    I¡¯ve just published the missing chapter - between chapters 53 & 54 -, alongside this one, and I highly rmend you read it. It is in fact quite an important chapter, and I¡¯m not just saying that because I spent ages tranting it :D. There¡¯s a couple events and details in it, that will be quite relevant for the future, so you should definitely give it a read. I¡¯ve provide the link below, enjoy :D:

 Chapter 82

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b><b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    ¡°Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon,would like to have an audience with the owner of the great House of Mammon. Wehave a big problem.¡±As soon as shended, she ran into thedungeon and quickly kneeled before Yong-Ho. She stated the reason as to why shewas here after quickly greeting him.

    ¡°Calm down and drink some water.¡±

    When Yong-Ho handed her a cup of water,Ophelia became flustered, but managed to take the cup. She spoke more calmly.¡°I apologize for showing that side ofmyself.¡±¡°I¡¯m sure you had your reasons foracting that way.¡±Ophelia¡¯s eyes widened and then shedisyed a bright smile for a moment when she heard him say that he trustedher. She spoke after activating the magic stone that she had already taken out.¡°I will exin the situation first.¡±

    The small, purple magic stone releaseda light and disyed a map in the air. It was the map of the emptynd.¡°Arge number of owners in the westhave unified in order to go against Embrio. While, Embrio has also unified withtroops in the west to go against them. A big war will happen very soon. There¡¯sa chance that Embrio¡¯s power will crumble through this war.¡±Information was disyed on the map.There were about 11 houses that hadunified to go against Embrio. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that almost allthe houses in the west were participating.A fight between the north and west. Asa spectator, it didn¡¯t matter who won. It wasn¡¯t going to be an easy fight andthe winner would definitely suffer some injuries.¡®Or, is this type of war different?¡¯That would often happen in fightsbetween humans. But in the demon world, and between demon kings that ruleddungeons, the fights were a bit different. They may lose their spirits, butthere¡¯s also a chance that the winner would be stronger after consuming thespirit of the defeated owner.

    This aspect of the battle was veryimportant. If the group that fought against Embrio wins, it would put Yong-Hoat an advantage.

    The war between the northern andwestern region was so important that it would decide the future of the entireempty region. But Ophelia wouldn¡¯t have rushed over here just because of that.

    As expected, when Ophelia maniptedthe map, instead of focusing on the northern and western region, she insteadzoomed into the southern region.

    ¡°While the northern and western regionare fighting amongst themselves, the owners in the eastern region are fightingamongst themselves instead of attacking Embrio. And one of the owners from thatgroup is targeting the southern region.¡±

    She zoomed in again. It was safe to saythat she was only showing the southern region now.¡°Thanks to you, Jungceros and Forasdisappeared at the same time, so it¡¯s safe to say that there¡¯s a gap in power.The House of Laura, the neighbor of the House of Foras, is keeping quiet andthe daughter of Junceros is having a hard time controlling her house.¡±

    Out of the three houses that werearound the Free city, one of them had disappeared while the other two wherehaving a difficult time controlling their dungeons.The fact that Yong-Ho brought down bothJungceros and Foras hadn¡¯t been known yet, so it was obvious that there wouldbe a gap in power. Some of the owners would want to take this opportunity totake advantage of the southern region.

    ¡°Agares, an owner in the easternregion, is targeting the southern region. He is so strong that several ownershave already surrendered their dungeons to him.¡±The three dungeons that were located inthe eastern region glowed at the same time. Those were the dungeons that Agareswas controlling.¡°Is Agares targeting the House ofMammon?¡±

    Ophelia bit her lips when Yong-Hoasked. She replied a few minutester.¡°In the end, yes, but...Agares iscurrently targeting the Free City.¡±It was an unexpected answer, so Yong-Hotilted his head without knowing. Ophelia then exined further.

    ¡°Powerful owners withrge dungeonstend to im the areas around their dungeon as their territory. The Free Citycan be considered a ce that doesn¡¯t have a demon king or a dungeon.¡±¡°It¡¯s definitely an appealing ce.¡±¡°Yes, and there¡¯s a lot of spirits thatare living in the Free City. And the Free City can also be used as a base whenattacking the dungeons near it.¡±

    The second exnation was probably thereason.The Free City was the perfect basesince it allowed the attackers to attack the many dungeons that were near it.¡°How are the rulers of the Free Cityreacting?¡±¡°As you already know, three powersexist within the Free City. The bar that I¡¯m controlling, the group of ouws,and the guild for workers. The leaders of the ouws and the guild are sayingthat we should fight. As a spirit of the House of Mammon, I was nning onfollowing your orders, but...I¡¯ve already told the two leaders that I agreedwith their decision.¡±

    He had an idea as to why Ophelia hadrushed here.When Yong-Ho didn¡¯t say anything,Eligor spoke carefully.¡°I¡¯m surprised the two leaders saidthat.¡±Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t able to understand.After Eligor looked at Ophelia, he spoke to Yong-Ho.¡°It¡¯s obvious that they want to protecttheir position, but their life is on the line. I¡¯m not trying to look down onOphelia, but the rulers of the Free City believe that their life is moreimportant than honor.¡±They weren¡¯t owners or spirits thatwere tied to a certain location. If the opponent was too strong, surrenderingwas the best n.Ophelia, who was one of the rulers,agreed.¡°Eligor is right. Usually, they wouldthink about surrendering rather than fighting for their lives. Because Agaresreally is that strong. But despite that, there¡¯s a reason as to why they¡¯vedecided to fight.¡±

    Ophelia paused. After gulping, shestarted to talk again.¡°Agares is a cannibal demon. He¡¯s moreof an evil spirit than a demon in human form. If the rulers surrendered to him,not only would he consume their spirits, but he would eat them as well. Whilethose working under them would also share the same fate. All the owners thathave already surrendered to Agares have ended up that way.¡±Surrendering was no longer an option iftheir life couldn¡¯t be saved.Yong-Ho asked again.¡°What about running away?¡±¡°They¡¯re rulers that have followers.And the Free City has been their homes for a long time...running away withouttrying to fight is unreasonable.¡±Ophelia was a spirit that belonged tothe House of Mammon and was also the owner of the pub. Because of that, shefelt the same way as the other rulers.¡°Agares can be considered as thesmaller version of Embrio. The owners in the southern region consider both astheir enemies. Because of that, the two rulers are thinking about asking theowners nearby for their help.¡±It meant that they were going to worktogether to fight against Agares.Yong-Ho looked at the map again. Hedidn¡¯t say it out loud, but he only saw one owner that was willing to help therulers of the Free City.

    Ophelia knew what Yong-Ho was thinkingabout. Even if Ophelia wasn¡¯t a spirit that belonged to the House of Mammon,she probably would¡¯ve been standing in this same spot.¡°Like I¡¯ve mentioned before, thedaughter of Jungceros is unable to control her house, which is unexpected. Andthere¡¯s a high chance that Laura will remain quiet. Most importantly...it¡¯simportant to question whether the owner of the House of Laura even has thepower to go against Agares.¡±

    The powerful Foras and Jungceros didn¡¯texist anymore.But a new powerful figure had emerged.

    ¡°The other two rules are expecting alot from the Demon King of Fire. And as we already know each other, I came hereon behalf of the rulers of the Free City.¡±ording to Ophelia¡¯s information,Agares was a figure Yong-Ho was going to have to go up against eventually.If the groups in the Free City becamehis ally, then this could be his chance.But Agares was targeting the Free City,not the House of Mammon. It wasn¡¯t a dungeon where traps were going to beinstalled in different areas. There was a high chance that this was going to besomething like the Korean War.This was going to be totally differentfrom the previous battles he had experienced.It was a big war betweenrge groups.

    ¡°Ophelia, how much do we have leftuntil Agares attacks the Free City?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say exactly, but earliest willbe 10 days and thetest will be 15 days.¡±

    She was thinking about the amount oftime Agares needed to move his troops. Yong-Ho then asked a different question.

    ¡°And what about the strength of the twogroups? Are they simr to the pub¡¯s?¡±¡°They¡¯re pretty simr. Having argeamount of ouws is an advantage and even though the workersck fightingexperience, but along with the Gigantes, they have several tools that can beused in the fight.¡±¡°Gigantes?¡±¡°It¡¯s a war weapon that can be drivenwith mana. Um...you can think of it as arge Living Armor or...Golem.¡±Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes started sparkling whenhe heard the exnation, causing Ophelia to stop talking.Yong-Ho coughed to stop daydreaming andthen started counting. Before making a decision, he asked hisst question.¡°Ophelia, what do you think?¡±Ophelia fixed her posture. She lookedat Yong-Ho with a serious expression.¡°Agares is an enemy you¡¯re eventuallygoing to have to face. I¡¯m saying this as the spirit of the House of Mammon,not as the owner of the pub, but I rmend that you use the Free City andfight Agares. If you win this battle, you¡¯ll not only have taken Agares down,but the Free City will be in your hands.¡±The other two rulers would¡¯ve stood upif they heard this. Ophelia was thinking about what would happen after the fightwith Agares.The other two rulers were thinkingabout the same oue. However, unlike them, Ophelia showed her loyalty toYong-Ho as the spirit of the House of Mammon, not as the owner of the pub.Yong-Ho looked at the others.Starting with Rikum, they gave theiropinions.¡°This is your chance to use the FreeCity¡¯s power. I agree with Ophelia.¡±¡°I¡¯m worried because you have to gooutside of the dungeon to fight, but...I also agree.¡±Rikum and Eligor agreed. Instead ofgiving her opinion, Catalina bowed to Yong-Ho and spoke in a deep voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you with my life, sir.¡±She was going to follow him no matterwhat kind of decision Yong-Ho made. Yong-Ho looked at Skullst and Skullced the war hammer on his chest and roared.¡°Skulllll, Skullll!¡±Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know what he said, buthe knew what Skull meant.¡°Great, I¡¯ll meet with the rulers ofthe Free City. Ophelia, please prepare the meeting.¡±Yong-Ho gave his orders. The spiritsthat were in that room all bowed to Yong-Ho. They replied loudly.¡°Master, we will obey yourmands.¡± ***After hearing that Yong-Ho was going toleave in two days, Ophelia immediately left the House of Mammon.Her job was to bring the two rulers tothe meeting as well as creating a defence.

    After seeing Ophelia leave, Yong-Hodecided to rest. The situation was moving along fast, so Yong-Ho had to movequickly as well. He would still have time to meet Sitri after everything hadbeen taken care of.Like Ophelia mentioned, Agares wasgoing to attack in 10 days.10 days was a bit tight since he had tonegotiate with the rulers as well as help with setting up the defence.Despite that, Yong-Ho decided to leavetwo dayster instead of leaving with Ophelia.It wasn¡¯t because the House of Mammonneeded time to prepare for the battle.

    One day after Ophelia¡¯s visit.Yong-Ho and Catalina headed to Kaiwan¡¯sbreak room. He opened the secret passageway that led to Mammon¡¯s Arena.He had one day.He wanted to get as strong as possiblebefore encountering the powerful Agares and the other rulers of the Free City.The man wearing a beast-shaped maskguided Yong-Ho. Once he arrived, Gusion, who was wearing a white suit, greetedhim.

    ¡°You came earlier than I thought.Kaiwan needed a week to start the next floor.¡±Gusion was slowly starting to annoy him.

    He was sure that Gusion liked him.Gusion actually had high expectations, unlike before. The reason why hementioned Kaiwan was to provoke him a little and help him use more of hispower. Although it was a relief that he didn¡¯t bring Kaiwan with him.But he still didn¡¯t like Gusion.¡®Someday.¡¯He¡¯ll save Kaiwan and make Gusion oneof his subordinates.Yong-Ho red at Gusion. He thenrevealed the reason for his visit.¡°I would like to try the Arena¡¯s secondfloor.¡±¡°Sure.¡±Gusion pointed at the stadium whilughing. The second Floor Master was waiting.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

    <h4><u> Announcements </u></h4>

    <h4><u> 1. Editing Past Chapters </u></h4>

    I¡¯m considering editing past chapters of Dungeon Maker to improve their readability since there has been soon manyints about them. I¡¯ve already talked to ¡¯Light Novel Bastion¡¯ and they¡¯ve agreed to it. So I¡¯ll probably have them all re-edited in the few weeks. Please let me know what you guys think and if you think it¡¯s worth my time to attract new readers to this novel.

    <h4><u> 2. Discord </u></h4>

    You may have noticed that I¡¯ve finally created a Discord channel, which I humbly (and desperately :D) urge you to join since I¡¯ll be posting more frequent updates on there about: chapter progress, release dates and any future novels that I n to do.

    Finally, I hoped you enjoyed thistest chapter. Things are starting to get good, so make sure to stay tuned for the next few releases :D.

 Chapter 83

    <b><u>Trantor:Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: ZerothDeuce</u></b>

    The history of Mammon¡¯s Arena was over1,000 years old.

    During that time, many owners hadchallenged the Arena and Gusion had watched all of them.

    ¡°Yeah, they didn¡¯t seem to have thatmuch troublepleting that floor...¡±

    Gusion mumbled. He ced his hand onhis chin and rolled his tongue in his mouth.

    Truthfully, there weren¡¯t a lot ofowners like Kaiwan that struggled on the first floor and then somehow managedtoplete the first floor.

    It took a really long time for theHouse of Mammon to fall.

    During the King of Greed¡¯s reign, theHouse of Mammon was strong, so ¡°fall¡± was the best way to describe it. Thehouse had failed when the previous two owners were ruling the House of Mamon.

    Objectively speaking, the owners of theHouse of Mammon were pretty powerful figures.

    In the demon world, when a house haspower, it meant that they had a powerful dungeon and owner.

    That¡¯s why, excluding Kaiwan whochallenged recklessly, owners usually started feeling frustrated on the fifthor seventh floor.

    ¡®But even if I take that intoconsideration.¡¯

    Gusion was looking at Yong-Ho, who wasstanding in the center of the stadium by himself. He was consuming Mammon¡¯smana with his eyes closed.

    Yong-Ho beat the second floor FloorMaster with one blow. He must¡¯ve had experience fighting it before because thefight ended a lot cleaner than when Yong-Ho was fighting the Steel Ox.

    ¡®Of course being able to control Aamonis cheating...¡¯

    There were a lot of owners thatseeded thanks to their equipment. In that sense, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t anythingspecial since Aamon was helping him based on his skill level.

    ¡®He¡¯s good. He¡¯s courageous too.¡¯

    His fighting senses were good. He usedboth fire and coldness really well and when his opponent charged, he didn¡¯tclose his eyes or flinch.

    A warm smile appeared on Gusion¡¯s face.Yong-Ho was the first one after Mammon to have the ability to naturallycontrol the Power of Greed and this made Gusion quite happy.

    While Gusion was judging Yong-Ho,Yong-Ho was slowly catching his breath. While he was consuming the mana, he hada simr, but different thought from Gusion.

    ¡®I was lucky.¡¯

    The Floor Master of the second floorwas the fiery figure.

    He fought against the fiery figure whenthe distortion appeared, so Yong-Ho had used the same method and was thus ableto beat the Floor Master with ease.

    The Floor Master was definitely strongerthan the figure that jumped out of the distortion. But Yong-Ho has grown a lotstronger since then.

    ¡®Is her strategy useless?¡¯

    Kaiwan was extremely detailed. In herjournal, she wrote all the Floor Masters that she encountered along with theirinformation and attack strategies. It wasn¡¯t for her. She made it for her youngerbrother, who will someday be apetitor afterpletely recovering fromthe sickness.

    Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t work outlike she had written in the journal. He made that assumption when the FloorMaster of the first floor was different, but the Floor Master of the secondfloor was different as well. It seemed like spirits with simr levels wererandomly ced as the opponent .

    Anyways, it was an easy win. Yong-Hodly consumed Mammon¡¯s mana and looked at Gusion. Yong-Ho was urging him andafter Gusion smirked, he stood up and immediately approached Yong-Ho. He wavedhis finger while grumbling and three boxes of light appeared in front ofYong-Ho.

    ¡°Okay, choo...¡±

    ¡°This one.¡±

    Just like before, Yong-Ho picked a boxbefore Gusion finished his sentence.

    Gusion grumbled again.

    ¡°Hey, owner. Why do you think there areseveral boxes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ording to Kaiwan¡¯s journal, thequality of the rewards inside the boxes weren¡¯t equal. When she was lucky, shewould continuously get good gear, but when she was unlucky, she would eitherget a small amount of gold or useless items.

    But that didn¡¯t apply to Yong-Ho. Greedhelped him choose the best one.

    ¡°You have a talent for picking.¡±

    When Gusion grumbled again, Yong-Hoimmediately felt quite satisfied.

    He tapped the box of light with asatisfied smile and grabbed the item that was inside it.

    ¡°Glove?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a magical glove. It can alsogrow. It¡¯s only the second floor and you managed to pick the best one. If youpicked it just based on your instincts, then...¡±

    ¡°Is it like an armor?¡±

    Yong-Ho naturally interrupted Gusion.Gusion exined with a frown on his face.

    ¡°Wear it. It can be used as an armorand as a weapon. I happen to have a simr item, so I¡¯ll show you ademonstration.¡±

    Gusion took off the white suit jacketand gave it to the male wearing the beast mask. The silver glove couldn¡¯texactly be called a gauntlet, but Yong-Ho wore it on his left hand.

    ¡°When you pour your mana into it, it¡¯llreact. The final form of a magical glove is different for each one, but...thisis what it generally looks like.¡±

    Gusion released his mana. It wasn¡¯t thesame as the time when he tried to oppress Yong-Ho. The mana remained on both ofGusion¡¯s fists.

    The red metal covered both of Gusion¡¯sarms and shoulders. Even though it was made out of metal, it was different fromordinary armour. His muscles looked like they were made out of metal. His handswere almost two times bigger and he spoke while clenching and unclenching hisfists.

    ¡°A growing magical glove. Horus, theDivine Punisher, was one of Mammon¡¯s spirits and he made it. The magical glovegrows when the owner grows, just like when the spirits grow when the ownergrows.¡±

    Yong-Ho understood what he meant whenhe said it could be used as an armor and a weapon. Yong-Ho poured his mana intothe glove.

    The glove looked like it was made outof thin chains and on top of it, there were silver tes. The glove coveredhis wrist and since the metal covered his fingers and the back of his hand, itfelt firm and gave abative-like feeling.

    ¡®It¡¯s light.¡¯

    He could barely feel the weight. Thesharp feeling that he got made it seem like the glove was part of his skin.

    Yong-Ho looked at the glove with aserious expression and Gusion spoke while looking at Yong-Ho with a satisfiedexpression.

    ¡°Youpleted the second floor withoutany issues. How about it? Want to try the third floor? The punishmentis...looking at your most disgraceful memory. I think it¡¯s safe to say thatthis isn¡¯t really a punishment.¡±

    Yong-Ho imagined Mammon having a goodtime while watching his descendant¡¯s most disgraceful moment. He didn¡¯t knowwhy they even made a punishment like that, but his life wasn¡¯t on the line.Like Gusion had stated, this couldn¡¯t really be considered a punishment.

    Yong-Ho looked at Catalina, who wasstanding within the crowd. Since she was an Elf, she had good hearing, so shemust¡¯ve heard what they were talking about because her expression was tellinghim something.

    ¡®Sorry.¡¯

    He was greedy. Since it was differentfrom when hepleted the first floor, Yong-Ho nodded his head.

    ¡°Sure. But, can I take a break?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Should I get you a waitingroom?¡±

    Gusion dly agreed. Yong-Ho noddedsince it would be best to get as much rest as possible. He waved his hand andsignaled Catalina toe.

    And within that short moment.

    Yong-Ho looked at the group that wassitting on one section of the seats and then looked back at Gusion. Hehesitated for a moment and then asked.

    ¡°Can I ask a question?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only going to ept one question,like you have stated.¡±

    Gusion looked as if he wanted to getrevenge on Yong-Ho for being so blunt. Because they were constantly quarrelinglike this, the oppression and fear Yong-Ho felt disappeared.

    Yong-Ho looked at the audience again.Gusion looked at Yong-Ho and recalled the information about Kaiwan.

    How many level did Kaiwanplete?

    Are those people in the audience formerowners of the House of Mammon?

    Those were some of the questions he wasexpecting.

    Which one was Yong-Ho going to ask?

    Yong-Ho turned around again. Gusion,who was quick-tempered, prepared the answers and waited for Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho opened his mouth. The answersin Gusion¡¯s head got erased immediately.

    ¡°Gusion, do you know a woman namedSitri?¡±

    Gusion couldn¡¯t answer right away. Itwas totally different from what he had experienced before and after putting ona fierce smile, Gusion spoke.

    He answered Yong-Ho¡¯s question.

    ***

    The Free City can be divided into threebig powers.

    Ophelia was the owner of the pub andalso the head of courtesans, gamblers and wanderers.

    Run away spirits and mercenary soldierswere part of the ouw group.

    While the workers¡¯ guild was made up ofpeople that produced and worked in the manufacturing industry in the Free City.

    The three groups wasn¡¯t hostile towardseach other and instead of creating unnecessary fights, the leaders would oftee together and negotiate.

    Of course it wasn¡¯t like that in thebeginning.

    This was possible because the threegroups had an equal amount of power in the Free city. And this bnce didn¡¯tjust happen. This was the result after many struggles and protests.

    The three leaders were gathered at thetop of the gate.

    It¡¯s been about 10 years since thethree leaders gathered together in an open area.

    Mad Oros, the leader of the workers¡¯guild, had hands that were bigger than an Ogre¡¯s and had a big cigarette in hismouth while disying a frown. He had blue skin and was wearing a white gownthat had energy marks all over it.

    He was a doctor as well as a pharmacistand was the best alchemist in the city.

    But that doesn¡¯t erase the fact that hewas a Troll. He cut more flesh with the scimitar that was on his waist than witha mes.

    Next to Oros was Dargon, the leader ofthe ouws. He was wearing a ck, magical armor and was considered a veryrare type of Ogre since he was an Ogre Mage.

    Since he was a magician, he was a lotsmarter than ordinary Ogres, but just like Oros, he didn¡¯t forget about hisrace. Instead of using spells to blow up the enemy, Dargon enjoyed beating theenemies with his mace.

    The two males looked like they wouldreek of blood and between them, a slender, beautiful woman was standing crookedly.

    It was Ophelia, the female owner of thepub.

    ¡°He¡¯s making us wait.¡±

    Dargon growled while looking below thegate. Ophelia frowned when she felt the hot wind blow through her hair and thenshe swung her tail violently as if to express her difort.

    ¡°He¡¯s the only one that answered ourcall. And it¡¯s not that he¡¯s making us wait...it¡¯s just that we¡¯re impatient.¡±

    Agares would soon attack.

    Mad Oros and Dargon had a fixedfighting style, but they weren¡¯t used to attacks that came from outside of thecity.

    Lack of experience was usually pairedup with fear. On top of that, Agares had already shown many times just howstrong and brutal he was.

    Oros and Dargon were nervous. They werescared and they couldn¡¯t hide their impatient personality.

    It¡¯s because they had gathered on topof the gate way earlier than they had originally nned.

    Instead of expressing his nervousnesslike Dargon, Oros kept on smoking.

    He didn¡¯t like this situation.

    The owner of the House of Mammon wasunknown.

    ording to Ophelia¡¯s report, he didkill Foras and Jungceros.

    They knew that the owner was a lotstronger than them.

    But they didn¡¯t know how much stronger.

    Foras and Jungceros? Oros and Dargon werestrong enough to fight against them.

    If the city¡¯s leaders increased fromthree to four, it would be a very significant thing.

    But that wasn¡¯t enough. Agares wasliterally eating the owners in the eastern region and in order to stop him,they needed more.

    Oros thought a lot more than Dargon.The owner of the House of Mammon had to be strong, but if he was too strong,then that would be a problem. It was like calling for a tiger to chase away awolf.

    He was done with his third cigarette.Oros took out his fourth one and Dargon had a bigger frown. Ophelia, whostanding between them, was slowly swinging her tail while having her armscrossed. While she was trying to hide her nervousness, she spoke.

    ¡°He¡¯sing.¡±

    Ophelia pointed far away. Oros and Dargonquickly looked at the ce that Ophelia¡¯s finger was pointing at.

    Sixrge horses were running towardsthe Free City. In front of the horses, there was a ck vehicle that wascovered in green smoke.

    ¡°Undead?¡±

    While Oros tilted his head withoutknowing, the horses were still running and getting closer and closer to thecity.

    A group of Skeletons were sitting ontop of the vehicle.

    But their outer appearance weredifferent from ordinary Skeletons. They were wearing ck armor and releasedan usual energy. They couldn¡¯t bepared to the few Skeletons that were inthe Free City.

    Everyone had their eyes fixed onNightmare as it was now taking the lead.

    The five horses that were followingbehind Nightmare could be considered evil spirits, but one could questionwhether Nightmare could be called a horse.

    Nightmare¡¯s ck hair absorbed thelight and the green smoke that was around its body suppressed the areas nearit.

    And the one that was riding on top ofNightmare.

    The figure was the same, yet differentfrom the five that were behind them. A red cloak was attached on the back ofthe ck armor and was blowing in the wind. The figure was holding a warhammer and it released a blue lightning bolt.

    ¡°Skullllll!¡±

    The Skeleton taking the lead roared. Noone would believe that the roar belonged to a Skeleton because the roar was soloud that it even shook the ground.

    The Skeleton didn¡¯t stop there. TheSkeleton swung his war hammer and raised it towards the sky. The concentratedlighting bolt was released into the sky, causing sounds of thunder to fill thesky.

    They naturally looked up. The threerulers as well as the people that were on top of the gate looked up as the skywas filled with light and the sound of lightning. And something a lot moreintense than lightning was in the sky.

    A fiery sky tore the the originalsky apart. The demon world¡¯s sky was filled with different colors and this helpedconfirm the owner¡¯s existence.

    ¡°Fire Dragon?!¡±

    No. It was too small. But the fire thatsplit the sky was strong enough to remind people of a Fire Dragon.

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    Someone yelled. Within seconds, the redmes were right above the gate and it turned into green waves of fire. Thatblocked everyone¡¯s views. Oros and Dargon took a step back and quicklyprotected their heads.

    The fire disappeared. The wave of firedidn¡¯t hurt anyone that was on top of the gate. Smi flew through the wavesof fire using its fiery wings andnded. On top of Smi was a man holding arednce and a female Dark Elf with white hair.

    ¡°My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I¡¯m theowner of the House of Mammon.¡±

    Yong-Ho got everyone¡¯s attention andOros and Dargon felt suppressed after what they saw, causing them to gulp withoutnoticing.

    Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho and shescrunched up her face to hold in herughter.

    ***

    ¡°First, I¡¯ll say that you...disyed asessful show.¡±

    Ophelia¡¯s bar was located at the topfloor of the pub.

    Ophelia was behind the bar, just likethe first time they met, and she spoke with a slightly mischievous face.Yong-Ho sat between Catalina and Skull and shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°You think so too, right?¡±

    Making a good first impression wasimportant.

    The reason why Oros and Dargon extendedtheir hands out to him was simple. They wanted to ¡°use¡± Yong-Ho.

    There was no reason to actunsophisticated in front of them. There was a need to leave a strong impressionthough.

    It wasn¡¯t easy. They probably won¡¯tfall that easily.

    Ophelia knew Yong-Ho¡¯s intentions.That¡¯s why she answered seriously.

    ¡°Oros and Dargon aren¡¯t naive. They mayhave been surprised during that moment, but they¡¯re just trying to test thewaters.¡±

    Agares wasn¡¯t going to retreat afterseeing some fire show in the sky.

    In order to kill the opponent, theyneeded to use an actual sharp knife and not a wedding knife that was used fordecorations.

    It wasn¡¯tpletely ineffective. Thefact that Yong-Ho left a strong impression on the two rulers as well as thosethat were part of the groups was important.

    Yong-Ho and Ophelia knew even if no onementioned it, so after exchanging a few nces with each other, theyintentionally kept quiet about it.

    Yong-Ho grabbed the ss cup thatOphelia handed and asked.

    ¡°Anyways...was it because of that thatthe meeting was pushed back?¡±

    Yong-Ho assumed he would be in achaotic meeting with the rulers, but that wasn¡¯t the case. After Oros andDargon briefly introduced themselves, they returned to their house and pushed themeeting back.

    Ophelia, who was officially in chargeof taking care of Yong-Ho, shrugged.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really the reason...theyneed to have an idea who you are as well. It¡¯s my job to help the new ownerslightly open up through banquets.¡±

    ¡°Ban...quets?¡±

    Yong-Ho looked around as he said it.There was nothing here that was rted to that.

    Well, of course Ophelia was beautiful,but if this was considered a banquet, then it was quite a nd one and Opheliaprobably wasn¡¯t referring to this as the banquet.

    ¡°Oh my, so you really want me toprepare one for you? Shall I call the girls?¡±

    Ophelia asked with a smile on her faceand Yong-Ho just waved his hand.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that it¡¯s just us. Wecan continue with the work that we¡¯ve been pushing back.¡±

    Ophelia¡¯s eyes widened when she heardYong-Ho¡¯s answer.

    Work that¡¯s been pushed back?

    Skullughed as usual and Catalinastepped back while pouting.

    Ophelia blinked her eyes again and cameto a realization after tilting her head several times. She jumped over the barhappily and stood in front of Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the registration.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke. Ophelia happily showedher respect.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

 Chapter 84

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b><b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    There were several reason why Yong-Hopushed Ophelia¡¯s registration back, but the main reason was simple.Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have any reserved power.

    Registered spirits were very specialbeings.Ordinary spirits worked throughcontracts. Based on the type of spirit, the magical binding power may bedifferent, but other than that, it wasn¡¯t any different from the contracts thathumans used in the human world.Registered spirits had a rtionshipwith the user. Since the soul of both sides were being connected, they werecloser than those that were rted by blood.When the owner became stronger, thespirit became stronger and vice versa.That meant that the owner could bestronger just by increasing the number of registered spirits.However, there was a limit to the numberof registered spirits that an owner could have. It wasn¡¯t because there was alimit to the expected growth rate of the owner as the number of spiritsincreased.It was because there was a limit to howmany spirits the owner was able to control.The total amount of mana, control andthe size of the spirit were all important factors.There were a lot of factors, but in theend, it was more about the owner¡¯s reserved power.The stronger the owner¡¯s mana andspirit was, the more spirits they were able to register.The reason why ordinary owners limitedthe number of spirits to three, sometimes up to five, was because they had nochoice.It was as if Yong-Ho¡¯s reserved powerwas divided into 10 boxes.Among them, Eligor took two and Catalinaand Skull took three. He had already used up eight boxes because of those threespirits.He had two boxes left, but Opheliademanded four, so to Yong-Ho she was a spirit that demanded a lot more than hewas able to offer.The same reason applied to Aamon.Even though Aamon suppressed most ofhis powers for Yong-Ho, he was a supreme being. Even if Yong-Ho gave up Eligor,Catalina and Skull¡¯s registration, he still wouldn¡¯t have enough to registerAamon as a spirit.Mammon, the King of Greed, was anextremely strong being, because he was able to register 12 spirits and thosespirits were on the same level as Aamon.Yong-Ho had continuously grown strongerever since he had be the owner. And thanks to Yong-Ho, Catalina and theother spirits were able to grow just as much.Thanks to the four horns that he hadobtained, his total amount of mana had increased a lot, but his ability tocontrol hadn¡¯t grow as much as his mana. Yong-Ho still needed time to train sothat he could haveplete control over his mana.For a few days,Yong-Ho continuouslpeted in the Arena and just like the time he had consumed the distortion,his maximum mana amount increased. He now had enough reserved power.¡°This isn¡¯t the official registration.You¡¯ll have to visit the dungeon soon and register with Lucia.¡±Registered spirits belonged to theowner as well as the dungeon. It seemed like she already knew that informationbecause she continued to urge Yong-Ho with her eyes.

    Ophelia wanted to get stronger.It wasn¡¯t because she grew up watchingher father long for power.While working as the pub owner, Opheliahad seen many spirits.Thew of the jungle was the governingprinciple of the demon world.The strength of one¡¯s mana even decidedtheir lifespan and age in this world.Everyone desired growth.Everyone desired greater and strongermana.But there were limitations.There were those that overcame thoselimits through constant training, but it was rare. The process was long andtough. There were a lot more that gave up because they weren¡¯t able to oveetheir limitations despite working really hard.

    Ophelia was the same. Even though shewas carrying out her father¡¯s teachings and improving her skills, her manalevel had remained the same for a while.

    That was why she was so desperate.Ophelia suppressed her anxiety andclosed her eyes. She kneeled in front of Yong-Ho.Yong-Ho did the same and ced hishands on Ophelia¡¯s shoulders. He leaned in slowly and ced his forehead onher¡¯s. The mark of the spirit, that was already engraved on her forehead,started to shine.¡°It¡¯s done.¡±Yong-Ho spoke a minute or two after hehad ced his forehead on Ophelia¡¯s.Yong-Ho released a deep sigh and stoodup. Ophelia had a nk expression and just blinked.That¡¯s it?Was that really it?Her expression disyed her truefeelings and Yong-Ho disyed a slightly embarrassed smile. He did as Luciainstructed him, but did it fail?However they were both being too hasty.Both Yong-Ho and Ophelia¡¯s spirit felt a shock. Catalina and Skull, who werewatching, however didn¡¯t really feel anything.Yong-Ho roared. All four of his hornswerepletely exposed and the mana that was hidden was suddenly released.Ophelia trembled and she let out a crythat sounded like a scream. Her small horns were exposed as well. In betweenthe two horns that were on her forehead, a third horn came out.

    Ophelia originally had three horns. Butthere was a stronger power that prevented her horn from growing out. Now thatshe was Yong-Ho¡¯s spirit, she felt pleasure in her growth. It was a feelingthat she had forgotten and had been desperately wanting to experience again fora long time.Now that Ophelia was his, Yong-Hobecame stronger and both Catalina and Skull were affected by it too. It wasn¡¯tas much as Yong-Ho and Ophelia, but they both felt a growth within themselves.A strong mana shook the bar. The manabelonged to the owner and his spirits and even though the colors and theelements were different, the mana looked beautiful.Yong-Ho looked down at Ophelia as hebreathed heavily. Ophelia, who was also crying out, while having her armswrapped around herself, looked up at Yong-Ho.They felt a bond that was differentfrom before. Just like how Yong-Ho was able tomunicate with Catalina withjust his eyes, Yong-Ho and Ophelia were able to feel each other¡¯s thoughts andfeelings.¡®This ce is soundproof, right?¡¯Ophelia smiled brightly despite beingexhausted. Yong-Ho extended his hand towards her. Theymunicated using theirvoices.¡°Congrattions on being the House ofMammon¡¯s spirit. You¡¯re under a ve contract now and won¡¯t be able to get outof it. Make sure you¡¯re prepared for it.¡±¡°Will it be any different from before?¡±

    Ophelia replied as she grabbedYong-Ho¡¯s hand, with both the owner and spirit exchanging satisfied smiles. ***

    Half a day had passed since Yong-Hoarrived and night had now fallen.The three rulers were gathered in asecret room that was located under the central za. Just like their ordinarymeetings, they sat around the round table with no one behind them. The rule ofthis meeting was that only the rulers could stay in the room.¡°So, did it have any effect?¡±

    Dargon¡¯s question sounded urgent, butOphelia just shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°It had no effect. He must havebanquets every day. I even called in a few girls, but he didn¡¯t budge. You sawthe guard that follows him around, right? I haven¡¯t checked all of them, butI¡¯m sure his registered spirits are all beautiful women.¡±The smile she disyed after finishingher sentence was odd, but they didn¡¯t notice.Oros mumbled to himself.¡°Is he ady-killer?¡±It wasn¡¯t bad. Right now, the FreeCity¡¯s rulers needed a warrior to fight along with them, not a master they weregoing to start serving.Being ady-killer was just apersonality trait, not a w.Even if he was used to women likeOphelia had mentioned, it meant that he liked women and they would be able touse that to their advantage.¡°The most important thing is howpowerful the owner of the House of Mammon is. If he¡¯s the same as Foras, thenthings will beplicated for us.¡±

    When Oros spoke, Dargon nodded hishead. Ophelia ced her right hand on her chin and replied.¡°But the House of Mammon was the onlyone that answered to our call, right? Having another ally means a lot for us,don¡¯t you think? Even if we exclude the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits.¡±¡°Our enemy is Agares. It won¡¯t be easy.All three of us will have to fight. We¡¯ll have to use all of our powers. Sincewe¡¯re going to fight against a strong opponent, it¡¯s important for us to knowhow powerful the House of Mammon¡¯s owner is.¡±Oros made a reasonable argument. BeforeOphelia could reply, Dargon spoke.¡°Should I try fighting him?¡±It sounded like he didn¡¯t want tofigure things out. Oros frowned.¡°And if you lose?¡±¡°Huh?¡±¡°If it ends in a draw or youlose...fighting against Agares is a different issue, so the real issue is whenyou lose to the owner of the House of Mammon. Are you going to give up yourpower after the fight?¡±The reason why these three became theleaders of the Free City was simple.It was because they were the mostpowerful figures within their groups.

    A ruler couldn¡¯t act on their own. Ifthey were to lose to the House of Mammon¡¯s owner in front of everyone, theconsequences would be severe. And Dargon was known to have the best militaryforce.The days of washing blood away withblood was gone. The three rulers had bnced their power and through that,they were able to maintain peace for about 10 years, so now, they had an oddbrotherly love for each other.Dargon was able to figure out fightingstrategies and since Oros had a good rtionship with him, it wouldn¡¯t do himany good if Dargon was overthrown.¡°Hm...should I send my right-hand man,Jacoby? Or ask to spar in secret.¡±¡°If he was an idiot, I¡¯m sure he¡¯gree without any hesitation.¡±Oros let out a sigh because Dargon wasbeing pathetic and then he looked over at Ophelia.Ophelia waved her hands.¡°I¡¯ve met him several times and evendrank with him, so I can tell you that he¡¯s not an idiot. If you want to testout his power...then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll ask the same thing from us. Let¡¯s not behasty.¡±The House of Mammon¡¯s owner may lose aswell.On top of that, he came to the FreeCity to help. It was best to avoid unnecessary conflict.

    ¡°But, there is a need to test himthough. I agree with Dargon on that.¡±Oros spoke again and Dargon nodded hishead.Ophelia shrugged her shoulders again.

    ¡°Well, we still have time. Let¡¯s thinkcarefully.¡±The official meeting was tomorrow andthey didn¡¯t have anything else to talk about. Like always, Ophelia was thefirst one to leave even though they hadn¡¯t officially ended the meeting.Ophelia lightly waved her hand andDargon asked a question while looking at her back.¡°Ophelia.¡±¡°What?¡±When she answered without looking back,Dargon didn¡¯t say anything. He spoke as if he was suspicious of her.¡°Something has changed. Is it youraura?¡±Dargon easily controlled the ouwsthat were in the Free City. Even though he was simple-minded, he wasn¡¯t dumb.When it came to his fighting senses, he was a lot stronger than Oros.Ophelia calmly replied.¡°Oh, it¡¯s that day.¡±Dargon closed his mouth and Orosfrowned. Ophelia calmed her surprised heart and continued walking. She exitedwhile swinging her tail.***The official meeting took ce duringlunch time.Yong-Ho arrived at the secret room withCatalina and Skull and saw Dargon, who was prepared to fight him.

    The round table was located behindDargon and both Oros and Ophelia were sitting in front of it.Oros had a frown on his face andOphelia looked at Yong-Ho indicating that she didn¡¯t have a choice.The meeting room was made out of stoneand since the building was also used as an arena, it was quite big.Dargon spoke while holding up his mace.¡°I¡¯m pretty simple-minded. It can¡¯t behelped because I¡¯m curious about your skills. Let¡¯s spar.¡±Dargon wasn¡¯t dumb. He wasn¡¯t going toput his life on the line. That¡¯s why he even disyed a friendly smile.Skull red at Dargon and tightenedhis grip on his hammer and Catalina released her ck mana. They both redangrily at Ophelia and Oros.Yong-Ho sighed. Based on theconversation he had with Ophelia, he expected this to happen, but he didn¡¯t thinkit would happen like this.¡®Anyways.¡¯One of their assumptions was correct.Instead of being surprised, Yong-Ho spoke to both Dargon and Oros.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start.¡±

    There was really no reason to fight.Yong-Ho took a step forward. The manathat he had hidden while within the Free City was released.

    As it showed how strong he really was.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

    <h4><u>Announcement</u></h4>

    I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed the chapter, hopefully this answers any questions some of you may of been having concerning the status of Ophelia as a registered spirit.

    Also just to let you know I¡¯ve started to experiment with different adworks for this website. I¡¯ve tried to be as unobtrusive as possible by only disying banner ads at the side of the page. If you¡¯ve got any issues with them, please do let me know as I would hate to ruin the reading experience for anyone. If you really don¡¯t like them feel free to just block them, I do as well :D.

 Chapter 85

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    Yong-Ho¡¯s mana erupted like anexplosion.

    An unexpected rainstorm.

    The horns above Yong-Ho¡¯s ears hadinitially been hidden, but now they were growing. They grew straight out andcreated a sharp triangr shape above his head,parable to the de of aknife.

    The concentrated mana didn¡¯t disappear.Instead it started to violently spin around Yong-Ho and cover the entirety ofthe inside of the meeting room.

    Oros gulped. Yong-Ho now had two hornson each side, meaning he now had a total of four. Oros knew that Yong-Ho wasstrong, but he never knew that Yong-Ho even had four horns.

    The number of horns represented theuser¡¯s mana ss.

    The owners in the empty region of thedemon world usually had two to three horns. Where out of all the owners in the entiredemon world, owners with four horns make up less than half.

    ¡®Horns do not determine everything.¡¯

    Oros screamed it in his head. Hecontrolled his mind so that he wouldn¡¯t be swept away by the mana.

    It was true.

    The numbers of horns was a sign of howstrong one¡¯s mana was, but it didn¡¯t determine everything.

    There has been owners with just threehorns that have had much more powerful mana than some owners with four.

    Having the same number of horns didn¡¯tmean that the strength of mana was the same. There was usually a definitedifference in strength between users.

    It only took Oros a short time torecover. While he was catching his breath, he felt relieved by that thought. Hehad managed to seed in looking at Yong-Ho without panicking.

    Horns didn¡¯t determine everything.

    Mana didn¡¯t determine everythingeither.

    The strength of mana wasn¡¯t enough todetermine one¡¯s power. It¡¯s true that the stronger one¡¯s mana was, the greaterthe advantage they had during a fight, but there was no guarantee, forinstance, that an opponent holding a sword was a skilled swordsman.

    Furthermore an Ogre or a Troll coulduse their physical strength to overpower the strength of an opponent¡¯s mana.Mana alone wasn¡¯t enough to determine the result of the battle.

    ¡®But!¡¯

    Oros still felt himself cower. Coldsweat was rolling down his back.

    He still had a hard time breathing. Itseemed like the mana that Yong-Ho released was pushing Oros really violently.

    Simply saying that his mana was strongwasn¡¯t enough to describe it.

    It was heavy. It couldn¡¯t beparedto the mana of Foras or Jungceros.

    Oros gritted his teeth. He activatedhis physical skill and tried to escape the suppression he was feeling fromYong-Ho¡¯s mana.

    ¡®It¡¯s not strong!¡¯

    It was strong. It was definitelystrong. But it wasn¡¯t absolute. His mana was about 1.5 times stronger than themana that Jungceros and Foras had. However he was sure that the mana thatAgares possessed was a lot stronger!

    He just couldn¡¯t get rid of theoppression that he was feeling. It wasn¡¯t just because of the size of the mana.There was something else. There was something within Yong-Ho¡¯s mana and it wassomething that Oros wasn¡¯t able to detect.

    It had only been 10 seconds sinceYong-Ho released his mana.

    Oros had no choice but to acknowledgeYong-Ho¡¯s power. He gave up on resisting it. That¡¯s why during those past 10seconds, he hadpletely forgotten about Dargon¡¯s existence.

    Oros felt like he was being blown awayby the mana rainstorm. Whereas Dargon was face-to-face with the root of therainstorm.

    The oppression that he was feelingcouldn¡¯t bepared to what Oros was feeling.

    ¡®Dargon.¡¯

    Dargon used his mana to resist as well.As an Ogre Mage, he was able to control arger amount of mana than Oros.

    Dargon smiled. He put his mace down andspoke loudly.

    ¡°You¡¯re strong. There¡¯s no need tofight. You...no, I acknowledge you, owner of the House of Mammon.¡±

    He didn¡¯t sound good. It was obviousthat he was forcing himself to say it.

    Oros could imagine the expression thatDargon had as he looked at his back. It felt like he could see Dargon forcing asmile.

    Yong-Ho looked straight at Dargon, andthen burst outughing.

    ¡°One who wields the sword must knowthat they can get hit by the sword as well.¡±

    He raised his right arm. The mana thatwas flowing violently around him suddenly calmed down. But he couldn¡¯t put hisguard down yet. For this was just the calm before the storm.

    Yong-Ho focused his mana in one ce.Aamon¡¯s fire then rose out of Yong-Ho¡¯s right hand and transformed into nce.

    ¡°Even though you started it, I¡¯ll bethe one ending it. I also need to test your strength.¡±

    The flowing mana transformed into fire.The oppression they felt was now a lot stronger than before.

    Mana wasn¡¯t the only thing. There wassomething else within it. Oros didn¡¯t know what, but he definitely feltsomething special.

    It was the worst situation.

    Dargon couldn¡¯t avoid the fightanymore. Like Ophelia had stated, the owner of the House of Mammon wasn¡¯t afool. There was a good chance that it wasn¡¯t going to end with a simple sparand that the result of this fight would end up breaking the equality betweenthem.

    Dargon breathed heavily. He startedspitting out profanities and tightened his grip on his mace.

    Oros contemted. The moment felt likean eternity.

    What was he supposed to do? Should hejoin Dargon? Should he fight together with Dargon so that they could preventYong-Ho from dominating over them?

    But that was unreasonable. This mayruin their rtionship with the House of Mammon¡¯s owner. It was a fight Dargonshouldn¡¯t have started.

    What was he supposed to do? Was hegoing to acknowledge the fact that he couldn¡¯t take responsibility for Dargon¡¯smistake? Was he going to let Yong-Ho take the lead? Should he try convincingYong-Ho that fighting amongst themselves was useless and that they should focuson taking down Agares?

    It was a close call.

    Oros was focusing on Yong-Ho and Dargonwhen an unexpected thing happened.

    ¡°The owner of the great House ofMammon, I ask that you calm your anger. Please forgive Dargon¡¯s mistake andme me for not being able to talk him out of it.¡±

    The calm voice belonged to Ophelia.

    Oros widened his eyes when he saw whothe voice belonged to. Ophelia was known for being full of pride, but currentlyshe was kneeling on the ground.

    ¡®Ophelia?!¡¯

    Oros has known Ophelia for 10 years. Nomatter what kind of owner she saw, she spoke formally to them, but that¡¯s allshe did. He never imagined that she would do something like this.

    Oros felt like his head was going toexplode. Ophelia¡¯s actions hadpletely caught him off guard, but thesituation he was in was making him feel extremely confused.

    He was on the same level as Ophelia andDargon. But Ophelia kneeled on the ground and acknowledged that she was beneaththe House of Mammon¡¯s owner. That meant that the other leaders were underYong-Ho as well. It might be better for Dargon because it would¡¯ve beenembarrassing if he lost to Yong-Ho, but in actuality, this was a perfect win forYong-Ho.

    ¡°I also ask for your forgiveness. No,please forgive me. Please forgive me for testing you.¡±

    Dargon spoke. As the leader of theouws, he was the most sensitive out of all the other leaders when it came tosuperiority. The House of Mammon¡¯s owner was stronger than himself. He had tono choice but to acknowledge and back away. Going up against a strongeropponent was foolish, not courageous, and this situation was the perfectexample of that.

    Dargon thought he was immature for evenrequesting the fight. Since Ophelia was acting that way, there was no need forhim to push it. Bowing was his only viable solution.

    Once Ophelia and Dargon acknowledgedtheir defeat, Yong-Ho looked at Oros.

    Oros closed his eyes shut. Just likeOphelia and Dargon, he showed respect towards Yong-Ho. He acknowledged defeat.

    ¡°I ask for your forgiveness.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say much, but it was enough.

    Yong-ho slowly nodded his head whilemaintaining a sharp, cold expression. The fiery mana disappeared.

    Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho and sentsignals with her eyes.

    ¡®That was too much. Didn¡¯t it make youcringe? How could you say that you were going to end the fight?¡¯

    The level ofmunication was weakerthan Catalina. But, Yong-Ho understood the basics and in order to hide thesmile that appeared on his face, he purposely swung his right arm moreviolently. He spoke with his eyes.

    ¡®And you¡¯re okay with kneeling?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s not my first time. You¡¯re myowner anyway. It¡¯s a relief that things worked out.¡¯

    This was what he had been expecting.

    Ophelia knew Oros and Dargon¡¯spersonality and depending on the situation, she knew how they were going toreact.

    ¡®But...¡¯

    Ophelia was actually surprised byYong-Ho¡¯s strength. It had only been a month since she first saw Yong-Ho. Buthe had grown a lot since then. He grew at an extremely fast rate.

    Yong-Ho yed a big role in makingtoday¡¯s n sessful. If Yong-Ho¡¯s mana hadn¡¯t been this strong and if hewasn¡¯t strong enough to contain Aamon¡¯s power inside his own mana, then today¡¯sn would¡¯ve definitely failed.

    ¡®We¡¯re going to get caught. Stopsmiling.¡¯

    ¡®I can¡¯t help it. This was the greatestinvestment of my life.¡¯

    It was a forced investment though.

    While the owner and his spirit weretalking happily, Dargon and Oros epted their reality while disying mixedemotions. The House of Mammon¡¯s owner was far more than just an ordinarywarrior.

    Skull put the hammer down and Catalinalooked at Yong-Ho with affection and respect. Even though her tail and earswere pping violently, Dargon and Oros were so focused on Yong-Ho that theydidn¡¯t even realize the guard¡¯s feelings.

    Yong-Ho walked towards the table. Thetable no longer represented equality. The moment Yong-Ho took his seat, he wasnow at the head of the table.

    ***

    ¡°I will now provide an exnationabout Agares.¡±

    Ophelia was in charge of the meeting.She stood in front of a portable ckboard that held various data on it andpointed to the map of the southern empty region.

    ¡°Agares is currently located in theHouse of Ale¡¯s dungeon, which is located to the east of the Free City.ording to the scout team, it seems like Agares isn¡¯t even trying to hide.The soldiers that Agares has gathered from the other dungeons are currentlygathering there.¡±

    Agares ate the owner of the House ofAle as well as the members of the dungeon.

    Oros knew about Agares, but he couldn¡¯thelp but frown. It looked like he really wanted to smoke.

    ¡°Currently, we believe that Agares hasabout 700 to 1,000 soldiers.¡±

    Foras and Jungceros had about 100-200soldiers, so whenparing to that, Agares really had a lot of soldiers.

    Ophelia then exined about the threepowers in the Free City. The number was correct, so Dargon and Oros gulped onceagain. It couldn¡¯t be helped, they felt like they were sitting there naked infront of Yong-Ho.

    From the pub, about 70 of them wereable to fight.

    The worker¡¯s guild and the ouw grouphad about 100 soldiers each, so the pub had the least when looking at just thenumbers, but the soldiers that Ophelia picked were just as strong as the othertwo groups.

    ¡°This is a life and death situation forthe Free City, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to gather more soldiers. Since we alsohave a fortress, we shouldn¡¯t have that big of a disadvantage.¡±

    The bigger the group was, the strongerit would be.

    This wasmon sense during war and italso worked that way in the demon world. However it wasn¡¯tpletely identicalto the human world.

    Magic was also used in the demon world.

    If one has extremely strong mana, theywere able to rece 10s, maybe 100s of soldiers. In the demon world, onesoldier had the ability to change the entire flow of war.

    The result of this war depended onAgares¡¯s existence.

    The reason why the Free City¡¯s leadersasked for Yong-Ho¡¯s help was because they needed someone to fight Agares withthem.

    Ophelia continued her exnation.

    It was regarding Agares¡¯s army and hispowers that were somewhat known in the demon world.

    One week after the meeting.

    Agares¡¯s army left the House of Ale¡¯s dungeon.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

 Chapter 86

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    Dry wind was blowing from the east.

    Agares wasn¡¯t trying to hide hismovements and everyone in the Free City realized that an army was approachingwith the easterly wind.

    There were those that ran away from thecity.

    However some acted like their usualselves, while others were showing willingness to fight.

    It took two days.

    The time that Agares¡¯s army tookwalking through the desert was like an invisible hand choking the Free City¡¯sneck.

    ¡°They¡¯re almost here.¡±

    Oros was on top of the gate and lookedinto the distance while putting a cigarette in his mouth. Even though it washis sixth one, no one stopped him.

    Agares¡¯s army was made up of about1,000 spirits.

    While the Free City¡¯s defensive forcesonly had about 500, so Agares had almost twice as much as them.

    Oros rolled his eyes. It wasn¡¯t easy tolook away from the army that was approaching to kill them, but he looked ateach and every one of their soldiers that were stationed on top of the gate.

    He also saw Dargon¡¯srge frame at theend of the eastern gate. The ouws that were in his group were standingaround in an unorganized manner. He was far away, so he couldn¡¯t tell, butDargon was nervous. Even though he fought in many battles, it seemed like warwas an unfamiliar thing to him.

    Ophelia looked down at Agares¡¯s armywith a cold expression while having her arms crossed. Even though she lookedcalm, her tail revealed that she was worried and anxious. Her slightly slouchedposition revealed her true feelings.

    All three leaders of the Free City wereon top of the gate. But the House of Mammon¡¯s owner wasn¡¯t there. He wasn¡¯teven in the Free City.

    Two days ago.

    The moment Ophelia picked-up Agares¡¯smovement, Yong-Ho left the city.

    He wasn¡¯t running away. Theydesperately hoped he wasn¡¯t, and he did say one thing before leaving.

    ¡®When the war starts, I¡¯m going tocause chaos at their base. Keep defending and once things be chaotic, openfire.¡¯

    They asked how he was going to do it,but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t answer. They also asked how they would know when to openfire, and all he told them was that they would know once they saw it.

    Oros gritted his teeth. The House ofMammon¡¯s guard and the Skeleton Knight was standing right next to Ophelia,which helped calm Oros down.

    The House of Mammons¡¯ owner was theonly one that left.

    ording to Ophelia, the Dark Elfguard was the owner¡¯s lover. If he nned on running away, then he wouldn¡¯thave left his lover in the Free City.

    Agares¡¯s soldiers stopped in front ofthe various weapons that were installed outside of the gate. It seemed like hewas giving them a break before ordering them to attack.

    There were a variety of differentspirits. While devouring the owners in the eastern region, he scouted theirspirits, so there were many different types.

    There were Goblins, Orcs, Ogres andeven Trolls. Next to the group that looked like Lycanthropes, there were insecttype spirits in various sizes and next to them, there were siege weapons andGolems.

    They were pressured by the fact thatthere were around a 1,000 of them.

    Oros took a deep breath. He heardDargon¡¯s voice through the close-rangemunication device that was in hisear.

    ¡°No news from the House of Mammon¡¯sowner? Do you, do you think maybe he ran away?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way. He¡¯s not the type todo that. He¡¯s definitely going toe. You saw his eyes too. He¡¯s not the typeto run away. He¡¯s definitely going to fight with us.¡±

    Oros answered right away. He said thatto reassure both Dargon and himself. They came this far, so they had no choicebut to believe in him.

    Ophelia didn¡¯t say anything. That¡¯s whyOros was feeling more anxious. He tried recalling the look that Yong-Ho had.The Yong-Ho that he saw in the meeting room wasn¡¯t the type to run away. If hewas going to run away, he wouldn¡¯t have answered to their request in the firstce.

    More time passed. The wind that wasblowing stopped and Agares¡¯s troops started advancing again. No, it was morelike they charged.

    Screams and roars filled the desert.The sounds could even be considered to be weapons. The warriors in the FreeCity started trembling in fear when the screams and roars hit their walls.

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±

    They couldn¡¯t wait any longer. They hadto fight now. Oros spat out the cigarette that was in his mouth and thenscreamed. Dargon also tightened his grip on his mace and prepared tomandthe warriors. The warriors were standing in front of the weapons and werewaiting for him to signal them.

    The ground started shaking. Agares¡¯stroops were getting closer. Oros waved his hand and ordered them to attack.

    The Orcs¡¯ roars hit the walls and thevarious weapons flew over Agares¡¯s troops.

    Oros erased the thought of Yong-Ho fromhis head. The spirits that were charging rushed through the iing artilleryfire. The arrows that both sides released covered the sky and rocks and spellswere flying through the air.

    More sounds filled their surroundings.Roars, cries and screams wereing from all over the ce. But because ofthat, they were able to hear better. A small whisper ripped through the criesand entered Oros¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Coming.¡±

    Ophelia wasn¡¯t looking at Agares¡¯stroops. Catalina, the Dark Elf guard that was standing next to her, turnedaround towards the southern region with a bright smile. The siege weapon hitthe walls. But Oros didn¡¯t care. He followed Ophelia and Catalina and turnedaround. There was a loud sound behind them.

    ¡°Skulllll!¡±

    There was a fiery path in the distanceand it split the sky. Oros had seen it before, so he knew. It was Yong-Ho. Oroswas sure that he had returned.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the only one thatreturned.

    The ground was shaking. The spiritsnear realized it. It wasn¡¯t because Agares¡¯s troops were charging, and it alsowasn¡¯t because their weapons were hitting the walls and ground.

    Oros knew what this shaking was. Heexperienced it several times while living in the southern region.

    That¡¯s why he almost couldn¡¯t believeit.

    He almost doubted it. Before he couldsay it, the thing that he was imagining appeared in front of him.

    Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

    It shot out of the ground whileroaring. It was arge Land Worm. On top of that, there were three of them.

    ¡°Land Worm! Is he really controlling aLand Worm?¡±

    Dargon was shocked. Oros shook hishead. He realized what was happening after seeing the Land Worm and fire movingfaster than Agares¡¯s troops.

    ¡°He¡¯s being chased. He¡¯s being chased!He¡¯s brought the Land Worms here!¡±

    The Land Worm¡¯s roar was louder thanOros¡¯s scream. Agares¡¯s troops stopped moving during that moment.

    Both sides were attacking each othernonstop, but now both sides had stopped at the same time.

    Everyone looked at one area. AndYong-Ho gave his order while everyone was looking at him. Smi pped hisfiery wings once more.

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    He soared into the air. The fireprovoked the Land Worms and Smi started descending while feeling thrilledand excited. Smi descended as low as possible.

    Yong-Ho focused. He gathered the manathat was contained in the bracelet on his left arm. It was the reward he earnedfrom clearing the third floor. It was the same bracelet that Kaiwan had andmana was contained within it.

    Two days.

    That¡¯s how long it took Yong-Ho to findthe Land Worms. And he was even able to gather three of them. He was extremelylucky with the timing.

    Smi charged through Agares¡¯s troops.His troops couldn¡¯t even touch the fire because it was charging at an extremelyfast rate. The moment Smi descended to the lowest point, Yong-Ho releasedall the mana that was inside the bracelet.

    The mana exploded. While thegray-colored mana was moving violently, Yong-Ho grabbed the handle that was onSmi¡¯s back. He ordered Smi again.

    ¡°Fly!¡±

    Smi¡¯s fiery wings were pping inthe air. Smi felt like his body was going to break, so he used gravity tohelp him fly. He soared vertically. Smi was able to fly faster thanks to thewind and the fire that flew all over the ce.

    It¡¯s only been a few seconds since hereleased his mana.

    A ck shadow appeared above Agares¡¯stroops¡¯ heads. The shadow covered the skies and they believed that it was adisaster they couldn¡¯t escape.

    The Land Worms were no longer chasingYong-Ho. They instead started to attack Agares¡¯s troops as if they were drunkby the mana that was floating in the air. The ground started shaking andscreams and cries filled the air. The result of the smaller Land Worms¡¯movements were terrible.

    The roars were louder than the screams.Bones and flesh had been crushed and within moments, many spirits had losttheir lives. What made it worse was that the Land Worms weren¡¯t nning onstopping. This was just the start of the disaster.

    The ones that were on top of the gatewere at a loss for words.

    Oros looked shocked.

    What happened?

    How did Yong-Ho bring those Land Wormshere?

    Do they just watch?

    No.

    Even though the Land Worms werergeand strong, they couldn¡¯t kill 1,000 spirits. Even though Agares¡¯s troops werein a chaotic state, they weren¡¯t just going to be killed by the Land Worms.

    Yong-Ho only gave one order. And therewere those on top of the gate that didn¡¯t forget.

    ¡°Attack! Attack with everything yougot!¡±

    Opehlia ordered. The Free City¡¯swarriors felt overwhelmed, but they soon came to a realization. This was thetime for them to attack. The Land Worms and the Free City weren¡¯t allies. Therewas no need for them to distinguish between allies and foes.

    ¡°Shoot!¡±

    ¡°Shoot!¡±

    They attacked both the Land Worms andAgares¡¯s troops. And then there was another order.

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    The gates opened.

    A ck vehicle left the Free City likean arrow that had been shot. Behind them, monsters that were carrying theSkeletons charged forward. Ophelia¡¯s elite troops also followed behind.

    Skull went around the battlefield. TheLand Worms were rampaging in the middle of Agares¡¯s troops. The area was bigand soldiers were standing around where the Land Worms were. Even though theydidn¡¯t die from the Land Worms¡¯ attacks, they were still in a chaotic state.

    Skull and the elite soldiers werecharging towards them. Thunder was released from Skull¡¯s hammer and theSkeletons and elite soldiers attacked Agares¡¯s troops with theirnces. Italmost looked like a very strong ck wind.

    Fire appeared in the sky. Yong-Horolled his eyes after watching the fight while riding on Smi. He sawCatalina releasing ck mana from the top of the gate. Even though she was faraway, he assumed she felt him watching. He thought he had even heard her voice.

    Yong-Ho smiled. He raised his right armand grabbed thence that was created from the fire.

    He wasn¡¯t just going to watch. This warwas Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    Smi roared and flew down again.

    The left side of the battle.

    Skull and the elite soldiers werefighting on that side, so Yong-Ho and Smi also headed in that direction.

    Yong-Ho¡¯snce then transformed into afiery one.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

 Chapter 87

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    The Land Worms were jumping aroundeverywhere.

    Even though the brown-colored manawasn¡¯t specifically targeted at someone, it was useless. The moment the LandWorms entered, many spirits died and the spirits that survived instinctivelystarted to attack them. Since both sides were fighting to live, it wasextremely violent.

    It was a mess. Piles of corpses wereeither flying in the air or being buried in the ground. Every time the LandWorm¡¯s body hit the ground, the earth shook violently.

    The spirits¡¯ screams filled the air.The siege weapons were now targeted towards the Land Worms instead of thewalls, but aiming was meaningless because they couldn¡¯t tell the differencebetween the two. On top of that, the Free City was attacking as well. Arrowsfilled the air and the spirits that were fighting the Land Worms had no choicebut to die.

    A thousand spirits wasn¡¯t a smallnumber.

    However, it didn¡¯t mean that they wereable to look after each other on the battlefield. The chaos that began in the centerspread out to other parts of the battlefield like wildfire.

    ¡°Skulllll!¡±

    Skull and the soldiers that followedhim passed through the left side of the battlefield. Agares¡¯s troops were madeup of different types of spirits and they were separated based on that.

    Skull¡¯s decision to go left wasn¡¯t onimpulse. The group before them was made up of Goblins, Imps and Orcs and thesoldiers that were with Skull just didn¡¯t have the ability to fight them.

    A head exploded. Skull used his warhammer to cast a thunder spell and destroyed an Orc¡¯s head. Skull thentightened his grip on his hammer and instead of aiming for the next target, hmanded Nightmare to continue running.

    The soldiers that stopped couldn¡¯t dotheir jobs. On top of that, evadingrge monsters such as the Golems, Ogresand Trolls was a lot betterpared to fighting them. Skull¡¯s war hammerhelped fight against the enemy as well as clear the path for the soldiersfollowing him.

    Even though there were only a dozensoldiers, it was enough. One group that didn¡¯t stop fighting fought against agroup of enemy spirits that also had about a dozen in the group.

    Skull and Nightmare rushed through thegroup and were now outside of the battlefield. Skull¡¯s hammer was covered inblood and brain and as Skull loosened his grip, he looked out into thedistance. An extravagant and shy fire filled the sky.

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    Skull screamed again. Fire exploded onthe right side of the battlefield, as if it was responding to Skull¡¯s scream.

    ¡°Roaaaaaaar!¡±

    Fire enveloped both Smi and Yong-Hoas they turned into a javelin. They flew towards the ground where the shock andfire of their attack destroyed Agares¡¯s troops. Thanks to that, the battlefieldbecame even more chaotic.

    Smi didn¡¯t stop. The moment Yong-Hoswung Aamon and created a wave of fire, Smi pped its wings again, andflew while looking straight ahead.

    The Golem¡¯s fist targeted Smi. Theextremelyrge Golem was created to block off its enemies and its fist was bigenough to destroy both Smi and Yong-Ho with a single swing.

    The single punch distorted the air.Smi barely missed the Golem¡¯s fist and flew up while riding the Golem¡¯s arm.Instead of targeting the Golem¡¯s head, Yong-Ho stretched Aamon out towards theother side of the ground and burned the ground by releasing his mana.

    Kyahhhhhh!

    A grotesque scream filled Yong-Ho¡¯sears. Half of Agares¡¯s troops were insect-type monsters and they were weakagainst fire. Yong-Ho was releasing fire in various different areas and theydidn¡¯t have the strength to go up against him. They would either fire sharpbullets or acid from a distance.

    Smi flew higher. Yong-Ho took a deepbreath and looked out into the distance. The Land Worms were still jumping upand down. Agares¡¯s troops looked like they weren¡¯t going to stand by and watch,because a Golem,rge insect-type monsters and mages were put into the battlefield,however arrows that were shot from the Free City kept raining down on theirheads.

    The n was a huge sess. 1,000wasn¡¯t a small number, but if they kept doing this for a few more minutes, thenthat 1,000 would eventually break apart.

    ¡®They¡¯re going to fall apart.¡¯

    That was what Yong-Ho was expecting.And he started seeing it.

    Agares¡¯s troops were in a chaoticstate. While Agares was gaining the dungeons that belonged to other owners, thespirits that were under his control couldn¡¯t really be considered his.

    Just a little more.

    A little more until they¡¯repletelydefeated!

    Boom!

    The loud explosion came from the edgeof the battlefield. There were many different sounds within the battlefield,but this one was distinct.

    Yong-Ho instinctively turned hisattention towards the sound. And he witnessed a whirlpool of mana that he¡¯s hadnever seen before.

    It was a monster.

    The monster had six eyes, a huge jawand a gray scale that was covering its head. There were bumps and horns on itslong body and it had six legs, making the monster look like a spider. Themonster also had arge tail with sharp thorns on the end.

    It had a lot of arms too. Out of thosearms, two of them that stretched out towards the sky caught Yong-Ho¡¯sattention. Those two arms wererger than the others and at the end of thosearms, there wererge des that were about two meters long.

    The monster released arge amount ofmana and kicked off the ground. It started to approach the center of thebattlefield. The arrows that filled the sky and the Land Worms that werejumping around weren¡¯t enough to stop it.

    One of the Land Worms saw the monster.And the monster also saw that Land Worm. The monster didn¡¯t stop and startedswinging the des that were attached to its arms.

    The des broke the Land Worm¡¯s hardshell. Then, the monster cut off part of the Land Worm¡¯s head. It destroyed theLand Worm and poured acid onto the Land Worm¡¯s destroyed head.

    The monster shed it apart. Despitethe fact that the Land Worm was quite big, the monster used its des toquickly cut the body. The monster ripped it apart and used its teeth that wasattached to its huge jaw to bite into it.

    The Land Worm¡¯s blood and scream summedup what was happening. After ripping the Land Worm apart, the monster openedits mouth wide. It released a roar that shook the battleground.

    Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Silence came after the roar. Everyoneon the battlefield looked at the monster. It seemed like time had stopped.

    The monster looked around. Out of thesix eyes, two of them looked towards the sky.

    There was a purple light. Yong-Ho sawit and had a hunch. And then realized.

    That was the demon king, Agares.

    The one that came from the east to takeover the south!

    He roared again. He broke the time thathad stopped.

    More arms appeared on Agares¡¯s back.They were wings that were covered in film.

    Out of the six eyes, two of them werestill looking at Yong-Ho. But the remaining four weren¡¯t looking somewhereelse.

    The remaining two Land Worms roared andcharged towards Agares. But it wasn¡¯t the roar of a predator. It was more likea desperation of trying to resist him.

    Agares kicked off the ground. The LandWorms were three times bigger than him, but he was able to take them down.After cutting the Land Worms¡¯ bodies using his des, he spread out his wings.

    The Land Worms weren¡¯t dead yet. Theystill had the ability to fight. But Agares didn¡¯t waste his time on killingthem. All six of his eyes were on the Free City¡¯s walls.

    ¡°Fi-Fire!¡±

    Someone from the top of the wallyelled. Thatmand was their signal to fire, but at the same time, it wasalso the beginning of fear.

    Soldiers on top of the gate werescared. The arrows and cannonballs weren¡¯t hitting Agares.

    Agares spread out his wings again.After kicking off the ground, he pped once and soared in to the air. Hecharged towards the walls.

    Agares wasn¡¯t an ordinary monster. Hewas a demon king and had already destroyed several dungeons.

    He was going to destroy the walls and stopthem from attacking him. His troops were about to fall and in order to maketime for them, he focused his attention on the Free City¡¯s walls.

    There was also another reason.

    Agares wanted to win. He wanted to putfear into them and after killing the leaders that weremanding them, he wasgoing to destroy the Free City¡¯s troops.

    His assumption was right. Just chargingtowards them was enough to instill fear into them. The battlefield was nowunder his control.

    Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    He roared. The predator¡¯s rage wasstrangling the necks of the prey. The acid that was pouring out of Agares¡¯smouth covered the sky.

    Boom!

    There was a loud explosion. A part ofthe wall fell apart when Agares mmed his body against it and the soldiers nearit shared the same fate as the spirits that were killed by the Land Worms. Theacid that covered the skynded on the soldiers that were on top of the wall,causing them to experience an agonising death.

    Agares¡¯s eyes were all looking indifferent directions. A happyugh escaped Agares¡¯s mouth when he saw soldierscharging towards him.

    Oros took out the potion he had madeearlier and injected it into his body. The potion made hisrge body everger as he charged towards Agares. Even though he kept on swearing, he didn¡¯tstop.

    Dargon was also casting a spell. Hestrengthened his body and grabbed his mace. The fighting spirit within him wastalking. That monster is stronger than you. He¡¯s a lot stronger than you are.But he¡¯s not someone you can avoid. The leaders were the only ones that couldgo up against him and if they don¡¯t do anything, he would kill everyone.

    Ophelia made her decision. This wasn¡¯tthe time to hide her strength. All three of her horns were now showing and shereleased all the power she had obtained by bing Yong-Ho¡¯s spirit.

    Agares didn¡¯t wait for them. He brokethe wall and charged. His first target was Oros.

    Oros swung his scimitar. But it didn¡¯treach Agares. Agares was about four meters tall and was known to be extremelyviolent. His two des attacked Oros and caused him to fly in the air. Orostightened his grip on his scimitar. One of the des had cut open at leasthalf of his chest.

    Even in that moment, Agares¡¯s eyesdidn¡¯t stop moving. All of his eyes were moving in different directions and waswatching everything that was happening.

    Agares spread his wings when he sawDargon and Ophelia attacking from behind. He violently bit into Oros¡¯s body. Hejumped into the air and spat Oros towards Dargon and Ophelia.

    Dargon stopped. Opehlia dodged Oros bykicking off the ground. Agares saw her. He pped his wings to fly higher andthen released acid towards the ground.

    His six eyes were moving once again. Hesaw that his troops were starting to kill the Land Worms and the Free City thatwas nowpletely filled with fear. He also saw Dargon casting a healing spellon Oros while Ophelia was ring at him with hatred. He also noticed thesoldiers of the Free City crying out in pain because of his acid.

    And hisst eye noticed somethingelse.

    It was a Dark Elf that had ck magicwrapped around her. She was standing on top of the gate with a dagger in herhand and was looking up towards the sky.

    Agares had a hunch. He quickly movedhis eyes and was trying to find the one that was supposed to be on thisbattlefield. Despite the fact that he focused all of his attention on thebattlefield, he didn¡¯t appear.

    The Dark Elf moved. Agares noticedsomething with his senses, not his eyes. He quickly turned around and lookedup.

    The fierynce was charging. It waing straight down from the sky and he could feel arge amount of manaapany it.

    Agares moved his body. While ppinghis wing, he swung his des. He also released some of his acid.

    Yong-Ho saw all of it. While Agares wascharging towards the walls, instead of chasing after him, he flew up high justfor this very moment.

    Smi released fire and burned theacid. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait and threw himself towards Agares¡¯s des.

    Yong-Ho focused. He saw the flow ofmana. It was a very clear indicator.

    Agares¡¯s des cut the air. Smi andAgares were very close to each other. All six of his eyes were on Yong-Ho andYong-Ho used Aamon to attack while looking at his eyes. He released the lump ofmana that he had condensed!

    The green mana attacked Agares¡¯s back.The heat melted his thick shell.

    There was some distance between Smiand Agares. Instead of looking back at Agares, Yong-Homanded Smi. Smicharged towards the gate.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    He yelled. Catalina jumped off thegate. Ophelia followed behind her. The two spirits jumped into the air and goton top of the flying Smi.

    Smi rotated in the air. Smi¡¯sback felt heavier and because it was flying around so much, it also felt tired.However, Smi endured it. After Agares fell from Yong-Ho¡¯s mana, Smicharged straight towards him.

    Agares saw Smi. He endured the painand spread his wings. Instead of falling, he flew and instead of running away,he charged towards Yong-Ho and Smi.

    He didn¡¯t sh into them this timeeither. Smi and Agares missed each other.

    But it was different from before.

    The green fire grew bigger. The fireblocked the sight of all six of his eyes.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t charge at him. Hefocused on Smi and Agares¡¯s mana. Hemanded while dodging the des.

    Catalina and Ophelia leaped. The twospirits jumped in different directions and got on Agares¡¯s back. They listenedto Yong-Ho¡¯smand and became his sword.

    Catalina used her dagger that wasenveloped in dark mana and Ophelia used her weapon to cut off Agares¡¯s wings.

    Agare¡¯s back was already weak becauseof Yong-Ho¡¯s fire and his wings weren¡¯t strong enough to endure their attacks.His wings eventually broke.

    Agares released a painful scream.Catalina and Ophelia jumped off Agares¡¯s back and threw themselves towardSmi and Yong-Ho.

    The fire died down. Smi could nolonger fly and headed towards the ground. Yong-Ho looked back while holdingCatalina and Ophelia. The wingless Agares smashed himself to the ground whilescreaming.

    But this wasn¡¯t the end.

    Agares roared as if it was trying toforget about the pain. All six of his eyes were looking at Yong-Ho.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t dodge Agares¡¯s eyes. Hereleased his mana while showing his four horns.

    Yong-Ho tightened his grip on Aamon.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

 Chapter 88

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b>

    <b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    Mana wasboiling within him while he was waiting.

    The shyand extravagant demon world sky was responding positively to two manas.

    Everyone onthe battlefield was looking at one area. Everyone was looking at Yong-Ho andAgares.

    Agares wasthe first to move.

    Mana wasfocused on his destroyed back and on the area where his wing was ripped off. Itwasn¡¯t like time was moving backwards. It was more like change. As Agareskicked off the ground, the injured area disappeared. In the area where thewings were, arms with des at the end shot out. And severalyers of newshells formed on his melted back.

    Fire andwater.

    Agares changedhis body so that it was more aggressive. As he got closer to Yong-Ho, all sixof his eyes were looking in different directions. Hemanded while releasingan intimidating roar!

    Everyone onthe battlefield cheered. Agares¡¯s real spirits, the insect-type monsters criedout at the same time. And the monsters that ripped the Land Worms apart lookedup. They listened to their owner and started moving.

    Hundreds ofthem cried towards the sky. The ground shook when they all jumped off theground at the same time.

    Theinsect-type monsters charged towards Yong-Ho from different directions. Thebattlefield was right outside the gate and Agares had the advantage when itcame to numbers.

    Yong-Ho heardtheir cries as well. He also felt the ground shaking. But he didn¡¯t look away.He red at the monsters that were charging at him.

    It was reallyintimidating. They were so violent that it felt like just looking at them couldkill you.

    But, he couldgo against them. Yong-Ho thought about Aamon. He recalled the way Gusion lookeddown on him.

    He took astep forward and gave hismand!

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    A ck stormbroke through the monsters¡¯ roar. Skull and the soldiers that followed werebetween Yong-Ho and the monsters. Even though there were only about 10 of them,it was almost like an iron barrier.

    Catalina andOphelia also moved. They were behind Yong-Ho and they became Yong-Ho¡¯s des.They charged towards Agares.

    Agares swunghis four des. His attacks were extremely violent. Catalina saw his attack.She naturally read his attacks. She moved to the right and dodged his des.

    Ophelia didthe same as Catalina. She moved her body to the left to dodge his attacks andthen after kicking off the ground, she attacked his side.

    Agares didn¡¯thave a choice but to slow down. He attacked his sides with his des.

    He wasn¡¯ttrying to dodge their attacks. He was trying to attack. Even though he was onlyusing two des, it was even more dangerous.

    Opehliastopped breathing. It was different from the attacks that Catalina read. Shefelt his attacks. Ophelia used her Red Demon¡¯s physical ability and focusedthem on her legs. Then, she threw herself between his des. Right after, shekicked off of Agares¡¯s body. Opehlia focused and attacked Agares¡¯s head.

    It was astrong attack. But his shell was too thick. Even though Agares¡¯s head was immediatelybent down, he wasn¡¯t shocked by the attack.

    Opheliawasn¡¯t disappointed. The moment shended, she jumped back. She kept her guardup and looked at Agares¡¯s back.

    Catalinafocused on her ck mana. She found a weak spot on Agares¡¯s new shell. Sincethe new shell formed in areas where the old shell was destroyed, it wasunbnced, so Catalina used her dagger to pierce into his back.

    Catalinawasn¡¯t experienced in controlling her mana. That¡¯s why she performed theeasiest attack. Her mana exploded!

    Agares feltthe pain. But it was still weak. Catalina jumped off of Agares¡¯s back withoutany hesitation. Catalina looked ahead of Agares and looked at Yong-Ho.

    And that madehim made.

    The momentCatalina and Ophelia turned their attention elsewhere, Agares attacked. Eventhough he had the body of a monster, he was a demon king.

    Lightning andthunder was released from Agares¡¯s body. They all exploded at the same time andthey enveloped both Catalina and Ophelia.

    There was ashort scream. Catalina fell and Ophelia endured it by gritting her teeth.Agares moved all six of his eyes. He was getting ready to swing his des indifferent directions.

    And thenthere was fire.

    Agares sawthe fire that was in front of him, so he started swinging his arms. Instead ofgoing against the one that started the fire, he jumped off the ground. Agaresthrew himself in the direction that Yong-Ho didn¡¯t expect.

    Catalinnded on her back. Ophelia gritted her teeth once more and turned her head.

    Agares wastargeting the soldiers in the Free City. They came out of the city in order toprotect Yong-Ho and his spirits from the insect-type monsters, but now, theyhad to face Agares himself.

    The tall anrge Gigantes were the first ones to sacrifice. The soldiers weren¡¯t able tododge Agares¡¯s des like Catalina and Ophelia did. The moment he swung hisarms, their upper or lower body went flying. Agares destroyed three Gigantes,but he didn¡¯t stop there. The ughter that Oros was worried about washappening.

    Blood andcorpses were flying in the air. Agares was covered in those and the lightningthat he released exploded, ughtering more soldiers.

    Agares lookedall around him at the same time. The insect-type monsters were starting tooverpower the soldiers. And some of Agares¡¯s soldiers that came from otherces were about to the fight the soldiers that were in the Free City.

    It wasn¡¯t afight against two small groups.

    It was afight against two big groups.

    What theywanted was for Agares to lead the war.

    One ofAgares¡¯s eyes found a threat. Oros, the leader that Agares took down first, wason top of the gate and was charging at him through the blood and corpses thatwere in the air.

    Agares swunghis sword. Oros swung his scimitar and it shed with the de. But, it was abad move. Even though Oros drank a potion that helped him increase hisstrength, it wasn¡¯t enough to go up against Agares. His scimitar broke. Oros¡¯sright arm was cut off.

    ¡°Grease!¡±

    The momentAgares was going to cut Oros¡¯s waist, a spell had been activated. The spellthat Dargon casted made the ground beneath Agares slippery and as Agares losthis bnce, he swung his de in the air.

    But it wasonly for a moment. Agares used his other feet to jump off the ground thatwasn¡¯t slippery. He ignored Oros, who was in pain, and charged towards Dargon.

    Since Agareswas moving too fast, Dargon gave up on casting another spell. He tightened hisgrip on his mace as he watched Agares kill the soldiers in front of him.

    Oros wasn¡¯tdumb. Catalina and Ophelia were the only ones that were able to dodge hisattacks. It would be different if he wasn¡¯t fighting at all, but the moment hesaw Agares, he knew that the only thing him and Dargon could do was block hisattacks.

    Dargonconcentrated. Agares broke through bloody wall and Dargon blocked his deswith his mace. The moment they shed, his knee went out. He activated hisOgre strength and the moment he tried to push the de, another de cut hisstomach.

    The fear hefelt onlysted for a moment. Blood and internal organs were flowing out ofhis stomach. The de that stabbed his side broke his bones. Dargon couldn¡¯tdo anything and the de that was in his body cut Dargon¡¯s body vertically.

    Screams andcries filled the battlefield. Some expressed their fear and that was affectingthe others. And the insect-type monsters started killing off the Free Citysoldiers. Death was everywhere.

    Oros startedthinking. Should he not have left the gate? Should he have watched Agares andhis troops get murdered by the House of Mammon¡¯s owner?

    They wereuseless questions. If they can¡¯t stop him here, then it¡¯ll be over.

    Oros grew hissevered arm. He was breathing heavily because he used too much of his energy,but he managed to lift his head and look at Agares.

    Agares waseating Dargon. Hisrge teeth was painted with blood and his eyes were movingin different directions. Oros knew that Agares was enjoying himself.

    He yelled.Catalina and Ophelia ran past Oros. The two charged towards Agares once againand Agares, who was chewing Dargon¡¯s upper body, spat it out and turned hisbody. Out of the six eyes, four of them were on Catalina and Ophelia. The othertwo was searching the sky.

    Catalina andOphelia had to take a bigger risk. Even though the number of des and speedwas the same as before, the situation on the battlefield changed. Thergepool of blood and corpses disrupted their movements.

    Agaresreleased more lighting. Instead of swinging his des at them, he decided torelease the lightning and make them explode.

    The shockstarted spreading. The ground was slippery and sticky.

    But Catalinaand Ophelia didn¡¯t stop. They couldn¡¯t stop.

    They threwtheir bodies between the des. They barely managed to dodge his attacks, butgot closer to Agares. They attacked Agares with everything they had.

    Catalina madethe ck mana explode. Ophelia kicked one of Agares¡¯s legs and broke it.

    Agaresendured the pain. Out of the six eyes, two of them were looking at Catalina andOphelia. The other four were looking around to find the one that will soonarrive.

    A fiery towershot down from the sky.

    Agares, whohad been looking at the sky, swung both of his arms. He was trying tointimidate Catalina and Ophelia and at the same time, he jumped back to dodgethe fiery tower.

    The fierytower crashed into the ground. Agares saw Smi flying in the air with two ofhis eyes.

    Agaresblinked. He noticed that the color of the fire was different from before and noone was riding on Smi¡¯s back. All six of his eyes were looking towards onedirection.

    ¡°Swoooooooosh!¡±

    A green firebroke through the fiery tower.

    Yong-Ho wasenveloped in Greed¡¯s fire and broke through Smi¡¯s fiery tower. Withinseconds, he was near Agares.

    Agares swunghis des, but it waste. Yong-Ho was already close to him. Agares openedhis mouth and shot out acid.

    It was badfor Yong-Ho too. He was too close. While charging, he couldn¡¯t dodge the acid.

    That¡¯s whyYong-Ho didn¡¯t back out. He took a step forward and raised his left arm.

    ¡°Kaiwan!¡±

    He yelled.The Power of Distortion that was released from his left hand protected Yong-Ho.The acid bounced against the wall of space and a part of itnded on Agares¡¯sbody.

    ¡°Kyahhhh!¡±

    Agaresexpressed his pain and and anger. Yong-Ho ignored it. He jumped up and steppedon Agare¡¯s leg. He pulled Aamon back and looked at Agares¡¯s eye.

    It pierced.

    Aamon¡¯s tipbroke Agares¡¯s ss-like eye. At the same time, the tentacle that quickly grewfrom Agares¡¯s body pierced through Yong-Ho¡¯s abdomen.

    Agaresscreeched. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and used his power.

    The greenme burned his eye. From there, the fire burned into Agares¡¯s head. This paincouldn¡¯t bepared to the first time his eye was attacked.

    He wasjumping around crazily, and it was fine. He screamed like waving all fourdes in different directions. The green me escaped his eye and mouth.

    Yong-Hodidn¡¯t attack him again. Aamon transformed into a bracelet and fell on Agares.As soon as Yong-Honded on the ground, he looked up and read the mana¡¯s flow.

    Agares¡¯s manawas raging. His will to live activated the regenerative power and he focusedhis body¡¯s mana into one area.

    That¡¯s whyYong-Ho was able to clearly see it. The area where Agares was focusing hismana. The area where Agares¡¯s spirit was located!

    Yong-Hotightened his grip on Aamon again. Agares couldn¡¯t move because of theregenerative power, so Yong-Ho looked at his abdomen. He pulled Aamon back and produceda very hot fire.

    The singleattack that broke through the Steel Ox that was on the first floor of theArena.

    Yong-Horemembered the things he learned from Aamon. He was going to use them now.

    Thencepierced into his body. The hot fire broke Agares¡¯s shell. Aamon broke throughAgares¡¯s abdomen and destroyed the concentrated mana that was helping Agaresregenerate.

    There wasonly one thing left.

    A radiantfire was released from Aamon. He consumed Agares¡¯s spirit.

    <b><u></u></b>

 Chapter 89

    <b><u>Trantor: Jen</u></b><b><u>Editor: Zeroth Deuce</u></b>

    It was a lumpof blue light. It was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that it came outof a terrifying monster like Agares.The fireenveloped the bright light. The tip of Aamon became a part of Yong-Ho, allowinghim to consume Agares¡¯s spirit.He first feltpleasure and then trembled. It was a big shock, which made it difficult for himto breathe.It was blue.It was a lightning type.Greed was awakened,and it consumed Agares¡¯s spirit through the fire. It suppressed its powers sothat it wouldn¡¯t lose anything. Instead of swallowing it whole, Greed broke itapart into a million pieces and thoroughly analyzed it.It¡¯s safe tosay that one¡¯s spirit was that family¡¯s history. There were traces of all thespirits that Agares had consumed up until now.They wereuseless. They were just traces that couldn¡¯t be used.But Greeddidn¡¯t allow it. When Yong-Ho¡¯s mana grew stronger, the Power of Evolutionwasn¡¯t the only thing that grew too.The spirit¡¯scolor and element that remained within the traces. It was different than theones from before.It wasimpossible for Yong-Ho to control the element separately, like how he did withForas¡¯s coldness. But he could build it up, analyze it and help his body toept it.Color andelement weren¡¯t the only things he acquired.Agares was apredator. He acquired new traits by eating and that¡¯s how he evolved.It wasn¡¯t thepower of a demon king. It was a natural trait that his race had.That trait.The Power ofEvolution yelled. For the Power of Evolution, Greed stored that skill on oneside of Yong-Ho¡¯s mana.It wasimpossible for Yong-Ho to use that skill, but it was possible for him totransfer that skill to someone with simr characteristics and strengthentheir skill.Yuri.The PrincessAnt¡¯s face popped into his head. He then felt an exhrating pleasure,interrupting his thoughts.Agares¡¯sspirit was bigger than any of the other spirits that Yong-Ho consumed. It wasreally distorted, so it wasn¡¯t very pure, but the amount made up for it.It felt likehis spirit and physical body was going to blow apart. He had to release hispower. He was disappointed by the fact that he couldn¡¯t consume some of thepower, but he had to release it. All the other demon kings had to do the samewhen they consume a spirit and it was more than they could handle.But Greedrejected this time too.If Yong-Ho¡¯sbody couldn¡¯t handle Agares¡¯s mana, then it could make it so that his body canhandle it.A new bowl.Arger andstronger bowl that can be filled with strong mana!The Power ofEvolution was activated. Agares¡¯s mana evolved Yong-Ho¡¯s body.A sh ofgreen light enveloped Yong-Ho¡¯s entire body. It was restructuring Yong-Ho¡¯sbody.It was safeto say that he was obtaining a new body. His body was developing as mana wascircting within him and the passages that¡¯s been blocked before were nowopen.His bodybecame stronger. His bone got stronger as it contained more mana and hisphysical skills increased.Yong-Hodidn¡¯t forget about his wish. He grew a bit taller. His body looked a lot moreappealing.Andstly.Someone wascheering for Yong-Ho¡¯s development.Aamon, theRed Lotus Demon Lance, had been waiting for this moment.The momentwhere he won¡¯t have to suppress his powers. The moment where he¡¯ll be able touse his powers.Of course,Yong-Ho was stillcking. He still had a long way to go.But it feltlike he could take a step forward. He could use his powers a little morefreely.

    Fire appearedon Yong-Ho¡¯s wrist, which was still enveloped in the green light. The red firetransformed into ance. Aamon wanted to show his owner a part of his trueform.

    Fire andfire.The green andred fire shed against each other. Then it burned together and created agiant light. It disappeared with the wind.Yong-Ho tooka deep breath. It was the first breath he took after his body transformed.His sensesbecame more sensitive. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt like he couldfeel everyone¡¯s presence really well.

    Thetransformation only took 10 seconds.But it wassafe to say that the time on the battlefield stopped during that time.Theinsect-type monsters realized that Agares died. Some of them became weak andothers started moving more violently.The spiritsthat weren¡¯t directly connected to Agares saw the enormous fire. They saw thelifeless Agares and realized that his shell was the only thing that was left.Agares wasdead. He lost and the owner of the House of Mammon - that demon king of fireconsumed his spirit.

    Yong-Hoopened his eyes.Instead oflooking at the Agares¡¯s corpse, he looked elsewhere. He looked at Smi, whnded on the ground and looked slightly scared.¡°You¡¯reexhausted.¡±Smi wasthe spirit that worked the hardest out of all the spirits that belonged to theHouse of Mammon.Smi calmeddown when Yong-Ho spoke and tried to smile with its eyes.Yong-Hopetted Smi¡¯s nose and spoke.¡°Hang inthere.¡±Smi wasconfused and blinked, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop smiling.The fightwasn¡¯t over.Even thoughAgares was dead, his troops were still standing. Even though they were on thebrink of copsing, there was still over 100 spirits.Smi¡¯swings were at its limit. Yong-Ho knew that too. That¡¯s why he said thatearlier. With his new body, he gathered his mana and activated the Power ofEvolution. Green mes rose up from his eyes and he saw a box of light.[Smander -Assault Type Development]The greenlight that appeared on the tip of Yong-Ho¡¯s finger enveloped Smi¡¯s body.Smiroared. The wings grew bigger and stronger and its body transformed into a moreaggressive one.Smi¡¯sfront feet and shoulder became bigger. The nails were sharper and a scale thatwas simr to a dragon¡¯s protected Smi¡¯s body. Thorns grew on Smi¡¯s slimwaist and tail.Smi waslike an ordinary care before, but now, it looked like an armoured car.After thedevelopment finished, hot air was released from Smi¡¯s mouth. Yong-Ho smiledand looked around. His eyesnded on Catalina and Ophelia.Catalinacovered her face with her hands as her tail and ears pped. The gap betweenher fingers was pretty big, so he was able to see her blue eyes filled withexcitement and her red cheeks.Ophelia onthe other hand had a smirk on her face. She signaled Yong-Ho with her eyes.¡°Impressive.¡±Yong-Holooked down, wondering what the twodies were looking at and when herealized, heughed awkwardly and put his hands down. While his body wastransforming, the fire burned everything, so he was naked.¡®I waswondering why it was chilly.¡¯Yong-Ho usedhis mana. After activating a dark green light, he used it to cover the lowerpart of his body and then got on Smi¡¯s back.¡°Shall wefinish this?¡±Yong-Hospoke. Catalina and Ophelia both answered in their own ways.Smi spreadits wings. After kicking off the ground and pping its wing, a strong windcovered the ground.¡®My youngowner.¡¯He heardAamon¡¯s voice. Yong-Ho swung his right arm as if that was his reply to Aamon¡¯scalling. Just like his body, he wielded thence¡¯s new form.The spiritsthat witnessed Agares¡¯s death were running away.Theinsect-type monsters were violently jumping around as if this was theirstattempt at bringing Yong-Ho down.¡°Skulllll!¡±He saw Skull,who was swinging its war hammer around. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait any longer. Smiwas circling around in the air and he gave hismand. Smi¡¯s fiery wingsmade the sky cloudy.The fiernce that divided the battleground.He finishedthe battle, just like he had stated earlier.***

    The fightwith Agares¡¯s waspletely over three hours after the war started.Theinsect-type monsters didn¡¯t know how to quit or surrender. They had no choicebut to kill each and every one of them.Most of thespirits that were under Agares¡¯s control after he devoured their owners ranaway. The insects¡¯ violent movements gave them time to run away.When lookingat just the results, the Free City won. Even though Agares had twice as manytroops, they managed to defeat them and even brought down Agares himself.However, the Free City was damaged pretty badly as well.Out of thethree leaders of the Free City, Dargon died. Despite of the fact that Trollshad strong regeneration skills, Oros fainted right before the war ended becauseof his injury.Out of theFree City¡¯s soldiers, the elite soldiers that Opheliamanded to go withSkull experienced the most damage. During the most important moment, theybecame Yong-Ho¡¯s shield, so they fought the most enemies and because of that,they had the most injuries.Out of thethree leaders, Ophelia was in the best condition, so she took care of thesoldiers. The worker¡¯s guild and the ouws were against following Ophelia¡¯sorders, but since Yong-Ho was standing behind her, they kept their opinions tothemselves.

    They didn¡¯teven have the strength to protest. They needed some time in order to make int.Opheliawasn¡¯t nning on standing by and watching them protest, but she wasn¡¯t goingto pick on someone either. In the end, the Free City will belong to the Houseof Mammon. Oros probably realized that Ophelia was the House of Mammon¡¯s spiritbefore passing out based on the way she talked.¡°I¡¯ll leavethe Free City up to you.¡±Yong-Ho worea suit that he obtained at thest minute and spoke while getting on thehorse. Ophelia spoke worriedly while her tail moved weakly.¡°Is it reallyokay for you to start moving? Skull and the others may be okay since they¡¯re anUndead, but still...¡±¡°We don¡¯thave a lot of time.¡±Yong-Ho andOphelia were standing in front of the gate. They haven¡¯t even finished cleaningup the corpses, but Yong-Ho, Catalina, Skull and the other spirits wereoutside.

    He didn¡¯thave enough time.If Agaresdied, it meant that the Spirit of the Dungeons that were under Agares¡¯s controldied as well.No matter howmany soldiers Agares had, they probably noticed that he died. The other ownersin the east may have realized that there has been some changes going on inAgares¡¯s dungeon.Whileconsuming Agares¡¯s spirit, there were a few things that Yong-Ho realized.Agares was anactual predator. The reason why he was able to gather 1,000 soldiers wasbecause he made the dungeons empty after he took over.It wasimpossible to take all the dungeons that were under his control. But he couldat least take the two dungeons that were near the Free City.Things havealready been dyed. He had to move now.¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±Ophelialooked at Catalina worriedly, so she spoke to both Ophelia and Yong-Ho. Justlike Yong-Ho, she was exhausted since she was continuously fighting, but thatdidn¡¯t mean she was going to fall behind. Catalina was Yong-Ho¡¯s personalguard.Smi workedthe hardest and despite of letting out small cries, no one heard it.Yong-Ho andCatalina got on Smi¡¯s back. Skullughed while petting Nightmare¡¯s mane andthe Skull Unit didn¡¯t look tired at all as they waited for everyone to startheading out.¡°I¡¯ll beback.¡±Yong-Ho spoke,and Ophelia gave up in the end. She showed respect by seeing him off.¡°Endelyon¡¯sdaughter, Ophelia will dly wait for your return, sir.¡±Smipped its wings. It flew towards the east.¡°Skullll!¡±Nightmarestarted galloping. The Skull Unit followed their leader.Ophelia, whowas now alone, brushed back her gold hair. She looked at the House of Mammon¡¯sspirits who were heading to the east.

    She recalledthe face her father made when he shouted that the House of Mammon was going tobe revived.

    <h4><u></u></h4>

    <h4><u>Important Announcement</u></h4>

    <h4><u>Novel hiatus (due to  takeover)</u></h4>

    Hey everyone, recently  (Qidian International) and Munpia (publisher of this novel) signed a contract for  to trante a number of Munpia¡¯s novels, in which ¡¯Dungeon Maker¡¯ is included.

    Therefore about a week ago I received an email from  with an ultimatum that basically stated that I had the choice to either join them or face a DMCA which would shut down this site.

    As I host the site on blogger, a DMCA would easily shut down the site, and would be very difficult for me to bring back up again.

    Therefore, I¡¯m going to sadly have to put this novel on temporary hiatus until I can either reach a deal with , or through alternative means.

    I apologise to all of you who were enjoying reading this novel, but as of this moment there really isn¡¯t anything that I can do. This is also the reason why these chapters were sote, as I was unsure of how to remedy the situation

    If you want to read this novel in the future, please make a copy of all the chapters on this website (or you could instead visit an aggregator site), as I don¡¯t know when this site will shut down.

    Thank-you all for reading, and hopefully the trantion of this novel will be continued in the future.

 Chapter 90 - Mighty Warrior (3)

    <h4>Chapter 90: Mighty Warrior (3)</h4>

    Mana was boiling within him while he was waiting.

    The shy and extravagant sky of the demon world was responding positively to the two manas.

    Everyone on the battlefield was looking at one area. Everyone was looking at Yong-Ho and Agares.

    Agares was the first to move.

    Mana was focused on his destroyed back and on the area where his wing was ripped off. It wasn¡¯t like time was moving backwards. It was more like change. As Agares kicked off the ground, the injured area disappeared. In the area where the wings were, arms with des at the end shot out. And severalyers of new shells formed on his melted back.

    Fire and water.

    Agares changed his body so that it was more aggressive. As he got closer to Yong-Ho, all six of his eyes were looking in different directions. Hemanded while releasing an intimidating roar!

    Everyone on the battlefield cheered. Agares¡¯s real spirits, the insect-type monsters cried out at the same time. And the monsters that ripped the Land Worms apart looked up. They listened to their owner and started moving.

    Hundreds of them cried towards the sky. The ground shook when they all jumped off the ground at the same time.

    The insect-type monsters charged towards Yong-Ho from different directions. The battlefield was right outside the gate and Agares had the advantage when it came to numbers.

    Yong-Ho heard their cries as well. He also felt the ground shaking. But he didn¡¯t look away. He red at the monsters that were charging at him.

    It was really intimidating. They were so violent that it felt like just looking at them could kill you.

    But, he could go against them. Yong-Ho thought about Aamon. He recalled the way Gusion looked down on him.

    He took a step forward and gave hismand!

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    A ck storm broke through the monsters¡¯ roar. Skull and the soldiers that followed were between Yong-Ho and the monsters. Even though there were only about 10 of them, it was almost like an iron barrier.

    Catalina and Ophelia also moved. They were behind Yong-Ho and they became Yong-Ho¡¯s des. They charged towards Agares.

    Agares swung his four des. His attacks were extremely violent. Catalina saw his attack and naturally read its trajectory. She moved to the right and dodged his des.

    Ophelia did the same as Catalina. She moved her body to the left to dodge his attack and then after kicking off the ground, she attacked his side.

    Agares didn¡¯t have a choice but to slow down. He attacked his sides with his des.

    He wasn¡¯t trying to dodge their attacks. He was trying to attack. Even though he was only using two des, it was even more dangerous.

    Ophelia stopped breathing. It was different from the attacks that Catalina read. She felt his attacks. Ophelia used her Red Demon¡¯s physical ability and focused it on her legs. Then, she threw herself between his des. Right after, she kicked off Agares¡¯s body. Opehlia focused and attacked Agares¡¯s head.

    It was a strong attack. But his shell was too thick. Even though Agares¡¯s head was immediately bent down, he wasn¡¯t shocked by the attack.

    Ophelia wasn¡¯t disappointed. The moment shended, she jumped back. She kept her guard up and looked at Agares¡¯s back.

    Catalina focused on her ck mana. She found a weak spot on Agares¡¯s new shell. Since the new shell formed in areas where the old shell was destroyed, it was unbnced, so Catalina used her dagger to pierce into his back.

    Catalina wasn¡¯t experienced in controlling her mana. That¡¯s why she performed the easiest attack. Her mana exploded!

    Agares felt the pain. But it was still weak. Catalina jumped off of Agares¡¯s back without any hesitation. Catalina looked ahead of Agares and looked at Yong-Ho.

    And that made him mad.

    The moment Catalina and Ophelia turned their attention elsewhere, Agares attacked. Even though he had the body of a monster, he was a demon king.

    Lightning and thunder were released from Agares¡¯s body. They enveloped both Catalina and Ophelia.

    There was a short scream. Catalina fell and Ophelia endured it by gritting her teeth. Agares moved all six of his eyes. He was getting ready to swing his des in different directions.

    And then there was fire.

    Agares saw the fire that was in front of him, so he started swinging his arms. Instead of going against the one that started the fire, he jumped off the ground. Agares threw himself in the direction that Yong-Ho didn¡¯t expect.

    Catalinanded on her back. Ophelia gritted her teeth once more and turned her head.

    Agares was targeting the soldiers in the Free City. They came out of the city in order to protect Yong-Ho and his spirits from the insect-type monsters, but now, they had to face Agares himself.

    The tall andrge Gigantes were the first sacrifices. The soldiers weren¡¯t able to dodge Agares¡¯s des like Catalina and Ophelia did. The moment he swung his arms, their upper and lower bodies went flying. Agares destroyed three Gigantes, but he didn¡¯t stop there. The ughter that Oros was worried about was happening.

    Blood and corpses flew in the air. Agares was covered in those and the lightning that he released exploded, ughtering more soldiers.

    Agares looked all around him at the same time. The insect-type monsters were starting to overpower the soldiers. And some of Agares¡¯s soldiers that came from other ces were about to fight the soldiers that were in the Free City.

    It wasn¡¯t a fight against two small groups.

    It was a fight against two big groups.

    What they wanted was for Agares to lead the battle.

    One of Agares¡¯s eyes found a threat. Oros, the leader that Agares took down first, was on top of the gate and was charging at him through the blood and corpses that were in the air.

    Agares swung his sword. Oros swung his scimitar and it shed with the de. But, it was a bad move. Even though Oros drank a potion that helped him increase his strength, it wasn¡¯t enough to go up against Agares. His scimitar broke. Oros¡¯s right arm was cut off.

    ¡°Grease!¡±

    The moment Agares was going to cut Oros¡¯s waist, a spell had been activated. The spell that Dargon casted made the ground beneath Agares slippery and as Agares lost his bnce, he swung his de in the air.

    But it was only for a moment. Agares used his other feet to jump off the ground that wasn¡¯t slippery. He ignored Oros, who was in pain, and charged towards Dargon.

    Since Agares was moving too fast, Dargon gave up on casting another spell. He tightened his grip on his mace as he watched Agares kill the soldiers in front of him.

    Oros wasn¡¯t dumb. Catalina and Ophelia were the only ones that were able to dodge Agares¡¯s attacks. It would be different if he wasn¡¯t fighting at all, but the moment he saw Agares, he knew that the only thing him and Dargon could do was block his attacks.

    Dargon concentrated. Agares broke through the bloody wall and Dargon blocked his des with his mace. The moment they shed, his knee went out. He activated his Ogre strength and the moment he tried to push the de, another de cut his stomach.

    The fear he felt onlysted for a moment. Blood and internal organs flowed out of his stomach. The de that stabbed his side broke his bones. Dargon couldn¡¯t do anything and the de that was in his body vertically cut his body.

    Screams and cries filled the battlefield. Some expressed their fear and that was affecting the others. And the insect-type monsters started killing off the Free City soldiers. Death was everywhere.

    Oros started thinking. Should he not have left the gate? Should he have watched Agares and his troops get murdered by the House of Mammon¡¯s owner?

    They were useless questions. If they couldn¡¯t stop him here, then it would be all over.

    Oros re-grew his severed arm. He was breathing heavily because he had used too much of his energy, but he managed to lift his head and look at Agares.

    Agares was eating Dargon. Hisrge teeth were painted with blood and his eyes were moving in different directions. Oros knew that Agares was enjoying himself.

    He yelled. Catalina and Ophelia ran past Oros. The two charged towards Agares once again and Agares, who was chewing Dargon¡¯s upper body, spat it out and turned his body. Out of the six eyes, four of them were on Catalina and Ophelia. The other two were searching the sky.

    Catalina and Ophelia had to take a bigger risk. Even though the number of des and speed was the same as before, the situation on the battlefield had changed. Therge pool of blood and corpses disrupted their movements.

    Agares released more lighting. Instead of swinging his des at them, he decided to release the lightning and make them explode.

    The shock started spreading. The ground was slippery and sticky.

    But Catalina and Ophelia didn¡¯t stop. They couldn¡¯t stop.

    They threw their bodies between the des. They barely managed to dodge his attacks, but still got closer to Agares. They attacked Agares with everything they had.

    Catalina made her ck mana explode. Ophelia kicked one of Agares¡¯s legs and broke it.

    Agares endured the pain. Out of the six eyes, two of them were looking at Catalina and Ophelia. The other four were now looking around to find the one that would soon arrive.

    A fiery tower shot down from the sky.

    Agares, who had been looking at the sky, swung both of his arms. He was trying to intimidate Catalina and Ophelia and at the same time, he jumped back to dodge the fiery tower.

    The fiery tower crashed into the ground. Agares saw Smi flying in the air with two of his eyes.

    Agares blinked. He noticed that the color of the fire was different from before and no one was riding on Smi¡¯s back. All six of his eyes were looking towards one direction.

    ¡°Swoooooooosh!¡±

    A green fire broke through the fiery tower.

    Yong-Ho was enveloped in Greed¡¯s fire and broke through Smi¡¯s fiery tower. Within seconds, he was near Agares.

    Agares swung his des, but it waste. Yong-Ho was already close to him. Agares opened his mouth and shot out acid.

    It was bad for Yong-Ho too. He was too close. While charging, he couldn¡¯t dodge the acid.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho didn¡¯t back out. He took a step forward and raised his left arm.

    ¡°Kaiwan!¡±

    He yelled. The Power of Distortion that was released from his left hand protected Yong-Ho. The acid bounced against the wall of space and a part of itnded on Agares¡¯s body.

    ¡°Kyahhhh!¡±

    Agares expressed his pain and anger. Yong-Ho ignored it. He jumped up and stepped on Agares¡¯s leg. He pulled Aamon back and looked at Agares¡¯s eye.

    It pierced.

    Aamon¡¯s tip broke through Agares¡¯s ss-like eye. At the same time, the tentacle that quickly grew from Agares¡¯s body pierced through Yong-Ho¡¯s abdomen.

    Agares screeched. Yong-Ho gritted his teeth and used his power.

    The green mes burned Agares¡¯s eye. From there, the fire burned into Agares¡¯s head. This pain couldn¡¯t bepared to the first time his eye was attacked.

    Agares jumped around crazily. He screamed while waving all four des in different directions. Green mes escaped his eyes and mouth.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t attack him again. Aamon transformed into a bracelet and fell on Yong-Ho¡¯s wrist. As soon as Yong-Honded on the ground, he looked up and read the mana¡¯s flow.

    Agares¡¯s mana was raging. His will to live activated his regenerative power and he focused his body¡¯s mana into one area.

    That¡¯s why Yong-Ho was able to clearly see it. The area where Agares was focusing his mana. The area where Agares¡¯s spirit was located!

    Yong-Ho wielded Aamon again. Agares couldn¡¯t move because of the regenerative power, so Yong-Ho looked at his abdomen. He pulled Aamon back and produced a very hot fire.

    The single attack that broke through the Steel Ox that was on the first floor of the Arena.

    Yong-Ho remembered the things he learned from Aamon. He was going to use them now.

    Thence pierced into Agares¡¯s body. The hot fire broke Agares¡¯s shell. Aamon broke through Agares¡¯s abdomen and destroyed the concentrated mana that was helping Agares regenerate.

    There was only one thing left.

    A radiant fire was released from Aamon. He consumed Agares¡¯s spirit.

 Chapter 91 - Mighty Warrior (4)

    <h4>Chapter 91: Mighty Warrior (4)</h4>

    It was a lump of blue light. It was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that it came out of a terrifying monster like Agares.

    The fire enveloped the bright light. The tip of Aamon became a part of Yong-Ho, allowing him to consume Agares¡¯s spirit.

    He first felt pleasure and then trembled. It was a big shock, which made it difficult for him to breathe.

    It was blue. It was a lightning type.

    Greed was awakened, and it consumed Agares¡¯s spirit through the fire. It suppressed its powers so that it wouldn¡¯t lose anything. Instead of swallowing it whole, Greed broke it apart into a million pieces and thoroughly analyzed it.

    It¡¯s safe to say that one¡¯s spirit was that family¡¯s history. There were traces of all the spirits that Agares had consumed up until now.

    They were useless. They were just traces that couldn¡¯t be used.

    But Greed didn¡¯t allow it. When Yong-Ho¡¯s mana grew stronger, the Power of Evolution wasn¡¯t the only thing that grew too.

    The spirit¡¯s color and element that remained within the traces. It was different from the ones before.

    It was impossible for Yong-Ho to control the element separately, like how he did with Foras¡¯s coldness. But he could build it up, analyze it and help his body to ept it.

    Color and element weren¡¯t the only things he acquired.

    Agares was a predator. He acquired new traits by eating and that¡¯s how he evolved.

    It wasn¡¯t the power of a demon king. It was a natural trait that his race had.

    That trait.

    The Power of Evolution yelled. For the Power of Evolution, Greed stored that skill on one side of Yong-Ho¡¯s mana.

    It was impossible for Yong-Ho to use that skill, but it was possible for him to transfer that skill to someone with simr characteristics and strengthen their skill.

    Yuri.

    The Princess Ant¡¯s face popped into his head. He then felt an exhrating pleasure, interrupting his thoughts.

    Agares¡¯s spirit was bigger than any of the other spirits that Yong-Ho consumed. It was really distorted, so it wasn¡¯t very pure, but the amount made up for it.

    It felt like his spirit and physical body was going to blow apart. He had to release his power. He was disappointed by the fact that he couldn¡¯t consume some of the power, but he had to release it. All the other demon kings had to do the same when they consumed a spirit and it was more than they could handle.

    But Greed rejected him this time too.

    If Yong-Ho¡¯s body couldn¡¯t handle Agares¡¯s mana, then it would make it so that his body could handle it.

    A new bowl.

    Arger and stronger bowl that can be filled with strong mana!

    The Power of Evolution was activated. Agares¡¯s mana evolved Yong-Ho¡¯s body.

    A sh of green light enveloped Yong-Ho¡¯s entire body. It began to restructure his body.

    It was safe to say that he was obtaining a new body. His body was developing as mana circted within him and the passages that¡¯s been blocked before were now open.

    His body became stronger. His bones became stronger as they contained more mana and his physical skills increased.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t forget about his wish. He grew a bit taller. His body looked a lot more appealing.

    Andstly.

    Someone was cheering for Yong-Ho¡¯s development.

    Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, had been waiting for this moment.

    The moment where he won¡¯t have to suppress his powers. The moment where he¡¯ll be able to use his powers.

    Of course, Yong-Ho was stillcking. He still had a long way to go.

    But it felt like he could take a step forward. He could use his powers a little more freely.

    Fire appeared on Yong-Ho¡¯s wrist, which was still enveloped in the green light. The red fire transformed into ance. Aamon wanted to show his owner a part of his true form.

    Fire and fire.

    The green and red fire shed against each other. They burned together and created a giant light. It disappeared with the wind.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. It was the first breath he took after his body transformed.

    His senses became more sensitive. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt like he could feel everyone¡¯s presence really well.

    The transformation only took ten seconds.

    But it was safe to say that the time on the battlefield stopped during that time.

    The insect-type monsters realized that Agares had died. Some of them became weak and others started moving more violently.

    The spirits that weren¡¯t directly connected to Agares saw the enormous fire. They saw the lifeless Agares and realized that his shell was the only thing that was left.

    Agares was dead. He lost and the owner of the House of Mammon ¨C the demon king of fire consumed his spirit.

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes.

    Instead of looking at Agares¡¯s corpse, he looked elsewhere. He looked at Smi, whonded on the ground and looked slightly scared.

    ¡°You¡¯re exhausted.¡±

    Smi was the spirit that worked the hardest out of all the spirits that belonged to the House of Mammon.

    Smi calmed down when Yong-Ho spoke and tried to smile with its eyes.

    Yong-Ho petted Smi¡¯s nose and spoke.

    ¡°Hang in there.¡±

    Smi was confused and blinked, but Yong-Ho didn¡¯t stop smiling.

    The fight wasn¡¯t over.

    Even though Agares was dead, his troops were still standing. Even though they were on the brink of copsing, there were still over a hundred spirits.

    Smi¡¯s wings were at its limit. Yong-Ho knew that too. That¡¯s why he said that earlier. With his new body, he gathered his mana and activated the Power of Evolution. Green mes rose up from his eyes and he saw a box of light.

    [Smander ¨C Assault Type Development]

    The green light that appeared on the tip of Yong-Ho¡¯s finger enveloped Smi¡¯s body.

    Smi roared. The wings grew bigger and stronger and its body transformed into a more aggressive one.

    Smi¡¯s front feet and shoulders became bigger. His ws became sharper and scales appeared on his body, simr to a dragon¡¯s. Thorns grew on Smi¡¯s slim waist and tail.

    If Smi looked like an ordinary car before, now he looked like an armoured car.

    After the evolution finished, hot air was released from Smi¡¯s mouth. Yong-Ho smiled and looked around. His eyesnded on Catalina and Ophelia.

    Catalina covered her face with her hands as her tail and ears pped. The gap between her fingers was pretty big, so he was able to see her blue eyes filled with excitement and her red cheeks.

    Ophelia on the other hand had a smirk on her face. She signaled Yong-Ho with her eyes.

    ¡°Impressive.¡±

    Yong-Ho looked down, wondering what the twodies were looking at and when he realized, heughed awkwardly and put his hands down. While his body was transforming, the fire burned everything, so he was naked.

    ¡®I was wondering why it was chilly.¡¯

    Yong-Ho used his mana. After activating a dark green light, he used it to cover the lower part of his body and then got on Smi¡¯s back.

    ¡°Shall we finish this?¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke. Catalina and Ophelia both answered in their own ways.

    Smi spread its wings. After kicking off the ground and pping its wing, a strong wind covered the ground.

    ¡®My young owner.¡¯

    He heard Aamon¡¯s voice. Yong-Ho swung his right arm as if that was his reply to Aamon¡¯s calling. Just like his body, he wielded thence¡¯s new form.

    The spirits that witnessed Agares¡¯s death were running away.

    The insect-type monsters were violently jumping around as if this was theirst attempt at bringing Yong-Ho down.

    ¡°Skulllll!¡±

    He saw Skull, who was swinging his war hammer around. Yong-Ho didn¡¯t wait any longer. Smi was circling around in the air and he gave hismand. Smi¡¯s fiery wings made the sky cloudy.

    The fierynce that divided the battleground.

    He finished the battle, just like he had stated earlier.

    <hr />

    The fight with Agares was nowpletely over, three hours after it had started.

    The insect-type monsters didn¡¯t know how to quit or surrender. They had no choice but to kill each and every one of them.

    Most of the spirits that were under Agares¡¯s control after he devoured their owners had ran away. The insects¡¯ violent movements had given them time to run.

    When looking at just the results, the Free City had achieved victory. Even though Agares had twice as many troops, they had managed to defeat them and even brought down Agares himself. However, the Free City was damaged pretty badly as well.

    Out of the three leaders of the Free City, Dargon had died. Despite the fact that Trolls had strong regeneration skills, Oros fainted right before the war ended because of his injury.

    Out of the Free City¡¯s soldiers, the elite soldiers that Opheliamanded to go with Skull experienced the most damage. During the most important moment, they became Yong-Ho¡¯s shield, so they fought the most enemies and because of that, they had the most injuries.

    Out of the three leaders, Ophelia was in the best condition, so she took care of the soldiers. The worker¡¯s guild and the ouws were against following Ophelia¡¯s orders, but since Yong-Ho was standing behind her, they kept their opinions to themselves.

    They didn¡¯t even have the strength to protest. They needed some time in order to make aint.

    Ophelia wasn¡¯t nning on standing by and watching them protest, but she wasn¡¯t going to pick on someone either. In the end, the Free City would belong to the House of Mammon. Oros probably realized that Ophelia was the House of Mammon¡¯s spirit before passing out based on the way she talked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the Free City up to you.¡±

    Yong-Ho wore a suit that he obtained at thest minute and spoke while getting on the horse. Ophelia spoke worriedly while her tail moved weakly.

    ¡°Is it really okay for you to start moving? Skull and the others may be okay since they¡¯re Undead, but still...¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡±

    Yong-Ho and Ophelia were standing in front of the gate. They haven¡¯t even finished cleaning up the corpses, but Yong-Ho, Catalina, Skull and the other spirits were outside.

    He didn¡¯t have enough time.

    If Agares died, that meant that the Spirits of the Dungeons that were under Agares¡¯s control had died as well.

    No matter how many soldiers Agares had, they probably noticed that he had died. The other owners in the east may have realized that there were changes going on in Agares¡¯s dungeon.

    While consuming Agares¡¯s spirit, there were a few things that Yong-Ho realized.

    Agares was an actual predator. The reason why he was able to gather a thousand soldiers was because he emptied the dungeons after he took them over.

    It was impossible to take all the dungeons that were under his control. But he could at least take the two dungeons that were near the Free City.

    Things had already been dyed. He had to move now.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Ophelia looked at Catalina worriedly, so she spoke to both Ophelia and Yong-Ho. Just like Yong-Ho, she was exhausted after continuously fighting, but that didn¡¯t mean she was going to fall behind. Catalina was Yong-Ho¡¯s personal guard.

    Smi worked the hardest and despite letting a small cry, no one heard it.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina got on Smi¡¯s back. Skullughed while petting Nightmare¡¯s mane and the Skull Unit didn¡¯t look tired at all as they waited for everyone to start heading out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke, and Ophelia gave up in the end. She showed respect by seeing him off.

    ¡°¡®s daughter, Ophelia will dly wait for your return, Master.¡±

    Smi pped his wings and flew towards the east.

    ¡°Skullll!¡±

    Nightmare started to gallop. The Skull Unit closely followed their leader.

    Ophelia, who was now alone, brushed back her gold hair. She looked at the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits who were heading to the east.

    She recalled the face her father made when he shouted that the House of Mammon was going to be revived.

 Chapter 92 - Return

    <h4>Chapter 92: Return</h4>

    Yong-Ho¡¯s first stop was the dungeon of the House of Ailee.

    It was a natural choice because it was only two days away from the free city. If he moved quickly, it would be possible to get there even sooner.

    Acquiring the dungeon was much easier than he had expected.

    Since it was the starting point for the mobilization of his army, Agares hadpletely emptied Ailee¡¯s dungeon. The few troops left behind by Agares, had all seemed to have fled after noticing Agares¡¯s demise.

    Agares was a natural predator. He literally devoured the fallen King of the dungeon, and was the object of terror to those who had surrendered. Moreover, the traces left in the dungeon of Ailee indicated that not only was the King devoured by Agares, but some of his servants were as well.

    Except for the insect type spirits, who basically acted as his limbs, the rest of the spirits that followed him were dominated by ¡®fear¡¯. The source of that fear was now gone, so it was quite natural for them to escape.

    That wasn¡¯t the only good news

    Not only were there no spirits, but the dungeon was void of traps as well. All that remained were the wreckages of broken traps.

    They were probably traps that Agares had destroyed in the process of devouring the House of Ailee.

    Agares did not restore the traps, and instead only used the dungeon of Ailee as a ce to rest.

    There were no spirits, and no traps.

    In the end, it was only theplexity of the structure of the dungeon that impeded Yong-Ho¡¯s movement, but that was no hindrance to the power of greed.

    The only issue was that the heart of the Dungeon of Ailee was in a severe state.

    The dungeon wasn¡¯t the only thing that had suffered a severe wound, the heart looked like it had been mutted by the teeth of an animal.

    Yong-Ho extracted the mana from the heart of the Ailee¡¯s dungeon, and then wrapped it in cold mana and stored it in his pocket. It was not that he didn¡¯t covet the mana of the Dungeon¡¯s heart, but he decided it would be better to give it to Lucia.

    Lucia still hadn¡¯t obtained full control over the first floor of Mammon¡¯s dungeon. In order to acquire the legacy left by Mammon, it was important for Lucia to grow Lucia to gain control of the lower floors.

    After resting for half a day in Ailee¡¯s dungeon, Yong-Ho then headed straight to the next dungeon.

    Judging from the state of the Ailee¡¯s dungeon, the other dungeons under Agares¡¯ control were likely in a simr position. If the other owners in the East had noticed Agares¡¯ death then they too would have probably have entered the dungeons, just like Yong-Ho had done.

    Nightmare, who was carrying Skull, hid its tiredness and pretended to remain strong, which also caused Smi to stop groaning as well.

    The next dungeon that Yong-Ho arrived at after the House of Ailee, was the House of Yubing. Just like Ailee¡¯s dungeon, Yong-Ho quickly acquired Yubing¡¯s dungeon in the same fashion.

    Unlike Ailee¡¯s dungeon, there were a few insect monsters left, but in front of the elite of the Mammon family, they were equivalent to just scraps of firewood.

    After extracting the mana from the heart of Yubing¡¯s dungeon, Yong-Ho had a brief moment of conflict.

    He was greedy.

    Could he take a third dungeon? If they strained themselves a little more, then he would be able to collect even more mana.

    Greed arose. Although it didn¡¯t ask Yong-Ho to choose, it mirrored his deepest desires.

    He wanted to consume. He wanted to possess.

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tamed his greed. He suppressed his desires.

    It was too much. They were already exhausted from days of travelling.

    It had already been three days since Agares¡¯s death. It would take more than two days to travel to the next nearest dungeon, so by the time he would arrive at the third dungeon, it would be far more likely that they would have to face other forces, besides Agares¡¯s remaining troops.

    Yong-Ho thought of the map of the empty Southern Region inside his head. It seemed that by visiting Yubing¡¯s dungeon, they were already outside of the South and now inside the Eastern Zone of the empty Southern Region.

    It was right to go back. Didn¡¯t Sitri say that unrestrained desire wasn¡¯t true Greed.

    Yong-Ho asked Smi with his eyes to hold for a bit longer and return to the Ailee¡¯s dungeon. After a sufficient rest at Ailee¡¯s dungeon, they would then head back to the Free City.

    An hour after they arrived at Ailee¡¯s dungeon.

    Yong-Ho gathered the remaining furniture in the dungeon¡¯s entrance room, and invoked the power of evolution while watching the burning bonfire.

    Some of the members of Skull¡¯s squad had filled their evolutionary rate. It was a natural result considering that they had fought some of the most intense battles in the Free City.

    The only disappointment was that Skull himself, who had fought incredibly valiantly, had only half filled his evolutionary rate. However, that was most likely because Skull had already benefited the most from the power of evolution amongst all the spirits of the House of Mammon.

    In games, the higher the level that one achieved, the slower it would then take one to grow again.

    ¡®It¡¯s still a pity though.¡¯

    The promotion rank after the Skeleton Magic Knight had still not been revealed. Perhaps he would have to evolve him in a specific direction.

    Maybe he had to strengthen his mana or increase his physical ability like before.

    It was painful, yet exciting worry.

    Yong-Ho then turned his attention to the Skull Squad¡¯s transportation. Just like their riders, the horses had filled their evolutionary rate. Feeling the importance of endurance from their long march, Yong-Ho evolved the stamina of all five of them.

    And finally, the long awaited highlight, Nightmare.

    ¡°From now on, you shall be named Bucephs.¡±

    He was going to give Skull the opportunity to give it a name, but that seemed a bit difficult. At the current rate, it would have been named either Skull, Skull or Skull.

    Of course, the Nightmare didn¡¯t know of the origin of the name, Bucephs, the legendary horse of Alexander the Great, but regardless it still gave out a pleasant whinny, as if she like like the name very much.

    [Name: Bucephs (Female)]

    [Race: Nightmare]

    [Attributes: Darkness ¨C Level 1]

    [Individual Trait:

    Proud]

    [Individual Skills:

    Stamina / Agility]

    [Evolution Rate: 100/100]

    [Stamina ¨C Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Strength ¨C Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Toughness ¨C Level 1 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Agility ¨C Level 0 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Mana ¨C Level 1 | ¡ï¡î (1.5)]

    [Avable Promotions]

    [Nightmare ¨C Attack Type] / [Nightmare ¨C Agility Type] / [Nightmare ¨C Mana Type]

    Yong-Ho raised his hand towards the window of light and then called Skull after thinking for a moment. Yong-Ho expressed his intention to Skull as concisely and simply as possible.

    ¡°Which one do you want me to evolve?¡±

    Skull answered immediately, with a single concern. How to interpret Skull¡¯s answer could have been a problem, but Yong-Ho immediately understood Skull¡¯s wish. That was only possible because of the bond between spirit and owner.

    Yong-Ho evolved Bucephs into the attack type. Like Smi, Bucephs evolved to be quiterge, but she was still a mare so there her body retained her beautiful curves. She looked more like an armored tank from science fiction rather than an armored vehicle.

    Afterpleting her evolution, Bucephs looked back at Smi, and gave out a pleasant snort, as if she was smirking. Smi gave out a low growl in response and then looked at Yong-Ho with sparkling eyes. He seemed to want another evolution.

    However, it was too soon. Yong-Ho stoked Smi¡¯s snout, although he had grown bigger he also looked more cute. Yong-Ho then called Catalina.

    Catalina was Yong-Ho¡¯s personal guard, so she had participated in every battle he had, except for the Arena. Thanks to her outstanding performance in the recent battle, Catalina had filled her evolutionary rate.

    Yong-Ho allowed Catalina to choose her evolutionary route just as he had done for Skull. However unlike Skull, Catalina was able to clearly express her desire.

    ¡°I would like to increase my specialisation in mana.¡±

    Catalina was able to wield dark mana after evolving into a Shadow Runner.

    This time she didn¡¯t desire to be faster, but instead she desired to be able to better weird her newly acquired powers.

    Yong-Ho also agreed with Catalina¡¯s wish because he thought, from the battle with Agares, that it was essential to increase her offensive power .

    ¡°Okay, close your eyes and rx. You¡¯ve done this countless times before, so you already know how this works.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Catalina knelt down in front of Yong-Ho and gently closed her eyes.

    As he was looking at Catalina, Yong-Ho suddenly noticed her long protruding ears.

    Her ears were fluttering so fast, that it looked like she was about to fly away.

    Yong-Ho unknowingly grabbed her eyes without thinking. Catalina flinched in surprise, but she didn¡¯t open her eyes.

    ¡®Lord, I think I¡¯ll get addicted to this feeling.¡¯

    The texture of her ears in his grasp was truly a strange feeling. Yong-Ho closed his eyes, and chanted the Heart Sutra, which he had picked up from somewhere. He invoked the power of evolution.

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    Yong-Ho spoke, and let go of Catalina¡¯s ears. Fortunately, Catalina was distracted by her sudden increase in mana so she didn¡¯t mention anything about her ears. Her ears fluttered as she began to examine her dark mana.

    But, it was too early for him to feel relieved. Yong-Ho quickly brought up another topic as soon as Catalina finished checking her mana.

    ¡°By the way. If one were to absorb the mana from the heart of the dungeon, the dungeon itself would die, right?

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°So would the dungeon continue to shrink until it disappeared? Do dungeons ur naturally in nature?¡±

    At Yong-Ho¡¯s question, Catalina¡¯s eyes looked up as if she was searching her memories for an answer.

    ¡°Just as you said, dungeons do ur naturally. But infant dungeons are usually very small and fragile at birth. So they would probably soon die, without the proper care of an owner.

    After Catalina mentioned an ¡®infant dungeon¡¯, Yong-Ho thought of Lucia. Catalina continued to talk.

    ¡°Other than that, I¡¯ve heard that, very asionally, the Dungeon Market will sell something like the seed of a dungeon. Perhaps, it¡¯s more urate to call it an artificial dungeon. I¡¯ve heard that they can be quite powerful, but... I also heard that they¡¯re incredibly expensive. Apparently they¡¯re hard to produce on mass.¡±

    It was quite an intriguing story. If it wasn¡¯t for the current turbulent times, then it would be unlikely for a dungeon to die. So it seemed that the natural cycle of the birth and death of dungeons was roughly equal.

    Catalina currently wore a cool expression, as if she was satisfied with the fact that she had answered well.

    Yong-Ho smiled and looked again at Catalina¡¯s ears. He then noticed her wagging tail. He suddenly asked without knowing.

    ¡°Hey Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°Could I touch your tail.¡±

    Catalina¡¯s expression once again took on a dynamic change.

    ***

    While Yong-Ho was in danger of falling into a new addition, Ophelia was calmly peeling an apple with a calm expression.

    She was currently inside the hospital, the only medical facility in the Free City and the home of the mad Oros.

    The room that they were in was quiet. Orosy on the bed and didn¡¯t say a word, while Ophelia quietly devoted herself to peeling apples. The peeling sound of the apple apple amplified the silence instead of abating it.

    How long has it been? Ophelia took a bite of her freshly shaven apple, which caused Oros to open his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, instead of towards Ophelia and broke the silence.

    ¡°When was it.¡±

    It was an endlessly open question, but Ophelia understood. The mad Oros was a wise author from the days of old. So Ophelia answered him in a gentle manner.

    ¡°Since the first visit to the Free City by the House of Mammon. You know that my house was originally in servitude to the Mammon family, right?

    Opehlia¡¯s father, Endelyon, didn¡¯t hide his title. Oros exhaled a long breath.

    ¡°I knew that. But... I didn¡¯t think that you would serve the Mammon family again like that so soon. ¡°It was impossible.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. At first, I didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of serving under hismand. If I hadn¡¯t beenpletely overwhelmed by his pressure... then the story would have been quite different.¡±

    Ophelia happily smiled. Oros rolled his eyes, as he looked at the Ophelia before him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Dargon¡¯s death was within your calctions. Dargon died valiantly. However... it¡¯s true that I did consider that after the fight I would have to devote the Free City to the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Yes, I was nning on asking the House of Mammon for help.¡±

    Ophelia did not deny it. She acted coolly, so he wouldn¡¯t get angry.

    ¡®No, perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m also quite positive about the situation.¡¯

    The moment that Agares decided to invade the Free City, everything was already set in motion. This was just a natural step.

    ¡°The Master will be back soon. Then the Free City will be the territory of the Mammon family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already got everything prepared, I guess. The fact that you and I are having a private meeting like this proves that everything is true.¡±

    No matter how much friendship they had built over the past decade or so, the bar hostess and the guild leader had always been hostile to each other.

    However, Ophelia was now facing the defenseless Oros, one-on-one. It would have been an impossible scenario unless Ophelia had not already taken over the guild.

    ¡°What about the ouws?¡±

    ¡°They give in to strength. The problem will be solved as soon as the Master returns. There may be a few who rebel to the end... but it won¡¯t be a big deal.¡±

    Ophelia cut the apple. She ced a piece into her mouth and looked at Oros. She began to talk slowly.

    ¡°Be a spirit of the House of Mammon. Just because the Free City will be under the ownership of the Mammon family, doesn¡¯t make much of a difference.¡±

    Will he agree? Ophelia¡¯s suggestion was to turn the wolf into a hound.

    Orosughed bitterly.

    ¡°What if I refuse?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you after Dargon.¡±

    Ophelia appeared friendly and determined. Oros once again let out augh.

    ¡°Embrio ising.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. The Western owners are united against him, but perhaps he¡¯ll win. We¡¯re going to have to fight him.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Mammon family can win?¡±

    Ophelia smiled gracefully at the provocative question. No more questions or answer were necessary.

    Two dayster.

    The mad Oros greeted Yong-Ho alongside Ophelia.

    He became a spirit of the House of Mammon.

 Chapter 93 - Return (2)

    <h4>Chapter 93: Return (2)</h4>

    The sight of the free city had not changed much. Many had been killed or injured, walls needed to be repaired, but that didn¡¯t change the color of the free city itself.

    Yong-Ho had recently registered the mad Oros as a dungeon spirit and was now facing Ophelia in the pub. He wanted to receive not only the status of the free city but also information regarding the movements of the neighboring dungeons. Of course, he also needed to share what he had personally seen and heard, and especially what he had received in his travels.

    ¡°The Free City is quickly being cleaned up. Not that Oros has registered as one of your spirits, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that the Free City is now the territory of the House of Mammon. However, not everyone knows this yet, and I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s necessary to publish this information right now either.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really important?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I suppose it will be okay if we announce itter.¡±

    Ophelia smiled and offered Yong-Ho a cocktail.

    There were many reasons why the mad Oros joined them.

    Ophelia was the leader of one of the three factions. To takeplete control of the city, she needed the help of Oros, the leader of one of the other three factions.

    Furthermore, Oros was apetent man. He was a doctor, an alchemist and an outstanding pharmacist.

    One more reason was that Ophelia didn¡¯t wish to kill Oros.

    What would happen if she let Oros live and he left the free city?

    There would be members of the guild who would inevitably want to follow him. After letting people leave one by one, the free city would end up as a shell of its former self. The guild was a vital part of the free city, especially at a time when the ouws were expected to leave following Dargon¡¯s death.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter if they had time on their side.

    There were enough people travelling to the free city to allow them to eventually rebuild the city¡¯s power.

    But there simply wasn¡¯t enough time. Like water rising from underfoot, an inevitable danger was quickly approaching.

    ¡°It seems that battle has begun in the west of the region.¡±

    The Wolf Demon, Embrio, has shed with the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance.

    ¡°A long war would typically be expected, but this is Embrio, who we know has been making aggressive moves. We don¡¯t know what variables are in y.¡±

    While listening to Ophelia¡¯s exnation, Yong-Ho carefully looked at the map of the Southern Region.

    Unlike the other forces that had shed with Embrio, the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance wasn¡¯t just fighting in a single field. They understood that their strengthy in numbers, and had expanded out their front.

    It was impossible for Embrio to appear in every battle.

    Even if they lost to Embrio in one battle, they could win in another.

    In a way, this was a war of attrition. And if it truly was a war of attrition, then Embrio, who had fought repeatedly in recent battles, couldn¡¯t help but be at a disadvantage.

    ¡°Is there any chance that Embrio will lose?¡±

    ¡°It exists. And that would be a much better oue for us. But I¡¯m not sure. With all due respect... Embrio¡¯s actions somewhat resemble your own.

    Yong-Ho tilted his head in confusion. Opheliaughed bitterly.

    ¡°Because, despite the odds, he¡¯s winning every fight with overwhelming power.¡±

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t immediately respond to Ophelia¡¯s sudden ttery. Ophelia liked that Yong-Ho would sometimes show a soft side. She felt that it was a sign of his humanity.

    ¡°Considering the length of time that you¡¯ve been the owner of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, and what you¡¯ve aplished... then I¡¯m not wrong. And we always have to assume the worst. The worst scenario I can imagine is that Embrio defeats the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance and still has the power to hit the south.¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded

    It was an inhumane thought, but the longer the war, the better. The greater the damage between the two sides, the better it was for Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about the threats nearby. Some of the ouws have noticed a change in the free city. And some are even trying to stage armed protests without prior notice.

    ¡°Is it serious?¡±

    ¡°If Oros hadn¡¯t joined use, then it would have been quite a problem... but not anymore. I should be able to handle it on my own.¡±

    Ophelia smiled with fierce eyes. However, Yong-Ho liked how she looked.

    Yong-Ho pleasantly replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re also outstanding.¡±

    ¡°Thank-you.¡±

    Skull, who was standing in the background, suddenly let out augh at the warm atmosphere and Catalina smiled softly.

    Ophelia only had one item left to report.

    ¡°Jungceros¡¯s daughter seems to be extremely anxious. Although she doesn¡¯t yet know that the free city is in the hands of the House of Mammon, however the results of the battle with Agares are enough to scare her. If we just leave her be, then there¡¯s a high likelihood that she¡¯ll surrender to whoeveres down south, whether its the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance or Embrio.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she wasn¡¯t the type to surrender?¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t just die. Moreover, the divisions within her household are elerating.¡±

    Yong-Ho nodded. The dungeon of the House of Jungceros was quite far from the House of Mammon, but not the free city. Yong-Ho had been so active in the battle of the free city, that she was right to be afraid.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to consider staging a dungeon attack.¡±

    Of course not immediately. But that didn¡¯t mean that it wouldn¡¯t be soon.

    So far, Yong-Ho had experience several dungeon battles, but he had never actually attacked a properly guarded dungeon. The fight against Jungceros¡¯s daughter would be the first.

    When Ophelia¡¯s report was over, Yong-Ho briefly told her what happened during his journey to the east. Ophelia had already confirmed the evolution of Smi, Bucephs and Skull¡¯s squad and was now envious of Catalina¡¯s development.

    She wanted to evolve, too.

    She also wanted to be stronger.

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she was mistress of the pub, but Ophelia seemed to have many different faces. One moment she was a dignified woman, now she looked like a little girl. He recalled an image he had seen on the inte once of a boy staring at a trumpet through a ss window.

    ¡°Shall we? Ophelia?¡±

    ¡°Can I? Are you able to evolve me?¡±

    Ophelia asked like a little girl.

    Yong-Ho nodded Ophelia had fought two battles after joining the House of Mammon, and had trained with Eligor dozens of times, which one could interpret as picking on the elderly.

    Although Ophelia¡¯s evolution rate had slowly increased, it was now full.

    ¡°What do you want to specialize in?¡±

    ¡°Uh, wait for a moment. Let me think about it.¡±

    Skullughed as Ophelia visibly became excited. However Catalina looked a little strange. She alternated her gaze between Yong-Ho¡¯s and Ophelia¡¯s hands with widened eyes. Her lips clenched.

    Yong-Ho felt her gaze. But why? Perhaps she found it exciting watching from an outside perspective. Yong-ho bit his lip and endured hisughter. He looked at Ophelia, who had only just made her decision.

    ¡®It would be fun to ask if I could touch her tail.¡¯

    Yong-Ho shook his head. He spoke to Ophelia, whose head was tilted in confusion, and Catalina, who was focusing on them with outstretched ears,

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin. Close your eyes.¡±

    Ophelia closed her eyes, and Catalina focused even more. Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia¡¯s tail for a moment and reached out his hands. He ced his hands on her shoulders and injected his mana.

    He invoked Ophelia¡¯s evolution.

    ***

    ¡°Give my regards to brother Eligor.¡±

    Ophelia had evolved with mana specialization and was now seeing Yong-Ho off. Yong-Ho smiled at her affectionate eyes and voice.

    He wanted to stay in the free city for a few more days, but he couldn¡¯t.

    He had to go back to the House of Mammon.

    He had to reassure Eligor, who was waiting for his return, and also evolve Lucia.

    Furthermore if Yong-Ho continued to stay in the free city, there was the possibility that Jungceros¡¯s daughter would die of a nervous breakdown or make an extreme decision. The former didn¡¯t matter, but thetter did.

    The mad Oros had already made up his mind, and didn¡¯t have an uneasy attitude in front of Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho let go of his worries about Oros because he knew that the talented Ophelia would remain at his side.

    Yong-Ho left the free city and headed back to the House of Mammon.

    Perhaps because of the thought of going back ¡®home¡¯, he seemed rather light footed.

    ***

    The Dungeon Meerkats, which had evolved into High Meerkats, were now able to observe from longer distances than before.

    After earlier finding out of Yong-Ho¡¯s return, Eligor came out to meet him with the rest of the spirits.

    Yong-Ho was pleased to see all of the spirits greeting him. Yong-Ho felt that he really had returned while facing Eligor, who now resembled more of a middle age man rather than an elderly butler.

    The Goblin Rangers and Spot admired Smi, who had evolved once again, with widened eyes. While the Princess Ant, who was always apanied by Spot, stared at Bucephs with glistening eyes. She looked just like a cute girl, perhaps because of the dress she was wearing that Catalina had worn as a child.

    Meanwhile Rikum and the Orcs eagerly inquired about the battle in the free city. However, Skull¡¯s squad couldn¡¯t talk, and all Skull could say was Skull. Yong-Ho and Catalina were the only ones that could satiate their curiosity, so they sent pleading eyes to Catalina, who was quite easy going.

    Yong-Ho allowed Catalina a short break to reunite with the other spirits, however that was exactly was she didn¡¯t want as she was dragged away by the Orcs, led by Rikum.

    Yong-Ho, instead brought along Skull as he headed to the heart of the dungeon. On the way, Lucia made repeated coos and cheers.

    [I¡¯ve missed you so much! Master!]

    Lucia cried out, as soon as Yong-Ho entered the Heart of the Dungeon. He couldn¡¯t see her, but her voice was enough. Yong-Ho stroked the Dungeon¡¯s Heart as if he was patting her head and then took out the mana from both Ailee¡¯s and Yubing¡¯s dungeons.

    Lucia, as always, expressed her feelings with onomatopoeias.

    [Gulp gulp. I¡¯m salivating.]

    Yong-Ho understood why the expression ¡®spoilt daughter¡¯ existed. Whileughing, Yong-Ho injected the mana into the Dungeon¡¯s Heart, the body of Lucia.

    Lucia shuddered with excitement. Yong-Ho could feel her soul tremble.

    [The mana of the dungeon has rapidly increased.]

    [The dungeon¡¯s control is now much stronger. Arger area can now be controlled.]

    [A new area has been detected. I only know that it exist, but the area is... underground. I can feel the presence of an underground floor. There is even more space on the underground floor than the first floor!]

    [Ahhhhhhhhh! It¡¯s so delicious!]

    [It¡¯s now possible to upgrade existing facilities.]

    [I think we can start building a Space Door now.]

    [Master is the best.]

    There was some mixed personal feeling in Lucia¡¯s report, but it really was great news.

    In particr, thest piece of news shook Yong-Ho¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Are you saying that we can start construction of the Space Door now?¡±

    [Yes, Master. Enough mana has been gathered. We don¡¯t have the right materials yet, and construction will take a while, but it¡¯s still possible!]

    Yong-Ho¡¯s happiness was also Lucia¡¯s happiness.

    He tightly clenched his fist. After that pleasant surprise, he once again stroked the Dungeon¡¯s Heart.

    ¡°Well done. You¡¯ve done really well, Lucia.¡±

    [Hehehe.]

    [Let¡¯s get started right away. I¡¯ll transfer some of the spirits involved in other construction work. Please give me permission.]

    While acting a little silly, Lucia projected a window of light in front of Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes. It was a list of the spirits in construction and a report on what they were currently doing.

    Yong-Ho quickly reviewed the information, and signed the permission.

    Lucia spoke again.

    [Since you¡¯ve been away for such a long time, I rmended that you should take a really long rest.]

    ¡°Only for today.¡±

    [Are you going right back to work tomorrow? You should rest for a little longer.]

    [Are you nning on visiting the Arena or exploring the second floor? If it¡¯s thetter, I can prepare some of the spirits to apany you.]

    At Lucia¡¯s question, Yong-Ho shook his head. He wasn¡¯t nning on doing either.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I have to go.¡±

    When Yong-Ho spoke, Lucia immediately understood where that ce was.

    ***

    ¡°My valuable customer, how can I help you today?¡±

 Chapter 94 - Return (3)

    <h4>Chapter 94: Return (3)</h4>

    ¡°My dearest customer, how can I help you today?¡±

    As soon as Yong-Ho entered the virtual space of the Dungeon Market, he heard a voice. As he opened his eyes, Sitri greeted him with a bright smile as usual.

    It was something he experienced every time he saw her, but it truly was stunningly beautiful

    Catalina and Ophelia were also beautiful, but they seemed different. While the two of them still felt like people, Citri had the feeling of some sort of mystical being, like a angel or a goddess, rather than a person.

    Like a masterpiece or a sculpture created by a master in the pursuit of perfect beauty.

    But there was natural emotions and expressions added to it.

    Yong-Ho stared at Sitri for a moment, and Sitri tilted her head in response to Yong-Ho¡¯s slightly different gaze.

    ¡°My dearest customer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    He responded with a smile. Sitri tilted her head again, but only for a moment. She then immediately smiled again and waved her finger. A chair for Yong-Ho rose from the floor.

    There was quite a distance between Yong-Ho and Sitri. It was close enough to easily allow a conversation, but it wasn¡¯t enough to enable them to reach each other. So Yong-Ho was able to see Sitri¡¯s full body in front of him. Not just her, but the pure white world that she had created.

    It was because of Gusion.

    His conversation with Gusion had given him quite a different perspective.

    Yong-Ho consciously buried himself a little more into the back of the chair. Gusion¡¯s voice and expression, when talking about Sitri, rang in his head.

    ¡®If she had... or if she¡¯d done it a little better... he might not have died.¡¯

    The number of feelings contained within Gusion¡¯s words were uncountable.

    Anger, sorrow, pain and hatred were all mixed within a single terrifying emotion.

    Why was Mammon, the King of Greed, dead?

    Why did he suddenly disappear?

    ¡®It¡¯s too early. It would be better if you never had to know.¡¯

    Gusion then became silent. He added a few words about Sitri, but he didn¡¯t mention again about Mammon¡¯s death.

    Gusion said that Sitri was one of Mammon¡¯s women.

    But it was never that simple.

    She was one of the two people who could say that they received Mammon¡¯s true love.

    The other, of course, was Elune, the one who cut the night

    ¡®I¡¯m not going to hurt you. It sounds strange... but you are the sessor. The true sessor who has emerged after more than a thousand years.¡¯

    That was what Gusion had said.

    Yong-Ho woke up from his thoughts and blinked. He almost screamed when he saw how close Sitri¡¯s face was. He could almost feel her breath.

    ¡°My dearest customer? Are you sick? I don¡¯t think that you have a fever.¡±

    Sitri raised her hand naturally and touched Yong-Ho¡¯s forehead.

    It was an indescribable touch.

    Yong-Ho controlled his breathing. He attempted to keep a straight face as he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. Here¡¯s a list of items that I would like to buy.¡±

    Sitri squinted her eyes as if she was slightly suspicious, but she epted the document of light that Yong-Ho had formed in the air. Sitri sat down further away to a more suitable distance and reviewed the document of light.

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    The purchase list contained the names of various spirits and materials. Among them, Sitri was particrly interested in the materials required to construct the ¡®Space Gate¡¯.

    ¡°Are you nning to construct a space gate?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Kaiwan first started to build it. I¡¯m going to finish it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Sitri turned her attention back to the document. Yong-Ho looked at Sitri and began to think.

    Why did Kaiwan try to build a space gate?

    It took an enormous amount of mana and a considerable amount of material to create it. Yong-Ho himself wanted the space gate because he needed to return to Ingye, but what was Kaiwan¡¯s reason?

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    Sitri opened her lips again. She asked with a subtle knowing smile.

    ¡°Do you clearly know how the space gate works?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yong-Ho asked unknowingly. Instead of immediately answering, Sitri just expressed that she knew something.

    The space gate that Yong-Ho knew was a two-way connection between two ces.

    It was a passageway to return to Ingye, Yong-Ho¡¯s hometown. A device that can freely create doors in space, which Catalina and Eligor previously opened ipletely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. If youplete the space gate, you¡¯ll be able to open a door back to Ingye. But, it¡¯s a little tougher than you might think.¡±

    Sitri waved her hand. One of the items in the document of light expanded and spread out within the air.

    ¡°This material is currently not in stock in the Southern branch. Although, I think there¡¯s some extra in my private warehouse, but... it¡¯s my own private collection.¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s mind feltplicated.

    Was it because of what Sitri had said, about the supply of materials? It wasn¡¯t. It was about something else she had said.

    And also what he had said.

    Yong-Ho stretched his shoulders.

    ¡°Is there anything that you want from me?¡±

    Sitri smiled brightly. Then, once again, narrowed the distance between them and spoke.

    ¡°Tell me. What happened in the free city. I heard that you defeated Agares.¡±

    Sitri was interested in Yong-Ho himself.

    There was always a deep goodwill in her eyes.

    Was it because, as Gusion had said, that Yong-Ho was Mammon¡¯s true sessor?

    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything else, but it¡¯s clear that she was in love with Master. At least I believe so. That¡¯s what Elune had said.¡¯

    Yong-Ho recalled Gusion¡¯s voice again and then closed and opened his eyes. He began to talk about his experiences in the free city as lightly as possible.

    Sitri was a good listener. She always gave a good response when it was required. Yong-Ho seemed to be skilled at bringing the story to life.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it happened.¡±

    After finishing the story, Yong-Ho exhaled a long breath. Although all he had done was talk, he now felt very tired.

    Sitri showed a gentle smile. Instead of expressing her thoughts, she buried herself deeply into her chair and for a moment her lips parted and smiled like a young girl.

    ¡°I think we should keep ourst promise. Do you remember what I saidst time? Where I said that you should experience more of the world.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t forget it. Yong-Ho nodded.

    ¡°You mean the auction house.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the auction house. A gathering ce for many powerful people. There¡¯s an auction two dayster, so the timing is great. What do you think? Would you like to participate?¡±

    Sitri¡¯s beauty always caused him to be nervously tense, so he didn¡¯t immediately ept.

    He felt a bit out of shape, but he asked what it would take.

    ¡°Is there anything like an entry fee? An amount that should be paid to the auction house in advance.¡±

    He asked since he had once read about an high-end auction house from a novel when he was younger. Sitriughed loudly.

    ¡°There is, but I¡¯ll exempt you. That¡¯s what I promised. From what you¡¯re saying, I presume you¡¯ve epted.¡±

    Sitri stood up from her seat. She lowered herself in front of Yong-Ho¡¯s knees. She looked up at him and asked.

    ¡°To the Master of the great House of Mammon, would you give me the honor of cing my lips to the back of your hand?¡±

    Although the typical position of man and woman had changed, Yong-Ho quickly reached out the back of his hand. Sitri gently held Yong-Ho¡¯s fingertips and ced her lips on the back of his hand. The softness of her lips felt like melting snow, quickly followed by a dizzying heat.

    ¡°Think of it as an admission ticket. It¡¯s your first time, so I¡¯ll escort you.¡±

    A pae red crest appeared on the back of Yong-Ho¡¯s hand. It was the familiar symbol of the Dungeon Market.

    ¡°One person can apany you. I¡¯ll you up at night in two days time, so I¡¯ll see you then. I¡¯ll also ship your order.¡±

    Sitri went back to her seat.

    And as if it were a sign, the whole white world around him copsed.

    The connection to the virtual space had been lost.

    ***

    Just as he promised to Lucia, Yong-Ho took a rest.

    However, it was only one day ¨C in fact, just half a day.

    As soon as the next morning dawned, Yong-Ho began to start the work that he had postponed.

    Perhaps because of the trouble with the Orcs, who were led by Rikum all day, or simply due to his current low blood pressure, he began to meet with all the ministers along with Catalina, who had started to doze off.

    The purpose of these meetings were listen to the grievances and hardships of each spirit and improve their working conditions, but the main purpose was different.

    It was the evolution of the spirits.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t just value Skull and the other mainbat spirits. The spirits guarding the dungeon such as Rikum, the Orcs and the Treant were also very precious to him. Without the Golbin Rangers and Burgrim, Mammon¡¯s dungeon wouldn¡¯t be able to operate as efficiently.

    While Yong-Ho advanced his evolution rate through warfare, the spirits who remained in the dungeon also increased their evolution rate in their own way. For the spirits of the House of Mammon, training at the spirits¡¯ training ground was now routine.

    Among the spirits, the Goblin Rangers, who were now considered the seniors, had evolved to take advantage of their strengths.

    Jon had strength, Ron had stamina, Yon had agility and Jun had her intellect.

    It had been proven time and time again that the power of evolution had a certain amount of power to change aspects of ones appearance. The Goblin Rangers differed from the usual Hobgoblins. Not just their face, but their actual body shape now resembled more like a human.

    Rikum and the other Orcs also benefited from the power of evolution.

    Unlike the other Orcs, Rikum specialized in endurance. If Rikum were continue to grow, he might evolve into an Orc Emperor, the top Orc Warrior.

    It took Yong-Ho a long time to meet each spirit. HIs mana also wasn¡¯t an infinite resource, so he was eager to rest.

    However, he couldn¡¯t just that he was done for the day, especially with faced with earnest look of his spirits.

    It was now Burgrim¡¯s turn.

    After the Orcs evolved, he had been waiting for his turn with longing eyes, and he now finally stood in front of Yong-Ho.

    He was nervous, but his face was hardened. Lucia whispered to Yong-Ho.

    [Since his first evolution, he has been devoted to his work. Currenty, there is not a single thing within Mammon¡¯s dungeon that hasn¡¯t been touched by his hands.]

    [He almost lived within the training grounds.]

    Yong-Ho understood why Burgrim was so nervous.

    Only Yong-Ho himself could see the evolution rate.

    From Burgrim¡¯s position, it wasn¡¯t possible to know how much his evolution rate had progressed and how long it would take to fill up. It was best for him to just continue to train and work in silence.

    How frustrating and irritable it must have been.

    Still, it was a relief. Burgrim¡¯s evolution rate was nowpletely full.

    Yong-Ho spoke to Burgrim.

    ¡°Well done. Close your eyes and stand still.¡±

    Burgrim had been watching the meetings from behind all this time. Burgrim tightly closed his eyes and gulped. Yong-Ho ced his hand on Burgrim¡¯s forehead and invoked the power of evolution.

    Once again, he evolved the mana attribute.

    Suddenly, there was a reaction. Yong-Ho felt Burgrim¡¯s mana. It was very small but it was clearly pulsating. Burgrim¡¯s mana pool had been reborn.

    Burgrim also felt it.

    He began to shed tears unknowingly.

    It was a feeling that he had thought he would never feel again. But now he felt it. It felt like a light in the darkness, although it was small, it was like a dazzling star.

    Burgrim knelt on the floor. He kowtowed to Yong-Ho several times in a row.

    Yong-Ho raised him up. He ordered him to go back and rest since he was currently overwhelmed with emotion.

    [Now we can create magical equipment.]

    [Congrattions, Master.]

    It was as Lucia had said. However, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t feel much joy in that fact. It was because now that Burgrim had recovered his mana, he had now regained his purpose in life, which caused Yong-Ho to feel far more profound.

    Yong-Ho happily sat down on his throne. He then began to talk with Yuria and Spot, who approached him after being surprised by the weeping Burgrim.

    The evolution of Spot was simple, but Yuria¡¯s evolution was not so easy. This was because he wanted to give her the characteristics absorbed by Agares.

    In the end, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t help but have a break.

    And by the evening. With thest spirit in front of him, Yong-Ho finally had a smile on his face.

    ¡°Uh... Master?¡±

    Eligor faced Yong-Ho¡¯s smile with shaking eyes. Unlike the other spirits, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t have to wonder how to evolve Eligor.

    After evolving into the Red Demon Beast, Eligor had also worked hard. Even in the absense of Ophelia, he had continually cultivated his martial arts.

    Yong-Ho spoke with a natural expression.

    ¡°Eligor¡¯s evolution route was set out by Ophelia. You want to evolve your stamina? You¡¯re still weak in your lower back and lower body. Oh, and Ophelia says hello.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t any choice. Eligor fondly remembered Ophelia, who had first twisted his arm and then kindly called him brother He gently closed his eyes and epted the power of evolution.

    Another day had passed.

    For the first time since absorbing Agares¡¯s spirit, Yong-Ho, who had exhausted all his mana, slept in. While Catalina, who had also overslept, rejoiced in her bliss.

    There was no exaggeration to say that the person to apany Yong-Ho to the auction house had been decided from the beginning.

    Yong-Ho, who was dressed in a sharp demon suit, one of the few heirlooms of the Mammon family, looked around. Just like when he had first met her, Catalina wore a beautiful dress and tried to look cool, as if she was attempting to go back to that time.

    [People from the Dungeon Market have arrived in front of the dungeon¡¯s entrance.]

    It was the news they were waiting for.

    Yong-Ho, who was already waiting in the entrance room, took a deep breath. He looked around at Catalina again.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    As Yong-Ho waved his hand, Lucia opened the entrance to the dungeon.

    They were greeted with the spilling moonlight.

    Just as it was a long time ago, in the age of the King of Greed.

 Chapter 95 - The Dungeon Marketéˆ¥æªš Auction House

    <h4>Chapter 95: The Dungeon Market¡¯s Auction House</h4>

    The night sky of the demon world was overwhelming in a different sense than the daytime.

    There wasn¡¯t a dazzling harmony of brilliant colors.

    Instead a heavy blue, close to ck, covered the sky. The darkness looked as if it was made to be cold and heavy. The horizon couldn¡¯t be distinguished, as the darkness melted from the heavens to the earth.

    Starlight cascaded down. And beyond, the white moon shone.

    The moon was brighter in the dark.

    However, it never pushed the darkness away. The moonlight was in harmony with the darkness, as it conveyed warmth in the coolness of the dark.

    And now they stood under such moonlight.

    Yong-Ho now understood what it was like to be ¡®breathless¡¯, even though it was just for a moment.

    Sitri was beautiful enough to disturb someone¡¯s mind, even if they had a clear mindset. It seemed that Sitri knew this and purposely cultivated her own beauty. Moreover, she now stood under the dazzling moonlight.

    Catalina wasn¡¯t that much different from Yong-Ho. The fact that she was a woman didn¡¯t matter.

    Sitri smiled gently as she met them. Her naturally flowing white dress was reminiscent of a Moon Goddess.

    Time froze.

    There was power in Sitri¡¯s beauty.

    However, there was one that kept calm even amidst the still time. There was one who was not dazzled by the beauty of Sitri, but merely looked calmly at it.

    ¡®Aamon.¡¯

    Sitri spoke with her eyes.

    Aamon didn¡¯t respond. His body was currently in the form of a bracelet on Yong-Ho¡¯s right arm.

    Mammon¡¯s twelve spirits each had different feelings for Sitri.

    For Elune, the one who cuts the night, it was a love-hate rtionship.

    For Gusion, the strong, it was resentment.

    And for Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, it was sympathy. His feelings were a mix of fondness and sadness.

    Sitri still had a small smile, but it was cracked. Some of her deepest feelings, hidden within her heart, were revealed.

    However, her emotions only wavered ever so slightly. Sitri¡¯s beauty was like the moonlight which conveniently covered her emotions, which inparison were like fireflies.

    ¡°My dearest customer, it¡¯s time for our appointment.¡±

    Her voice was gentle. Her red hair was slightly raised, so the curve of her white neck was clearly revealed.

    Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He lightly held the stunned Catalina¡¯s frozen hand, and gave her a smile. He then gently pulled her hand and headed towards Sitri.

    Sitri looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina with a warm expression. As they walked closer, she bowed gracefully and then waved her hand. She pulled two masks out of thin air and held them out to Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    ¡°This is an anonymous auction. You don¡¯t have to wear it right now, but you¡¯ll have to wear it once you enter the venue.¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s mask was just a in white mask with no shape or pattern, like the one from the ¡®Phantom of the Opera¡¯. It was cut off at the lower half, beneath the nose, exposing the mouth and chin.

    The mask that Catalina received also exposed the lower part of her nose, but it was rather colorful and looked like a butterfly. With rainbow colors harmoniously blending in with therge ck wings.

    While Sitri was giving an exnation to Yong-Ho, other things were going on. The Dungeon Market courier, dressed in an all-white costume, delivered the package to Eligor.

    After looking down at his mask for a moment, Yong-Ho looked back at Sitri. He was curious about Sitri¡¯s mask.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know where the auction was going to be held, how long it would take to get there or how he was going to get there. If Gusion hadn¡¯t told him that Sitri was ¡®Mammon¡¯s woman¡¯, then he would have never apanied her, no matter how good their rtionship was.

    ¡®if you thought about it... she¡¯s basically an olddy.¡¯

    It would be natural for someone to be stunned by that revtion, but it wasn¡¯t something that Yong-Ho would mention.

    Yong-Ho smiled unknowingly, and Sitri tilted her head slightly in response.

    ¡°My dearest customer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    He took a deep breath again. He remembered. Sitri wasn¡¯t the guardian of the House of Mammon. She had ignored the two previous owners, and didn¡¯t provide any decisive help to Kaiwan.

    It was the same for Yong-Ho. She did show him favoritism, but only through slightly indirect help. Of course, if he thought about things such as the mana recovery potions given to him by Sitri, then it wasn¡¯t all small.

    However, when he fought Foras or Agares, Sitri was just a bystander.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started. We have a long way to go.¡±

    Sitri took a step back. And pped her hands while looking at Yong-Ho.

    Catalina was the first to notice something strange in the sky as she widely opened her mouth. Yong-Ho also lightly eximed.

    A carriage began to descend from the night sky, amidst the moonlight.

    The white wagon was without a roof and looked incredibly beautiful, but Yong-Ho and Catalina saw something other than the wagon.

    Dozens of cats running through the night sky.

    What Sitri had prepared was a cat carriage.

    ***

    Freya, the goddess of magic and beauty, from Northern European mythology, was said to have travelled through the night sky in a cat carriage to keep her promise with Odin. It was her mission to spread the seeds of chaos all over the world to create Einherjars, the warriors of the gods, for thest war.

    The cat carriage raced through the night sky.

    For Yong-Ho this was apletely new experience because he had never flown through the night sky with Smi.

    Moonlight and Starlight.

    Mana flowed through the blue darkness.

    The wind pped his cheeks. The cat carriage was faster than Smi The starlight turned from a point into a line, and then soon became indistinguishable from the darkness.

    It wasn¡¯t physically fast.

    The cat carriage seemed to leap through space. In an instance it seemed to magically leap over a vast distance.

    When the starlight regained its shape, the cat carriage began its descent that seemed close to falling. The thrill, as if he was riding a roller coaster, caused his whole body to tighten up.

    Fortunately, it didn¡¯tst long. When theynded on the ground, Sitri was the first one to step out of the cat carriage. Followed closely by Yong-Ho and Catalina.

    As soon as the three of them got off, the surroundingndscape quickly transformed, while the cat carriage returned to the sky unnoticed. They had only taken a few steps before the ce where they stood suddenly transformed from a white desert into a cozy wooden corridor.

    Despite the reality in front of him, Yong-Ho felt like he was essing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    Sitri took another few steps forward. She turned around in front of the door at the end of the hallway and faced Yong-Ho, while wearing her own mask. Unlike Yong-Ho and Catalina, her mask was in the shape of a lioness that covered her entire face.

    ¡°Beyond this door, is the auction house of the Dungeon Market, led by Samael, the ¡®Fastest Wings¡¯, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Please put on your mask.¡±

    Yong-Ho put on his mask, which helped to calm his agitated mind and was a symbol of anonymity.

    ¡°My dearest customer, didn¡¯t I tell you that I would let you experience greater things?¡±

    The lioness maskpletely obscured Sitri¡¯s face. She grabbed the doorknob.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t feel overwhelmed.¡±

    The door opened with a pleasing sound.

    And then Yong-Ho realized.

    The meaning of what Sitri said about experiencing greater things.

    ***

    Beyond the door was a banquet hall for the giants.

    The moment the door opened, the air changed. Unbearable weight suffocated his whole body.

    It reflexively conjured up past memories.

    When he had first met Aamon.

    When Aamon and Gusion shed with each other.

    However, this was different. This was apletely different kind of pressure from that time.

    It was like a whirlwind. Dozens of giant pools of mana collided and tangled together, creating aplex stream of mana.

    Not just one, but several.

    Forming a dense suffocating tightness.

    There was no such absoluteness from Aamon.

    However, the mana was indifferent. The streams of mana seemed to be tanged up at random.

    Yong-Ho attempted to draw out his mana. He tried to resist the raging mana.

    But, Sitri shook her head, as if to say not to do that.

    For what reason. Howe.

    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. And then he realized that Sitri was just standing there naturally. And so were the many people behind the door.

    They didn¡¯t concentrate their mana. They just radiated it naturally. And their emanating mana tangled together created the current heaviness.

    Ophelia had previously said that four horns indicated the strength of one of the pirs of the Southern Region.

    However, if you talked about the whole demon world, then it was only enough to be slightly influential.

    It was ridiculous topare the number of demons in the Southern Region to the number of demons that existed throughout the entire demon world.

    What kind of beings existed beyond his horizon?

    How many horns do they have? How much power do they possess?

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t forcefully draw out his mana. He epted the weight. He endured and took another deep breath.

    Of course, it was still overwhelming.

    But, he tried to get used to it. He was not afraid of the new world before him.

    The real reason Sitri had brought Yong-Ho to the auction house.

    Was this.

    To remind him of the fact that skies exist beyond skies.

    To show Yong-Ho what kind of world he would be venturing into in the future.

    The significance of this auction was the attendance itself.

    How much time has passed?

    Having just barely regained his ability to look around, Yong-Ho heard harsh breathinging from Catalina. The burden was heavy even for Yong-Ho, who had four horns. The weight felt by Catalina, who had three horns, was several times greater.

    Catalina endured the pressure. It was thanks to Gusion. If she hadn¡¯t tasted Gusion overwhelming pressure in the arena, she would have likely passed out.

    Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina¡¯s hand. Even in the midst of hardship, he shared his mana. Catalina¡¯s breath suddenly became calmer.

    Sitri quietly looked at him. She then swept aside the magical curtain that obscured the beings beyond the door.

    ¡°Come this way. I¡¯ll show you to your seats.¡±

    Sitri did not protect Yong-Ho and Catalina, as Aamon had done. She took a turn and led them to their seats, while Yong-Ho followed behind alongside Catalina to keep her from falling behind.

    The area beyond the door was magnificent. It reminded Yong-Ho of a grand ballroom scene seen in movies.

    There was those who gathered together and chatted, while there were those who stood in secluded spots and quietly observed their surroundings.

    Sitri walked slowly. Which allowed Yong-Ho to be able to take a look around.

    Masks covered the faces of all of the participants. However, he knew that they were demons. The were many characteristics that could be used to identify an opponent, such as skin, body shape and unusual features.

    However, Yong-Hocked any information in the first ce. Instead of trying to forcibly identify clues, he could simply feel the participants and their natural aura.

    A few minutes had now passed since they had walked through the door.

    Yong-Ho realized that the mana that filled the banquet hall wasn¡¯t natural.

    Most of the participants tightly controlled their mana.

    Concealing the color and attributes of ones mana was one of the very basics. Even the mana that was exhaled with their breathing had been finely tuned.

    ¡®No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯

    It was clear to Yong-Ho that such coordination was almost entirely done at a subconscious level. Their level of mana control was unparalleledpared to the foes that Yong-Ho had encountered before. This was true for all of the participants.

    When the door was first opened, an abnormal shock pierced Yong-Ho¡¯s back. It took his breath away. Instead of controlling his breathing, he tried to control his mana. It was impossible to do it like the other attendees right now, but he tried anyway.

    He erased the color and attributes of his mana. However, he didn¡¯t forget to act in conjunction with Catalina¡¯s mana.

    Yong-Ho felt like he was walking naked inside a storm. Sweat began to secrete from his hand that was holding Catalina¡¯s.

    Time passed by extremely slowly.

    A single moment seemed to split into dozens or hundreds of equal lengths.

    And when he took a step forward, Yong-Ho suddenly turned his head.

    It was an inexplicable impulse. Greed had guided his action, but it was different from usual.

    At the end of his gaze, arge man came into view. The man was also looking at Yong-Ho, his face obscured with a terrifying ghost mask.

    As soon as Yong-Ho turned his head their gazes instantly collided.

    The slow passage of time suddenly came to a standstill.

    The man was a considerable distance away, but it felt meaningless.

    Why? What did Greed feel in that man?

    ¡°Dearest customer? This way.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s voice broke the frozen time. She didn¡¯t even look at the man. The moment Yong-Ho heard Sitri¡¯s voice, he was able to free himself from the man¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    Catalina spoke, and Yong-Ho squeezed her hand once again in response. He smiled at the bottom of his mask, and followed Sitri into the auction house.

    He could still feel the man¡¯s gaze.

    But Yong-Ho didn¡¯t look back.

    ***

    ¡°Master.¡±

    A woman in a parrot mask called to the man wearing the ghost mask in a quiet voice.

    Instead of directly responding to the woman¡¯s call, the man in the ghost mask squinted his eyes. He was now picturing the small ck-haired man, who was now out of sight.

    He was so inexperienced that he even struggled with the air of the auction house.

    But why?

    It bothered him. It wasn¡¯t just a hunch.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The woman in the parrot mask looked perplexed at her master, but she soon regained herposure. She guided her master with a gentle gesture.

    One of the six kings who ruled the demon world.

    The King of Gluttony took a step forward.

    ***

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s auction. The first item for auction today is the Champion of the World, Asran.¡±

 Chapter 96 - Dungeon Marketéˆ¥æªš Auction House (2)

    <h4>Chapter 96: Dungeon Market¡¯s Auction House (2)</h4>

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s auction. The first item for sale is Asran, the champion of the world.¡±

    The inside of this auction house was like an opera house. There was arge stage in the center, with seats all around it. However, the shape of the seats was a little different from normal. There were clusters of two to four seats connected together, and gaps between each cluster.

    ¡®Is this an advancement of couple¡¯s seats in theatres?¡¯

    Yong-Ho briefly recalled a theatre where he worked for a short time. It was simr but different. The auction house looked more akin to the end of year award ceremonies on TV.

    Sitri led Yong-Ho to a spot in the center of the hall. In that spot was a long sofa with a long table beside it, adorned with the number ¡¯27¡¯.

    ¡°This man bravely attacked the dungeon of the King of Violence. Although the King of Violence showed mercy, the very fact that this man survived is a testament to his value.¡±

    The auction continued while Yong-Ho was looking for a seat.

    Sitri silently sat on the left-hand side of the sofa, while Yong-Ho, still holding Catalina¡¯s left hand with his right, hesitated for a moment before sitting beside her. Naturally, Catalina sat next to Yong-Ho on the right side of the sofa.

    There was enough space between Yong-Ho and Sitri to fit another person. Which was quite a striking difference from Catalina who closely sat next to him. It seemed to naturally symbolize Yong-Ho¡¯s distance from Sitri, which had not yet been filled.

    Sitri didn¡¯t mind, however, and Yong-Ho, who had now sat down, was finally able to look at the stage.

    ¡°As a champion, he¡¯s got talents in many areas. He¡¯s a powerful prosecutor, a wizard and an outstanding tactician. He truly is a jack of all trades. Although he is excellent as he is, he¡¯ll still be able to perform satisfactorily even if you resurrect him as an undead.¡±

    The auction was held by a man wearing an elephant mask. It was truly bizarre. Other than the mask, the only thing the man wore was a well dressed suit, but for some reason he looked very attractive. It was the first time Yong-Ho had ever felt this way about a man, rather than a woman, so he suddenly felt quite agitated.

    Whether Sitri had been able to discern Yong-Ho feelings or not, she spoke in a quiet voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Incubus, Rod Karot. One of Samael¡¯s henchmen. He¡¯s a dangerous person who can attract others subconsciously. Be careful, because his seduction works on both men and women.¡±

    Sitri finished talking with a smile. Yong-Ho thought he could pay back Sitri, but he decided not to mention it. Instead he focused on the auction again.

    The man in the elephant mask, the Incubus Rod Karot, stood next to the champion Asran.

    He looked like an ordinary man in appearance. He had murky blond hair, which was quitemon, and was of an average size. Yong-Ho examined the warrior more closely. He soon realized that his eyes were dead. It was as if his eyes had begun to decay. There was no light left in his gray eyes, which were now closer to ck.

    It wasn¡¯t his figure or appearance that didn¡¯t match his fancy armor, it was his eyes.

    Yong-Ho thought of Burgrim.

    He had lost all hope in life and was barely alive.

    Yong-Ho fantasized what must have happened in his mind. He would not have attacked the King of Violence alone, so he must have hadpanions. What happened to thosepanions? Had they all died? Was he in despair because he had been taken to this strange world and enve?

    ¡°That¡¯s it for the introduction. Let us now begin. The starting price is 5000.¡±

    It was enough money to purchase hundreds of lower ss spirits.

    Yong-Ho cleared away his useless delusions and looked at Asran objectively. Even within this auction house, Yong-Ho did not fight the surging tide of mana. He naturally invoked the power of evolution.

    [Name: Asran (M)]

    [Race: Human]

    [Strength ¨C Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Stamina ¨C Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Mana ¨C Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    [Skill ¨C Level 6 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î (3.5)]

    Since he wasn¡¯t one of Yong-Ho¡¯s spirits, he could only see a rough amount of information, but Yong-Ho felt both admiration and disappointment.

    Asran, the champion, was the highest level of existence that Yong-Ho had examined to date. However, he didn¡¯t have much potential for evolution.

    Yong-Ho suddenly turned to his side. Catalina¡¯s breath was calm. It was an incredibly quick adaptation, even despite Yong-Ho¡¯s resonating mana.

    Yong-Ho had four horns, while Catalina only had three. The difference was huge. If considering the absolute amount of mana possessed, it was clear that Catalina had less than half of Yong-Ho¡¯s.

    Nevertheless, Catalina was able to sessfully adapt to the flow of mana within the auction house. She protected herself by gently passing on the mana swirling around her.

    ¡®Come to think of it.¡¯

    Aside from Aamon, who degraded himself, Catalina had by far the most potential out of all of Yong-Ho¡¯s spirits. She had a potential of four stars, which even the warrior Asran did not have, and even her lowest potential was three and half stars, which wasparable to Asran.

    Catalina was a shiny gemstone. The beauty and value of the cut would be dependent on the method of cutting.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    Catalina noticed Yong-Ho¡¯s gaze and asked him quietly. Yong-Ho responded as if it was nothing and then lifted the power of evolution.

    The champion Asran was auctioned off to a man wearing a dragon mask.

    The auction continued. Like Asran, there were times when a person came up for sale, and there were also times when mysterious artefacts came up as well.

    Yong-Ho enjoyed the auction in his own way. When people came up for sale, he examined their potential with the power of evolution, and when items came up, he evaluated them with the power of greed.

    It was important for him to expand his understanding of the world and fill in gaps in his knowledge.

    Time passed.

    The thirteenth item now came up to the stage.

    ¡°You may think of this as a short break. This is the cursed crown of Einkel.¡±

    A small crown was ced on top of a cart pushed by a woman in a bunny mask. The crown, made out of pure metal, was not only worn but was also covered in damage, as if it had been poorly kept.

    Karot subsequently gave details about the crown. His exnation was so frivolous, that it felt like the only reason for it was for people to just have a break. Even the curse of the crown felt mischievous.

    However, Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. Karot¡¯s exnation wasn¡¯t heard.

    Greed raised its voice. But, it was different from before.

    Greed had always been obsessed with value. It pointed Yong-Ho to its desire.

    However, Greed did not point to the crown. It stretched out its branches everywhere except for the crown.

    Nevertheless, Yong-Ho felt a deep coveting feeling towards it.

    Greed was the same. It was saying that he needed to get his hands on the crown, even though it didn¡¯t stretch out its branches towards it.

    It was an unknown sensation.

    It had never been like this before.

    No, was that really the case?

    Had this sensation really never been felt before?

    There had been a simr sensation. But, that just made it even more iprehensible.

    Just before entering the main auction house, he had encountered a man wearing a ghostly mask. When his eyes met with his.

    It was simr to the sensation that he felt at that time. Obviously it wasn¡¯t entirely the same, but he felt simrities.

    ¡°The price starts at 100.¡±

    Karot¡¯s voice broke through his mind. Yong-Ho reflexively looked at Sitri. And Sitri gently greeted Yong-Ho¡¯s gaze, as if she knew that he would look at her.

    Yong-Ho was embarrassed by Sitri¡¯s gaze, but only for a moment. Instead of hesitating, he asked in a slightly urgent tone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it as soon as I return. Could you lend me the money?¡±

    Sitri responded with a smile. Instead of talking to Yong-Ho about Gatabuta ¨C to say that something is right or wrong -, she raised her long slender finger to participate in the auction.

    Few coveted the crown, as evidenced by its frivolous sale in the first ce. Even so, after Sitri¡¯s bid became a little too high, all the other potential bidders eventually disappeared entirely.

    The final bid was 500. He couldn¡¯t afford to be extravagant, but he was able to cover this amount.

    Yong-Ho, who prayed whenever the price went up, breathed out a sigh of relief. After Yong-Ho managed to regain his tranquility, Sitri spoke.

    ¡°Then shall we go back now? You¡¯ve now had plenty of experience in the higher skies, your guard has crossed a threshold and you also got an item that you wanted.¡±

    When Sitri mentioned that his guard had crossed a threshold, Yong-Ho hurriedly looked at Catalina. Catalina blinked as if she was wondering what Sitri was talking about, but quickly understood. It was the same for Yong-Ho.

    Catalina¡¯s mana control had noticeably improved from before entering the auction house. Yong-Ho¡¯s mana control had improved as well, but if one were topare them, Catalina¡¯s improvement was clearly superior.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Well, I just kept my promise.¡±

    Sitri responded gently to Yong-Ho¡¯s thanks and then stood up first. She then naturally led Yong-Ho and Catalina out, as she had done with them when they entered,

    <hr />

    It was almost near the end of the auction when the King of Gluttony entered the auction house.

    The King of Gluttony felt rather satisfied, as his secret deal with Samael had been quite sessful.

    The woman in the parrot mask politely handed over the catalogue to the King of Gluttony. It was a catalogue of the items that were auctioned off today.

    The catalogue did not simply just contain pictures or descriptions. The catalogue recorded specific moments with mana, making it possible for the reader to get a vivid feel of the item.

    The King of Gluttony suddenly stopped, as he was turning one of the pages with a light touch. The woman in the parrot mask, who was focusing on the King of Gluttony, asked in a quiet graceful voice.

    ¡°Master, have you found anything of interest?¡±

    The King of Gluttony did not answer. He just stared at the catalogue Instead of repeating her words, the woman in the parrot mask peeked at the catalogue. On the page when the King of Gluttony¡¯s hand had stopped, was the listing of the cursed crown of Einkel.

    It was a small enough item to be a children¡¯s toy. The curse of the crown also seemed rather crude.

    Nevertheless, the King of Gluttony continued to stare at it. He stared at the item for a long time, then spoke in a low tone.

    ¡°Who won this item?¡±

    That was the King of Gluttony¡¯s question. However, the woman in the parrot mask could not answer. In the case of an anonymous auction, the Dungeon Market never divulged the buyer¡¯s information.

    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±

    The woman in the parrot mask stood up after barely being able to squeeze out an answer. Now that this was the case, she had to figure out which masked attendee had won the crown. If she were to ask that question from on the auctioneers, she would at least be able to know what they looked like.

    When the woman in the parrot mask left, the King of Gluttony exhaled a long breath. He reached out and touched the image of the crown floating in the air.

    The curse of the crown was crude. The shape of the crown was also of little value.

    But the metal that made up the crown.

    Ordinary people were unable to recognize it.

    Even for discerning cksmiths, it was difficult to appreciate the true value of the metal.

    But the King of Gluttony knew.

    It wasn¡¯t because he had a good eye.

    The power of Gluttony was telling him.

    The great ancient power was shouting.

    Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Sins.

    A fragment of the great demon king¡¯s soul. A portion of the highest existence.

    Seven Miracles

    A fragment of the great demon king¡¯s flesh.

    And the mysterious fragments. Dozens, hundreds of them.

    The metal that made up that crown was one of those mysterious fragments. But even so, it was a fragment of the body of the great demon king.

    God¡¯s metal.

    Yes, what other expression would suit such a metal.

    The King of Gluttony was a meticulous man. He asked himself.

    Did the buyer recognize the true worth of the crown? Perhaps he just bought the crown for his own amusement.

    It didn¡¯t matter if it was for just personal amusement.

    But if that was not the case, then would he have recognized the true nature of the crown.

    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯

    The only king inside the auction house was the King of Gluttony himself. If there was another king, then he would have known. All six existing kings were kings that the King of Gluttony had personally met andpeted against.

    But why? Why did he have such an awkward feeling?

    The King of Gluttony waited for the woman in the parrot mask to return. And suddenly he recalled a man.

    A young man wearing a white mask that he had encountered before the auction began.

    The King of Gluttony shook his head. He turned the pages of the catalogue in the hope that it was just an unfounded fear.

    <hr />

    ¡°Thank you very much for today.¡±

    Yong-Ho climbed off of the cat carriage and thanked Sitri. It seemed like they had been away for a long time, but the night was still not yet over. The dawn was still far away.

    Sitriughed. She gazed at Yong-Ho with affectionate eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m also happy when my beloved customer improves. Just think of it as something I did for myself. And-¡±

    Sitri suddenly stopped talking. She squinted her eyes and smiled.

    ¡°You look sweet together, but can¡¯t you let go now?¡±

    Yong-Ho blinked, but soon understood. He nced at Catalina¡¯s hand which he had still been holding ever since they had left the auction house and returned to Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    Catalina became flustered, causing her ears to begin to p. Yong-Ho became startled and quickly let go. Both of her ears were bright red.

    Sitri did not tease the two of them with silence. Instead, she took the crown out from between her breasts and held it out to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the crown. You have a good eye.¡±

    Was that just a joke, or was the crown really worth something?

    While Yong-Ho was contemting on it, Sitri took a step back.

    ¡°You should go in. Eligor will be waiting for you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know about Eligor, but the High Meerkats had just woken up and were now watching them.

    Yong-Ho nodded. He first gave Sitri a farewell.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you too. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±

    Sitri also gave her farewell in return. Catalina bowed her head after briefly pondering how to say goodbye.

    Yong-Ho and Catalina then headed side by side back to Mammon¡¯s dungeon. Sitri looked at them from the back and wore a lonely smile upon her face. She climbed back onto the cat carriage.

    The figure of Yong-Ho. With Catalina standing next to him.

    Reminded her of Mammon and Elune. Sitri reminisced for a long time as the cat carriage flew through the night sky. She sang in a quiet voice, as dawn approached.

    ¡°Mammon.¡±

    The great King of Greed.

    The only man the Sitri had ever loved.

    And.

    Sitri looked down at her hand. She bit her lips without realizing it. She remembered what she wanted to forget, but couldn¡¯t.

    More than a thousand years ago.

    The day the Mammon disappeared from this world.

    Sitri clenched her fist. She held the same hand to her chest that had taken Mammon¡¯s life. Once again, she called out Mammon¡¯s name.

    But there was no answer.

    Only a watery voice hovered in the dark night sky.

 Chapter 97 - The Door of Space

    Chapter 97: The Door of Space

    ¡°The cursed crown of Einkel.¡±

    After speaking out loud, Yong-Ho put down the brochure he had received from the auction house. He naturally looked at the crown.

    There wasn¡¯t much information in the brochure.

    The name and origin of the crown and an outline of the legend behind it.

    The first owner of the crown was King Einkel, who was said to be from the eastern part of the demon world.

    There was a legend that said that anyone with the crown at their bedside would be visited by nightmares. Unlike tinnitus, it was a legend, not a definitive curse, since there were those who did not receive nightmares, despite having the crown on their bedside.

    ording to the Dungeon Market¡¯s brochure, some people may not even have nightmares at all, while others who did, would only have a couple of them.

    It was like a child¡¯s toy. It could be dangerous if one had a ¡®fatal¡¯ nightmare, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily going to be the case. Although it differed person to person, it would probably only cause one to recall the most shameful things in life.

    It was a crown that reminded him of one of the penalties of the lower floors of Mammon¡¯s arena.

    Yong-Ho carefully lifted the crown. He could definitely feel the mana, albeit weakly. It wasn¡¯t something that Greed would covet.

    However, Yong-Ho didn¡¯t give up easily. Although he was a major inputer engineering, he decided to experiment with a variety of methods.

    Yong-Ho concentrated mana into both of his hands. There was no response from the crown.

    Yong-Ho repeatedly invoked the power of evolution. He closely looked at the crown, but no letters of light appeared.

    It was too early to give up. Yong-Ho aroused Greed.

    As always, smoke, that was only visible to Yong-Ho, appeared. Greed began to stretch out in all directions as if searching for a ce to go, and soon began to raise its voice.

    It was just like in the auction house. Except there was one thing that was different.

    The crown was now in Yong-Ho¡¯s hands. It wasn¡¯t far away, like in the auction house.

    Greed headed towards the crown. The smoke wound around Yong-Ho¡¯s hands as well as the crown.

    What happened next was purely instinctual.

    Yong-Ho instinctively aroused his mana. Green mana, blooming like mes, began to concentrate in both of his hands.

    Greed and mana became one. Yong-Ho infused his mana into Greed.

    It was abination he had never even thought of trying. The results of such abination were truly magnificent.

    His mana had been amplified. However, it didn¡¯t stop there, his mana was being tempered. Greed elevated Yong-Ho¡¯s mana to a higher level.

    Yong-Ho breathed out roughly. The flow of mana was too fast. Moreover, it flowed roughly. Like the galloping of a wild horse.

    It was clear that if it had only been a few days ago, Yong-Ho would not have been able to control it. But that wasn¡¯t the case now. Experience from the auction house, now made it possible.

    Yong-Ho took the reins of the galloping wild horse. He turned the runaway horse into a race.

    And instinct dictated: Yong-Ho infused the new mana into the crown held in his hands.

    The crown did not explode. It didn¡¯t even melt into the unruly mana.

    The crown responded. It epted Yong-Ho¡¯s mana as if it had been waiting.

    Store. Amplify. Respond.

    Yong-Ho recognized the true essence of the crown. The current reaction wasn¡¯t because of some special magic on the crown. It was the power of the metal itself that made up the crown.

    It was only then that he understood. Greed wasn¡¯t craving like usual. Instead it was ¡®resonating¡¯ with the metal that made up the crown.

    How could this be?

    What kind of metal resonated with Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins?

    Yong-Ho put aside the currently unsolvable questions and eximed at the idea that suddenly came to his mind. He yelled.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    At Lucia¡¯s call, Catalina rushed towards Yong-Ho and blinked at the sight of the cut crown.

    It was Yong-Ho who cut the crown. Instead of exining to Catalina, Yong-Ho returned Aamon, who was currently emitting a high temperature, to his bracelet form and handed one of the pieces of the crown to Catalina.

    ¡°Hold it.¡±

    For a dungeon spirit, the order of the owner was absolute. Catalina faced Yong-Ho, holding a piece of the crown.

    Yong-ho took a step back. After opening up a reasonable distance from Catalina, he gave her anothermand.

    ¡°Arouse your mana.¡±

    Catalina bit her lips, but soon did as Yong-Ho ordered. ck mana arose.

    Yong-Ho felt Catalina¡¯s mana. Realizing the connection between owner and spirit, he also aroused his own mana.

    It wasn¡¯t his ordinary mana. Greed and mana covered the fragment of the crown in his hands. Soon, a strange reaction urred that Yong-Ho was hoping for.

    The piece of the crown held by Catalina suddenly responded. Despite not touching Yong-Ho¡¯s mana, it showed the exact same reaction as the piece held in Yong-Ho¡¯s own hands.

    And then again as expected.

    Catalina¡¯s mana was amplified. The power of Greed partly infused with Catalina¡¯s ck mana.

    Catalina was stunned at the sudden amplification of her mana. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised her. She felt Yong-Ho within her amplified mana.

    Catalina focused. She controlled the mana that began to run wild and made it her own. She had also experienced the auction house, so she too was able to control it.

    It was like a well-forged de. The attributes of Catalina¡¯s ck mana also became stronger.

    Yong-Ho understood. It was originally just a crown, so there was no connection between the two pieces.

    Instead it was himself and Catalina who were connected. The current phenomenon urred because he, the owner, was conscious of his connection with Catalina, the dungeon spirit.

    Catalina did not possess the power of a sin.

    But Yong-Ho was able to use the power of the crown to amplify his own sin. The power of sin that was amplified was then transmitted to Catalina, and the crown piece that Catalina was holding reacted to that power, inducing Yong-Ho¡¯s desired response. Store, amplify and respond!

    Still, the identity of the metal was unknown. However, the use of the metal was not. All that remained was to find a more efficient way to utilize it.

    ¡°Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Catalina looked at Yong-Ho, anticipating an exnation. However, Yong-Ho said something entirely unexpected.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find Burgrim.¡±

    Catalina was unable to ask any questions. Since she was busy chasing after Yong-Ho, who had swiftly exited the room in the blink of an eye.

    <hr />

    Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t the only one in Mammon¡¯s dungeon with glistening eyes.

    After recovering some of his mana, Burgrim began to make magical gear like crazy, as if to show what the madness of a craftsman was really like.

    Of course, his mana was still too weak. There was no shortage of materials that would digest his mana.

    But still, Burgrim utilised his mana. He had begun to make new dishware for the kitchen. Strong spoons and forks had been mass produced. The knives anddles could even temporarily be used asbat weapons.

    Burgrim, who was currently making iron chopsticks for Yong-Ho with all his heart and soul, suddenly jumped up from his seat. It was a sudden visit, but he graciously greeted Yong-Ho without a hint of reluctance. For Burgrim, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t just his master, but his lifesaver ¨C no, even more than that.

    Yong-Ho asked Burgrim, while handing him the pieces of the crown.

    ¡°Could you melt these and make something like a ring or bracelet?¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s eyes twinkled in anticipation. There was no way Burgrim could decline facing those eyes. Fortunately, he was good at making jewelry.

    Nodding his head in eptance, Burgrim carefully reached out to take a look at the crown pieces.

    Yong-Ho quickly handed over the crown pieces to him. Burgrim tapped the crown pieces with his finger. It seemed as if he was listening to its sound, as at the same time he closed his eyes and began to feel them.

    [Some of the great esteemed dwarves are said to be able to hear the sound of metal.]

    [Perhaps it¡¯s better to say that they can interact with the metal itself?]

    [Burgrim is most likely trying to figure out the strength and ductility of the metal that makes up the crown pieces.]

    Lucia exined to Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho was pleased with the fact that Burgrim was an esteemed dwarf and was delighted that he was working with a smile upon his face.

    After smiling at Yong-Ho, Burgrim took out a small ckboard and chalk thaty in the corner of the workshop. He asked Yong-Ho a question in poor demonnguage.

    <What should I make?>

    Yong-Ho looked around Catalina. Catalina ears began to droop with embarrassment as she drew Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    After examining Catalina¡¯s ears, neck and wrists, Yong-Ho soon made his decision. He thought of the rest of his spirits and then spoke to Burgrim.

    ¡°Two rings, one for a man and one for a woman. One bracelet for a man and one anklet for a woman. And... finally a ne. That one¡¯s for a man. If there¡¯s any metal left, just keep it.¡±

    The rings were for Yong-Ho himself and Catalina, while the bracelet and anklet would belong to Eligor and Ophelia respectively. While, finally, the ne was for Skull.

    Upon hearing Yong-Ho¡¯s order, Burgrim pondered for a moment and quickly wrote a new question on the board.

    <Is it for a wedding?>

    <A sign of solidarity...>

    Burgrim gaze alternated between Yong-Ho and Catalina, causing Yong-Ho to quickly speak out.

    ¡°No, nothing like that. There are just items to be given to some of the spirits. I¡¯ll wear one of the rings, while the rest will belong to Catalina, Eligor, Ophelia and Skull respectively. You know who they are, right?¡±

    He almost emptied out all the air from his lungs.

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t look back at Catalina. For some reason, after they had visited the auction house, he kept thinking about it.

    After looking around the room for a moment, he quietly spoke to Burgrim.

    ¡°But... it would be nice if you made them look pretty.¡±

    <I¡¯ll make a pair of rings and bracelets.>

    Burgrim responded with a hearty grin, which Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t object to.

    [Thump thump?]

    [Throb throb?]

    [Flutter flutter?]

    Lucia spoke very quickly, and Yong-Ho fanned his face to cool off. He also asked Burgrim, while ignoring the fluttering noise from behind his back.

    ¡°By the way, do you know anything about this metal?¡±

    <I¡¯ve never seen this before.>

    <It¡¯s basic nature seems simr to silver.>

    It was clear that Burgrim was an outstanding cksmith, but he wasn¡¯t born in the demon world.

    He wasn¡¯t used to using the metals of the demon world.

    Yong-Ho asked another question.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to use all of the crown, could you cut some off?¡±

    <Okay. I think around three quarters will be enough.>

    The crown wasn¡¯t that big in the first ce, but it was farrger than a bracelet or ring.

    Burgrim broke one of the crown pieces in half again and handed it to Yong-Ho.

    ¡°Okay, then please start work right away. I don¡¯t want to push you, but how long will it take?¡±

    <I¡¯ll finish them by tomorrow.>

    Burgrim¡¯s answer was very refreshing. Yong-Ho patted him on the shoulder and took the piece of the crown. Yong-Ho then left the workshop, alongside Catalina, who had now regained her calmness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the arena.¡±

    Originally, he had nned to explore the stairs leading to the next underground floor. But he had changed his mind. For now, visiting the arena was more urgent.

    It was a metal that even Burgrim didn¡¯t recognize, perhaps if it was Aamon or Gusion, they might know. No, it was more likely that both of them would just know it as a metal that responded to the power of Greed, and nothing else.

    ¡®Also.¡¯

    It was now time to challenge the arena again. Thanks to Agares¡¯s spirit, he had strengthened, not only his mana, but his physical ability as well. Moreover, he also wanted to test out his new found power ¨C the mana of Greed.

    Yong-Ho hurried his steps. He headed to the arena.

    <hr />

    Yong-Ho¡¯s arrival was the same as usual, as the man in the beast mask led the way.

    However, when he physically arrived at the arena, there was something different.

    ¡°Gusion?¡±

    Although Yong-Ho had only visited a few times before, Gusion had always been there early. He always stood with his back facing the entrance as if he was ¡®pretending¡¯ that he never waited. He only turned around after Yong-Ho greeted him.

    This time, however, he was facing Yong-Ho from the front. As soon as Yong-Ho passed through the corridor, he seemed to know.

    Furthermore, it didn¡¯t end there.

    ¡°I have something to tell you... No, I have a favor to ask.¡±

    Yong-Ho squinted at the unexpected words. Catalina eyes widened in surprise.

    Gusion scratched his cheek. It seemed that it was difficult for him to make a request.

    ¡°Talk to Kaiwan. That is my favor.¡±

    Yong-Ho¡¯s expression became even more subtle.

 Chapter 98 - Door of Space (2)

    <h4>Chapter 98: Door of Space (2)</h4>

    Gusion had asked for a favor. Furthermore, his request was for Yong-Ho to have a conversation with Kaiwan.

    It was a suspicious question. Wasn¡¯t it Gusion who prevented him from having even a short conversation with Kaiwan in the first ce.

    Facing Yong-Ho¡¯s suspicious gaze, Gusion cleared his throat as if he was hiding something. Yong-Ho continued to stare at him with his arms crossed.

    In the end, it was Gusion who spoke first.

    ¡°Time doesn¡¯t flow naturally here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d heard such from Aamon. Time doesn¡¯t stop, but it doesn¡¯t flow normally, does it?¡±

    For over a thousand years, that was the secret why spirits in the arena were able to stay alive.

    It was no exaggeration to say that the arena was another world that existed within Mammon¡¯s dungeon.

    Gusion nodded.

    ¡°Yes. When you¡¯re here, you can¡¯t really feel the passage of time. One year is like a single minute, while one minute is like an entire year. I¡¯ve spent at least a thousand years here. But my senses don¡¯t remember the past years as a thousand years. Sometimes it just feels like a year has past, while other times it just feels like a few days. This space is such a ce.¡±

    Yong-Ho was able to empathize to some extent. When he was in the arena, he couldn¡¯t really grasp the flow of time either. He had originally thought he had stayed for more than half a day during hisst visit, but when he came out, it ended up being only two hours.

    But what connection was there between the nature of the arena and Kaiwan.

    Gusion pursed his lips. He then cut off his remaining hesitation and spoke.

    ¡°Kaiwan¡¯s spirit is on the verge of copse.¡±

    Gusion wasn¡¯t joking. His eyes were as serious as the time when he was telling the story of Mammon.

    ¡°I told you when you first came, didn¡¯t I? It has been decades since Kaiwan¡¯s disappearance.¡±

    Yong-Ho also remembered that time. Kaiwan¡¯s pale face came to his mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how time passes in this space, but... we can¡¯t fool the absolute nature of time. No matter how we feel in this arena, time is still flowing.¡±

    Gusion¡¯s voice sank heavily. It wasn¡¯t just the decades of Kaiwan. Gusion¡¯s voice contained a thousand years following the death of Mammon.

    ¡°Kaiwan was in a poor condition from the beginning. She couldn¡¯t ept the reality that she had to stay in the arena. She had to leave so many things behind.¡±

    The House of Mammon had only just begun to rise again.

    There were her faithful subordinates, and there was also her sickly younger brother waiting for her return.

    Kaiwan wasn¡¯t unique. The previous generations before Kaiwan, had all eventually been defeated and locked up inside the arena, they too had to leave behind many things.

    But Yong-Ho could understand Kaiwan¡¯s heart. He understood why she had such a strong obsession.

    The previous generations of owners were better off. The Mammon family was still alive and well developed, and they were proper sessors. Unlike Kaiwan.

    Kaiwan would not have been devastated by her inability to leave the arena.

    It was clear that she was more concerned for her brother, who would not be able to make it without her, and who would remain alone within the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Kaiwan maintained herself through sheer belief. All she had left was her faith.¡±

    Yong-Ho understood. He remembered the questions she asked that day when he first met her. She spoke out unknowingly.

    ¡°Brother... Will youe to the arena?¡±

    ¡°Even if its just a descendant.¡±

    Yong-Ho closed his eyes. Gusion¡¯s voice went on.

    ¡°Visitors to the arena must be challenged at least once. But if you¡¯re with apanion, it doesn¡¯t matter which one of you epts the challenge. Kaiwan pinned her hopes on that point. She said that there was a strong subordinate that could easily pass the first floor. What was his name, Endelyon?¡±

    It was a wish that could not be fulfilled.

    Ophelia¡¯s father, Endelyon, was disappointed by Cayenne and left the Mammon family without him.

    Furthermore, Cayenne was unable to ovee the sudden attack of the Crazy Ants. The only passageway to the arena had been lost.

    ¡°That¡¯s how time passed. Decades in absolute terms. But for Kaiwan, that time seemed like hundreds of years.¡±

    Kaiwan, described in Cayenne¡¯s records, was a woman of steel.

    But the Kaiwan that Yong-Ho encountered at the arena was like a piece of fractured ss ready to break.

    ¡°And then you appeared.¡±

    Yong-Ho opened his eyes. Gusion faced him.

    ¡°I had a hunch. You¡¯re not the one that Kaiwan wanted. There was even the possibility that you would provide the worst possible answer in Kaiwan¡¯s imagination.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you interrupted?¡±

    Gusionughed bitterly.

    ¡°I am the manager of the arena. Kaiwan is a fighter of the arena, and is among my favorites of Mammon¡¯s descendants.¡±

    In the end, it was Gusion who was the righteous one at that time. Yong-Ho sighed. He was as crude and clumsy as he had always been.

    Gusion continued.

    ¡°Kaiwan is no longer able to sustain herself just through belief, as she used to. All because you appeared with the truth. You know of what happened with Cayenne, perhaps you might be able to bring him.¡±

    Kaiwan¡¯s mind was sick. And finally, her limits had been reached.

    Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. He now understood why Gusion had interfered.

    Was it reasonable to let Kaiwan know about her brother¡¯s death and the fall of the Mammon family?

    Gusion had judged that now the time hade. She had to face the truth, even if it were to break her.

    Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. Catalina remained silent, and even held her breath.

    ¡°Kaiwan¡¯s brother, Cayenne, died of illness.¡±

    Yong-Ho squeezed out his voice. He confided all he knew to Gusion, as if he was performing a rehearsal.

    It was a panorama of tragedy. Gusionmented the fact that the former owner hadmitted suicide.

    ¡°That¡¯s the worst.¡±

    Yong-Ho thought so as well. Just imagining how Kaiwan would react to the news was horrible.

    ¡°But there¡¯s also a positive aspect.¡±

    Gusion said. It wasn¡¯t something that he said casually. His voice was still subdued, but it was calm.

    ¡°Kaiwan¡¯s brother, Cayenne, became the owner of the Mammon family, married and even had children. He allowed the House of Mammon to continue on.

    It was an ordinary tale. But it was important that such mediocrity was achieved.

    Gusionughed bitterly. He rubbed his lips a few times and then dropped his hands.

    ¡°Save Kaiwan. It¡¯s now time for her to get rid of her obsession.¡±

    No answer was necessary. Gusion stepped back, and the man with the beast mask led Yong-Ho again. Yong-Ho ordered Catalina not to follow him.

    As Gusion has said, he couldn¡¯t really feel the flow of time. Just a few steps felt like an age.

    The man with the beast mask led Yong-Ho to the arena¡¯s waiting room. In the waiting room, Kaiwan sat on a chair with a nervous expression on her face. Her eyes, visible between her grey hair, were filled with anxiety and fear, rather than hope.

    Kaiwan looked up and saw Yong-Ho. She opened her lips but couldn¡¯t speak. Her hunger for the truth was so great that it was difficult for her to squeeze out her voice.

    Yong-Ho remembered the first time he saw Kaiwan. Some of her memories were left inside her mana. A small and shabby girl. A girl who cried and cried that she would never fall.

    Yong-Ho swallowed his saliva once again. Without avoiding her gaze, he faced her from the front. He spoke in a surprisingly bold voice.

    ¡°Kaiwan, Cayenne is dead.¡± It happened a decade or so ago.¡±

    There were no screams or howls.

    Yong-Ho grabbed both of Kaiwan¡¯s shoulders. He told her a story that made her feel like she would be crushed into ashes.

    ***

    The word ¡®tired¡¯ was insufficient to express how he felt.

    Gusion smiled at Yong-Ho, who had now left the waiting room and returned to the arena. He patted Yong-Ho¡¯s shoulder, as if pretending to be friendly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. Now it¡¯s her problem. As the manager of the arena, I give you my utmost gratitude.¡±

    Yong-Ho recalled the Gusion he saw in Mammon¡¯s memory. This incident was proof that Gusion was a sincere person.

    After hearing the full story, Kaiwan fell asleep crying in Yong-Ho¡¯s arms. What happened after she woke up was, as Gusion said, her own problem.

    Yong-Ho sat down on the nearest chair. He then asked Gusion, who naturally sat down next to him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that conquering the arena would free the arena¡¯s spirits?¡±

    ¡°I said that you could earn the spirits. Well, in the end its the same anyway. And...¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll keep that a secret. So, are you going to challenge the fourth floor now?¡±

    Yong-Houghed. Gusion hated that it made him somehow feel like a viin.

    Yong-Ho shook his head a few times, pulled something out and then spoke.

    ¡°Before that, there¡¯s something I would like to ask you. Aamon, the same goes for you. I want to know the identity of this metal.¡±

    In Yong-Ho¡¯s hand was a piece of the crown. Gusion saw it and smiled a little differently than before. Instead of taking the metal from Yong-Ho¡¯s hand, he asked Yong-Ho a question he didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡°Is that all of it?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got my cksmith making some jewelry to give to some of my spirits.¡±

    He had originally intended to exin what the metal could do. Aamon was watching from the side, but not Gusion.

    However, Gusion¡¯s reaction made his thoughts disappear.

    ¡°You were right. He really is Mammon¡¯s true sessor. Isn¡¯t that right. Aamon?¡±

    As if to answer Gusion, the mes of a red lotus rose into the air. A soft voice apanied the mes.

    [Brigada. God¡¯s metal. Fragments of the true King¡¯s flesh. It responds to the fragments of the soul.]

    Instead of offering an exnation like Aamon, Gusion rolled up his sleeves. A ck bracelet, hidden under his white suite, was revealed.

    Yong-Ho wouldn¡¯t have known if he had seen it before. But now he knew. It was the same metal that made up the crown.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I received from Mammon. He was the first person in the demon world to discover its use in this way, just like you. All of us except for Aamon... he gave to the 12 Spirits of Mammon, jewelry made out of Brigada.

    It was a voice full of sadness and deep longing. However, Yong-Ho couldn¡¯t respond to Gusion. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the great tale of the true Demon King, or the mysterious fragments of the flesh. When he heard Gusion¡¯s story, a question came to his mind.

    Gusion said that Mammon was the first one to use ¡®Brigada¡¯ in this way.

    Did that mean that kings before Mammon¡¯s era failed to recognize the true nature of Brigada? Or was Brigada only discovered during Mammon¡¯s time?

    Perhaps it was neither.

    Yong-Ho came up with one possibility.

    The 12 Spirits of Mammon.

    Even after Mammon¡¯s death, they were subjugated to the Maze of Greed.

    Gusion knew what Yong-Ho was thinking. Once again, he burst outughing. He gave Yong-Ho a good answer.

    ¡°Yes, the 12 Spirits of Mammon. We are the first true dungeon spirits of the demon world. The current system of dungeon spirits is nothing more than an imitation of the original created by Mammon.

    The mes of the red lotus rose up. Aamon¡¯s voice echoed in Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    [My young master. I can now draw out the power of Greed.]

    [For generations, the kings who ruled this world were those who possessed the power of sin. And, now it¡¯s time to learn why.]

    Light shone from the Brigada in Yong-Ho¡¯s palm. The green mes of Greed arose through the guidance of Aamon and Gusion.

    The true power of the Seven Deadly Sins, revealed itself.

 Chapter 99 - Door of Space (3)

    <h4>Chapter 99: Door of Space (3)</h4>

    ¡°I feel sorry for the owner of the fourth floor.¡±

    Gusionughed and crossed his legs. Catalina sat next to him, in the special reserved seat, instead of Aamon. Unlike Gusion, who was full of contentment andposure, Catalina looked at the arena with a nervous expression.

    On each side of the wide circr arena, stood each of the participants. Standing on the left was the Crimson Ogre, Victor, the fourth floor master and on the right was Yong-Ho, the owner of the House of Mammon.

    Crimson Ogres were the elites of the Ogre race. Simr to the Hobgoblins of the Goblins race, and the War Orcs of the Orc race.

    Not only were Crimson Ogres muchrger than the typical Ogre, they were also red all over simr to the red demon race. The red light emanating from both of the Crimson Ogre¡¯s eyes looked terrifying

    Furthermore, Victor wasn¡¯t simply an ordinary Crimson Ogre. He was a powerful forcepared to ordinary Crimson Ogres, one of which had threatened the House of Mammon on the day that Yong-Ho had ascended to the throne.

    However, Yong-Ho wasn¡¯t afraid of Victor. It was thanks to his experience against previous powerful enemies, but it was more due to his concern with what Aamon was currently saying to him in his mind.

    [Brigada is a fragment of the true demon king¡¯s flesh.]

    [Because of this, it responds to the Seven Deadly Sins, which are fragments of the soul of the true demon king. Both fragments mutually resonate with one another.]

    [My young master. Stay focused. Brigada is like antern that guides one¡¯s way through the darkness, and even you, who is still inexperienced, will be able to unleash the power of Greed with Brigada¡¯s help.]

    Yong-Ho didn¡¯t know what the true demon king was.

    It was also the first time he had ever heard of the terms ¡®fragments of flesh¡¯ or the ¡®fragments of the soul¡¯.

    But he somehow naturally understood.

    A light arose from the piece of crown grasped in his left hand. The aura of Greed burned not only on the surface of his body, but it also prated deep inside him. It became one with the flow of his mana.

    The power of Greed was extremely rough. It was difficult for them tobine naturally.

    But they had definitely be one. The flesh desired the soul, and the soul desired the flesh.

    The current intensity was not a rejection. Rather, it was evidence of the strong synergy taking ce between them.

    [Focus. And yearn for it.]

    [The Seven Deadly Sins came from the soul of the true demon king. Therefore, each sin has a different nature.]

    [The root of Greed is hunger. Desire. Covetousness. Liberate the power of Greed.]

    Yong-Ho drew in his breath. He strongly held Aamon up in front of him.

    He connected to his desires just as Aamon had requested him. He thought of each of his desires one by one.

    The mes of Greed burned even brighter.

    The things he wanted. The things he wanted to do. The things he wanted to enjoy.

    He was true to himself. He yearned with purity. Greed was not dependent on the nature of the desire. Rather it was the strength of the desire, the more powerful Greed became and the more powerful he became.

    The Crimson Ogre¡¯s eyes shook as he gazed at Yong-Ho. The aura emanating from Yong-Ho was unusual. Victor¡¯s reasoning was shouting to him that he had to rush Yong-Ho right away, but his instincts refused.

    It wasn¡¯t just the mere mes that bothered him. In Victor¡¯s eyes, the mes instead looked like a living creature. The mes seemed to create a figure of a terrifying being.

    Victor¡¯s breath became rough. Yong-Ho¡¯s breath, on the other hand, became increasingly calm. The mes still seemed to be wild and out of control, but in reality they weren¡¯t. They were under Yong-Ho¡¯s control.

    [A little more. Desire a little more. Yearn for it.]

    [My young master.]

    [Master of Greed!]

    Aamon loudly eximed. Yong-Ho desired.

    He desired to win. He desired to defeat the floor master of the fourth floor to gain Mammon¡¯s mana and to take the artifacts from Gusion. He also wanted to see Kaiwan again. He wanted to save Kaiwan and make Gusion his loyal subordinate. It was exhrating to imagine Gusion calling him master.

    And, and!

    Yong-Ho stepped forward. He hit the ground and raced towards the Crimson Ogre. He was as straight and fast as a loose arrow. All the mes from Yong-Ho¡¯s body concentrated together and were then channeled into Aamon.

    Victor reacted. He suppressed his instincts to flee by letting out a roar. And with that roar, he charged towards Yong-Ho.

    Catalina tightly clutched her hands together. Gusion rose from his seat with a fierce smile upon his face.

    Dodging was the right thing to do. The answer was for Yong-Ho to use his quick agility to dodge Victor¡¯s attack and then counter attack his side. That¡¯s what Catalina wished for.

    However, Gusion didn¡¯t think so. And neither did Yong-Ho.

    Victor¡¯s roar filled the arena. He swung his huge iron club with all his might, causing it to resemble a thunderbolt.

    However, Yong-Ho did not avoid the thunderbolt-like club. He firmly stood face to face with his opponent. He thrusted Aamon towards Victor. He liberated the power of Greed.

    The unleashed power was overwhelming.

    The great torrent of power was like a tyrant destroying everything in its path.

    Victor¡¯s iron club couldn¡¯t reach Yong-Ho. It was deflected at a simr thunderbolt-like speed. A powerful mass of power, that could no longer be said to resemble a simple me, smashed into Victor. The power was so overwhelming, that only the expression ¡®swallowed¡¯ was appropriate to describe its impact.

    Victor¡¯s upper body waspletely annihted by the mes. And yet, the unrelenting momentum of the mes did not slow down, instead they began to burn the surrounding atmosphere and then collide with the invisible wall that surrounded the arena. The impact of the enormous force shook the entire arena.

    Catalina gazed at Yong-Ho with rapt attention.

    The arena¡¯s spirits in the audience were rendered speechless. Among them, those who were past masters of the House of Mammon understood instinctively.

    That was Greed. That was the power of the Seven Deadly Sins. In terms of absolute power, Yong-Ho still wasn¡¯t powerful enough to reach them, but yet he still unnerved them. Their intrinsic quality of power was different. As the saying goes, ¡®they were in different worlds¡¯.

    Gusion smiled brightly. He unknowingly whispered Mammon¡¯s name into the air.

    Victor was sure to have seen it.

    The face of Greed. The appearance of the true king from the fragment of the king¡¯s soul.

    There was no reason to wait for Victor¡¯s resurrection. Gusion waspletely convinced. He now looked at Yong-Ho ¨C ¡®Young Master¡¯ ¨C with friendly eyes.

    Yong-Ho exhaled and stretched out his stance. He didn¡¯t think of correcting his posture. There seemed to be an indescribable sense of power within him that dominated his whole body.

    This was Greed.

    This was the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. It was only just the beginning. He had only experienced the tip of the iceberg.

    [Great job. My young Master.]

    [I believed that you could do it.]

    Aamon softly spoke. But, with a hint ofughter mixed within. It was the first time that Yong-Ho had ever heard Aamonugh.

    [However, my young Master.]

    [Your desires are mostly rted to women. And so was thest desire that you thought of right at the end.]

    [I understand that the young Master is currently in his prime, but you¡¯ve not even experienced a woman yet.... howe?]

    Yong-Ho¡¯s whole body suddenly froze in quite a different sense than ever before. His sense of aplishment which had been seething throughout his body suddenly died. For some reason, a strong silence hovered around Yong-Ho. A small amount of cold sweat seemed to drip from his forehead.

    After a while, Aamon spoke again.

    [I¡¯ll keep it a secret from Gusion.]

    Should he be thankful, or ask to be left alone?

    Fortunately, Aamon was caring, unlike Gusion. Aamon transformed from hisnce form back into a bracelet. In addition, Aamon¡¯s presence, which he had initially felt beside him, now felt distant.

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    Catalina¡¯s bright voice could now be heard, as the invisible barrier, surrounding the arena, had now disappeared. As expected, her ears and tail were pping while she waved towards him. Her cheeks seemed to be burning with excitement.

    ¡°Uhh.¡±

    When Yong-Ho remembered thest desire he had during the battle against Victor, he quickly turned around after waving his hand a little. As he turned away from Gusion¡¯s gaze, he reached out towards Mammon¡¯s mana emanating from Victor¡¯s body.

    He absorbed Mammon¡¯s mana.

 Chapter 100 - Door of Space (4)

    <h4>Chapter 100: Door of Space (4)</h4>

    His current mana was enough to defeat the floor of the fourth floor with a single strike. Moreover, he had still to test the full capabilities of his physical body which had been reborn after defeating Agares.

    However, instead of challenging the fifth floor, Yong-Ho chose to go back for now. The ostensible justification was that he believed it would better to fight the master of the fifth floor after receiving the Brigada jewelry from Burgrim, whereas the actual real reason behind his decision was that he might desire tomit suicide if he had to unleash the power of his desires again.

    ¡®But I¡¯ll still have to take care of it.¡¯

    He picked a box of light, with the power of Greed, and received a good looking pair of manacles in the air. They looked like an item for a bare-handed fighter.

    ¡®I¡¯ll give these to Eligor.¡¯

    Eligor now possessed strong mana. And recently, he had been honing the Southern Martial Art, taught by Ophelia, which was a bare-handed art, so the manacles were perfect for him.

    ¡°Are you already leaving? Why? Don¡¯t you want to try the fifth floor?¡±

    It was the voice of Gusion, who seemed a little sad. But, he couldn¡¯t change Yong-Ho¡¯s mind.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s it for today. I¡¯lle back tomorrow with the Brigada jewelry. Please take care of Kaiwan.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll watch over her. The price of her facing the truth won¡¯t be small, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll ovee it.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just a pretense that Gusion cared about Kaiwan. Yong-Ho sincerely hoped that Kaiwan would ovee her troubles.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I look forward to it. Young Master.¡±

    Yong-Ho, who was about to turn around after saying farewell, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He asked back unknowingly.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Farewell.¡±

    ¡°No, not that.¡±

    Yong-Ho pressed him for an answer, but Gusion just ignored him. Catalina, who was standing behind him, gave a small smile.

    In the end, rather than pressing for an answer, Yong-Ho just lightly chuckled. Instead of asking more questions, he turned around. Unlike the first time, Gusion now felt quite pleased.

    ¡®I¡¯ll keep going.¡¯

    For the day when he¡¯ll be able to conquer the Arena.

    Yong-Ho stepped forward. The man in the beast mask silently appeared and led Yong-Ho and Catalina out of the arena.

    ***

    The next morning, Yong-Ho overslept. Fatigue, which hade in exchange for the liberation of Greed, was apanied by an inexplicable dream.

    [Master, are you all right?]

    [Sometimes you need to forget about everything and take some well earned rest. How about taking the day off for today?]

    At Lucia¡¯s worried tone, Yong-Ho breathed out a sigh of relief. Although Lucia was connected to his mind, she was fortunately unable to see his peculiar dream.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve already had quite a good rest. I¡¯ve got a lot of work to get done today.¡±

    As he replied to Lucia, Yong-Ho clenched his fist. Thebination of his natural mana and the power of Greed was still very weak.

    ¡®I¡¯ve only just opened the door.¡¯

    Instinctively, he understood. And he also seemed to understand what Aamon meant when he had earlier spoken of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    ¡®Only those who possess the power of the Seven Deadly Sins can reign as kings. Only they can rule the world.¡¯

    At the moment the Crimson Ogre, Victor, was overwhelmed by the power of Greed, Yong-Ho too was ovee by such power. It was because he had just taken a small nce at the huge iceberg hidden beneath the surface of the water.

    Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The fact that Yong-Ho himself was the sessor of such a great figure had just struck a new chord within him. It had already been a rather long time since he had inherited the House of Mammon, but it was the first time that he had ever felt so strongly about the significance of his existence.

    Yong-Ho stood up. After stretching, he washed his face with the water left in his room.

    He began the day.

    After spending the morning eating and carrying out some personal training, Yong-Ho took Catalina, Eligor and Skull to visit Bugrim¡¯s workshop. Burgrim, who seemed to be much more tired than usual, weed Yong-Ho. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to have formed during the night.

    <They¡¯ve been well made.>

    Hisplexion looked bad, but he still smiled proudly.

    Burgrim quickly put away the chalkboard that he was using tomunicate with, ced the newly made jewelry onto a tray and then handed them to Yong-Ho. One of the pieces must have just been finished, as Burgrim had just removed it from the workbench.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    Yong-Ho was amazed. Every single piece of jewelry was beautiful.

    The rings, with small embedded green emeralds, looked like a pair. Since the crown was originally gold, the rings too were gold, with a bit of embellishment regarding the embedded jewel, causing them to look elegant and ssy.

    The bracelet and anklet were also a pair. If the rings pursued a clean elegant style, then the bracelet and anklet looked more stylish. They were covered with scales reminiscent of a dragon.

    The ne, however, waspletely made out of Brigada. It was also adorned with a dragon¡¯s head, that looked as if it was about to breath fire.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done an amazing job. Your work is really admirable.¡±

    He felt like he should give him a prize for his hard work. Of course, for Burgrim, the best prize would be for Yong-Ho to invoke his evolutionary power, however to do so Burgrim still needed to fill his evolution rate.

    Yong-Ho quickly invoked the power of evolution to examine Burgrim¡¯s evolutionary potential. Although it wasn¡¯t really a prize, Yong-Ho gave Burgrim a promise for his next evolution.

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll strengthen your mana. It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    Just his word was enough. Burgrim knew that Yong-Ho was a man of his word.

    Yong-Ho immediately began the distribution of the jewelry. He handed Skull the ne, and gave Eligor the bracelet. Yong-Ho ced one of the rings on to his right hand.

    Now, other than for Ophelia, there was only one left to give.

    [Thump, thump.]

    [Flutter, flutter.]

    Lucia imitated Catalina¡¯s heart. Ignoring Lucia¡¯s antics, Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He smiled awkwardly and then spoke to Catalina.

    ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    Catalina bit her lower lip. Yong-Ho carefully reached out and ced the ring on Catalina¡¯s long slender finger.

    [Thump, thump.]

    [Thump, thump.]

    Lucia continued to make noise to increase the awkwardness of the situation. Catalina¡¯s pping ears and tail expressed her fervent joy.

    After giving her the ring, Yong-Ho quickly turned around and let out a series of coughs, while scratching his face. Come to think of it, it was the first time he had ever given a woman a gift.

    ¡°Yesterday, I gave you a rough exnation of the nature of Brigada, didn¡¯t I? So from now on, I¡¯ll be able to empower you, so please ept the power.¡±

    Yong-Ho quickly spoke and then aroused the power of Greed. Light suddenly emanated from the jewelry worn by Catalina, Eligor and Skull.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Unlike Catalina, who quicklybined the power of Greed with her own mana, since she had already experienced it before, Eligor and Skull struggled while making a series of strange sounds. Skull, however, soon regained hisposure and managed to gain control of his mana, albeit with difficulty. However, Eligor did not. He continued to sweat profusely and struggled to control his mana.

    ¡®He still has a long way to go.¡¯

    Yesterday, Catalina had sessfully controlled her mana, when Yong-Ho first experimented with the Brigada, despite having to wield a muchrger amount of manapared to today.

    But, that was inevitable. Unlike Eligor and Skull, Catalina had experienced the pressure of the Dungeon Market¡¯s auction house. Moreover, her talent for mana was even better than Ophelia¡¯s.

    ¡°Eligor. Don¡¯t be too upset. Once Ophelia arrives shortly, I¡¯ll provide you with special training.¡±

    Although Yong-Ho tried to cheer him up, Eligor still seemed to be rather dejected.

    Yong-Ho smiled and gathered up the power of Greed. After saying farewell to Burgrim, he led his spirits out of the workshop.

    And as if she was waiting for that precise moment, Lucia suddenly spoke.

    [Master, I¡¯ve recently received a report from the Dungeon Meerkats.]

    [They¡¯ve spotted Ophelia in the distance. It seems that she shall be arriving at the dungeon in about ten minutes.]

    [Her arrival is about an hour earlier than scheduled, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because of anything important going on.]

    ¡°Perfect.¡±

    He would be able to give her the anklet and then ask her to train with Eligor.

    He could then focus on the arena for the rest of the afternoon.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Ophelia is here. Shall we all go out and meet her?¡±

    At Yong-Ho¡¯s words, Eligor made a somewhatplicated expression. His face disyed a mixture of both joy and suffering.

    Yong-Ho led the spirits to the entrance room of the dungeon.

    And Ophelia, as always, provided Yong-Ho with the recent news.

    ***

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need a new dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 101 - Door of Space (5)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Door of Space (5)</h4>

    Thanks to the cooperation of the mad Oros, the task of taking control of the Free City was going smoothly.

    Some of the ouws had noticed that the Free City was now in the hands of the House of Mammon and had rebelled. However, that fell short of a typhoon in a teacup.

    Out of the three factions, the ouws were the most sensitive to strength and weakness. Most ouws instinctively realized that they needed to conform to the new order. There were only a few who wanted to oppose the new order.

    Moreover, those who were reckless or insane enough to cause violence among that small minority disappeared without a sound, even before they knew the full truth. All of this was Ophelia¡¯s handy work.

    Ophelia and Oros made the most intelligent and cooperative of Dargon¡¯s men, the Orc Mage Yukon, the new leader of the ouw faction. Once again, the bacsh was weak. This was because there was no one other than Yukon who was a potential candidate.

    This was the result of the screening operation.

    All of those that had the ability and charisma to lead a group ofwless men were either killed in the battle against Agares, suddenly disappeared one day, or left the Free City on their own feet.

    The mad Oros was a wise man, unlike his epithet.

    He knew a storm wasing from the west. If he hadn¡¯t gotten on board, then it would have caused trouble for therge ship, that was the House of Mammon. They were preparing to withstand that very storm.

    Oros¡¯s very cooperative nature had saved Ophelia more time and energy beyond what she had initially thought.

    And the result led to an earlier-than-scheduled visit to the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Ophelia, the daughter of Endelyon, greets the master of the House of Mammon.

    Ophelia, who showed her usual grace, greeted Eligor and the other spirits one after another. Catalina smiled, Skull chuckled, and Eligor showed aplex expression of both happiness and terror.

    Now that the dungeon had restructured, it took quite some time to walk from the dungeon¡¯s entrance room to the throne room.

    Since Yong-Ho was a practical person, he had a conversation with Ophelia while they were on the move.

    Almost all of it was regarding the situation in the Free City.

    Ophelia, an information trader, knew exactly how to handle information. She knew how to wrap or distort, and knew how to concisely deliver only the most essential news.

    So as they arrived at the throne room, they were already done talking about the Free City, There was nothing more to share.

    However, Ophelia wasn¡¯t here just to talk about the Free City.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need a new dungeon.¡±

    Ophelia spread a map of the Southern Region across arge table in the newly constructed conference room beside the throne room. Colored pieces of wood, that had been prepared in advance, were ced on the map as indicators of power.

    It looked quite different from before.

    It felt like the vicinity surrounding the Free City had been emptied.

    The three dungeons of Foras, Ale and Yubing had all disappeared. While the dungeons of Abigail and Jungerous had virtually less than half the power of before, and moreover the Free City was now entirely under the House of Mammon¡¯s control.

    Ophelia pointed to the west of the Southern Region.

    ¡°The fight in the west is now escting. Fortunately, it¡¯s not going to be settled in a single battle, but, as I first expected, it¡¯s going tost for another two to three months at the most.

    The Wolf Demon King, Embrio, was doing well against the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance, which included almost all of the western dungeon owners. Despite dozens of days of fighting, he wasn¡¯t being pushed back.

    ¡°The need for a new dungeon is to prepare for the end of the fight in the west.¡±

    Ophelia stopped speaking and took a breath. She opened up a new map of the western and southern border area.

    ¡°The Southern Region is full of emptynd, but there is still roads in ce across the border. They lead to a vital strategic point.¡±

    Several lines had been drawn on the map. All the lines looked like they were drawn at random, however they all had one thing inmon. They all passed a single point on the map.

    ¡°Whether the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance or Embrio wins, it¡¯s likely that the winner will want to consume the south. So we need a fortress to stop them.¡±

    It was difficult to capture a fortress built on a vital strategic point.

    Some would just ignore the fortress, pass by it and attack somewhere else, but that was a very dangerous idea.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible. It could be a very effective strategy, if certain conditions were established.

    In most situations, however, this was not the case. Ignoring the heavily armed fortress and passing it by, was the equivalent of turning your back against a sword wielding opponent.

    ¡°The dungeon would act as both a powerful fortress and a deterrent. Building a defensive dungeon at this point will effectively negate any western threats.¡±

    The House of Mammon was no longer a declining family in the Southern Region. It was a powerful family of the south.

    Yong-Ho looked at Ophelia¡¯s map carefully.

    There was already a dungeon in ce at that strategic point.

    We¡¯re going to have to target the dungeon of the House of Randolt.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you must force the owner of Randolt¡¯s dungeon to surrender, or personally take it over byunching an attack. If he surrenders to one of the western powers, or makes way for them, then both the Free City and the House of Mammon will be in danger.

    Yong-Ho touched his chin for a moment and organized his thoughts. He asked Ophelia.

    ¡°Will the master of the House of Randolt, consider a surrender?¡±

    ¡°The possibilities are fifty-fifty. He is a man who does not behave rashly, as evidenced by his past actions. He¡¯s also extremely cautious.¡±

    The master of the Randolt family simply stayed in his dungeon in the midst of a number of short-lived events. When the House of Foras was exploited by Jungerous, he remained silent, and he didn¡¯t even make a move when the Free City was exposed to the threat of Agares.

    ¡°If we have to attack... it¡¯s going to take a long time to fortify the dungeon again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you saw it right away. We don¡¯t now how the Randolt family will behave, but if you get your hands on the House of Randolt¡¯s dungeon, then you¡¯ll need to look at if from a slightly different perspective than Mammon¡¯s dungeon. It¡¯s not a castle that serves as a living space... You need to look at it as a battle-ready fortress. The renovations of the dungeon will also have to proceed in that direction. And-¡±

    Ophelia took a breath. She suppressed her excitement and spoke in a calm voice.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy acquiring Randolt¡¯s dungeon. While it¡¯s important to have a necessary amount of time for fortification, it¡¯s even more important to carefully attack with causing any significant damage. You¡¯ll need to be fully prepared.¡±

    It was a valid point.

    Although Yong-Ho had attacked the dungeons of Ale and Yubing in a row, both dungeons were almostpletely devoid of any spirits guarding those dungeons.

    The fight against the House of Randolt would be the first official dungeon attack that Yong-Ho had attempted.

    ¡°I understand. You¡¯re incrediblypetent.¡±

    At Yong-Ho¡¯s straightforward praise, rather than being humble, Ophelia showed a graceful smile. Ophelia was like an alluring temptress disguised as a pure maiden.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave the preparations of Randolt¡¯s attack to you, Ophelia. Organise what you need and report back to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll follow your will.¡±

    Ophelia, once again, gracefully showed respect. Yong-Ho looked at Rikum, who was sitting in the corner of the conference room.

    ¡°Rikum help Ophelia. The Orcs are going to be involved in this attack, so I would like you to especially focus on training.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Rikum also showed Yong-Ho his respect.

    There were two reasons for the mobilization of the Orcs.

    The first was to minimize the damage of the attack. The more overwhelming their power was, the less potential damage would be caused by needless fighting.

    The second was for the Orc¡¯s growth.

    The best way to build one¡¯s evolution rate was to risk one¡¯s life. The fiercer the fight, the greater the increase of the evolution rate.

    He didn¡¯t intend to force the Orcs into danger just for growth, but he couldn¡¯t just leave them in a safe ce.

    The meeting was concluded.

    As Rikum left the conference room, Yong-Ho began to talk about something else.

    ¡°I forgot to give you these earlier. It¡¯s a gift for you Eligor.¡±

    Inside the box, which Catalina had fetched from Yong-Ho¡¯s from, was a pair of manacles. It was the item that he had obtained after he cleared the fourth floor of the arena.

    Eligor had a look of emotion as he received the manacles. They weren¡¯t simply an ordinary pair of manacles, as Yong-Ho had personally chosen them, with the power of Greed, from the arena. Despite their lightness, they seemed very firm, and there was no inconvenience regarding mobility of one¡¯s fingers or wrists.

    ¡°Thank-you, Master.¡±

    No further words of thanks were required. Eligor¡¯s eyes had already begun to fill with tears.

    Come to think of it, it was the first time he had given something to Eligor, other then the bracelet.

    ¡®I need to care of him more often.¡¯

    It was a simr feeling for Yong-Ho as when he gave his mother a present on Mother¡¯s Day.

    Ophelia¡¯s eyes glistened as she watched Eligor receive the pair of manacles. She smiled and looked at Yong-Ho, as if she was asking, ¡®Is there anything for me?¡¯.

    Yong-Ho now felt like he had switched roles. Instead he now felt like a parent with multiple children. He smiled and held out an anklet made of Brigada. He gave a short and concise exnation on the anklet¡¯s properties to Ophelia, who¡¯s eyes were glistening with happiness.

    ¡°Certainly... it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Ophelia, who had dealt with the power of Greed in the past, spoke while a slight trickle of sweat. Ophelia, who was quite confident in her mana control, knew that it was a power that couldn¡¯t be easily handled. However, it was also true that she was motivated to seed. If she could handle it properly, then she would be able to achieve growth in an innovative way.

    ¡°The longer you spend training with it, the more efficient you¡¯ll be. So please continue to work hard, despite its difficulties.¡±

    It was something he had heard from Gusion.

    Brigada not only amplified the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, but also stored them. Therefore, if Brigada was used for a long time, then it was possible for a subordinate to ess the power of the Seven Deadly Sins even without the support of the master. Of course, it would be less powerful than if Yong-Ho himself applied it.

    After asking Ophelia to train Eligor and Skull, Yong-Ho, alongside Catalina, headed towards the arena.

    The reason why Yong-Ho had Catalina apany him every time he went to the arena was simple.

    It was to prepare for Yong-Ho¡¯s own potential defeat.

    Kaiwan always went to and fro from the arena alone, and then one day she went missing.

    There was no one powerful enough to save Kaiwan in the Mammon family at the time, but it was clear that the fate of Cayeene and the House of Mammon would have been a little different if they had known exactly where and how Kaiwan went missing.

    At least the chances of Endelyon leaving the House of Mammon would have been greatly reduced.

    Yong-Ho, along with Catalina, practiced how to use Brigada, as they travelled to the arena.

    Yong-Ho regained his breath as he gathered up the power of Greed, Just like habit, he opened the door to the arena.

    However, as Yong-Ho was on the verge of entering the arena. Catalina suddenly spoke up more loudly than normal.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Yong-Ho turned around. Astonished by her own voice, Catalina quickly swallowed her dry saliva. She took arge breath as she faced Yong-Ho. And then spoke with slightly drooping ears.

    ¡°I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    Yong-Hopletely turned towards Catalina. It was no exaggeration to say that Catalina has stuck by his side ever since he hade to the demon world.

    It wasn¡¯t a short amount of time either. And during that time, Catalina had never revealed her needs.

    But now Catalina was asking him for a favor. Yong-Ho had no choice but to take her seriously.

    Catalina swallowed her saliva again. Her ears straightened as she faced Yong-Ho. For the first time, she revealed her desires.

    ¡°I want to challenge the first floor of the arena. Please let me.¡±

    Her demand was a concern. Yong-Ho spoke to rebuke her.

    ¡°The penalty is different from mine. Moreover, it can be incredibly dangerous.¡±

    Kaiwan travelled alone to prevent the spirits of the Mammon family from challenging the arena.

    As Gusion had warned, the arena¡¯s penalties were harsher for ordinary spirits.

    Catalina knew that. But she couldn¡¯t give up. It wasn¡¯t something she asked withcency.

    ¡°But Master. I¡¯m your guard.¡±

    She wanted to be strong. As the heir to the King of Greed, she wanted to stand by her master¡¯s side as he was advancing. She wanted to catch up to him even by just a little bit.

    That was the rtionship between the master and spirit. Yong-Ho could feel Catalina¡¯s sincerity. He felt her intense growing desire.

    He couldn¡¯t refuse such a sincere request. Yong-Ho nodded.

    ¡°Okay. But only after you¡¯re able to handle Brigada a little better.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try. Thank-you so much for allowing me.¡±

    Catalina was delighted, evident by her pping ears. Yong-Ho unknowingly patted Catalina¡¯s head.

    He then fully turned around to enter the arena. However, there was one more voice that caught Yong-Ho¡¯s attention.

    [Master.]

    [The door of space has reached 50%pletion.]

    Lucia suddenly gave a report, which caused Yong-Ho to pause. He patted Catalina¡¯s head, as she was wondering what was going on, and then, once again, headed to the arena.

    ¡®The door of space.¡¯

    A world that he had forgotten.

    The time was approaching for Yong-Ho to go back home.

 Chapter 102 - Door of Space (6)

    <h4>Chapter 102: Door of Space (6)</h4>

    As Yong-ho passed the long corridor of the arena, the same guy greeted him, as always. Dressed in a white suit, he had red skin and a red tail, another symbol of the Red Demon.

    ¡°d to see you here,¡± said Gusion, turning around with a smile.

    At first, he looked ugly but pretty cute now.

    ¡®Gosh, how can I think this uncle is cute?¡¯

    Yong-ho momentarily stopped thinking like that and replied loudly, ¡°Me, too.¡±

    Although Yong-ho¡¯s reply seemed rather arrogant, Gusion didn¡¯t care. Gusion even liked it because Yong-ho was none other than the sessor of the King of Greed. So, he thought Yong-ho should not get cold feet in front of him, one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    Watching Gusion bite a cigar in his mouth, Yong-ho asked again, stepping forward, ¡°How about Kaiwan¡¯s condition? Is she calm now?¡±

    Lighting a cigar in his mouth, Gusion¡¯s eyebrows wriggled slightly, who then responded,

    ¡°She is resting on her own floor. She¡¯s still a bit unstable... I think she will be up and running soon. She is like that.¡±

    Yong-ho agreed. She was the one who raised up the House of Mammon on the verge of ruin. Despair and abandonment were foreign to Kaiwan.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are too concerned about her? Kaiwan is also one of the floor masters in the arena. Someday she will fight you.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see...¡±

    Moreover, as the floor master, she was not Yong-ho¡¯s arch-enemy, a new challenger in the arena. Fighting in the arena wasn¡¯t a real life-threatening fight. Even if one died while fighting in the arena, it was just a virtual experience of death.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean the fighting was something trivial.

    The pain was real so was the sense of death.

    Since he trained with Aamon, Yong-ho had already experienced near death more than a dozen times, but the feeling of death was something he could not get used to despite his numerous virtual deaths.

    ¡°Okay, anyway, if you want to free Kaiwan ording to your wishes, you¡¯ll have to defeat that child at least once.¡±

    Gusion muttered a little while putting out some smoke. Yong-ho knitted his eyes because he felt Gusion¡¯s words were a bit incongruous.

    ¡®In order to free Kaiwan, I must defeat her? Was he simply talking about the process of me conquering the arena?¡¯

    Yong-ho felt he didn¡¯t mean it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop our small talk here. Are you going to challenge right away?¡±

    Yong-ho hesitated for a moment because he wanted to ask Gusion a little more about what he had just said, but somebody spoke before him. The mes of the red lotus, burning next to Gusion, said in a low voice.

    [Gusion with strong power, my old friend.]

    [Wouldn¡¯t that be the only story you¡¯re going to talk about?]

    Somehow, there was something mischievous in his words. Yong-ho was also curious because it was far from the way Aamon used to speak decently.

    On the other hand, Gusion frowned. After puffing out smoke hard toward Aamon, he turned to Yong-ho.

    ¡°You said you were learning spearmanship from Aamon, right?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s true. You¡¯re learning it then.¡±

    Gusion¡¯s response was significant. Instead of asking him hurriedly, Yong-ho waited for his next words.

    Gusion looked back at Aamon again, then asked Yong-ho, ¡°Do you have to have someone like Red Demon under your control? I¡¯m not talking about small fries, but someone who knows how to fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded right away. Although he felt sorry for Eligos, the first thing that came to his mind when he mentioned Red Demon was Ophelia¡¯s face.

    But why did he suddenly mention Red Demon? Was it because he was of the same race?

    Gusion quenched Yong-ho¡¯s curiosity in no time.

    ¡°Learn physical skills from that guy. More specifically, how to use your body by using magic power.¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t I already using it?¡± Yong-ho asked again.

    His question was valid. Ever since he arrived in this demon world, he had used the magic power in fights, no matter if it was big or small. If he hadn¡¯t used it from the beginning, he wouldn¡¯t have survived until now.

    But Gusion shook his head.

    Strangely, he rubbed off the cigar in the air and said, ¡°Let me say this for caution¡¯s sake, but I¡¯m not good at exining. So, let me show you something.¡±

    Stopping there, he cleared his throat several times in a row and then corrected his position. He lightly punched twice into the air.

    ¡°Do you see the difference?¡±

    Catalina drooped her ears and knitted her brows. His punch made no difference, except that his second punch was slightly faster and stronger than his first. Moreover, his posture itself was the same as before.

    However, Yong-ho was different. He noticed the flow of Gusion¡¯s magic power and realized what the difference Gusion mentioned was.

    ¡°The flow of his magic power was different. Yes, it was. There was something more in his second punch, something like an internal explosion in the body or cirction.¡±

    While Yong-ho was murmuring like that, Gusion opened his eyes wide because he never expected Yong-ho could notice the difference, and his observation was quite urate.

    ¡°That¡¯s why Aamon made me exin to you.¡±

    Instead of replying, Aamon simplyughed faintly. Gusion spoke directly to Yong-ho, who was still having a hard time trying to find out the difference, ¡°All the demons survive on magical power. You know this, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s why we demons are supposed to use magic power no matter what we do. My punching a moment ago exins it further.¡±

    Yong-ho slightly wrinkled his forehead. Based on what Gusion himself just exined, his exnation was messy. However, Yong-ho tried tobine what he saw for himself with his experiences so far. Then he reconstructed what Gusion had said.

    ¡°Does it mean that you circted the magical power ording to its movement? In other words, when you punched, did you double its speed and power by using the optimized magic power?¡±

    Gusion¡¯s face brightened at his exnation.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s correct. How smart you are, my little master!¡±

    ¡°Little master?¡±

    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re right. If you use the magic power ording to your movement, you can multiply that power several times. Besides, you could move faster.¡±

    Gusion quickly changed the topic when he was faced with how to call Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho nodded. He seemed to have read it somewhere in a martial arts magazine.

    ¡°Since we demons were born based on magical power from the beginning, we instinctively use magical power, even though our level is different. Your cute guard is no exception.

    It¡¯s because of her magic power skills that she could disy explosive movements with her slim figure.¡±

    Catalina¡¯s ears drooped a little more. She roughly understood what Gusion was talking about, but she wasn¡¯t sure about exining when and how she used that magic power, which was natural because she was born with it, as Gusion said.

    Walking with two feet, which was easy for any average man, was never simple. When one took a step, the bones and muscles of one¡¯s whole body had to react with an exquisite bnce.

    It was very difficult to properly exin that process.

    ¡°But you are not like us, Yong-ho. You use magical power when punching artificially, but what should I say... It¡¯s like you¡¯re collecting magical power to use magic. That¡¯s not the natural way of using magical power. This is probably because you are from the human world, not the demon world.¡±

    As if satisfied with his own exnation, Gusion nodded at what he said.

    Yong-ho, too, could understand it immediately this time.

    Gusion continued, ¡°As you know, your race, the Red Demon, doesn¡¯t know anything about magical power. However, they¡¯re excellent at maximizing their physical movements by using magical power. So, try and learn to use magical power from one of the Red Demons. That skill alone will make you a lot stronger than now.¡±

    In fact, Yong-ho¡¯s bodypletely changed while he was absorbing Agares¡¯s essential teachings on physical movements, so if he could master the use of magical power, he could show amazing movements.

    Gusion took out a new cigar and put it in his mouth as if he finished talking.

    Yong-ho looked at him briefly and said with a smile, ¡°Gusion, aren¡¯t you a Red Demon, too?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

 Chapter 103 - Door of Space (7)

    <h4>Chapter 103: Door of Space (7)</h4>

    Although Gusion asked back instinctively, he could confirm Yong-ho¡¯s reply in his face.

    Gusion put out the cigar that he had just lit. Then he looked down at Yong-ho and asked, ¡°Let me ask to double-check. Are you now asking me to teach you?¡±

    ¡°Well, I heard you are the strongest Red Demon ever. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for me to learn from the strongest one if I had to learn at all?¡±

    Gusion turned his mouth up at his words. He liked Yong-ho¡¯s description of him as the strongest Red Demon, but he had another reason.

    Gusion burst into a loudughter for a while before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Man, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a guy like you for ages. Even Kaiwan didn¡¯t tell me to teach her.¡±

    In fact, most of them around Gusion couldn¡¯t even speak to this guy with Herculean strength.

    Gusion corrected his posture. With his arms folded, he looked down at Yong-ho as if observing him then he immediately nodded.

    ¡°Okay, if you can run up to the 7th floor at once, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    Now that Yong-ho ran up to the 4th floor, he had to cover the remaining three floors at once.

    Aamon, who had been looking at them quietly, showed a little anger for the first time. Catalina looked at Yong-ho with anxious eyes because she could predict how her master would react.

    ¡°Okay, I ept that condition,¡± Yong-ho replied.

    Gusion smiled big then pointed at the arena leisurely.

    He kept puffing out cigar smoke. He looked down at Yong-ho, who was lying on the floor of the arena like a lump. Then he said with an emptyugh as if he was dumbfounded, ¡°Man, howe you really did what I told you?¡±

    It would be a lie if Gusion didn¡¯t expect it at all, but he gave Yong-ho such a condition, thinking he would not ept it.

    In the arena, one was supposed to fight a stronger floor master as one moved up the floor.

    Moreover, the level of difficulty went up sharply, starting with the fifth floor, so Gusion thought that Yong-ho would crumble on the sixth floor. And even if Yong-ho managed to get up to the 6th floor, Giant Bear, the floor master on the 7th floor, was far from an easy enemy.

    But Yong-ho beat all of them. Granted that he skillfully used Brigada and the magical power of greed, his achievement was more than what Gusion expected.

    Aamon was also surprised.

    [My little master.]

    [Your greed... No, your anguish is really amazing. Who could have expected your delusions brought about such enormous greed?!]

    The source of greed was desire, and Yong-ho¡¯s greed didn¡¯t know its end.

    Gusion tilted his head.

    Yong-ho asked, ¡°Anguish? What the heck are you talking about?¡±

    [We decided to keep it a secret.]

    ¡°Secret?¡±

    [Yes, a secret. Well... Honestly, it¡¯s a little embarrassing for me to talk about it.]

    ¡°Embarrassing?¡±

    Yong-ho wanted to cut off their conversation at once, but he was too weak to speak.

    His fingertips trembled. Perhaps, it was because he was stung by the giant spider, Ongoliant, the floor master on the 6th floor.

    ¡°Master, are you okay? Can you hear my voice?¡±

    Only Katarina was sincerely worried about Yong-ho. She let her ears drooped with a sad look.

    ¡®It¡¯s harmful.¡¯

    Her face was too close to him so was her breathing.

    Yong-ho calmed down by reciting some passages of the Buddhist scriptures that he had learned a while ago then took a big breath. After standing up with the support of Catalina, he absorbed the magical power of Mammon left by the floor master on the 7th floor.

    ¡°Whew!¡±

    It worked. He felt that his magical power had increased, and at the same time, his body got more energized than before. He broke through the 7th floor with an unyielding spirit.

    Although he was out of shape in body and soul along the way, he got lots of things.

    It wasn¡¯t just Mammon¡¯s magical power and rewards that he got. His evolutionary skills leveled up almost entirely while he was desperately fighting with his peers or stronger beings. With little more effort, it seemed that he could achieve the next level of evolution.

    Above all, he remembered the promise Gusion made to him.

    ¡°You will keep the promise, won¡¯t you?¡± asked Yong-ho.

    ¡°Yes, of course. However, you¡¯re too weak to learn from me today, so if you visit me next time, I will teach you the basics first.¡±

    Gusion was also satisfied. Honestly, he wanted to teach Yong-ho even if he didn¡¯t make the promise, for Yong-ho¡¯s growth was so fast and dazzling.

    ¡°By the way, do you have any good healer under your wing or something like a clinic?¡±

    The injuries Yong-ho suffered in the arena were not real. However, he was mentally bruised like in the real world. A strong mental shock could inflict damage to the body, so him getting proper treatment was very important.

    But Yong-ho had nothing to say because the best healer in the Mammon family was Yong-ho himself. It was a long time ago when he could talk about evolution or advancement.

    He thought of Oros that he had just obtained, but he was staying in the Free City, not in the dungeon of the Mammon family. So, Yong-ho could not use him immediately.

    From the looks of Yong-ho and Catalina¡¯s expressions, Gusion could find the answer, so he said with a sigh, ¡°Alright. As we have ended up like this, we have no other choice.¡±

    Gusion disyed his fingers in the air. As if examining a document, he rolled his eyes and said, ¡°First floor... look for Scathach on the first basement floor.¡±

    It was a presence on the first floor of thebyrinth of true greed at the bottom of the shallow Mammon family.

    Catalina¡¯s eyes opened wide at the name of Scathach. Yong-ho had also seen the name in the record.

    Gusion nodded.

    ¡°Scathach, the Immortal Witch. Among the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, she is in charge of healing.¡±

    <hr />

    Perhaps because of breaking through the three floors at once, Yong-ho realized that a lot of time passed when he left the arena and returned to the dungeon of the House of Mammon.

    After calming down Lucia and Eligos who was nagging at him, he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

    How many hours passed again?

    Yong-ho woke up at dawn, when everyone was asleep, and left the Demon King¡¯s room. He was looking for the door of space whose construction was in progress.

    Since it was under construction, there was no spirit involved in it, for its external construction was almostpletely finished on Kaiwan¡¯s watch. What was needed now was the maturation of the magic circle to operate the door of space, namely, enough time and magical power.

    Yong-ho stood at the door of the space, which looked like a portal that he had seen in games.

    It was in the shape of arge, round metal circle on the altar.

    After looking at the door of the space for a long time, Yong-ho giggled.

    ¡®Is it just chicken and coke that I miss the most now? Dang it! How miserable I am?!¡¯

    He missed his parents¡¯ faces, but what upied his mind at the moment was something to eat. It had been several months since he came to the demon world.

    He would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t miss them. He really wanted to go back home after riding out the danger of his life several times.

    But he took a big breath. He now sat down and looked at the door of space.

    Lucia remained silent, not to disturb Yong-ho, so did Catalina, who was seated in the hallway.

    After some time passed, Yong-ho stood up and turned around without any regrets.

    Someday he would go back home through the door of space but not now. He had no intention of leaving now, neglecting the members of the House of Mammon irresponsibly.

    Yong-ho himself was the head of the Mammon family as well as the new King of Greed.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± he said loudly.

    He seemed to have heard some pping sound from the corridor.

    He giggled but stepped forward without looking back. Then he moved forward.

 Chapter 104 - Scathach of Aquarius (1)

    <h4>Chapter 104: Scathach of Aquarius (1)</h4>

    A herd of wolves went around at dawn.

    Originally, they should have been running after their prey. However, they smelled blood early on and gathered lots of clues from the smell.

    The smell suggested there were overwhelmingly more enemies than allies. Moreover, there was an unfamiliar smell mixed in that blood.

    The pack of wolves informed their boss that they should be prepared, but their boss was not in a hurry. Slowing down, they moved forward, sufficiently prepared. Their movement was like tranquility before the storm, which was so calm that anyone who did not know the situation would think it was just their casual walk.

    Embrio, the leader of the pack and the Demon King of the wolves, was covered with blood all over its body, bled by the enemies. The heads of the coalition of Western Houses and their loyal spirits did not stop resisting in a spectacr disy of grit until thest minute, but Embrio felt irritated this time because the situation was so difficult.

    The strategy chosen by the Western families¡¯ coalition, ¡°Expansion of the Battlefield,¡± was effective. They didn¡¯t allow Embrio to deal a ¡°final blow¡± to crush them all. They engaged in small battles repeatedly for a war of attrition and focused on getting rid of Embrio¡¯s forces, not Embrio himself.

    Embrio was strong, and his army was also strong, but they were not invincible. The Western Houses¡¯ coalition won the battlefield without Embrio. Embrio was alone, while there were several heads in the Western families¡¯ coalition. The more fighting there was, the more damaging it was to Embrio.

    So, Embrio also changed his strategy. He forced an inevitable fight against the Western Houses¡¯ coalition, which desperately avoided fighting with the Demon King of the wolves.

    Embrio attacked the dungeons.

    The dungeons in the west, which had been already conquered, or the dungeons in the north, located adjacent to the west, were ignored. Instead, he mobilized the troops to attack each of the dungeons of those heads of families belonging to the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance.

    This time he did not go to the trouble of upying the dungeons like he did in the north. After upying the core dungeons, he thoroughly destroyed them.

    The heads of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance could not give up the dungeons like Embrio.

    The dungeons deserted by Embrio were a kind of extended bases under hismand, but each of them was a home base to the heads of the Western Owner¡¯ Alliance.

    Dungeons were different from normal fortresses and castles.

    So, the fall of the dungeons meant the death of the ¡®subordinate spirits¡¯ registered in the dungeons.

    Heads of the houses and their spirits were connected to each other. In other words, they were in the same boat, protecting each other.

    Of course, their status was different from each other.

    Even if the dungeons were destroyed, their heads survived, but their subordinate spirits, who made the contract with their masters through the dungeons, lost their lives. .

    The mass death of subordinate spirits greatly weakened the power of their masters. It was not symbolic but real. The weakening of their magical power even weakened their overall physical capabilities.

    In order to save their spirits, the masters had to cancel their registration before the dungeons fell. However, the cancetion also greatly weakened their power. The dungeons were limited, and it was not easy for the masters, who canceled their registration, to find a new dungeon.

    Embrio weakened individual heads, the foundation of the Western families¡¯ coalition.

    There were few family heads who could attack Embrio¡¯s dungeons while their dungeons were being attacked.

    It was clear that some heads of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance proposed attacking Embrio¡¯s main dungeons, but they could not easily carry out such an idea.

    Embrio¡¯s main dungeons were in the north, not the west. Moreover, there was no way of identifying which dungeon really belonged to Embrio. Embrio had several dungeons. Those family heads, who had multiple dungeons, could make one of them their main dungeon by investing time and magical power.

    It had already been awhile since Embrio upied the north, during which he could have moved his core dungeons if he had wanted.

    Moreover, Embrio did not have any subordinate spirit. There was some spection that the wolves that he always took around were his subordinate spirits, but no matter how clever they were, they were mere wolves. There were few family heads who reced their spirits, whose number was limited, with ordinary wolves.

    If Embrio did not have subordinate spirits, attacking his dungeons could deal a psychological blow to him, but it would not weaken his power tangibly.

    The heads of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance could not pursue the same strategy as Embrio¡¯s.

    While most of them had only one dungeon, Embrio had multiple dungeons.

    They had to invade the northern part, rtively far away from them, but the northern part belonged to Embrio. Moreover, it was impossible for them to attack Embrio¡¯s dungeons quickly because the target of their attack was not clear.

    Their crucial weakness was that they were more concerned about protecting themselves.

    Currently, their dungeons were exposed to destruction, but there were few heads who could dare to head out to the northern areas to fight.

    Such a task was like hanging the bell about the cat¡¯s neck to them.

    Embrio took a deep breath.

    Sooner orter, the heads of the Western Owner¡¯s Alliance would be forced to divide from within or pursue a new strategy, which would mean their unavoidable fight with Embrio that they had so desperately avoided.

    They would have to face Embrio sooner orter, so they needed to be a little bit more patient until then.

    While Embrio led his elite troops and attacked their dungeons, the heads of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance attacked the frontline strongholds established by Embrio. Even if their dungeons were destroyed, Embryo would not suffer fatal damages like the coalition¡¯s heads.

    But he could not ignore the damages lightly.

    So, he had run desperately to defeat the task force of the heads of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance that repeated a ¡®hit and run¡¯ strategy to avoid him.

    No matter how strong Embrio was, he couldn¡¯t maintain an army without supplies.

    He saw the frontline base several hundred meters away from him when he slowed down enough.

    As he got closer, he sized up the situation with his sharp observation.

    The frontline base was not destroyed. There were not many friendly forces killedpared with the enemies, who suffered heavy casualties. Looking at the number of those killed and the enemies¡¯ condition, his attack could be called a certain victory.

    Embrio now realized why he won.

    ¡°Death Knight.¡±

    The mighty Death Knight stood firmly against a mountain of enemy corpses.

    His presence was a tremendous pressure on Embrio. Indeed, he was qualified to im the status of the strongest undead along with Elder Lich.

    A ck full te armor enveloped his whole body, and a dark blue cloak resembling the night fluttered in the wind. His huge magic sword, stained with a lot of blood, emitted the aura of the wicked.

    He was obviously stronger than any of the family heads in the southern area.

    Embrioughed bitterly. The Death Knight was certainly here to ¡°support¡± him, but his presence was like a warning.

    There were more powerful beings under the Death Knight¡¯s master. Compared with the real force behind him, the Death Knight was just like the tip of the iceberg.

    ¡°Embrio, it looks like you were struggling to fight more than I expected.¡±

    A harsh, gloomy voice rang from the ground. The voice belonged to the surveint, a servant of the ¡®King of Gluttony.¡¯

    The frontline base was now around the corner.

    Embrio stopped where he was. Instead of approaching his subordinates who maintained a strange distance from the Death Knight, he took a break with the wolves. He could not inform them about his meeting with the surveint.

    ¡°It is a gift from the king. Use it well,¡± said the surveint.

    Embrio gulped. He couldn¡¯t respond, nor could he engage in a subtle war of nerves with the surveint as usual.

    It was not because of the Death Knight¡¯s presence. Embrio looked in the sky.

    The surveintughed menacingly. Embrio¡¯spetence and agility usually rubbed him the wrong way, but this time, it gave him joy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget. The king is watching you, Embrio.¡±

    The surveint disappeared in no time. The Death Knight bowed to Embrio from a distance.

    But Embrio couldn¡¯t respond to both. Clenching his teeth, Embryo stared at the dazzling sky of the demon world.

    His presence beyond that cloud.

    The death monster surpassing the Death Knight.

    He clearly revealed the power of the six kings, who ruled the demon world.

    ¡°... Dragon...¡±

    As if responding to his quiet call, the air current in the sky changed. The mighty magical power of death disturbed the sky of the demon world.

    <hr />

    ¡°Come to your senses, brother! Just do what you have been doing!¡±

    Ophelia shouted, staring straight ahead. Blue magical energy emitted from her slim, stic calves.

    Eligos breathed roughly. Suppressing excitement and tension, he clenched his fists.

    He gathered dark red energy in both hands and was prepared for the battle.

    The dungeon battle lighting could not drive out all the darkness. It could only illuminate the center of the crossroads with a wide road in all directions.

    ¡°Skull!¡±

    Skull, who was standing on the opposite side of Ophelia and Eligos, shouted loudly.

    The thunderbolt of greed arising from Brigada¡¯s ne was present not only in Warhammer but also in the magic shield Yong-ho obtained on the fifth floor of the arena.

    The Skull unit also shouted as their captain did. Each of them stared at the darkness while grabbing their weapons.

    Catalina calmly caught her breath. She controlled the magical power of greed originating from Brigada.

    Greed strengthened her magical power. Her ck magical power was now like a de that freely transformed itself. It was not an exaggeration to say that Catalina¡¯s body, armed with ck magical power on her arms and legs as well as daggers on both hands, was now a weapon itself.

    Rikum and several Orcs under his control kept swallowing, standing beside Catalina.

    They were not seen because it was dark, but it was not easy to guess how many they were, given their shouting.

    The Goblin Rangers and Baduk who stood among the Orcs couldn¡¯t even breathe properly because they felt so tense.

    Kiaaaaah!

 Chapter 105 - Scathach of the Aquarius (2)

    <h4>Chapter 105: Scathach of the Aquarius (2)</h4>

    Suddenly, a monstrous shout was heard.

    Then dungeon monsters charged from three directions of the crossroads.

    The first basement floor of the House of Mammon.

    The forbiddennd for more than a hundred years was now upied by the dungeon monsters.

    Dozens, maybe even hundreds of dungeon monsters rushed at the House of Mammon¡¯s spirits.

    Most of them were Ghouls and skeletons. There were among them who were full of blind hatred for the living. They were the Banshee and Abomination, the incarnation of horror.

    Eligos breathed roughly and fast. Ophelia grinned after pping Eligos on the back.

    Instead of waiting, she charged at the dungeon monsters face to face.

    ¡°Dang it! Help me, Brother!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t tell her to stop if she wanted to save her life. She was like a typhoon, who prated deep into the Ghouls and kicked them hard. It seemed that the Ghouls, not Ophelia, had to shout for help.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Eligos rushed after Ophelia. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of the consequences if he didn¡¯t rush now, though it was partly true. But he had another reason.

    Eligos was the butler of the Mammon family. He had to show his strength befitting his status as the great Mammon family¡¯s butler. Of course, he was a little bit, yes a tiny bit worried about Ophelia¡¯s safety.

    Eligos, equipped with a unique dynamic strength of a Red Demon beast, overwhelmed the Ghouls. Eligos¡¯ punching literally crushed them all at once.

    ¡°Awesome, Brother! You look like a beast!¡±

    Ophelia kicked in the air with a heartyugh. With the energy arising from her sharp toes, she cut several Ghouls with the de of magical power.

    ¡°Skull, Skull!¡±

    Skull, who was standing on the opposite side, also showed off his bravery. He didn¡¯t stop at merely smashing the Ghouls with a battle hammer with a lightning strike.

    The magical power of greed soared from Brigada that Skull had on his neck. Skull, a skeleton magic knight, concentrated its magic on the hammer. He struck the ground at once to release a tremendous lightning strike!

    Dozens of lightning strikes that were spreading around the attacking point covered the entire corridor.

    Not only the Ghouls but even the Banshee, which could be said to be almost an astral body, could not avoid the lightning strike. The bodies of the Ghouls exploded here and there because they could not ovee the impact of the lightning strike. Banshee¡¯s astral body was scattered in the air.

    Skull shouted again, ¡°Skull! Skull!¡±

    It was a rush order. At the captain¡¯s order, the Skull unit invaded the ce that had been devastated by the lightning strikes and wiped out the dungeon monsters.

    Under themand of Jun, the only female goblin, the Goblin Rangers fought in an organized manner. Baduk, with a bamboo spear, joined them, so Jun made a new formation including Baduk to tackle the Ghouls.

    They weren¡¯t greedy. They held their ces as if they were defending their positions in a basketball game. The Goblin Rangers were not in their element when it came to the offensive.

    Rikum and the Orcs were excited as they were engaged in a real fight after a long time. No matter what others said, the Orcs were born fighters.

    But this time, they had to take a step back. There was a great wall between the Ghouls and them.

    Catalina ran through the darkness.

    With the blood of the dark elf running through her body, she could see through the darkness. Inheriting the blood of the subus, she could control the magical power of greed with amazing sensitivity.

    She was a shadow runner. Darkness was her friend, not her enemy.

    Not only the floor but also the walls and ceiling were her fighting stages. Running through the walls and kicking the ceiling to prate into the Ghouls, she rotated herself where she was and swung her arms. In an instant, she released the power of her ck magic.

    The de of the shadow raged. Soaking in the magic of greed, it stretched over a few meters and broke everything that stood in the way. Banshee, the semi-spirit, couldn¡¯t avoid the de of the shadow, and neither could Abomination, whose thick skin denied the attack of a normal de.

    The de of the shadow changed its shape freely. Sometimes it was a giant reaper¡¯s scythe. Sometimes it was a sharp Scimitar. Thanks to Catalina¡¯s mobility, which urred almost instantly, the fighting was as good as a wide-range attack.

    ¡°Wow! Way to go!¡±

    Standing carefree among the spirits fighting against the enemies charging from three directions, Yong-ho pped and cheered them. Smi, standing by his side, looked at him incredulously, but he did not intend to join them in the intense fighting.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of Yong-ho alone bing strong. The spirits under his control had to be strong as well.

    The best way to umte evolution EXP was the experience of real fighting that risked one¡¯s life. The more powerful the opponent and the more fierce the battle was, the more evolution EXP one could get.

    Moreover, he needed to be more adept at using Brigada.

    Yong-ho looked at Catalina closely, in particr. He was impressed by Eligos fighting like a beast, but Catalina¡¯s progress stood out. He felt she could really challenge the first floor of the arena with her current skills.

    The ground shook. Dungeon monsters appeared from another direction of the crossroads.

    As if to make up for their absence from the fighting until now, their numbers were several times morepared to the monsters from other directions.

    Yong-ho turned to them. He wasn¡¯t afraid even though dozens of Ghouls were charging toward him. He reached out in the air and grabbed Aamon, the red-lotus demon spear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Smi,¡± Yong-ho said, and Smi understood it. Regretting the absence of its rival Bucephs here, Smi gathered all the magical power.

    Yong-ho did not run. Instead, he concentrated the power of greed on the tip of Amon.

    ¡°Kiaaaaah!¡±

    Ghouls popped out of the dark. Yong-ho pulled Amon and stepped forward, trampling on the ground strongly. Smi also opened its mouth wide to emit mes.

    The mouth of greed swallowed the mes of Smi. The one direction of the crossroads, namely the entire wide corridor, was engulfed with the waves of sparks.

    Not only the Ghouls but also the darkness itself was driven out.

    Since it was the sparks of enormous magical power, those who were fighting in the other three directions had no choice but to look back for a moment. And they all smiled.

    The air was on fire. The burning smell filled the hallways, and all the spirits soon had to refocus on their fighting while frowning.

    Yong-ho also frowned, but he was still smiling.

    How much time had passed?

    The moment Eligos smashed thest remaining Ghoul¡¯s head with a fist, they heard Lucia¡¯s voice that they had been waiting for earnestly.

    [The first basement floor of the Mammon family has been upied!]

    [I¡¯ll supply the magical power from now on!]

    Magical light poured out from the ceiling.

    Faced with the light, Yong-ho looked around. Then he met the eyes of those spirits belonging to the Mammon family, which were ebbing away from it, avoiding the light.

    The first basement floor of the Mammon family.

    The exploration of the ¡®Labyrinth of Greed¡¯, the giant castle of Mammon, the King of Greed, was about to begin now.

    After they won the battle and upied the hall on the first floor, Yong-ho began to send the spirits upstairs, which didn¡¯t know about the ¡®truth.¡¯

    The Orcs, including Rikum, did not know much about the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Goblin Rangers and Baduk also thought that this battle was part of the operation to recover ¡°Kaiwan¡¯s legacy,¡± as it always had been.

    However, it was impossible to cheat them forever.

    ording to Aamon and Gusion, this was the beginning of the Labyrinth of True Greed, not the ¡°fake¡± one. Therefore, there was a possibility that a truly great facility or artifact could be discovered. Even if Kaiwan was the best of the dungeon heads for the past few generations, it didn¡¯t make sense that she achieved all of this during her reign, spanning ten years or so.

    Apart from Baduk or other goblins, it was possible that Jun or Rikum, who had smart brains, would detect the truth.

    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t trust Rikum or the Goblin Rangers.

    But he had to have the worst situation in mind. If the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed was known even by mere chance, not only Yong-ho but also all the spirits of the House of Mammon would be in danger.

    Except for the subordinate spirits, all of the others returned to the ground floor.

    After confirming that the passage connecting the ground floor and the first basement floor was tightly closed, Yong-ho felt relieved and looked around the area.

    It was arge space.

    The square space, the center of the crossroads, wasrge enough for a basketball match.

    The straight corridor was also wide enough for five or six adult men to walk shoulder to shoulder.

    ¡°This is indeed the dungeon of the House of Mammon.¡±

    Ophelia did not hide her admiration. When she showed curiosity like that, she looked like a pure girl, not a veteran pub mistress who had gone through ups and downs.

    In a way, her reaction was natural.

    Before starting the exploration, Yong-ho confessed the ¡®truth¡¯ to his subordinate spirits.

    They were in the same boat as him, sharing his fate. Moreover, they were supposed to continue to explore the Labyrinth of Greed with Yong-ho.

    That was why he confessed the truth. He confessed the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed to four people.

    It was in the same vein that Ophelia was more excited than usual during the battle.

    In fact, she had been seized with all kinds of delusions after hearing from her father, Endelyon, about the depths of the Mammon family. So, it was natural for her to get excited because she realized that the identity of the depths was nothing but the Labyrinth of Greed.

 Chapter 106 - Scathach of the Aquarius (3)

    <h4>Chapter 106: Scathach of the Aquarius (3)</h4>

    Eligos also looked around and moved a lot. Catalina also did the same. Even though she was aware of the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed even before Yong-ho¡¯s confession after hearing relevant stories whileing and going to the arena, she wiggled her tail violently in excitement.

    It was only Skull that remained calm. Actually, it was so calm that it was rolling on the ground

    It was quite a scene Yong-ho saw after a long time.

    ¡°As you all have experienced, there are many dungeon monsters. Some more might be in hiding, so you have to be careful of their traps, too.¡±

    There were almost no records on the Labyrinth of Greed in the archives of the Mammon family.

    Since they had to hide the identity of the Labyrinth of Greed, the sessive owners of the House of Mammon handed down its information to their descendants only orally.

    It was obvious that the relevant records were missing. What was handed down to them until Kaiwan¡¯s era was the existence of the Labyrinth of Greed, as well as the twelve spirits of the Mammon family somewhere in its depths.

    Catalina and Eligos became nervous at the word ¡®trap¡¯. If this was the ¡°first floor¡±, it¡¯s supposed to contain the most traps, to say the least, because it was the first line of defense against the enemy infiltrating the dungeon.

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly at Catalina and Eligos when they erected their tails as if to show they were extremely nervous at the moment. Then he looked back at the owner of the third tail, who was moving it cheerfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the traps won¡¯t work properly, do you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe not. That¡¯s why the dungeon monsters were moving around in droves like that. Of course, we can¡¯t afford to let our guard down,¡± said Ophelia.

    Having said that, she caught her breath calmly. She knew she was going to embark on exploration, not tourism. What Yong-ho needed now was not a girl with twinkling green eyes, but a veteran tavern hostess.

    Eligos said, ¡°Skathach has another name, ¡®Aquarius,¡¯ in addition to her different name ¡°Immortal Witch¡±. ordingly, she has so many anecdotes rted to water. I may take things easy, but if there is a residence for Scathach somewhere near here, it might be a water-rted ce.¡±

    Although there were few records on the Labyrinth of Greed, the records on the twelve spirits of the Mammon family were overflowing. They were powerful demons that left their names in the history of the demon world even before they became the spirits of the Mammon family.

    Scathach in the legend was a witch, who handled water and life. She was so deeply rted to water that it was not an exaggeration to say that all the records about her started and ended with water.

    Yong-ho nodded and said, ¡°That makes sense. Let me keep it in mind. Good job, Eligos.¡±

    Eligos smiled in satisfaction at his praise. Though he was not as pleased as Catalina, his wagging tail showed he was happy.

    ¡®I think I have to praise him more often.¡¯

    Yong-ho made up his mind like that then turned his gaze to Ophelia to seek her opinion, too. But Skull came into his eyes again when he did that because the way he rolled on the floor was somewhat different than usual.

    ¡°Skull?¡±

    ¡°Skull, Skull,¡± Skull responded, raising his body. It still couldn¡¯t understand Yong-ho, but they could barelymunicate as the dungeon head and his subordinate. Yong-ho could understand its meaning roughly.

    When Yong-ho approached and checked it, there was moss sprouting through the cracks of the floor.

    ¡°It¡¯s moss,¡± said Ophelia, who had approached him before he realized it. Catalina also nodded.

    Finally, Eligos looked at Skull before turning to Yong-ho in no time.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s moss.¡±

    Indeed, it was moss. There was nothing unusual about it.

    Yong-ho narrowed his eyebrows and soon understood why Skull paid attention to the moss.

    The moss was growing in only one direction of the crossroads.

    There was no moss in the center of the hall. No moss could be found in the other three directions. There was moss growing in only one direction, and the farther he looked, the more moss he could see.

    ¡°Moisture,¡± said Yong-ho. Skull nodded with a heartyugh.

    Even a little bit of water was needed for the moss to grow.

    Yong-ho thought for a moment then looked up and asked Lucia, ¡°Lucia, can you tell me where the source of water is based on where you¡¯re standing now?¡±

    [The same direction as the moss is growing now. ]

    The waterway on the first floor of the dungeon of the Mammon family used groundwater as its source. Be it the Labyrinth of Greed or groundwater, it was certainly located under the first floor. If Scathach was in a water-rted ce like Eligos said, it was most likely to be near the source of the water.

    Of course, the situation would be different if Scathach built a waterway as she did on the first floor of the dungeon to supply water to other ces.

    However, Yong-ho shook his head. The first basement floor had been sealed for nearly a hundred years. Even if there was a waterway or any other facility, it was unlikely that they were operating properly.

    ¡°Ophelia, what do you think of what Eligos said?¡±

    ¡°I agree with my brother¡¯s opinion. It¡¯s highly likely that Scathach is residing in a watery ce.¡±

    She replied immediately. Smiling at Skull, Yong-ho nodded again this time and said, ¡°Nice job!¡±

    He now realized why Skull rolled on the floor.

    Skullughed in satisfaction. He was as happy as Eligos.

    ¡°Okay, shall we start?¡±

    Now, Yong-ho located the direction where there was the source of the water. He closed his eyes and activated the power of greed.

    What he wanted was Scathach, the Immortal Witch.

    He specified her images as much as possible and put together all the information he knew about her.

    His wild greed, exploding in all directions, converged into one. Then he went forward without hesitation.

    Catalina and Eligos pulled out the lighting equipment for dungeon exploration to brighten the ce. They started exploring the Labyrinth of Greed.

    About five minutes after their expedition began, Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were quite embarrassed because the path was too simple.

    It was just a straight path. There were no crossroads, which were somon, let alone corners.

    The traps that they were worried about in the first ce were the same. There were entrances leading to small rooms on either side of the path, but they only looked straight.

    Another five minutes passed, and Yong-ho reached the end of the corridor. They stopped at a door almost asrge as the width of the corridor.

    It was a door with arge tree embossed on it. Ophelia and Eligos grabbed the handles of the door, respectively, while Catalina and Skull stood on both sides of Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho also embodied Aamon in case of any danger.

    They exchanged nces quickly. When Yong-ho nodded, Ophelia and Eligos, who exchanged ncesstly, opened the door.

    Light poured out from inside. Moreover, the light greatly embarrassed them.

    It wasn¡¯t just light or lighting.

    ¡°Is it sunlight?¡± Yong-ho blurted out before he knew it, and Ophelia, frowning at the sudden light in the dark, sniffed about. It smelled like water as well as dirt. The fragrant smell of grass tickled her nose.

    A meadow spread out inside the door. How could anybody imagine they were inside a dungeon? Swallowing, Yong-ho took a step inside the door.

    The wind blew. It was a wind with the smell of grass.

    There was a sky on the high ceiling that seemed to be at least thirty meters tall. It was the blue sky of the human world, not that of the demon world mixed with various colors.

    ¡°Is it biosphere?¡±

    It was an artificial ecosystem that could be seen in a movie.

    It was weird, indeed. He could recognize that there was a ceiling, and the sky clearly stretched out in it.

    ¡®Then, is that an artificial sun?¡¯

    Warm sunlight was pouring down from a pile of light, shining in the middle of the sky.

    He never imagined that he would see such a spectacr sight in a dungeon like this.

    Suppressing his excitement, he looked around calmly.

    It was vast, first of all. It was a space that seemed to be hundreds of meters in diameter. There was real dirt on the ground, with even bugs and small animals on it.

    Catalina pointed to a corner with a nk expression. Yong-ho, who looked at it, also blinked.

    There was ake. Since it was such a vast ce, theke was far from small.

    And there was an ind in the middle of theke.

    It was an ind covered with ice as if to ignore the temperature inside, which was warm enough to be spring weather.

    Yong-ho again focused on greed. As expected, greed stretched toward the ice ind.

    Turning Aamon back into the shape of a bracelet, he stepped toward the ice ind.

    He hesitated for a moment in front of the small wooden bridge connecting the edge of theke and the ice ind, but he soon made a decision.

    Confronting Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits carried a big risk.

 Chapter 107 - Scathach of the Aquarius (4)

    <h4>Chapter 107: Scathach of the Aquarius (4)</h4>

    One could not be sure how true it was, but among the stories that had been passed down to the Mammon family was one about those who confronted Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits but got killed for failing to pass their test.

    However, Yong-ho did not hesitate. He trusted Aamon and Gusion. If Scathach had been too dangerous for Yong-ho, the two would not have rmended him to meet her.

    The ind itself was not made of ice. Only the surface of the ind as well as a building that resembled a small temple in the middle of the ind were covered with ice.

    Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits naturally posed themselves for fighting. Instead of picking Aamon, he activated the me of greed, which opened the path by melting ice.

    It was as if the snow was melting. The ice blocking the entrance to the temple also melted quickly as soon as it touched the me of greed. He felt that the ice was reacting to greed itself, not heat.

    Ophelia and Eligos opened the door this time, too. The sunlight pouring from the sky naturally lit the inside of the temple.

    All kinds of light sparkled from the colorful stained ss on the ceiling.

    And a blue beauty was sitting on the frozen throne underneath it with her chin resting on her hand. Just like everything else on the ind, she was also covered with ice.

    Yong-ho was confident that she was Scathach, the Immortal Witch.

    When he first took Mammon¡¯s magic on the first floor of the arena, he saw her face. She was a beauty with blue hair, holding a water bottle. She could never die thanks to her transcendental vitality.

    She opened her eyes. Amid the melting ice, Scathach lifted her head and opened her lips, ¡°Hello.¡±

    She said just one word. Yong-ho instinctively felt that the ¡®test¡¯ began.

    Something intense passed through their souls. Yong-ho, who closed his eyes instinctively, opened his eyes again in a strange familiarity.

    Everyone fell on the floor. Eligos and Catalina fell to the floor, motionless as if they passed over, while Ophelia was moaning, short of breath. Even Skull fell and wriggled on the floor without standing up properly.

    Scathach blinked then said in an embarrassed voice, ¡°Uh? Are you alright? Really?¡±

    Even before Yong-ho could respond, Scathach showed her strength once again. This time, too, something intense passed through Yong-ho¡¯s soul, and he finally realized what it was. He seemed to know why it was familiar to him.

    It was the real experience of death.

    Scathach shocked everyone in Yong-ho¡¯s group strongly enough to make them feel they experienced a dozen deaths.

    So, it was natural that they fell down. The test was hard for not only Ophelia, who was trained with psychological magic, but also Skull, who had already experienced death once.

    But the test was too easy for Yong-ho. He looked back at Aamon that positioned itself on his right arm before he knew.

    As for the experience of death, he experienced it more than three dozen times. Every time he practiced with Aamon, he had to die at least fifteen times.

    It might sound strange, but Yong-ho got used to death.

    ¡®They knew it.¡¯

    They already knew what Scathach¡¯s test was. That was why not only Gusion but Aamon didn¡¯t mention the test to him at all.

    Because of dozens of simr near-death experiences, even Ophelia and Skull passed out.

    Scathach looked at Yong-ho, who was still in good shape, with a strange expression then raised her hand again. Yong-ho urgently stopped her action.

    ¡°Wait a moment. I have something to give you. This is a letter from the owner of the arena, Gusion with superhuman strength.¡±

    Having said that quickly, he searched for something. However, he stopped moving his hand when Scathach responded quickly, ¡°Uh? It¡¯s from my sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°Your sweetheart?¡±

    He unwittingly asked back, and she nodded with a cheerful smile.

    ¡°Yes, my sweetheart, my love.¡±

    Yong-ho recalled Gusion¡¯s face when he gave him the letter.

    He seemed to know why Gusion made such an expression at that time.

    Her eyes were like those of a zebra before it was eaten by a lion.

    ¡®Gosh, is her memory distorted?¡¯

    Scathach was a beauty who seemed to have a very pleasing personality. She was almost as tall as Yong-ho, about 180 cm in height, but the ratio of her body was so good that he didn¡¯t think she was that tall. Moreover, Gusion, Scathach¡¯s alleged boyfriend, was a giant, who was over two meters tall.

    Standing side by side, they would probably look good as a couple.

    Scathach read the letter carefully twice, no, three times. Given that she was smiling, with one hand on her cheek, she seemed to be happy about the contents of the letter very much.

    ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like a love letter,¡¯ Yong-ho thought.

    The man who wrote the letter was none other than Gusion. Yong-ho couldn¡¯t even imagine that clunky man sitting at his desk and writing a love letter.

    ¡®Oh, maybe he could...¡¯

    Yong-ho thought there was something cute about him.

    But Yong-ho shook his head soon. After stopping such idle delusions, he examined his subordinate spirits lying on the floor. Gently patting Catalina¡¯s wobbly tail, he turned to Scathach.

    ¡°Is this really good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s good. You might feel shocked, but it doesn¡¯t do any harm to your body, and it has no side effects. I am not a person who is hard on you.¡±

    While talking gibberish like that and waving her hand, she finally folded the letter.

    Even after reading it several times, she bit her lips slightly as if she still wanted to keep reading. It took about several minutes for her to put it on the handle of the chair.

    He thought that given her behavior, she was far from Mammon¡¯s twelve spirits like Aamon or Gusion.

    When he felt Scathach¡¯s test began, he felt some powerful magic at the moment, but it was a very short moment, so he didn¡¯t remember it.

    Right now, the only thing that Yong-ho saw was a blue China dress, which was torn off on both sides to reveal her legs, a pure white fur wrapped around her neck and shoulders, and her sky blue hair tied up in a knot beautifully.

    ¡°Hmmm. I see. You¡¯re my ¡®Little Master,¡¯ ording to him,¡± said Scathach, lightly clearing her throat.

    Given her use of the title ¡®Little Master¡¯ referring to him, Yong-ho thought she was Gusion¡¯s girlfriend.

    ¡°Good to see you. Let me introduce myself again. I am Scathach, the Immortal Witch. I¡¯m one of the twelve spirits serving Mammon, the King of Greed, and a gardener who manages the garden of life.¡±

    Then she asked for a handshake, smiling brightly at him.

    Yong-ho was rather embarrassed because this was the first time he met her, which was so different from his encounter with Aamon or Gusion.

    ¡®Well,e to think of it, isn¡¯t this normal?¡¯ he thought.

    Rather, Aamon and Gusion were the ones who were abnormal since they abruptly shook hands with him.

    Yong-ho dly held her hand. He introduced himself, meeting her blue eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yong-ho Chon, the head of the House of Mammon.

    Scathach¡¯s hand was cold, but it felt good.

    Since she didn¡¯t let go of his hand even after shaking hands, he had no choice but to withdraw his hand first.

    He changed the topic as if to hide his awkwardness.

    ¡°As for the garden of life... Are you talking about this ce?¡±

    ¡°To tell you more precisely, it refers to the whole ground floor. Well, all the spirits who came with you fell asleep. To be honest with you, since you¡¯re the head of the Mammon family, it¡¯s the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Scathach slightly winked at him. Somehow, it looked like she could easily answer his questions, so he dared to ask her one of the questions that he had been curious about for a long time.

    ¡°How many floors are there in the Labyrinth of Greed?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Has such a basic record been missing? Sorry to ask you, but what is the number of the head of your family? Do you know the name of any previous family head? How much time has passed?¡±

    She asked, tilting her head continuously, which embarrassed him again.

    ¡®Oh, what is the number of my family head anyway?¡¯

    He had never asked himself about it. Even when he looked at the family tree, he was content with checking out the family heads, but he never paid any attention to the number of the family heads. Since he overlooked the names of the previous heads, he could not remember any name.

    After all, he replied carefully, narrowing his eyebrows, ¡°You don¡¯t know Kaiwan, do you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±

    Since she didn¡¯t even know Kaiwan, it was impossible she knew Cayenne.

    So, Yong-ho stopped asking and tried in a different way.

    ¡°More than a thousand years have passed since Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared.¡±

    Scathach¡¯s eyes trembled for a moment.

 Chapter 108 - Scathach of the Aquarius (5)

    Chapter 108: Scathach of the Aquarius (5)

    Although the passage of time was ambiguous, she was different from Gusion, who was always awake in the arena while she had been asleep.

    ¡°Gosh, it seems that time has passed much more than I expected.¡±

    She barely opened her mouth, but she was obviously embarrassed.

    Maybe the smile that she had shown to him until now was a little exaggerated.

    She closed her eyes once. And when she opened her eyes again, she smiled a bright smile like before and said, ¡°The Labyrinth of Greed has a total of thirteen floors. As you may have already noticed, each of Mammon¡¯s twelve spirits is in charge of one floor. The 13th floor belongs to Mammon.¡±

    She was not done yet. She stopped talking for a moment then pointed to Yong-ho¡¯s arm with her eyes.

    ¡°Aamon has no floor to take care of because that guy is a little special.¡±

    Yong-ho looked at the bracelet anew. So, he asked what came up to his mind naturally.

    ¡°Which floor is Gusion in charge of?¡±

    ¡°7th floor. His own arena is there. Other floors are unique, but his floor is especially unique. Well, you can call it a totally different space.¡±

    What she said made sense. That was what Yong-ho always felt whenever he passed the long corridor leading to the arena.

    Yong-ho looked around for a moment. There were manyrge windows in the small temple¡ªScathach¡¯s residence. The sunlight pouring over the window was warm.

    ¡°You said it was a garden, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the garden of life. Since the Labyrinth of Greed is the residence of Mammon, the King of Greed, isn¡¯t it natural that the first floor should be a garden?¡±

    The garden of life wasn¡¯t just a symbolic name.

    So, Yong-ho responded instinctively, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why there was no trap...¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is none other than the garden of the King of Greed, which leads to his pce. Wouldn¡¯t it be a good ce if we didn¡¯t talk about any dreadful stuff?¡±

    There were no traps on the first floor. It was literally a space open to people who came to the garden or the house.

    The most thorough defense of the dungeon¡¯s entrance was the basis of the dungeon¡¯s defense. However, the Labyrinth of Greed, Mamon¡¯s residence,pletely ignored the basicspletely.

    ¡®So, this is the king¡¯s garden?¡¯

    As the residence of the greatest king in the history of the demon world, it symbolized his act of differentiating himself from other kings, which was arrogant and imperious.

    That was why it was appropriate for the king, Yong-ho thought.

    Scathach looked into Yong-ho gently then grinned with her arms folded.

    ¡°Okay, I like you, little master. So, let¡¯s talk a bit officially. Congrattions on passing the first test!¡±

    ¡°The first test? That means you have a second test?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. Did you think you could be the master of this ce by simply enduring a near-death experience?¡± She said with a smile.

    However, the moment she finished talking, a huge magical power filled the pce.

    It was a magical power with a terrible chill that seemed to freeze everything in the world.

    And Yong-ho realized that it didn¡¯t just fill the pce. The magical power was tightly controlled. The magical power released by Scathach surrounded only Yong-ho, giving him a sense of pressure as if the whole world was copsing.

    He might have died from suffocation in the past, but not anymore.

    He found the flow even under the pressure of magical power that seemed to allow for any loophole. Instead of resisting her magical power, he released the me of greed and adapted to the flow. He mixed it with her magical power.

    The magical power that suppressed him naturally dissipated.

    His whole body was soaked with sweat. Although it took only a dozen seconds, he felt like he consumed more than half of his mental power.

    She was still looking at him. Then she withdrew her smile and slowly closed her eyes.

    She bowed to him and said, ¡°Forgive my rudeness, head of the Mamon family. You, the descendant of the great family!¡±

    The flow was simr to Gusion¡¯s but different.

    Yong-ho replied rtively calmly after taking back the me of greed.

    ¡°I forgive you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t care about his croaky voice when he said that to her. Scathach understood why Gusion used the title ¡°Little Master¡± for Yong-ho. She stretched her back to stand up and said cheerfully, ¡°Since you have passed the first test, the Garden of Life is now yours, Little Master. You can do whatever you want here. Besides, you can freely use this ind, the sanctuary of healing.

    Her change of attitude was very swift. So much so that Yong-ho might have been curious if he had not forgiven her.

    As if she already noticed the subtle change in his look, she continued quickly, ¡°This is the pce that the King of Greed has presented to me. In this pce, I can share my overflowing vitality with others. As long as you were not killed, I could heal your wounds, though it would take some time. This would be no exception even if any part of your body was amputated. I can also shake off your mental fatigue. Your spirits, who have fallen, will be healed here cleanly, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Indeed, it¡¯s exactly what Gusion said to him.

    This was a ce that would be of great help to the Mammon family with no proper therapist.

    ¡°I saw a crossroad in the middle. Can I see the same space like this one even if I go another way? Just like the Garden of Life?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to, ording to the original design. But I¡¯m not sure because hundreds of years have passed already, as you said. I think I could keep this ce because of my magical power, but don¡¯t you think other ces were devastated?¡±

    ¡°Then, all you have to do is supply magical power to restore them.¡±

    But it was more easily said than done. He couldn¡¯t feel Lucia as if he entered the arena.

    Perhaps, the area that Lucia could control at the moment was only the first-floor¡¯s hall.

    ¡°What about the rooms attached to the corridor?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they almost like a warehouse? I basically can¡¯t go outside this garden. I don¡¯t know what the previous family heads had renovated here.¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders then sat down on the chair again. She then said while gently picking up Gusion¡¯s letter, ¡°Therefore, let me announce the second and final test.¡±

    Then the letter in her hand pointed to the floor. Her action carried an ambiguous meaning.

    ¡°Bring my sweetheart here. Then you can be my new master. Can you do it?¡±

    Gusion could not leave the arena, so there was only one way to get him out of the arena and bring him here.

    It was for Yong-ho to be the new owner of the arena and free all the spirits out of it.

    ¡°It will take some time but I can.¡±

    Sheughed at his answer and said in a gentle voice, ¡°I really hope it won¡¯t take much time, seriously.¡±

    Although she wasughing, she was obviously concerned. Yong-ho seemed to notice her embarrassed look when she realized that hundreds of years had already passed.

    Did Mammon trap his Twelve Spirits in the Labyrinth of Greed because he was greedy?

    If that was true, why did they still show unchanging affection for Mammon?

    Aamon or Gusion didn¡¯t answer his question. He felt Scathach would not either.

    Instead of facing her, Yong-ho turned around and looked out the window.

    There was ake shining brightly under the sunlight and a fertilend beyond it.

    It was an affluentnd that could not be easily found in the demon world.

    ¡°Have you decided what to do in the Garden of Life?¡±

    Scathach asked from behind his back. Yong-ho nodded slowly.

    ¡°Hey, you know this is the Garden of ¡°Life¡±, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Two days have passed since Yong-ho became the owner of the Garden of Life.

    As soon as he met with Scathach, Yong-ho, who had ess to the virtual space of the dungeon merchants, looked at the ¡°farm¡± with a proud expression. A dozen of skeleton soldiers he acquired were slowly plowing the field.

    Until now, the House of Mammon has purchased all the ingredients from the virtual space. In fact, the House of Mammon didn¡¯t do this. Almost all the dungeon heads in the southern areas were dependent on food from the dungeon markets.

    Thends in the demon world were barren. Growing grains was not easy.

    But the Garden of Life was different. Thend was fertile, there was plenty of sunlight, and water was right next to it.

    It was impossible to achieveplete self-sufficiency here, but it was possible to considerably lower dependence on dungeon markets¡¯ food.

    Besides, farming was one of the tasks that could help him umte evolutionary EXP.

    Scathach made a long face when she looked at the undead, a symbol of death, farming in the Garden of Life.

    Covering her nose with one hand, sheined, ¡°They stink.¡±

    ¡°They are sleeping all day anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a different matter.¡±

    When Yong-ho wasn¡¯t there, she sat back in her chair and fell into a deep sleep.

    It seemed like she hadn¡¯t had a lot of sleep from the beginning. Also, she seemed to have consumed a considerable amount of magic power to maintain the Garden of Life.

    Yong-ho said with augh as if to ignore herint, ¡°Anyway, you can make grains grow faster, right?¡±

    She pouted but didn¡¯t say she couldn¡¯t.

    Yong-ho looked at the farm again happily. He was really happy to see Eligos¡¯s face, who stood in the middle of the farm,manding the skeletons as if he owned the whole world.

    ¡°Well, this is my first time seeing the House of Mammon¡¯s head in a thousand years.¡±

    Not caring much about what she said, which he actually seemed to have heard from Gusion, Yong-ho left her ce.

    He got the healer in Scathach and acquired a farm that he didn¡¯t expect, but he could not afford to becent now.

    Embrio wasing from the west. So, Yong-ho had to be prepared to stop him.

    His next goal was to secure a dungeon of the House of Randolt, which he would use as a shield to protect the west.

    Yong-ho stepped forward to get out of the Labyrinth of Greed.

 Chapter 109 - House of Randolt (1)

    Chapter 109: House of Randolt (1)

    ¡°Oh, good. It looks like you are a very quick learner because you are good at controlling magical power.¡±

    Gusion, sitting on the chair in the waiting room, pped loudly.

    Yong-ho took a deep breath. Ignoring Gusion¡¯s voice that broke his concentration, he circted his magical power once again.

    What Gusion asked of him was to let the magic power run constantly.

    His request was very easy but difficult to meet.

    The magical power of the demon world was like a living creature. Even the magical power concentrated in one ce was supposed to constantly pulsate and move.

    However, the movement was disorderly, and in fact, it was often meaningless.

    What Gusion asked for was not such a pointless movement, but a purposeful movement.

    In other words, it was the flow of magical power that could harmonize with the movement of the body for their synergy effect.

    It was a piece of cake for Yong-ho to make the magic flow in the desired direction.

    It was an easy request. However, Gusion¡¯s other condition made it much more difficult to meet his request.

    Gusion wanted Yong-ho to control his magical power unconsciously.

    Just as people didn¡¯t think about how to move bones and muscles when they moved their hands, he demanded that Yong-ho put his magic to work naturally ording to his movement. That was the basics. It was necessary for Yong-ho to embody the movement of his magical power, just like those in the demon world.

    Yong-ho moved his hand. Perhaps because his repetitive training was efficient, he could move his magical power without being conscious of it. Merely moving his hand made him feel more empowered than before.

    ¡°I think I had better start training you when you don¡¯t feel that your magical power is different from before,¡± said Gusion.

    Gusion could point it out because he urately discerned Yong-ho¡¯s condition.

    Indeed, he was one of Mammon¡¯s Twelve Spirits.

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly. Although he knew well that Gusion was awesome, he didn¡¯t want to admit it somehow.

    It wasn¡¯t because he had any bad feelings toward Gusion like he did at first. Rather, it was because he was now close to Gusion now.

    ¡°So, did you finish writing a reply to Scathach?¡±

    Yong-ho asked him sharply, and Gusion flinched at that. Gusion was away from his ce with excuses that he was writing a reply when Yong-ho was fighting with the floor master on the 8th floor or practicing alone in the waiting room.

    Gusion, who was getting nervous as if he was a criminal under interrogation, quickly changed the topic and said, ¡°So, your escort girl wants to challenge them in the arena? She made a big decision.¡±

    Yong-houghed happily because Gusion obviously wanted to avoid his question.

    Nodding once, Yong-ho said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s Catalina¡¯s choice. And I think she can do it without any problem. She has be strong just like I did. By the way, did you write the reply?¡±

    Since Yong-ho talked more than he expected, Gusion frowned at hisst words.

    After hesitating for a while, he took out a letter from the inner pocket of his coat.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    The letter sealed by melted wax gave him a pretty antique feel.

    Yong-ho received Gusion¡¯s reply to Scathach, but Gusion didn¡¯t let go of his hand.

    Still holding onto the letter, Gusion looked at Yong-ho and whispered with a serious expression, ¡°Don¡¯t read it! Never!¡±

    ¡°I promise you. Never.¡±

    After replying as seriously as Gusion, Yong-ho snatched it from him and put it inside his pocket. ¡°Well, Scathach recites it to me anyway.¡±

    At that moment, Gusion¡¯s expression changed dramatically. Yong-ho was prepared for a situation where this giant Red Daemon rushed to take back the letter, but fortunately, he didn¡¯t do it.

    That did not happen.

    Gusion helplessly sat on the chair like a man who gave up everything.

    While tilting his head, Yong-ho sat down next to Gusion and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Scathach? She¡¯s nice and pretty. You seem to like it secretly,¡± said Yong-ho seriously.

    She had a good personality befitting her legendary reputation as the best among the Twelve Spirits of the House of Mammon. It was true that she was a dazzling beauty, though she wasn¡¯t as beautiful as Sitri.

    Sacathach was a bit of an idiot, but she was still attractive enough to anybody.

    Gusion smiled with an empty expression then shook his head.

    Looking down at Yong-ho, he said, ¡°I like her... But it¡¯s scary at night when I¡¯m with her.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Gusion clicked his tongue. Then he said, waving his hand at Yong-ho, who opened his eyes wide, ¡°You do not yet know the true depth of the night. You¡¯re not ready. You are still a rookie.¡±

    [It seems like you haven¡¯t even started it at all...]

    [Well, maybe that¡¯s why you can create such strong anguish and longing.]

    Aamon, who remained silent until then, suddenly intervened. Gusion¡¯s eyes popped up at his heavy and serious voice this time.

    ¡°Uh? What do you mean he hasn¡¯t even started it?¡±

    ¡°Whatever! Next time Ie here, Catalina will challenge the first floor instead of me. I¡¯m going to challenge the 9th floor after that.¡±

    This time, Yong-ho quickly changed the topic. Gusion alternately looked at Yong-ho and Amon with suspicious eyes, but Amon did not show any particr feelings while Yong-ho also desperately avoided Gusion¡¯s gaze.

    Gusion, who tilted his head several times, banished his doubts in no time and replied, ¡°Yes, in order to bring out Brigada¡¯s true power, the strength of your subordinate, namely your spirits, is also important.¡±

    ¡°The real power of Brigada?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Let me tell you about it when you reach the next level. If you try to run before even walking, you will fall.¡±

    Gusion looked like a man, and he was actually big-hearted. However, he was unusually inflexible now.

    However, Yong-ho gently epted what he said.

    Since it was time to leave the arena, he asked Gusion, ¡°How about Kaiwan¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Well, she is still recovering but smoothly. So, you won¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    Gusion wasn¡¯t the type of man who told useless lies. As he said, she was recovering really smoothly. If so, she might as well show her face at least once, Yong-ho thought.

    But he stopped thinking like that anymore and stood up.

    ¡°Okay, let mee back next time.¡±

    When Yong-ho opened the door of the waiting room, a man in a beast mask appeared as if he had been waiting. Standing beside him was Catalina, who was training in another waiting room.

    He looked sharp. Even though he was hidden in a sheath called Catalina, the de named ck magic seemed to give off a sharp light.

    Yong-ho reached out and stroked Catalina¡¯s hair. Whenever he touched her hair, the sharpness of the ck magic gently gave away. Catalina¡¯s expression, which became unusually hardened, also changed gently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord.¡±

    Catalina replied, pping her tail, who now went back to normal.

    Yong-ho also smiled happily then stepped forward with her.

    It was when he was about to get out of the waiting room when Gusion stopped him.

    ¡°Hey, Little Master!¡±

    When Yong-ho turned around, Gusion folded his arms. After a little pause, he said, ¡°Kaiwan is the floor master on the 10th floor. And the reward on the 10th floor is special so is the penalty.¡±

    Yong-ho was currently staying on the 8th floor.

    There was only one floor left for him to finish to move up to the 10th floor.

    <hr />

    When he returned to Kaiwan¡¯s break room through the long corridor of the arena, Yong-ho could shake off all the agitation in his heart.

    He didn¡¯t need to be particrly nervous because he would have to confront Kaiwan.

    Rather, what was important was the specialness of the reward and punishment rather than the fact that the opponent was Kaiwan.

    He could not yet know the rewards and the penalty. However, it was clear that he had to be more prepared than usual.

    [Master, what happened to you in the arena?]

    [You look pale.]

    As soon as he got connected to Lucia again after leaving the arena, her voice was heard.

    Since her voice sounded quite worried, he responded brightly, ¡°No, nothing happened. I¡¯m just a little tired. Didn¡¯t anything unusual happen in the dungeon?¡±

    [Your subordinate spirit, Ophelia, who went as an envoy to the House of Randolt, returned.]

    [I think she came back with their reply to our surrender advice.]

    ¡°She came back quickly.¡±

    She really did. Ophelia¡¯s mission was to deliver a surrender advice, not get their reply.

    So, the fact that she got the reply meant that the head of the Randolt family replied quickly.

    Maybe they had already prepared the reply even before Ophelia arrived.

    ¡°Where is she now?¡±

    [Well, she is relieving fatigue by sparring with Eligos, a subordinate spirit.]

    [I will have here to the conference room right now.]

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t know what her sparring with Eligos had to do with her releasing fatigue, but he felt relieved anyway.

    If something big happened to him, he would not have anybody to contact because he was in the arena, but at least Ophelia was there, sparring with Eligos leisurely.

    ¡°I have to hurry. Let¡¯s hurry up, Catalina.¡±

    Catalina quickly nodded then headed to the conference room with Yong-ho.

 Chapter 110 - House of Randolt (2)

    Chapter 110: House of Randolt (2)

    ¡°The head of the House of Randolt was already anticipating that I woulde. To tell you more specifically, he knew I woulde with a surrender advice written by the Mamon family.¡±

    That was what Yong-ho expected. So, he asked back, ¡°What is their reaction?¡±

    ¡°They were rtively calm. Here is the reply from the head of the House of Randolt.¡±

    Ophelia took out a letter from her inside jacket. It was sealed more strictly than the one Gusion sent to Scathach.

    Instead of handing out the letter to him, she pulled it toward her chest and said with a serious expression, ¡°It¡¯s an ordinary letter imbued with no magical power. However, maybe there is something like poison on it. Please allow me to open it first.¡±

    Just because magic existed, it didn¡¯t mean that all traps should be set only by magic.

    It was possible that somebody could have put a poisonous powder inside the letter, or they could have poisoned the corner of a letter.

    Remembering the letter poisoned with anthrax in the news some time ago, Yong-ho frowned because he didn¡¯t like the fact that Ophelia was to check out the letter at the risk of her life.

    But Ophelia had a determined expression on her face. So, he eventually nodded.

    ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She took out a knife. She cut the envelope itself and examined the letter very closely. It was almost 10 minutes or more after Yong-ho received the letter from her.

    ¡°He is demanding a duel with me?¡±

    What¡¯s written in the letter was very concise. To summarize it, it was as follows.

    <Let¡¯s have a one-on-one duel between the families without their subordinates.

    We don¡¯t have to take each other¡¯s lives.

    The loser bes the winner¡¯s subordinate.

    The duel can take ce anywhere in the wilderness between the Mammon and the Randolt residences. You can decide on the location.

    If you reject my duel offer, all the members of the House of Randolt will defend the dungeon with all their might, fully prepared to sacrifice their lives.>

    Reviewing the letter after Yong-ho, Eligos narrowed his eyebrows and said, ¡°So, he wants to have it out with you in a duel.¡±

    ¡°He is determined to fight to the end if I reject, right?¡±

    The head of the House of Randolt¡¯s challenge to a duel was something Yong-ho didn¡¯t expect at all.

    Reading the letterst, Rikum said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s my own guess, but don¡¯t you think he has offered the duel merely to save his face?¡±

    ¡°Saving his face?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because it isn¡¯t good for the Randolt family head to surrender without any fight. His pride might feel offended in that case.¡±

    Rikum had a point to some extent.

    As he said, it was quite understandable that the loser would be the winner¡¯s subordinate.

    ¡°What do you think of it, Ophelia?¡±

    Ophelia bit her lower lip before answering right away. She did so whenever she said something somewhat negatively.

    After taking a deep breath, she said calmly, ¡°As I reported to you the other day, the head of the House of Randolt is just stuck in his own dungeon, so much so that he is called too timid. But I don¡¯t think he offered you a challenge to duel to save his face without any chance of defeating you. Requesting a duel is a double-edged sword to him.¡±

    What she said also made sense. Nodding at her, Rikum added, ¡°She has a point. He might want to try to prove his strength or worth by throwing down the gauntlet.¡±

    Obviously, he sought to prove his worth, not to save his face.

    Ophelia also nodded this time and said, ¡°I think he might want it. Anyway, it¡¯s true that he is strong enough to challenge you to a duel.¡±

    All things considered, it was logical to think that the head of the House of Randolt threw down the gauntlet, ¡®knowing he would be defeated.¡¯

    Nheless, Yong-ho could not readily ept it.

    At that moment, Catalina, who was watching them silently, raised her hand timidly and said in a soft voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t it something like a trap?¡±

    For example, the House of Randolt head¡¯s offer that Yong-ho could choose the duel location could be a trap to make him feelcent.

    So, Yong-ho once again read the letter from him. His writing was concise but elegant.

    ¡°Or he might really want to have it out with me.¡±

    Deciding the final victor in a duel? No shedding useless blood? ¡°Ophelia, do you know something about his fighting style or his strength?¡±

    Knitting her brows, she said, ¡°Well, his fighting style or strength is not widely known because he is stuck only in his dungeon, but there is quite a bit of fragmentary information about it, given his long activities as the family head. To tell you some certain things, he¡¯s got three horns, and he seems to rely on magic rather than physical skills. He may be stronger than Foras or Jungceros, but I think he is absolutely below Agares.¡±

    ¡°Is he a wizard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so maybe he is an easier opponent to you because you can read the flow of magical power. Perhaps, you can read most magic in advance. ordingly, you will be able to evade, defend, or disturb him easily.¡±

    Anyone who was good at magic could read the flow of magical power.

    However, Yong-ho could discern the color and properties of magical power, and he could even read the movement of magical power even during battle.

    The difference between reading the flow of magical power in a calm state and reading it during a life-threatening battle was like night and day.

    ¡°Is it possible that the House of Randolt head will break his promise?¡±

    ¡°There is little possibility that he will. It¡¯s so important that only a few reviews of this case are enough, but that¡¯s how I have felt it from my face-to-face meeting with him,¡± said Ophelia sharply, just like a former veteran tavern owner.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes for a moment and organized his thoughts.

    The duel certainly carried great risk. With a stronger power, Yong-ho didn¡¯t need to take the risk.

    But he didn¡¯t need to shed useless blood. Also, he could own the Randolt family without big bacsh

    Yong-ho fully appreciated the concern of his subordinate spirits. He felt a strong sense of trust in them.

    They were loyal servants who would firmly support him, no matter which choice he would make.

    So, Yong-ho made the decision. Opening his eyes, he said, ¡°Ophelia, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but can you visit the House of Randolt once more?¡±

    ¡°Ophelia, Endelyon¡¯s daughter, will follow the order of the head of the great House of Mammon.¡±

    Not only Ophelia, but also Catalina, Eligos, and Skull expressed their due politeness to him.

    Yong-ho stood up from his seat then revealed his decision.

    <hr />

    It took four days for Ophelia to leave the House of Mamon, visit the House of Randolt, and receive a second reply from them.

    And again, three dayster, Yong-ho sat in the special seat of the arena and gulped.

    Although the arena was familiar to him because of his frequent visits, he couldn¡¯t hide his anxiety as he did on his first visit.

    In the arena, there was a deadly battle going on between Catalina and the floor master on the first floor.

    Gnoll Chieftain, the floor master on the first floor, was so huge that it couldn¡¯t even bepared with ordinary Gnolls. Moreover, he was very quick and clever. The Sword and Jorah took control of the space by using two different weapons at the same time.

    Of course, Catalina was faster than Gnoll Chieftain. The de of the ck magic that she could now freely use also boasted its terrifying attack power.

    Comparing the two¡¯s strength objectively, Catalina had the upper hand.

    Gusion admitted it, and Yong-ho could confirm it, too.

    However, fighting was not judged by rivals¡¯ objective capabilities alone.

    About ten minutes after the fighting started, Gnoll Chieftain finally fell to the floor. At that moment, Yong-ho sprang to his feet and rushed to the arena without asking for Gusion¡¯s understanding.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    Catalina won. Gnoll Chieftain fell on the floor with his body stabbed by her ck sword.

    However, Catalina didn¡¯t emerge safely. Her whole body was covered with blood and sweat. And more than half of them belonged to Gnoll Chieftain.

    When Yong-ho reached the arena, she couldn¡¯t hold up and sat down. She was breathing roughly. Moreover, the wound areas on her body swelled ck as if she was poisoned.

    The fighting in the arena looked like an actual one, but it was not real.

    ordingly, no matter how severely one was injured, one was supposed to recover after the fight. It was like how the floor masters of the arena revived even if they died in a fight. Of course, they could not be said to have been resurrected because they had never been killed. However, Catalina was different.

    She was one of the Twelve Spirits of the House of Mammon, not its head. So, some harsh rules, which were different from Yong-ho¡¯s, were forced on her.

    All of Catalina¡¯s injuries were real. A spirit like her, not the house head, had to really fight to obtain the arena¡¯s rewards. Death in the arena meant real death in her case.

    Catalina couldn¡¯t open her eyes properly. Perhaps, it was because she actively fought without knowing she was poisoned. It seemed that the poison already spread all over her body.

    Yong-ho tried to stay calm. He gentlyid her on the floor and put his hands on her abdomen¡ªthe most injured part of her body. Then he activated the power of evolution.

    This was why Yong-ho set today for her challenge in the arena.

    Assuming the full evolution EXP was 100, Catalina¡¯s EXP right before she challenged the first floor was 99.

    Whether she won or lost, she could not fill her evolution EXP fully. Yong-ho could cure most of the wounds thanks to the effects of the power of evolution.

    It didn¡¯t matter even if the wounds were so serious that they could not be treated with the power of evolution, for he could still buy enough time to take the injured to the Garden of Life where Scathach resided.

    Fortunately, Catalina¡¯s wounds could be healed with the power of evolution.

    Her expression gradually became calmer. She passed out as if she was exhausted, but her face shone with joy and a strong sense of aplishment.

    Only then did Yong-ho feel relieved. Approaching them from behind, Gusionughed heartily and said, ¡°Congrattions on breaking through the first floor.¡±

 Chapter 111 House of Randolt 3

    <h4>Chapter 111 House of Randolt 3</h4>

    When Gusion moved his fingers, "Mammon¡¯s magical power" that had formed on the fake body of Gnoll Chieftain prated into Catalina¡¯s body. Although the efficiency of absorbing the essence of an ordinary demon, not the Demon King, was very poor, Catalina was a little different.

    As a subordinate demon of the King of Greed, Yong-ho, she could use the magic power of greed through Brigada even if she could do it in a small way.

    But greed helped her absorb more magic power. It allowed her to take more magic power than usual.

    Moreover, what Yong-ho chose was the extraordinary evolution of magic power. Thanks to this, Catalina¡¯s magic power increased significantly at once. This was more than what Yong-ho expected.

    "Sooner orter, she will get a fourth horn," said Gusion, ncing over Catalina.

    Yong-ho, who thought she was praiseworthy, unwittingly pinched her soft cheeks then turned to Gusion. While pointing to one of the boxes of light floating in the air, he said, "Do you mind if I choose the reward?"

    "Yeah, take them all!"

    With any dy, Yong-ho took Gusion¡¯s words into action. A red belt emerged from the box of light he selected, guided by greed.

    "It¡¯s a belt of strength. It is a simple artifact that increases your strength when you wear it. I guess it will be good to make up for theck of your escort girl¡¯s muscle strength."

    "Isn¡¯t it too big for Catalina to wear?"

    "You told me that one of your subordinate demons was a craftsman. Ask him to drill a few more holes."

    Yong-ho wondered if it was okay to deal with it harshly, given it was an artifact, not just a belt, but he nodded. After putting it away in good order, Yong-ho carefully held Catalina, who passed out on the floor.

    Gusion said again, "What do you think? Why don¡¯t you use your newly gained momentum to challenge the 9th floor?"

    It was a pretty attractive offer. Since he experienced Mammon¡¯s magic power, Yong-ho was also moved by Gusion¡¯s suggestion to some extent.

    However, Yong-ho shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, "I¡¯m sorry, but I have an appointment now."

    Yong-ho knew that the level of difficulty would increase once he moved up to a higher floor. He could get stronger if he challenged the ninth floor, but there was no guarantee that he could win unconditionally. So, he thought that it was better to maintain his best condition at the moment.

    Gusion sensed it in no time. He called the man with a beast mask to guide Yong-ho.

    ***

    On the morning of the fifth day after he got the second reply from the House of Randolt, Yong-ho looked far away, standing in the wilderness.

    Behind him were Catalina, Skull, and Ophelia, with the fluttering gs of Skull¡¯s seven units equipped with their own weapons.

    Although Yong-ho arrived a little earlier than the appointment time, he didn¡¯t need to wait long.

    He saw a group of people approaching him from far away.

    They were Tigrius Randolt, head of the House of Randolt, and his men.

    Yong-ho and Tigrius decided on the location and time of their duel.

    What Yong-ho chose was a remote ce in the wilderness located between the Houses of Mammon and Randolt. The ce was located at a certain distance from both houses, and it was difficult for each side to prepare an ambush or trap because all directions were open.

    Besides, it was also an advantage that there were no outsiders to watch the duel. Both agreed to bring only ten people on both sides. The number of their subordinates was just right, not too small or big.

    "I¡¯m Tigrius Randolt, the head of the House of Randolt."

    An old man, who lightly descended from the back of a giant lizard reminiscent of a dinosaur, introduced himself. His voice was deep and sonorous.

    Yong-ho already recognized who he was, even his portrait, through Ophelia.

    But he felt differently when faced with Tigrius like this. Tigrius was an old man who looked much stronger and tougher than him in the portrait.

    He was tall and thin. His neatly arranged hair and beard were almost gray. His gray eyes red sharply.

    It was exactly what Yong-ho felt in his writing style of the reply.

    Tigrius was elegant. Yong-ho felt as if he met an English gentleman, a real nobleman.

    Behind Tigrius, in a ck suit, stood his subordinate demons dressed in neat clothes as well.

    They were made up of several races, and even Orcs were dressed in neat suits.

    Yong-ho also got off Smi. Facing Tigrius, he introduced himself.

    "I¡¯m Yong-ho Chun, the head of the House of Mammon."

    Tigrius narrowed his eyes at the name Yong-ho Chun. Yong-ho had never hidden his name for any reason, nor had he advertised his name. Most of the demons living in the Free City also remembered Yong-ho only as "the Mamon House head" or "The Demon King of mes," but they did not know his name.

    Yong-ho Chun.

    It was a heterogeneous name even in the demon world where all kinds of races were mixed.

    At least it was enough to believe that he didn¡¯te from the pure family lineage of the House of Mammon.

    But Tigrius didn¡¯t care about Yong-ho¡¯s name. He hit the ground with arge cane instead of a sword or a spear. The metal cane, which seemed to have no shorings as a weapon, had a woman with wings against the moon carved at the end of its corner. Rather than a simple decoration, it seemed like a strange object with magical meaning.

    "Since we¡¯ve already confirmed each other¡¯s will in the letters, we don¡¯t need to drag it long. This is the ¡¯contract¡¯ we talked about in advance. I have already signed it, so you sign it, too."

    Having said that, Tigrius hit the ground with the cane, which formed a blood-red character in the air.

    Like the letters Tigrius sent so far, the contract contained only the essential contents.

    Before signing it right away, Yong-ho turned to Ophelia briefly. She confirmed with a look that the contract was correct.

    As the name suggested, the contract was an artifact for the contract.

    Completed by both signing the contract, this magical tool could exert a powerful deterrent.

    Since the magic itself was supposed to be used by the two who signed the contract, the difference in their magic power was meaningless. Just because any one of the two had a stronger magic power, he could not ignore the contents of the contract or resist its deterrence.

    The contract signed by the two had absolute binding power.

    And that was why it was extremely difficult to find such a contract in the demon world. Ironically, its absoluteness and honesty turned lots of people off.

    Before signing it, Yong-ho read the contents of the contract one more time.

    There was no room for any cunning y on words because only simple and clear facts were on the contract.

    ¡¯The loser of the duel bes the winner¡¯s subordinate.¡¯

    It was not an exaggeration to say that the contract contained only that phrase.

    Yong-ho moved his fingers in the air to sign it. The letters of red light were united in the air and lighted up, and soon, they were split into two and flew to Yong-ho and Tigrius respectively.

    Aplex red pattern was engraved on the back of their hands. It was a sign of the contract.

    Tigrius said again, "We don¡¯t have to talk any longer. I hope we can have a duel right away."

    Rumors that Tigrius was timid were wrong. He was the most impressive of those family heads that Yong-ho had met until now. He was also different from Foras that gave out an animal-like murderous aura. He gave out an elegant, not murderous atmosphere.

    ¡¯He¡¯s a real nobleman.¡¯

    After murmuring a bit, Yong-ho nodded. He erased any lingering suspicion of Tigrius¡¯s trap or plot from his mind.

    It was a fair duel. It was like a fight in the arena.

    Yong-ho grabbed the red mes that bloomed in the air. He also injected magical energy into the magic ma on his left hand, covering it with silver metal.

    Yong-ho had no intention of dealing with him lightly. Tigrius didn¡¯te here to lose.

    He opened the four horns at once to project magic energy fully.

    The surrounding area was shaken when a new force was applied to the flow of the magical energy that filled the sky and the earth.

    Yong-ho¡¯s magic power was more than rumored. Tigrius¡¯s face was full of tension.

    But he was not moved yet. He also opened the horns without backing down. Three horns protruded from Tigrius¡¯s forehead at the same time.

    Tigrius did not face Yong-ho¡¯s magic directly. He gently dissipated magic energy and stepped forward slowly.

    "Let¡¯s start the duel now," Tigrius said. Yong-ho epted it.

    And at some point, the two disappeared at the same time.

    ***

    Yong-ho¡¯s movement resembled that of Catalina. He did not depend solely on his physical performance like he did until now. Magic power helped his movement, resulting in an explosive instantaneous speed.

    When Tigrius disappeared in front of him, Yong-ho looked at the left and right instinctively.

    When Yong-ho was fighting demons in the arena, he saw one fleeing at a tremendous speed, so much so that even his eyes could not catch it. But even so, it was fast in the end. It was necessary to move from the point of departure to the destination.

    He didn¡¯t care if it was his afterimages. Any clue that could help him find out Tigrius¡¯s course was enough.

    But he could see nothing. Tigrius disappeared before my eyes.

    Yong-ho¡¯s feet, who kicked the ground to rush forward, touched it again. During that short moment when he couldn¡¯t even swallow, he acted instinctively. Ophelia¡¯s screaming was heard behind his back.

    "Blink!"

    When he heard her voice. Yong-ho already turned around. His opponent disappeared in front of him. If so, where could he appear again? In front of him again? No. He would most likely appear from the side or in the rear. And there¡¯s one more thing Yong-ho couldn¡¯t exin. It was probably something he had learned from Aamon while sparring with him dozens or hundreds of times. Maybe the experience he had umted so far was the answer.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. Yong-ho instinctively turned around. By doing so, he could face Tigrius again, who disappeared in front of him by using the magic of a short-range jump.

    Yong-ho¡¯s inversion was clearly faster than he expected.

    But Tigrius didn¡¯t feel embarrassed, for Yong-ho had almost twice as much magic power as himself. So, no matter what Yong-ho did, he didn¡¯t feel it was strange. From his position as a "challenger," Tigrius simply did his best to do what he could.

 Chapter 112 House of Randolt 4

    <h4>Chapter 112 House of Randolt 4</h4>

    At the same time, Tigrius prepared two magics. One originated from his cane and the other from his left hand.

    A barrage of magic poured out like a machine gun from the tip of the cane. It was an energy missile, one of simple yet effective attack magics.

    It was fast enough. Dozens of magical lumps pouring from the front were clearly intimidating.

    That was why Yong-ho moved forward. He didn¡¯t distance himself from Tigrius by stepping aside or stepping back. He discerned the flow of Tigrius¡¯s magic. No, he felt it now.

    It was like an arrow. Energy missiles drew a certain trajectory.

    Yong-ho sensed the trajectory and moved ordingly. Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate demons felt so thrilled when they saw their master rushing forward while evading energy missiles by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    "Greece!"

    Tigrius urgently put into action the magic on his left hand.

    The ground in front of Yong-ho lost its coefficient of friction and became extremely slippery. Yong-ho anticipated various kinds of attack magic, but he didn¡¯t expect this kind of blocking at all. He inevitably stepped on the ground and fell, losing his bnce.

    Seizing that chance, Tigrius once again used Blink. He really wanted to attack Yong-ho at the moment, but increasing the distance from him was his top priority now.

    Tigrius¡¯s judgment was correct.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t fall helplessly. Although he didn¡¯t anticipate the kind of magic that Tigrius possessed, he sensed that something magical was forming. So, Yong-ho swung Aamon the moment he slipped. There was no strength in his swing, but he didn¡¯t need it anyway.

    A wave of green mes originating from the tip of his spear swept over the ce where Tigrius had stayed.

    Tigrius understood that the head of the House of Mammon could sense the flow of magic power. Maybe he could see it from the beginning. Anybody who was sensitive to magic could do it. It was unusual to do it during an urgent battle, but it was pointless for Tigrius to talk about it when Yong-ho was already using it.

    Instead ofnding behind Yong-ho¡¯s back once again, Tigrius retreated and immediately triggered the next magic. He could not afford to save the magic numbers that he had memorized.

    Various colored lights filled the space between the two. Their dazzling splendor wasparable to the sky of the demon world.

    Tigrius¡¯s excellent hearing captured even the slightest noises that he would not have to hear. And that sensitivity could sometimes be his weakness.

    ¡¯If you can see, see it. Feel free if you can feel it.¡¯

    It was oversupply. For Yong-ho, who was concentrating on the flow of magic, he felt shocked as if the whole world was filled with magical light.

    Then, Tigrius fired energy missiles in session. Dozens of energy lumps hit Yong-ho like a bomb strike.

    This time, Tigrius felt instinctively that his attack was sessful. However, most of his attacks did not do any damage.

    Green mes bloomed. Tigrius¡¯s borate attack backfired. Yong-ho blocked a barrage of energy missiles with the Shield of Jamming, the power embedded in Kaiwan¡¯s ring. He recovered himself by causing green mes to block the magic power surrounding him.

    Tigriusughed bitterly. Indeed, Yong-ho wasn¡¯t an ordinary opponent. It was no coincidence that Yong-ho defeated Foras and Jungceros in session before beating Agares.

    However, Tigrius was not yet ready to give up. Rather, he was thinking about victory even at this moment.

    Carrying the cane, Tigrius changed his posture. Rather than increasing the distance with Yong-ho again, he rushed as if he wanted to have a head-to-head fight.

    The green mes disappeared at once. Yong-ho, who came out of the green mes he had created himself, swung Aamon at Tigrius, who charged from the front.

    Rather than avoiding the attack, Tigrius swung his cane at Aamon.

    There was a thunderous roar. It was more than imagined. It was so powerful that Yong-ho felt a lingering throbbing on both arms.

    Strength, a strength-enhancing magic, and Haste, a speed-enhancing magic.

    It wasn¡¯t just all there was. Tigrius carried a total of five sub-magics on his body, which drastically enhanced his physical ability that was already powerful enough.

    It was true that one should not be deceived by the appearance of an old man.

    Judging from his look, Foras was also an old man anyway.

    Tigrius turned to Blink again. This time, he appeared from Yong-ho¡¯s right side and swung his cane. Yong-ho barely escaped the attack.

    He was not wielding his cane recklessly. His swinging was refined and skillful in a sharp contrast to Foras¡¯ beastly movement. Obviously, he mastered specific martial arts for a long time.

    Tigrius used various kinds of magic even amid the head-to-head fighting,

    Attack magic such as energy missiles, as well as close-range magic such as Greece, confused Yong-ho, but he endured them well. He was never dominated by Tigrius.

    It was true that Tigrius¡¯s physical abilities drastically improved. However, Yong-ho¡¯s physical strength was not far behind him. In fact, Yong-ho¡¯s body underwent aplete change for the better.

    Tigrius apparently honed his skills for many years. But what about his actual battle experience? When it came to the battle that risked his life, Yong-ho had far more experience than Tigrius. No matter what others said, Yong-ho already experienced virtual death hundreds of times.

    Yong-ho¡¯s action exceeded Tigrius¡¯s expectations. The moment Tigrius thought he would step back, Yong-ho moved forward even at the risk of his life. Obviously, he acted as if he left everything to Providence.

    ¡¯Oh, no!¡¯ Tigrius doubted.

    Yong-ho¡¯s action was thoroughly calcted. It was far from his reliance on luck or recklessness. Tigrius could confirm it in his eyes!

    Bang!

    Aamon poured out, pressing Tigrius¡¯s cane and fixing it on the ground. It did not stop there and released intense green mes. Green mes surged splendidly toward Tigrius as if a hawk soared in the sky. Tigrius was close by, so he did not have enough time to activate Blink. No, maybe he already used up all of his avable Blink.

    During that short moment, Yong-ho¡¯s eyes met his. Tigrius let go of his hand that was holding the cane. The green mes swept over Tigrius.

    This time, Tigrius surpassed his expectations.

    Tigrius took one step further. The green mes scattered without harming him. It was not because Yong-ho weakened the intensity of the green mes to save his life.

    The me Shield.

    It was a me barrier that Tigrius had prepared for today¡¯s duel, a secret weapon that protected him from fire attacks.

    On the premise that he would be helped by his cane, Tigrius could use three magics at the same time. Nevertheless, the reason he used only two magics until now was because he wanted to maintain the me Shield.

    As for the green mes that Yong-ho shot at him first, Tigrius didn¡¯t have to avoid it because he would have endured them with the power of the me Shield.

    But he avoided the green mes excessively to seize the moment to reverse the tide!

    The me Shield burned red. Tigrius did not spare his magic. Charging at Yong-ho immediately, he concentrated magic on his right hand. The de of pure white magic soared up.

    The green mes didn¡¯t work because Tigrius was too close for Yong-ho to use the spear. The me Shield would serve as a barrier against not only the green mes but also other attacks by Yong-ho.

    Right at this moment, the goddess of victory turned to Tigrius himself.

    It was a perfect checkmate!

    But the moment Tigrius was about to dere victory, he saw something strange.

    Yong-ho also let go of Aamon. Then, he rushed forward as if to narrow the distance with Tigrius. It seemed as if he was throwing himself into the zing me Shield.

    Was he reckless? No.

    Tigrius could feel Yong-ho¡¯s magic power, though not as much as he.

    Tigrius was amazed at the magic energy that he should feel at this moment.

    An intense chill enveloped his body. Something from the magic field on Yong-ho¡¯s left hand broke the me Shield. The me Shield was broken like a thin ss window before the intense chill.

    ¡¯Two attributes?!¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t just magic. It was pure magic. That was why Tigrius was all the more astonished. How could Yong-ho do this?

    Tigrius couldn¡¯t think any further. After destroying the me Shield, Yong-ho punched him endlessly. Tigrius used hisst avable Blink to retreat. Since it happened instantly, he could not even think of attacking Yong-ho from his back.

    And Yong-ho now chased him. He rushed toward Tigrius without any hesitation as if he knew the old man would retreat.

    Blink was definitely a magic that helped one to leap through space. So, it was impossible to notice one¡¯s leaping process between the origin and destination points.

    But it wasn¡¯t a magical power. The magic power at the destination point was distorted.

    It would have been difficult to detect Tigrius if he had moved back as he did, but this time, he operated Blink within Yong-ho¡¯s view.

    Aamon was now held again in Yong-ho¡¯s hand. However, an intense chill was stilling out from the magic field of his left hand.

    Tigrius could not be sure which of the two was the real one that tormented him.

    But he had no time to think. He exercised the power of the Demon King. Hebined two magics into one beyond his limits.

    The me Shield against mes.

    The Aqua Shield against chills.

    Yong-ho clearly witnessed that the two colors and attributes became one before his eyes. That was why he didn¡¯t stop.

    Yong-ho lifted Aamon high above his head and struck against the barrier that Tigrius had set up. At that moment, a lightning bolt struck, which was not a metaphor, but a real thunderbolt!

    It was a lightning strike.

    The third attribute of his magic neutralized the attributes of the me Shield and Aqua Shield.

    Tigrius was astonished and so were the demons of the House of Mammon, who was watching it.

    They knew early on that Yong-ho had the attributes of fire and chill. But a lightning strike?

    There was no such thing. Of course, Yong-ho didn¡¯t learn the lightning strike magic.

    But Skull understood it. The Brigada ne was absorbing Skull¡¯s own magic.

    In no time, Catalina sensed it, too. She felt that she was being united with Yong-ho.

    Her dark magic was being delivered to Yong-ho through Brigada, which had the attribute of darkness. Since her energy was exhausted instantly, she felt some pain, but her heart was filled with a deep sense of fidelity that she was being united with her master. Her joy was greater than her pain.

    Yong-ho could deliver the magical power of greed to his subordinate demons through Brigada. That was why they could add greed to their magical power until now.

    Brigada¡¯s role was to amplify, respond, and save magic power!

    The greed embedded in Brigada absorbed the magic of the subordinate demons and got delivered to Yong-ho.

    The next step that Gusion mentioned!

    The reason why he said that in order to bring out Brigada¡¯s true power, the subordinate demons should also be stronger!

    Yong-ho realized it himself and exercised it in the real battle. Catalina¡¯s ck magic was condensed into Aamon that he lifted high.

    Yong-ho then struck it again. As if to show off Catalina¡¯s strength, her ck magic that transformed into a huge swordpletely destroyed Tigrius¡¯s shield. Crushed by the overwhelming force, Tigrius could no longer withstand it. He helplessly flopped down.

    Aamon did not harm Tigrius, and the ck magic only cut the air.

    Tigrius gasped for breath. He looked at Yong-ho with trembling eyes.

    And he understood that it was time for him to implement the contract.

    "I admit defeat. You¡¯re the head of the House of Mammon, no, My Lord!"

    He admitted defeatpletely. Yong-ho also breathed roughly. Using Brigada was quite difficult for him because he was not familiar with it. But he withdrew Aamon with a smile. He also took back the chill from the magic field on his left arm then reached out. He raised Tigrius by himself and said, "Wee, Tigrius, the wizard of the House of Mammon!"

    Tigriusughed bitterly at his new title.

    Instead ofining about it, he once again expressed his respect for Yong-ho as his subject.

    It was the moment when the two families of Mammon and Randolt became one.

 Chapter 113 - Dungeon Making (1)

    <h4>Chapter 113: Dungeon Making (1)</h4>

    An unexpected blow was always painful.

    Embrio, the Demon King of the wolves, sat on the walls of the newly upied city and looked far away.

    He looked toward the north, not the west or south that he used to.

    Meanwhile, Embrio¡¯s operation went well.

    The family heads in the western region didn¡¯t dare to leave on an expedition to the north when their own dungeons were in danger.

    Although there were some who attempted to advance to the north, they often ended up ending their expedition shortly.

    Nobody knew where Embrio¡¯s core dungeon was.

    The northern region had been already upied by Embrio.

    It was unreasonable for them to go on a faraway expedition when their dungeons were in danger. There were several reasons.

    That was why Embrio could keep pressing those family heads in the western region. He could keep driving them into a corner. He could force them to choose a single-round match.

    But something unexpected happened.

    The ¡®reasons¡¯ that covered Embrio could be sustained only when the family heads in the western region made a rational judgment.

    But they gave up everything, who was like ¡®revenge demons¡¯ earnestly hoping for Embrio¡¯s ruin.

    So, those reasons could not be epted by them. They were willing to sacrifice themselves to set fire to a forest named Embrio.

    Most of them were survivors.

    They were not only children or brothers or rtives of the family heads in the northern and western regions trampled by Embrio but also, their loyal dungeon demons.

    And they attacked the north.

    They didn¡¯t think of retreating. They attacked Embrio¡¯s dungeons or front lines at the risk of their lives and seeded in inflicting considerable damages to Embrio.

    Of course, Embrio¡¯s forces were not to be defeated by their sporadic guerri battles. If they had been such a weak force in the first ce, they could not have subdued the northern region. Embrio put an end to the turmoil in the north within a rtively short period of time and pressured on the family heads in the western region.

    However, it was clear that he had a setback in the n. After all, the time required to end the turmoil was described as ¡®short¡¯ at first, but it proved ¡®rtively short¡¯. In fact, Embrio had to exhaust a considerable amount of time to do that.

    The family heads in the western region, exhausted from being chased by Embrio endlessly, bought some time for a break. They began to look for ways to use revenge demons.

    That was why Embrio went out of his way. In a situation where the supply line linking the north was in jeopardy, he achieved the feat of attacking one of the western cities in an ambush and upied it overnight.

    One of the wolves wandering around Embrio looked down at the wall. Death Knight stood in front of a mountain of corpses piled up as a warning sign. Behind his back, who was standing with a huge sword as if he were a gatekeeper, a purple magic power close to ck rose like a haze.

    The powerful undead was supposed to radiate the energy of death around it. And such energy of death altered the magical power omnipotent in the demon world.

    The undead began to rise among the crowd of corpses. Of course, their number was small, and most of the newly produced undead were zombies that were hard to be called undead at best.

    But they couldn¡¯t be ignored at all.

    The wolf that was staring at Death Knight frowned. Hugin, the wisest of the wolves following Embrio, discovered that Death Knight¡¯s action was a sort of an armed demonstration.

    It was true that the powerful undead radiated the energy of death. However, a powerful undead could keep such energy hidden from outsiders.

    Obviously, Death Knight didn¡¯t try to reinforce his force by increasing the number of zombies. That Death Knight was showing off his ability to create the new undead simply by radiating the energy of death by himself.

    And his showoff was not directed toward the family heads in the western region. Obviously, it was directed toward Embrio on the wall.

    But Embrio didn¡¯t care. He felt that the outright hostility of the surveint became a little more concrete.

    Rather, it was a good sign to him. If the surveint had sincerely been wary of Embrio, he would have posed an invisible threat instead of such a childish act.

    Embrio stroked Hugin¡¯s head. His gaze toward the north turned to the east and south this time.

    It seemed that he could upy the western region sooner orter.

    uros, the Demon King who could be called the head of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance, was by no means a fool. Further expansion of the front was not beneficial to the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance. It would be possible for them to attack Embrio¡¯s rear to some extent by using revenge demons, but it would be nothing more than their desperate efforts that could not affect the general situation.

    Be it a single-round match or a thorough defense, there was no choice but to mobilize the forces now. The damages in the western region were too big to continue a war of attrition.

    That was why Embrio concluded that the western region would be upied sooner orter. So, he thought of the east and the south, his next target after upying the western region.

    The eastern region was still in turmoil. The big chaos and turmoil that Embrio caused awakened those with ambitions in the eastern region. It was the so-called warring states period. It would take a considerable time for the turmoil in the eastern region to subside.

    The eastern region was wide. There were also quite a few powerful demon kings. If somebody could subdue the period of confusion and unify the state, he could be a strong rival of Embrio himself.

    However, Embrio wanted to pay more attention to the southern region than the eastern region. A wind was blowing in the southern region. The sudden wind began to swallow everything in the region.

    It wasn¡¯t surprising that the new strongman defeated those family heads there. But it was something that raised Embrio¡¯s attention that he took the Free City after defeating Agares.

    In the southern region, there were no houses with strong power like those in the west, and there were not many families like those in the east.

    That was why Embrio had ignored the southern area the most until now. He thought it was a ce that he could easily take immediately after upying the west.

    However, the time came for Embrio to think differently about the southern region.

    ¡®The House of Mammon.¡¯

    It was the very house where that great King of Greed was born.

    Although it lost its past glory, it once had the name of the ¡®king¡¯ during the old days.

    ¡®Embrio, you don¡¯t have the power of sin. So, you can¡¯t be a king.¡¯

    Embryo recalled the fortune teller Naga¡¯s words, who he trampled in the north.

    Instead of thinking of something positive or negative, Embrio simply turned around.

    He muttered softly, ¡°Is he the Demon King of mes?¡±

    The new divinity that has risen from the southern region.

    The new Demon King bearing the name of the House of Mammon on his back.

    The wind blew. With the energy of death, it blew toward the north.

    <hr />

    [Name: Tigrius Randolt (male)]

    [Race: Magius (Mine)]

    [Category: Demon King-Demon King of Union]

    [Attribute: me Level 3]

    [Individual nature]

    [Prudent / Upright / Honest]

    [Individual aptitude]

    [Intellect / Magic power]

    [Evolution EXP 0/100]

    [Strength Specialization Level 2 | ¡ï¡ï (2)]

    [Physical Strength Specialization Level 3 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    [Intellect Specialization Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Magic Power Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï (3)]

    [Skill Specialization Level 4 | ¡ï¡ï¡î (2.5)]

    Thanks to the effect of the contract, Yong-ho could observe Tigrius¡¯s evolution information in great detail even though he had not yet made him his subordinate demon.

    What caught Yong-ho¡¯s interest more than anything else was his other name, ¡°The Demon King of Union.¡±

    ¡®Is it also hisst magic?¡¯

    During the battle, Tigrius¡¯s two different magics merged into one, and they werepletely different properties like fire and water.

    When it came to magic, Yong-ho was close to ayman, but it didn¡¯t mean he had nomonsensical knowledge of it at all. As far as he knew, two magics could not be one like that.

    Closing his green eyes, he pondered for a moment. He spoke to Tigrius in a low voice, who remained silent after dering that he would be Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate, ¡°Is the Demon King of Union your other name?¡±

    Since he had been ustomed to speaking to Eligos informally, he could ask Tigrius the same way.

    At that moment, Tigrius replied with his eyes ring, ¡°Yes, Lord. That is my name as a Demon King.¡±

    The power of the Demon King was not given by Providence. He obtained the power by awakening the possibility of his own soul as the Demon King.

    Therefore, the name of the Demon King could be called the name of the soul.

    Tigrius tried to suppress his curiosity.

    Yong-ho¡¯s different name, known to the public, was ¡°The Demon King of mes.¡±

    Tigrius thought so until now, but he didn¡¯t think it was true.

    Just as Yong-ho was deeply impressed by Tigrius¡¯s magic of merging two into one, Tigrius was also greatly shocked by his free attribute transformation.

    Moreover, this time, Yong-ho urately found out Tigrius¡¯s other name.

    There was a possibility that Yong-ho guessed right after watching him merge the two magics, but Tigrius¡¯s intuition denied such a flimsy possibility.

    When his green eyes shed, it was clear that some magic power was triggered.

    Maybe it was not his attribute transformation, but the power that he just showed.

    So, Tigrius got curious and wanted to know.

    However, Tigrius himself was now a subject of the House of Mammon. So, he could not ask his lord to reveal the secret.

    The power of the Demon King was the best weapon the Demon King had. So, asking him to reveal the secret of such power was like asking a warrior for his sword.

    Tigrius took a deep breath.

    Yong-ho and he had a different status. Yong-ho was his master, while Tigrius was his vassal.

    The master had to know clearly what power his vassal had, so he could use his subordinate¡¯s power in the right ce.

    Tigrius was good at making himself clear. Now that he pledged to be Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate through the contract, he did not consider himself more than a vassal of the House of Mammon.

    So, he exined to Yong-ho about his power in a soft voice, which could not be heard around him.

 Chapter 114 - Dungeon Making (2)

    <h4>Chapter 114: Dungeon Making (2)</h4>

    ¡°I have the power to unite two different objects into one, even though it¡¯s temporary. But it¡¯s not possible for anything. After I first obtained this power, I tested many ways and concluded thatbining magic was the most useful, and as a result, I¡¯vee to take the path of a wizard as I¡¯m now.¡±

    Combine two different things?

    At that moment, Yong-ho momentarily recalled his own evolution of union.

    ¡°Excuse me, but can you show it to me?¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Tigrius, who answered readily this time, opened both hands. Since the magic that he had memorized was almost exhausted, he activated a simple magic that did not require much preparation.

    ¡°Fire arrow in the right hand. Fire arrow in the left hand.¡±

    An arrow of mes formed on his hands. Tigrius made eye contact with Yong-ho. Slowly, he brought his hands together in front of his chest, then sped his hands finally.

    He shouted, ¡°Combination magic¡ªFire Ballista!¡± and opened his hands wide.

    At that moment, a huge arrow of fire formed on his palms. It was huge enough to befit the name Ballista.

    ¡°I canbine the same magic to further strengthen it, or I canbine different magic to create a new one.¡±

    After cancelling Fire Ballista, he activated the magic once again. This time, it was not the same magic.

    ¡°Strength in the right hand. Haste in the left hand. Combination magic¡ªBooster!¡±

    It didn¡¯t have as much of a visual effect as the one a moment ago. However, Yong-ho could see the color and properties of the magic directly. He gulped, watching the miracle on Tigrius¡¯s hands.

    It was thanks to this magicbination that Tigrius could carry several auxiliary magic on his body, for two magicbinations brought about the same effect as using four auxiliary magics.

    The more Yong-ho saw it, the more magnificent he felt about it. It was indeed an appropriate choice that Tigrius decided to use the power of magicbination.

    A magicyman, Yong-ho could think of various magicbinations at that moment. So, it was needless to say how many magicbinations Tigrius, a real wizard, could think of.

    What if Yong-ho could evolve Tigrius?

    What kind of achievement could Tigrius show if he led the wizard to a higher ce than now?

    ¡®Ah, by the way...¡¯

    Such power was only possessed by the Demon King.

    Tigrius was now Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate. If he could unleash the power of evolution, Tigrius had to be ¡°subjugated¡± to Yong-ho himself. In other words, he had to be Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit, not the head of the House of Randolt anymore.

    What would happen to his power when Tigrius was not the Demon King anymore?

    Could he lose it?

    If that was the case, it would be regrettable. Yong-ho wanted to maintain Tigrius¡¯s power while having him under hismand.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much,¡± whispered Ophelia, noticing Yong-ho¡¯s concern.

    Yong-ho signaled to Tigrius appropriately then turned to Opelia.

    She exined quickly and briefly, ¡°As you know, the power of the Demon King is manifested from the soul of the Demon King. Ascending to the position of the Demon King can be said to be an opportunity to awaken.

    ¡°Then, does it mean that his power is still maintained even when he steps down from the position of the Demon King?¡±

    ¡°Not really. It is true that the position of ¡°Demon King¡± itself exerts considerable power in maintaining power. To get straight to the point, anybody who has been in the position of the Demon King for a long time can still use his power even if he loses his position because power is the manifestation of the power of the soul. However, his power would be weaker than before. There is no way he can avoid it.¡±

    ording to her exnation, Tigrius would still be able to exert his power even if he lost his position as the Demon King.

    Yong-ho was not sure about the duration of ¡®for a long time¡¯ when she mentioned it, but Tigrius reigned as the head of the House of Randolt longer than Foras. In fact, the duration of his reign itself would not be a problem.

    When Yong-ho sighed as if he was relieved, Ophelia smiled brightly.

    Then she continued, ¡°And the results can vary, depending on how you can merge the House of Randolt because Tigrius can serve you while maintaining his position as the Demon King. And actually, this is moremon. The six kings are also governing their ¡°kingdom¡± in this way.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded. The power of his evolution has not stopped growing. If Yong-ho himself became stronger, he could unleash the power of evolution even if he didn¡¯t make Tigrius his subordinate spirit.

    After a brief conversation with Ophelia, Yong-ho approached Tigrius again.

    He told Tigrius what Ophelia reported, ¡°I hear that the main force of the House of Mammon started. So, we are going to wait here to join them before heading for the House of Randolt, as I told you before.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I will inform the dungeon of the House of Randolt in advance.¡±

    That was why Yong-ho stayed in the wilderness even though the duel was over.

    He could not go and take over the House of Randolt with his current force. Of course, he didn¡¯t suspect Tigrius, for Tigrius, whom Yong-ho met only briefly, would break his oath.

    There were two reasons why he mobilized his main force.

    First, he needed to put down the possible rebellion by the subordinate spirits of the House of Randolt without armed conflict, and secondly, he would need considerable manpower to rebuild the dungeon there.

    Deborah, a subordinate spirit of the House of Randolt, acted at Tigrius¡¯s order and contacted the dungeon through telepathy. As a special spirit, she could exchange telepathy with her twin sister, no matter how far they were from each other.

    Now that Yong-ho settled almost everything with Tigrius, all he had to do was wait for the main force led by Rikum.

    ¡®The new power of Brigada.¡¯

    Yong-ho looked back at the ring on his hand then turned to Catalina and Skull.

    It wasn¡¯t just Catalina and Skull alone that felt connected to Yong-ho. Yong-ho also felt a strong bond when using their magic power.

    He didn¡¯t make any calcted thinking that he would use those spirits with higher utility value as his subordinates. For that reason, the moment he felt connected to these subordinate spirits, their feelings were so pure.

    Skullughed at Yong-ho¡¯s gaze, and Catalina fluttered her ears and tail needlessly.

    Yong-ho gently touched the ring then turned back and looked west.

    Two dayster, he arrived at the dungeon of the House of Randolt.

    He immediately started renovating the dungeon.

    <hr />

    The renovation started from the heart of the dungeon.

    After pondering for the past two days, Yong-ho made a decision on how to merge the House of Randolt with his.

    Tigrius Randolt would retain his Demon King status. First of all, Yong-ho would maintain a simple master-ve rtionship instead of having him as his subordinate spirit.

    Of course, Yong-ho would have him go back to his original status as a subordinate spirit but not now.

    The dungeon of the Randolt House was the first ¡°expanded base¡± that Yong-ho acquired, and at the same time, it was a shield to block the forces from the western region.

    Yong-ho could not afford to stay at the Randolt House for that long. Even before the attack on the west began, he had to break through one more arena first, and if possible, he had to explore the Labyrinth of Greed.

    That was why it was better to keep the position of the head of the House of Randolt for now.

    Moreover, Tigrius¡¯s power was very useful. Since it was certain that his power would be weakened if Yong-ho made him his subordinate spirit, he could not weaken the strength of the friendly force recklessly.

    ¡®Of course... this rests on the assumption that Tigrius won¡¯t betray me.¡¯

    So, it took two days for Yong-ho to make the decision.

    Yong-ho already trusted Tigrius wholeheartedly for he was moved by Tigrius¡¯s attitude before and after the duel.

    However, he needed a little more time for more reasonable judgment.

    It was a very important issue. If Tigrius betrayed him during the battle, an irreversible situation would ur.

    So, Yong-ho had to arrange a safety device. And the first safeguard was the control of the heart of the dungeon.

    [Master!]

    [Can you hear my voice?]

    Lucia¡¯s voice was heard from the heart of the dungeon in the deepest part of the House of Randolt.

    Her voice wasn¡¯t very clear.

    He felt like Lucia¡¯s voice was distant as if he picked up a phone with poor reception, and there were also noises that interfered with their conversation when she spoke.

    Yong-ho slightly tweaked the position of the remotemunication unit attached to the heart of the dungeon. Next to him, Tigrius improved his connection with Lucia by controlling the letters of light that floated in the air.

    Lucia¡¯s voice flowing from the dungeon¡¯s soul became more and more clear.

    [Aiuheho]

    [Can you hear me?]

    [If you hear me, please answer me!]

    [Tubitubi Bopbop]

    [My master is a fool]

    Yong-ho blushed when Lucia¡¯s voice continued. He could have smiled at her if he had been in the House of Mammon, but this ce was the House of Randolt with Tigrius standing beside him.

    Yong-ho said in a soft voice after clearing his throat several times as if to hide his embarrassment.

    ¡°Lucia?¡±

    [Hicuuk!]

    [Master? This time I can¡¯t hear you well. I think themunication status is bad.]

    It was a white lie.

    Yong-ho grinned when he thought of this girl with blue hair, who was desperately pretending otherwise.

    ¡°It seems you and I are well connected.¡±

    [Hehe, you know I love you, my master?]

    Instead of answering, Yong-ho pretended to hit her forehead in the air.

    As themunication status improved, Lucia, who was connected to Yong-ho via the heart of the dungeon of the House of Randolt, responded with augh.

    Watching all this, Tigrius said, ¡°She¡¯s very peculiar.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°She has a lot of emotion. I didn¡¯t see a lot of dungeon souls... But I have never seen a dungeon soul like her.¡±

    It didn¡¯t sound like he mentioned it without any reason. There was a little curiosity in Tigrius¡¯s eyes like a wizard.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Blurring a bit, Yong-ho looked back at the heart of the dungeon then he said while touching the remotemunications device, ¡°Lucia, can you feel your friend here? I¡¯m going to subjugate some of the dungeon functions of the Randolt House to the dungeon of the Mammon House. The dungeon soul here will guide you, so finish the work.¡±

    [Okay!]

    [Hi, I¡¯m Lucia!]

 Chapter 115 - Dungeon Making (3)

    <h4>Chapter 115: Dungeon Making (3)</h4>

    Lucia spoke vigorously. Unlike when she was in the Mammon House, only her voice was heard now, so not only Yong-ho but Tigrius could hear it.

    Yong-ho felt a lot of expectation in Lucia¡¯s voice. It seemed that she was excited to meet the souls of another dungeon for the first time.

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t as excited as Lucia, but he earnestly waited for the replies of the dungeon soul of the House of Randolt.

    While Lucia¡¯s heart was pounding in excitement, there was a reply from the dungeon soul of the House of Randolt.

    [A newmunication line with the dungeon soul of the House of Mammon is opened.]

    [It seems that it will take about 10 minutes to do this.]

    It was a hard female voice.

    It seemed that the female didn¡¯t want to reply to Lucia¡¯s greetings.

    [Sullen...]

    [I will help you with the work.]

    Lucia spoke briefly, but apparently, she was disappointed. The sullen face of this blue-haired girl, with her shoulders drooping, came to Yong-ho¡¯s mind.

    Yong-ho turned back to Tigrius and asked, ¡°Is that the typical response...?¡±

    ¡°Most of the dungeon souls I have met are like that. I think my dungeon soul is perhaps moremon than Lucia.¡±

    Tigrius had no reason to lie, but it seemed that Lucia was really a special spirit.

    ¡®That¡¯s good to know.¡¯

    From Yong-ho¡¯s point of view, a cheerful Lucia was much better.

    ¡°When themunication line with Lucia ispleted, we will start renovating the dungeon. I exined to you on the way, but I¡¯m thinking of making this a fortress. The new dungeon will be very different from it now,¡± said Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho seemed to feel sorry for Tigrius.

    Tigrius looked at Yong-ho differently from when he witnessed Lucia¡¯s rich emotions.

    Then he replied with a warm smile reminiscent of Eligos, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I think you need the renovation to stop the forces from the western region. I understand. Thank you for your consideration.¡±

    After he expressed gratitude duly, Tigrius recovered his usual look.

    His face was that of an old gentleman who gave out the aura of a serious nobleman with gravitas.

    <hr />

    While Lucia upied some of the functions of the House of Randolt, Yong-ho headed for the makeshift lodge of the House of Mammon arranged in one corner of the House of Randolt.

    Originally, Tigrius wanted to provide Yong-ho with the Demon King¡¯s room and his own bedroom as the amodation for the Mammon House spirits, but Yong-ho declined it.

    Tigrius was still the head of the House of Randolt. So, Yong-ho wanted to respect it.

    Of course, that was not the only reason.

    ¡®A guest room is much better for me.¡¯

    It would not be pleasant for Yong-ho to take someone else¡¯s bedroom, especially that of an old gentleman like Tigrius. Moreover, Yong-ho did not intend to settle down in the House of Randolt for good. When the dungeon renovation waspleted to some extent, he nned to return to the House of Mammon to break through the arena.

    The spirits of the House of Mammon waiting at the lodge weed back Yong-ho. Apanied by Ophelia, Skull, and Catalina alone, Yong-ho moved to the guest bedrooms.

    Sensing the reason why he called her to his bedroom, Ophelia said, gently pressing on her pounding heart, ¡°I would like to ask for the evolution of my physical strength.¡±

    Yong-houghed. Although Ophelia changed into a fox-like girl from a veteran tavern hostess who had gone through ups and downs, her sharp eyes remained the same.

    ¡°Not magic power, but physical strength?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because bnce is important. Especially for Red Demons like me and brother Eli, physical ability is as important as magic power. For the Red Daemons, magic is merely the ¡°means¡± to strengthen their body. The basis of strength is not magic power, but physical ability.¡±

    Her detailed exnation was quite reasonable.

    However, Yong-ho was bothered by something unusual she mentioned.

    ¡°Brother Eli?¡±

    ¡°Because brother Eligos¡¯s name is too long, I like Eli. It¡¯s like his nickname.¡±

    Opheliaughed brightly, which made Yong-ho frown.

    He said grumly, recalling Eligos¡¯s face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±

    Opheliaughed again this time. She closed her eyes then stretched her bodyfortably.

    Yong-ho took his breath. He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to empty his head.

    It had already been proven in several cases that Yong-ho¡¯s own ¡°thought¡± had some influence on his appearance after going through an evolution. He made sure that his envy, not suitable for a master like him, shouldn¡¯t have any effect on her appearance.

    Yong-ho thought about good things as much as possible. Then he activated the power of evolution.

    There was no violent external change. But a violent change took ce within her body.

    The strengthening of the body itself.

    Her bones became harder. Both her internal organs and muscles were strengthened, and her skin became more stic.

    ¡®And... uh...¡¯

    He could not describe it urately, but the aura of Ophelia changed a little.

    Had she be more attractive? He seemed to hear Aamon murmuring that he felt so because of his mood or agony.

    Shaking his head, Yong-ho concentrated. New boxes of light floated above Ophelia¡¯s head.

    [Red Demon Breaker]

    [Red Demon Vanguard]

    Both were new routes to level advancement.

    Even though the evolution was over, Yong-ho¡¯s green eyes were still shining. Watching him, Ophelia gulped before she knew it. Seeing there was something going on, she quietly waited for his next move.

    Instead of saying something, Yong-ho touched the boxes of light in the air one by one.

    And he saw something different from before.

    It was the same as before that a translucent silhouette was drawn over Ophelia¡¯s body whenever he touched them. However, the type of silhouette was different this time.

    ¡®Transformation? Is it like a battle mode?¡¯

    Even after leveling up, Ophelia¡¯s appearance did not change much.

    However, she had some other look during the battle, unlike her usual look.

    The Red Demon Breaker was an aggressive type. After switching to battle mode, Ophelia turned into a wild figure reminiscent of a feline beast. Her hands were stronger, and her legs were longer and firmer. And ck patterns appeared all over her red skin.

    On the other hand, Red Demon Vanguard was a speed type. Unlike Breaker, whose physique itself was getting bigger as a whole, Vanguard changed Ophelia¡¯s body shape more slenderly. But she looked very agile. It was obvious that she could move much faster now.

    Yong-ho intended to have Ophelia choose one. Since her advancement was possible only after her evolution EXP maxed, she had plenty of time to think about it.

    ¡®Let me have high hopes for Eligos.¡¯

    What was the next step for Red Demon Beast? How much wilder could it turn?

    After grinning, Yong-ho let go of his hands from Opelia¡¯s shoulders.

    He briefly exined to her about the advancement to Opelia, who opened her eyes wide instead of asking what was going on.

    Next was Skull¡¯s turn.

    If Ophelia was the busiest spirit in the dungeon of the House of Mammon externally, Skull was the one who spent the most time training.

    Although Skull could no longer collect EXP properly even in the intermediate training ground, he did not roll around the floor quietly.

    Skull trained his unit endlessly, literally 24 hours a day.

    While Ophelia quickly gained her EXP by sparring with Eligos and through her tight schedule, Skull gained evolution EXP through training.

    Skull evolved mainly toward increasing his physical abilities such as physical strength and build. But things were different now. Skull was not just a warrior, but a magic warrior who knew how to use magic power.

    Yong-ho, who put his hand on the head of Skull, kneeling before him, applied the evolution of magic power on him. The magical power that more clearly revealed its presence than before after merging with Skeleton Mage was transformed into arger and stronger form. Yong-ho felt lightning from Skull.

    ¡®But I still don¡¯t think of his advancement stage.¡¯

    Yong-ho felt sorry for it. After all, it seemed that there was still a long way for Skull to move up to a Death Knight.

    Afterpleting the evolution of Skull, Catalina looked at Yong-ho with an expectant expression this time. Yong-ho grinned mischievously at her pping her tail, then gently hit her on the forehead and said, ¡°Did you already forget that you evolved after breaking through the first floor? You¡¯re greedy.¡±

    Catalina responded by drooping her ears and tail.

    Yong-ho stroked her hair and said to everyone again, ¡°Anyway, for the next few days, I will focus on nning dungeon remodeling because it needs a major renovation. Maybe I need to reorganize the dungeon once. I also have to buy the necessary materials.¡±

    Just like a dungeon located along the route to the western region, the dungeon of the House of Randolt was already quite inbative form. But that wasn¡¯t enough.

    Yong-ho intended to turn the dungeon into an indomitable fortress.

    Fortunately, Tigrius obediently followed his intention because he knew well that it was the only choice to prevent attacks from the western region.

    On that day, Yong-ho immediately nned a draft of the fortress in cooperation with Tigrius and Ophelia. And the next day, he reorganized the dungeon.

    It was different from the previous reorganization of the first floor of the dungeon of the House of Mammon in the past. When Yong-ho implemented the dungeon reorganization, the first floor of the House of Mammon was really small.

    It would take three days to reorganize the dungeon. After that, they would need to spend a considerable amount of timeying the foundation for the full-scale fortification of the dungeon.

    Yong-ho delegated the supervision of the whole remodeling process to Ophelia and Tigrius.

    He had Skull and his unit on standby as the security guard. Then he headed back to the House of Mammon apanied by Catalina alone.

    ¡®I¡¯m going toe back here after breaking through the 9th floor of the arena, no, 10th floor.¡¯

    Smi, the spirit of mes with the House of Mammon, carried Yong-ho and Catalina on his wings and spread them. It left the traces of mes in the sky of the demon world.

 Chapter 116 - Demon King of Distortion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 116: Demon King of Distortion (1)</h4>

    What was the most powerful one among the numerous races in the demon world?

    There were lots of disagreements about it. However, there was one race that had been always mentioned among them.

    It was the Dragons.

    They were both the king of flying animals as well as the king of wild animals. They possessed a particrly strong body among the beings of the demon world, and they were born with powerful mana befitting their strong bodies.

    Often called ancient dragons, who lived long enough, they could be said to be a disaster in themselves.

    They were like a god and the representation of a strong man, who reached the ultimate level in both physical strength and mana.

    And there was one who stood at the top among those dragons.

    Although he didn¡¯t have the Seven Deadly Sins, he rose to the position of ¡°king¡±.

    In the history of the demon world, he was the only one who rose to the position of ¡°king¡± without possessing the Seven Deadly Sins.

    People called him the King of Violence.

    Great Dragon Lord.

    The King of Violence was like a mountain. Interestingly, this expression satisfied both its substance and metaphor.

    The giant body of the King of Violence was several hundred meters long. Even though it curled up, roiling its tail, it could not hide its giant body.

    The King of Violence never acted recklessly. Like the name ¡°violence,¡± he was an extremely powerful being, but he did not use his power anytime anywhere.

    He was like a volcano. Normally, he remained silent, but once he showed his anger, the whole world was shaken.

    The King of Violence awakened from a deep sleep. However, he did not open his eyes or move his body. It was only his mind that awoke.

    The King of Violence thought about his unsurpassed magic power, which could be called part of his body. He connected his soul with one of the seven fragments of that Demon King.

    Godly Energy and the Seven Deadly Sins shared their history.

    Since ancient times, when the Demon King disappeared, Godly Energy changed many hands, which never forgot them.

    The traces of some of their unsurpassed magic power were left behind, though they were small.

    And there was one that left the biggest traces in the annals of Godly Energy.

    ¡®The King of Greed.¡¯

    In magic, its owner¡¯s soul and memory were supposed to exist.

    The King of Greed¡¯s magic power was great enough to be recorded as unsurpassed abilities. Although fragmentary, there were some great moments of his magic power recorded.

    Then, why did the King of Greed suddenly disappear?

    Who was it that took his life?

    The King of Violence tried to sleep quietly.

    He peeked into the memories of Godly Energy.

    <hr />

    Thanks to Smi flying almost half a day, though he took a break on and off, Yong-ho could reach the dungeon of the House of Mammon before dark.

    The Himere Cats, which mainly monitored the ground, were flustered at Yong-ho¡¯s sudden appearance. So, he told them to watch over the airspace as well and stroked their heads one by one. Watching him, Catalina touched her own head slightly.

    It was Treant, one of the veteran spirits of the House of Mammon, that greeted Yong-ho after the Himere Cats.

    Now fully established himself as the main gatekeeper of the House of Mammon, Treant bowed to Yong-ho, along with the other two Treants that he had bought recently.

    Repeating evolutionary changes, they had a much more flexible and tougher body than the typical Treant. However, they were essentially ¡®trees¡¯, so they could easily perform motions that ordinary Treants could not.

    After the Himere Cats and Treant, Eligos came out to greet Yong-ho along with Baduk and Yuria.

    ¡°Congrattions on your victory, Master.¡±

    Eligos spoke with ring eyes. Eligos had been serving as the butler since the time when the House of Mammon was on the verge of copse. It was natural that Eligos felt so proud of Yong-ho because he made the House of Mammon stand tall again and took over another dungeon.

    Baduk, who was next to Eligos, expressed happiness more honestly, while Yuria slightly lifted her sleeves to show due respect to Yong-ho, saying lispingly, ¡°Well... Congrattions!¡±

    Yong-houghed loudly like Skull and stroked Yuria¡¯s hair. Then he headed for the Demon King¡¯s room with Catalina, who was touching her hair again this time, and Eligos, who started to wipe his tears with a handkerchief.

    [Master, take a good rest.]

    [It must have been difficult for Smi to fly all day long, but you know our Master also had a hard time hanging on Smi for the whole day, right?]

    Lucia spoke in a quiet way.

    Feeling like he sat on the throne for a long time, Yong-ho nodded at her. As Lucia said, he was exhausted, so he was thinking of taking a break today, but he had some more work to do.

    Yong-ho grinned at Eligos after looking at him with the power of evolution.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I have expected.¡±

    The fact that Ophelia¡¯s evolution EXP maxed out meant that Eligos did the same thing, for the two always practiced together.

    ¡°Can I still evolve?¡±

    When Yong-ho¡¯s green eyes red, Eligos asked him with an expectant voice.

    It was natural that Eligos showed such a reaction.

    Eligos came from the demon world. Moreover, he was a member of the Red Daemon called the ¡°battle race¡±. He had no reason to refuse to be stronger through evolution.

    Instead of answering right away, Yong-ho rested his chin on his right hand.

    Then he looked at Eligos with his eyes slightly open.

    He did so for a few seconds when Eligos felt nervous then said, ¡°Ophelia asked me to evolve the magic power of ¡®Brother Eli.¡¯¡±

    Eligos cleared his throat when Yong-ho emphasized ¡®Brother Eli.¡¯

    Obviously, he was embarrassed.

    Feeling pleasant but angry at the same time, Yong-ho asked, ¡°Do you have any nickname for her?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no. I just call her Ophelia. Her name itself is pretty... Ooops!¡±

    At that moment, Yong-houghed wickedly like the Demon King, and Eligos was flustered, muttering something like he was brainwashed. Originally, Eligos was a Red Demon whose skin was red, but today, it looked much redder.

    Fortunately for Eligos, Yong-ho knew when to refrain himself. In fact, if he dug more about Eligo¡¯s rtionship with Ophelia, Yong-ho felt he would be hurt, so he stopped. Anyway, he stopped ying games with Eligos and stood up.

    ¡°Let me evolve you with a specialization of magic power. So, close your eyes.¡±

    Since Yong-ho changed the topic, Eligos closed his eyes, feeling relieved.

    Yong-ho activated the power of evolution. He brought out Eligos¡¯s possibilities, which changed thetter in no time. Eligos¡¯s magic power became strong.

    Besides, it was apanied by his physical change this time. A third horn came out from his forehead.

    Pricking her ears and hearing their conversation with her eyes open, Catalina once again opened her eyes wider.

    The difference between having two horns and three horns was like night and day.

    ¡®Moreover...¡¯

    A new box of light appeared above Eligos¡¯s head.

    [Red Demon-Tyrant]

    Like Ophelia, the box was one, not two. But the name itself was really strong.

    ¡®Tyrant?¡¯

    Following the beast first, it was a tyrant this time. Yong-ho instinctively touched the box of light and looked at Eligos, who just went through an evolution.

    He was the same as Ophelia. In addition to his usual form, he had a separate bat form¡¯.

    Eligos seemed to understand why he was named ¡®tyrant.¡¯ Even now, he had a well-developed upper body with an inverted triangle, but hisbat shape was more than that. In particr, his shoulders and arms were developed, and his two fists full of hair looked like a wicked blunt weapon by itself.

    Perhaps, thebination of a bear and a gori would look like Eligos.

    In any case, it was clear that Eligos gave out the aura of a wild beast. The ck patterns among the hair growing all over his body also stood out.

    ¡®He looks like a super beast,¡¯ Yong-ho thought.

    He withdrew his hands and deactivated the power of evolution.

    ¡®By the way...¡¯

    Suddenly, something strange came to Yong-ho¡¯s mind.

    Red Demon Tyrant.

    Obviously, the name befitted Eligos, who went through an evolution.

    But Eligos felt ufortable about it

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    Not only Eligos but also Catalina and Ophelia felt the same way.

    A new name after advancement.

    They understood the new names of Goblin Rangers and Skull after evolution.

    Hob Goblin was the superior species of a goblin. In the case of Skull, he was an artificially born undead, so it was natural that there were higher species such as Skeleton Soldier and Warrior.

    But what about Red Demon or Dark Elf? Well, Catalina had the mixed blood of Dark Elf and Subus. But it was not an exaggeration to say that she was walking on her own path now.

    Although her physical abilities were strong enough to be confused as a human being, she was a ¡°human¡± after all. On the contrary, the owner of the body, which was extremely weakened, was also a ¡°human¡±.

    It was strange that there were detailed sub-items such as Red Demon Beast and Strider.

    It wasn¡¯t just because of Eligos but also because their sense of ipatibility was close to exploding beyond the critical point.

    ¡®Well, let me ask.¡¯

    Yong-ho cleared hisplicated thoughts by lightly shaking his head.

    After stopping Lucia¡¯s attempt to nag in the bud, Yong-ho took a good break.

    ¡°Red Demon Tyrant? What the heck is that?¡±

 Chapter 117 - Demon King of Distortion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 117: Demon King of Distortion (2)</h4>

    As expected, Gusion tilted his head. He did the same thing when he heard Red Demon Beast or Strider.

    Yong-ho narrowed his brows when Gusion said he could not understand Eligos¡¯s new name at all.

    At that moment, Aamon cut in.

    [Gusion, just stop pretending not to know.]

    [My little master. It is probably the name that the soul of the young master or the power of evolution created for the sake of convenience based on his knowledge.]

    [That¡¯s why Gusion doesn¡¯t know those names.]

    ¡°The power of evolution?¡±

    Aamon responded by increasing the mes.

    Gusion said with a giggle, ¡°Well, the power of evolution... or the power of the Demon King is based on the individual soul of the Demon King. Namely, it falls out of nowhere. Maybe I can say it¡¯s the power of my little master¡¯s soul.¡±

    Yong-ho already heard a simr story.

    Recently, Ophelia mentioned the power of the soul while exining to Yong-ho about the power of the Demon King.

    ¡°When you first exercised the power of evolution, you said you saw things like colored smoke. But now, you can even discern the systemic family tree? Who changed it?¡±

    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Yong-ho nodded. It was a convincing exnation.

    It was Yong-ho himself who changed the iprehensible form of colored smoke into an evolutionary information window like the game system.

    That was the case for them having names after evolution. Yong-ho gave them names for convenience¡¯s sake so that he could easily distinguish them.

    ¡®Um, somehow, I liked it.¡¯

    In fact, the new name reflected Yong-ho¡¯s preference because all the words he used to make the names came off the top of his head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop chatting at this point. The floor master on the 9th floor is waiting for me anxiously.¡±

    Having said that, Gusion sat in his first-ss seat. Aamon also silently sat next to him silently.

    Yong-ho turned his shoulders a few times as if to warm up lightly then headed for the arena. Seated in the front seat of the stand, Catalina watched Yong-ho.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to have a rough time. That guy is particrly strong among the floor masters on the 9th floor. This time, our little master might be penalized.¡±

    Gusion giggled, biting a cigar in his mouth. There were several floor masters on each floor of the arena. That was why a different floor master appeared, depending on the challenger.

    Kentauros Ki, the 9th-floor master, was the strongest among the floor masters avable on the 9th floor.

    Despite Gusion¡¯s expectation, however, Aamon just smiled quietly then created gentle mes.

    Gusion soon knew why Aamon reacted like this.

    Standing in front of Kentauros Ki, wearing golden armor and armed with arge sword and shield, Yong-ho activated Aamon and the maic field at the same time. Today, he intended to fight in a slightly different way than before.

    The magic power of greed was activated. The green mes that were burning on Yong-ho¡¯s right hand and the cold chill on his left hand were embodied in blue. And that wasn¡¯t all.

    This time, Brigada was activated. Yong-ho drew ck magic from Catalina, who was sitting in the stand.

    The green mes and chill were mixed with ck magic.

    Yong-ho found it hard tobine the mes and cold air into one. He could easily add darkness to the attribute of each one.

    Kentauros Ki watched Yong-ho in embarrassment. He felt the magical power arising from Yong-ho¡¯s hands was unusual.

    Gusion opened his mouth wide then turned to Aamon after blinking several times.

    He asked with his eyes, ¡®Have you taught him by any chance?¡¯

    Aamon answered with mes, suggesting he didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Did he realize it by himself then? Oh, our little master really has a knack of surprising people.¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯s next step in using Brigada was to bring out the magic power of his subordinate spirits and make them his own.

    That wasn¡¯t all. Now, Yong-ho naturally fused their attributes. By adding darkness to the mes and chill, he created greater power.

    It was natural that Kentauros Ki was embarrassed. He had never seen any head of the House of Mammon disying such abilities based on the spirits¡¯ attributes in the arena.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Ki, but the guy on the 10th floor will have to face the same fate, unfortunately. Oh, it¡¯s Kaiwan on the 10th floor. It might be our little master who would be in trouble while challenging Kaiwan.¡±

    Gusion grinned brightly, which looked rather wicked than mischievous.

    Aamon concentrated on the arena again.

    Yong-ho and Kentauros Ki shed head-on.

    As Gusion expected, the arena was filled with Ki¡¯s sad screaming.

    <hr />

    ¡°How cruel...¡±

    That was what Gusion said first to Yong-ho when he returned to the stands after defeating Ki.

    Yong-ho frowned, pointing to his body covered with wounds.

    ¡°You know I suffered a lot. Can¡¯t you see?¡±

    Thebat suit he purchased at the dungeon merchant was a mess. In particr, both sleeves were severely torn.

    However, Gusion clicked his tongue as if he didn¡¯t like Yong-ho¡¯s way of fighting.

    Gusion said, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re still inexperienced in using both mes and chill at the same time. Don¡¯t you know who was dragging his feet while using all kinds of techniques in the name of practice? I feel sorry for Ki. He really liked to have the chance of fighting someone strong after a long time, saying he would show his chivalry.¡±

    Then Gusion shook his head from side to side.

    Recalling Ki¡¯s muttering about the honor of a knight even before the fight, Yong-ho scratched his cheek a little. Come to think of it, Yong-ho felt he was too harsh toward Ki.

    ¡°Well, I also struggled quite a bit. Seriously, tell Ki that it was a great match.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡±

    Gusion giggled at that. Anyway, he was d that Yong-ho made big progress.

    Yong-ho was getting strong and faster than any other family head that Gusion had ever seen until now. And the source of his strength was not only his greed and Aamon, which pleased Gusion.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Let me serve you after a long time.¡±

    Suddenly, Gusion reached out to Yong-ho with big hands. Yong-ho unwittingly got nervous, but he didn¡¯t step back or act strangely. Something amazing happened when Gusion¡¯s hands passed through the air above his head.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯sbat uniform, which was in tatters, recovered its original condition. It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was possible because of Gusion¡¯s personal magic or any special power of the arena, but Yong-ho felt good about it anyway.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you upgrade my magic power and physical abilities?¡± Asked Yong-ho.

    While making a satisfied expression at Yong-ho¡¯s question, Gusion frowned because he felt Yong-ho was too greedy like the King of Greed.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do it for you. As I told you from the beginning, this is my special service for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. I have to give it up then.¡±

    Ignoring Gusion¡¯s words, Yong-ho searched for something in his pocket. Then he took out a bottle from the set of magic potions he obtained as a reward for defeating Ki on the 9th floor and drank it.

    It was different from the magic potion that Sitri got him before. To be precise, the goods Sitri gave him were superior.

    Although the magic potion was obtained from the 9th floor, his magic power didn¡¯t max out immediately. It helped him heal slowly, but it had nothing like the effect of magic power enhancement.

    Nheless, he got as many as ten bottles. Moreover, it should be considered that Yong-ho¡¯s own magic became so powerful that it could not bepared to when he received the magic potion from Sitri.

    Watching Yong-ho swallowing the magic potion, Gusion whistled then asked with a smile, ¡°Are you trying to challenge the 10th floor without resting first?¡±

    Although Gusion told Yong-ho that Ki was overwhelmed by him, that was not true. Gusion just exaggerated Ki¡¯s defeat to make fun of Yong-ho, so he admitted that Yong-ho also suffered a lot.

    In a general situation, Yong-ho should stop fighting and go back.

    He had as many as ten bottles of magic potion, but at the same time, it meant that he had only ten now. It didn¡¯t befit Yong-ho if he tried to challenge the 10th floor by consuming one of them.

    But it was Gusion¡¯s misjudgment. Yong-ho was by no means the type of person who acted in a calcted way.

    ¡°Well, I feel good. I need to keep up with the momentum, let alone save time.¡±

    Obviously, Kaiwan was a tough opponent. But Yong-ho¡¯s five senses were sharpened by his fight with Ki, so it was the right time for him to challenge Kaiwan.

    Yong-ho took off the bottle of magic potion from his mouth, which he drank about half of it. Given the speed of his surging magic power, he felt it was wise to stop drinking at this point.

    ¡®I wonder if I can seal this and drink it againter.¡¯

    The magic potion that Sitri gave him worked only when he drank it down at a time.

    ¡®Well, I feel I can fight, given that my magic power is surging after drinking half of it.¡¯

    When he was agonizing for a moment, he noticed Catalina, pping her tail gently.

    He turned to her and asked, ¡°Catalina, would you like to drink it?¡±

    In fact, she was exhausted after supplying her ck magic to him. She blinked at his unexpected suggestion but replied with a bright smile, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Then she immediately took the magic potion from him and brought it to her mouth. She did it so naturally, but he felt embarrassed.

    He blushed before he knew it. He hurriedly let out the heat from his face, fanning with his hand desperately. But she was calm, and even Gusion casually looked at him. He felt rather awkward at the moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Asked Gusion.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s kind of hot all of a sudden.¡±

    Given that Gusion, who liked to make fun of him, tilted his head, Yong-ho realized that he didn¡¯t need to be excited at all.

    ¡°Wow... my magic power is really recovering.¡± After drinking the remaining magic potion, Catalina said, smiling brightly again.

    Yong-ho¡¯s eyes were fixed on her lips alone at the moment.

    [Little master?]

    It was Aamon¡¯s voice.

 Chapter 118 - Demon King of Distortion (3)

    <h4>Chapter 118: Demon King of Distortion (3)</h4>

    ¡°Hmmm. The next step that you mentionedst time...¡±

    Fortunately, Yong-ho came to his senses after hearing Aamon¡¯s voice.

    Gusion replied with a cheerful smile, ¡°Yeah, I hate to admit it. The next step is for you to empower your subordinate spirits then share the power of Brigada with them. That¡¯s why the kings with the Seven Deadly Sins should have powerful subordinate spirits under theirmand.¡±

    Although there were several subordinate spirits, their master was one.

    What kind of synergy would be created if the power of all the powerful subordinate spirits were concentrated on their master?

    What if all the power of 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, each of whom could be called a legend, would bebined into one?

    ¡®That¡¯s outrageous.¡¯

    Yong-ho seemed to know why only those who had the Seven Deadly Sins reigned as ¡°kings¡±.

    It was really a great power.

    ¡®Brigada is a fragment of the Demon King¡¯s flesh... The fragments that didn¡¯t turn into Godly Energy.¡¯

    Suddenly, Yong-ho got intensely curious about Godly Energy.

    He could exert this much power with the general Brigada. Then, what kind of miracle could he pull off if he had Godly Energy?

    The seven unsurpassed magic powers that existed in the demon world were currently owned by each of their masters.

    Namely, the six kings of the Seven Deadly Sins such as the King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, the King of Sloth, the King of Gluttony, and the King of Wrath.

    And the King of Violence who reigned as king even though he had no Seven Deadly Sins.

    If Yong-ho didn¡¯t defeat one of them, he would never own the unsurpassed magic power. Yong-ho shook off such thoughts and decided to focus on his current job for now.

    At that moment, Gusion said, ¡°As I told you the other day, your opponent on the 10th floor is Kaiwan. Since the reward is special, the penalty is also special.¡±

    ¡°What is the reward?¡±

    ¡°Well, you can check with your own eyes after winning. I can¡¯t tell you the penalty right now. But at least you¡¯re not dying because of the penalty, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me which floor Kaiwan lost?¡± Asked Yong-ho one after another.

    As if he organized his thoughts, Gusion replied after moving his neck several times, ¡°Well, she was defeated several times. It would be no exaggeration to say that as a family head, she experienced the most defeats since the arena was created. If there is one of her defeats that you might be interested in, it¡¯s the 20th floor.¡±

    It was the penalty that demoted Kaiwan to a subordinate spirit of the arena from the head of the House of Mammon. It was the 20th floor, not far from where Yong-ho was.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to dy. Let¡¯s get started,¡± Yong-ho said, turning his arm lightly.

    Not only Yong-ho¡¯s magic power but also Catalina¡¯s was almostpletely restored.

    Giggling to himself, Gusion pointed to the arena with his chin.

    ¡°Kaiwan is waiting for you at the moment and very earnestly at that.¡±

    Yong-ho turned to the arena. Indeed, as Gusion said, a woman with gray hair was standing there alone.

    Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion, it was her.

    <hr />

    Kaiwan wasn¡¯t dressed in an attire that Yong-ho used to see in the arena.

    A skintight leather attire mixed with ck and red and a long hanging sword. Her gray hair was wrapped around her sad but ferocious face.

    She was the same as the one that he peeked at through the little magical power present in her ring of distortion. That look of hers was the same as the one when she was still the head of the House of Mammon.

    On the surface, she was quite calm. Rather, she was full of spite at the moment.

    Kaiwan stared at Yong-ho without saying anything, and Yong-ho faced her silently.

    After taking a deep breath, he opened the bag he brought for this visit in particr.

    He took out an old book and handed it to Kaiwan.

    ¡°This is Cayenne¡¯s journal. He kept a journal until he died.¡±

    Kaiwan¡¯s eyes trembled. Yong-ho finally realized that Kaiwan wasn¡¯t staring at him but just looking at him.

    Yong-ho waited this time again, and Kaiwan clenched her teeth. After she received the journal reluctantly, she slowly turned the pages.

    Nobody hastened their fight. Gusion was silent, and the arena spirits and the previous heads of the House of Mammon in the stands waited for Kaiwan to respond.

    Kaiwan couldn¡¯t read the journal properly because her overflowing tears wet the journal.

    She gasped for breath. Soon, she struggled to hold back her tears, but she couldn¡¯t control herself after all. She cried sadly like a child.

    Yong-ho waited again this time. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully hugged her.

    Just like she first heard about Cayenne¡¯s death, she didn¡¯t push away Yong-ho.

    Relying on his body temperature, she expressed her sorrow freely.

    How much time passed?

    Kaiwan¡¯s crying subsided. But she did not lift his forehead from his chest. After catching her breath several times, she said in a low voice, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Then she pushed him out. She also stepped back to increase the distance between them.

    Finally, she faced him.

    At that moment, he just replied, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    When he deliberately spoke lightly, Kaiwan smiled a bit.

    Laughing a little loudly, she said, ¡°You didn¡¯t attack me when I was reading the journal or crying. Then, you could have defeated me easily.¡±

    That was what Yong-ho didn¡¯t expect at all. He heard Gusion, who was sitting in the special seat in the stands,ughing heartily.

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Well, I could do so, but it¡¯s not fair.¡±

    It was a lie. Yong-ho didn¡¯t even think about it in the first ce.

    Kaiwan knew it, too. That was why she hugged Cayenne¡¯s journal dearly then turned around.

    Only after leaving it outside the arena, she stood again, looking at Yong-ho.

    ¡°If we fight for nothing, it won¡¯t be fun. So, let¡¯s bet. If you beat me, I¡¯ll grant your wish, no matter what it is,¡± she said.

    ¡°What if I lose?¡± When he asked back immediately, she leaned her head slightly.

    ¡°Well? I haven¡¯t really thought about it. In fact, I¡¯m so grateful to you that I don¡¯t want to ask you for anything.¡±

    Although it was brief, she smiled at him. Perhaps, she had never smiled like that for the past few decades.

    Yong-ho was calm on the surface but very agitated deep down.

    ¡®Did she say she would grant my wish, no matter what?¡¯

    At that moment, he heard somebody shouting from behind him.

    ¡°Me, me too!¡±

    It was Catalina. Raising her tail upright, she shouted with her blushing face.

    ¡°If your master beats me, I¡¯ll grant your wish!¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Why did Catalina suddenly interfere?

    Catalina flinched at Yong-ho¡¯s embarrassed nce. She then covered her mouth with both hands. With her ears drooping, she became silent.

    Yong-ho blinked again, and Kaiwan smiled brightly. She even giggled, holding her belly.

    She was very different from the one that Yong-ho used to remember.

    Even Gusion and the former Mammon family heads, who looked at her with an embarrassed expression, felt the same way.

    ¡°She is cute.¡±

    Kaiwan took her breath. Then she faced Yong-ho with a bright smile that she had never shown to anyone other than her younger brother Cayenne.

    ¡°Let me tell you again, Thanks. So...¡±

    Her ecstatic smile was brief. There was now ferociousness in her eyes full of affection.

    Powerful magic power came out from her body that was defenseless a moment ago.

    Kaiwan stepped forward. Her step was very light, but it was far from small.

    Kaiwan¡¯s breathing quickly enveloped Yong-ho.

    ¡°I will do my best.¡±

    As soon as she finished talking, she brought out a storm with her sword.

    <hr />

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t remember how he stopped her first blow. Her enchanted smile made him let down his guard, and her single advance made a dozen meters of distance to zero. It was a miracle that he stopped her first sword attack, aiming at his chest.

    No, it wasn¡¯t like a miracle. Yong-ho stopped it with his skills.

    His sense of fighting never copsed because of her smile. His sense of death, which he cultivated by dying dozens or hundreds of times, responded sharply.

    The moment Kaiwan swung her sword, the maic field covered Yong-ho¡¯s left arm.

    Her sword and the maic field collided, and Yong-ho¡¯s lower body hit the ground hard without waiting for hismand. Without resisting the force from her attack, he moved his body ordingly. He increased the distance to buy time.

    While he was stepping back, the mes of red lotus arose. Kaiwan¡¯s vision was dazzled for a moment, and by the time the mes disappeared, he already grabbed Aamon.

    His distance from Kaiwan was only five meters.

    Both hit the ground at the same time. They rushed toward each other.

    Yong-ho flew high. He wielded Aamon hard from top to bottom.

    On the other hand, Kaiwan flew low. She looked like she was crawling on the floor.

    She pulled her hand, holding the sword between her armpits.

    Yong-ho concentrated, so he could share the time.

    At that moment, Aamon drew a beautiful trajectory. She was inside the trajectory.

    Now, even before she touched him, she was about to expose her upper body to Aamon.

    But that didn¡¯t happen.

    Booung!

    During that moment, Aamon struck the air, not Kaiwan.

    Clearly, Yong-ho struck down with Aamon, but it was a horizontal cut.

    Aamon¡¯s mes burned the air above Kaiwan¡¯s gray hair.

    ¡®Space distortion!¡¯

    She didn¡¯t just make a shield to protect herself. She distorted the space itself where Yong-ho was attacking and directed Aamon¡¯s attack into the wrong ce.

    But she herself prated into his body. Besides, she moved around behind his back and babbled on cheerfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to be punished!¡±

    Her sword wrapped around his body. It wasn¡¯t a figurative expression, but it was real.

    It was what they called a whip sword. Its de, which turned into something like a whip, coiled his body like a snake, and Kaiwan shook her arm roughly. Then she hurled him hard on the ground.

    A powerful shock beyond imagination hit him on the back. Moreover, the de of the whip sword slit his body. A dazzling sense of pain prated his spine as if it contained poison, or there was something special about Kaiwan¡¯s magic power, flowing through the de.

    Her attack didn¡¯t end there. She unleashed her Herculean power and randomly swung the whip sword that stretched more than a dozen meters.

    Yong-ho, hanging on the end of the whip sword, had to kiss the ground several times.

    Itsted dozens of seconds at most, but his damages were beyond imagination.

    He had never been dealt a big blow like this since he challenged his opponents in the arena. Actually he had never been wounded heavily since he fought Foras.

    ¡°Kuuuuk!¡±

    Yong-ho became more vignt. His whole body ached, but he activated the green mes.

    Burning Kaiwan¡¯s mana, he opened all four horns.

    At that moment, Kaiwan¡¯s whip sword could not withstand his vast mana and let go of him.

    But he couldn¡¯t feel relieved because she, who was standing before him, was gone. He cast the spell of chill as much as he could. He instinctively activated it.

    Kaiwan, who was about to attack him from the side, was engulfed by the chill.

    But he failed this time, too. The shield of distortion that she spread out wide drove out the chill. Then she charged at him and brandished the sword.

    ¡°Kuuuuk!¡±

    The tight and powerful sword struck his waist like a blunt weapon. At that moment, he almost broke his legs, but he endured it, clenching his teeth.

    Once again, he swung Aamon and spouted the waves of green mes!

    But she escaped his attack. She disappeared again this time. The green mes went nowhere, blocked by the barrier of distortion.

 Chapter 119 - Demon King of Distortion (4)

    <h4>Chapter 119: Demon King of Distortion (4)</h4>

    ¡°He¡¯s being fooled by her.¡±

    Watching their fight silently for some time, Gusion spoke. The battle went on as he expected.

    Objectively, Kaiwan had more disadvantages than Yong-ho.

    Although she had four horns as he did, the quality and quantity of her mana were different.

    Yong-ho had almost five horns, while Kaiwan just managed to get four.

    The same was true for their physical strength and durability. In all respects, Yong-ho¡¯s body went through a total change, so it was superior to hers in every respect.

    Yong-ho also surpassed her in the ability to detect mana. Beyond detecting it, he even discerned it. Moreover, he freely used more than two attributes, while she could use only one attribute. Above all, she could not discern mana as he did.

    Namely, he was superior to her in terms of mana,prehensive physical performance, and sense. The only advantage she had over him was her talent for fighting. But she was stronger.

    Fighting was not aboutparing the same things. Fighting was about defeating the opponent with one¡¯sparative advantage.

    Kaiwan was slightly faster than Yong-ho.

    For more than a few decades, he honed her skills in the arena.

    She had far superior swordsmanship than him.

    These three factors were more than enough for her win.

    She would teach him what ¡®defeat¡¯ was.

    [But he is expecting to defeat her.]

    Aamon spoke quietly. Gusion turned to Aamon and smiled bitterly. He wanted Yong-ho to learn from defeat. He wanted Yong-ho to reflect on his own shorings on the asion of this fighting.

    But on one hand, Gusion expected Yong-ho to ovee this ordeal.

    He wanted Yong-ho to break through the 10th floor without any defeat for the first time in the opening of the arena by defeating her.

    ¡°Can he defeat her?¡± Asked Gusion.

    Instead of replying right away, Aamon sparked red mes. He looked at the arena.

    The fighting was going on.

    [Maybe he will. He should surely.]

    Gusion also looked at the arena. He opened his eyes wide at the spectacr scene there and stood up in no time.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I like my little master!¡±

    Fortunately, Yong-ho couldn¡¯t hear it. That was why Gusionughed louder.

    He swung his clenched fist in the air.

    Aamon smiled quietly then he watched Yong-ho.

    <hr />

    The moment Gusion turned his head, Kaiwan, who hit Yong-ho multiple times, was about to step back to increase the distance between them.

    Kaiwan hit the ground in session. She wanted to distract his gaze with her exceedingly speedy jump.

    Her own attack was effective. She could block his long-range attack with the power of distortion. In terms of short-range fighting, she was much more advantageous.

    If she continued to fight on like this, she could defeat him overwhelmingly.

    What she told him first was sincere. She really appreciated his consideration.

    Since she was so grateful to him, she wanted to show her skills fully.

    Gusion told her to teach him about defeat, saying it would make him stronger, and that it would help him truly stand tall as the King of Greed.

    Kaiwan agreed. That was why she activated her mana more ferociously. Strong mana radiated from her four horns.

    This time, she nned to attack him from behind. This time, she wanted to deal a fatal blow by breaking his legs.

    But she did not want to inflict severe pain on him. She wanted to finish the fighting as soon as possible.

    However, Yong-ho had no intention of giving up so easily.

    The waves of the green mes swept over Kaiwan once again, who was about to attack him from behind. Moreover, this time, it was different from the previous one. She thought the green mes would engulf her from the front, but bigger waves of mes swept her from overhead.

    It was like a tsunami¡ªa huge attack that she could not avoid nor distort.

    Kaiwan clenched her teeth. She wrapped the power of distortion around her whole body.

    With the shield of space, she blocked his attack from all directions except the floor.

    The green mes covered the barrier of distortion. They continued to burn without fading.

    As if to block Kaiwan¡¯s movement, his mana kept pouring down from above.

    It was definitely a huge power. Kaiwan could do nothing except sticking it out with the barrier of distortion.

    But his attack was relentless. No matter how strong his mana was, it was too excessive.

    If this fighting would end up as a war of attrition, it would be Yong-ho, not Kaiwai, who would be defeated.

    How long could he keep that waterfall of mes? A dozen or two seconds at most? Kaiwan curled up her body so as to reduce her mana by reducing the barrier of distortion.

    Fighting was about striking the opponent with one¡¯s strength.

    However, Yong-ho made the wrong move.

    ¡®This is better for him.¡¯

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t need to torment him anymore. All she had to do was to wait until he copsed after using up his mana.

    But her assumption crumbled in just a few seconds.

    ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯

    She raised her head then hugged her shoulders before she knew it.

    Everybody was tense. The blood of Mammon, the King of Greed, flowing through her body, shouted wildly.

    The waves of the green mes were still robust. Kaiwan could not dare to release the power of distortion. She could not even see something green beyond her eyes.

    A few seconds passed again, and Kaiwan gulped.

    She could clearly feel that Yong-ho¡¯s mana was getting stronger.

    Even though he was pouring out his mana like crazy, his strength grew stronger and stronger.

    ¡®What the hell is happening outside?!¡¯

    An unknown fear seized Kaiwan. She couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    This time, it was Kaiwan¡¯s turn to go the extra mile.

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t save her mana. Faced with the overwhelming waves of the green mes, she solidified the barrier of distortion. Then sheunched herself to cut through the waves of the green mes.

    During that short span of time, Kaiwan ran into the gap in the waterfall of the green mes that seemed to close anytime soon. She managed to get out of it and looked at him.

    And she understood what he had done and why he bound her with the waterfall of green mes!

    Green eyes shed from his eyes. Unlike his right hand, which he extended as if to control the waterfall of green mes, he ced his left hand on his chest.

    What he activated was the power of evolution.

    And what he had done for several seconds when she was held in the waterfall of green mes was the evolution of mana specialization.

    It was crazy.

    He had never used the power of evolution in the midst of fully pouring out mana.

    He should not have done it in front of his enemy.

    Nheless, he did.

    He had a duel with Tigrius. He had fighting experiences while conquering the 5th to 9th floor, and now he was fighting Kaiwan.

    During the battle, his evolution EXP reached the maximum. It wasn¡¯t the first time.

    Normally, he would have put it off after the battle.

    He knew how to fight. He hit the opponent¡¯s strength with his own strength.

    By using that skill, he could survive until now. He continued to defeat his opponents, who were much stronger than him objectively.

    It was his mana that made him superior to Kaiwan. However, he could not defeat her with his current mana.

    What should he do now?

    The answer was simple.

    He needed to make his strength more mighty and surpass her in terms of mana.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Yong-ho roared. At that moment, the entire arena was shaken once again. Powerful mana swirled around him.

    The waterfall of the green mes disappeared, but no one could notice it because he was now showing a more powerful strength.

    A fifth horn sprouted through his forehead. The moment he overcame the wall of distortion, he released manapletely different from the previous one.

    Moreover, he didn¡¯t stop there. Another roar rang from the barrier surrounding the arena. Catalina screamed in pain and joy, clutching her chest.

    A fourth horn sprouted over Catalina¡¯s ears. The moment Yong-ho became stronger, Catalina, the dungeon spirit, also overcame the barrier, which once again reinforced him!

    Kaiwan couldn¡¯t hesitate anymore. Rather than overwhelmed, she rushed forward courageously as if she could not be defeated.

    But he couldn¡¯t reach her. Although he desperately wielded his sword, he was blocked by the shield of distortion. The green mes reinforced by Catalina¡¯s ck mana encircled Kaiwan in an instant.

    Yong-ho gasped for breath. Doing evolution during battle was indeed difficult. But he smiled. Beyond the shield of distortion that started from her left hand, he faced her eyes that became as sharp as those of cats and beasts.

    ¡°It¡¯s Round 2. Now it begins!¡±

    Kaiwan couldn¡¯t answer. Yong-ho didn¡¯t care. He concentrated the power of greed in one ce and expanded the shield of distortion into a terrifying size!

    Kaiwan¡¯s slender body bounced out in an instant. Instead of pursuing her, Yong-ho extended his right hand.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    In response to his call, her ck mana expanded with an explosive momentum.

    Looking almost like a giant¡¯s hand, it grabbed Kaiwan.

    Kaiwan hastily activated the power of distortion. But it was toote.

    By the time she activated the power of distortion, the giant¡¯s hand was already hitting the floor.

    ¡°Kuhhukkkk!!¡±

    She had a shock that seemed to break her whole body. However, Yong-ho did not stop there. He did not miss the mana of the wind arising from her left arm. He had the ck giant press down on her with his hand and activated the green mes once again.

    The green mes were zing, aided by ck mana. The mes reached her in an instant, like a spark burning along a fuse, and swallowed up the mana of the wind that she created hard. After swallowing her who protected himself with the shield of distortion, he beat her body with ck mana.

    It was literally a brutal attack. Even though he was using Catalina¡¯s mana through Brigada, he still felt it was insufficient.

    Obviously, it was a war of attrition. Yong-ho violently roared and swung his right arm once again. Then he struck down Kaiwan several times, who was engulfed with the green mes by the giant¡¯s hands.

    However, Kaiwan suffered no wounds thanks to the shield of distortion. But she could do nothing about the shock. When she was struck for the third time and when Yong-ho also felt that he reached his limits, the shield of distortion surrounding her body was broken. It was not because she couldn¡¯t withstand the shock but because she lost all her energy.

    Yong-ho hurriedly withdrew his mana. At that moment, he felt tremendous fatigue. Since he used too much mana, his hands and feet were trembling. Although he couldn¡¯t see her, he felt Catalina, gasping for breath in the stands.

    However, he moved forward instead of sitting down. Then he approached Kaiwan, who fell on the floor and wiggled.

    Kaiwan was on the verge of losing consciousness. Barely holding on, she looked at Yong-ho¡¯s face and smiled a bit. She almost ran out of steam when she swore, ¡°You bad bastard...¡±

    Yong-ho smiled. She passed out with a smile.

    Mammon¡¯s mana was formed over her body. He grasped Mammon¡¯s mana with more joy than before. He enjoyed the full thrill of victory.

    Right after that, he saw boxes of light floating before his eyes.

 Chapter 120 - The Garden of Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 120: The Garden of Life (1)</h4>

    Yong-ho did not wait for the guidance of greed. The moment he saw the boxes of light lining up side by side, he could feel it immediately.

    On the far left was something that could grant his wish.

    It was so natural, and Yong-ho realized that he was breathing with greed.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a temporary phenomenon or if he really leveled up, but at least for now, it could be said that Yong-ho was greed itself.

    When he touched them, the boxes of light shattered, scattering away. A sheet of antique parchment appeared through the twinkling light.

    ¡°Magic scroll?¡±

    The moment Yong-ho blinked and grabbed the parchment, somebody shouted loudly, ¡°Hey, little master! You¡¯re so cruel and brutal! You have no mercy at all!¡±

    Yong-ho quickly turned his head to find Gusion standing there.

    Catalina was in his arms, who contracted the distance between the stands and the arena with one big jump. As he had such a big build, she looked like a baby in his arms.

    ¡°Since she could note here in person, I¡¯ve carried her here.¡±

    With a heartyugh, Gusion put her down on the floor. She stumbled as if she heard some loud noise above her head, or she was exhausted, so he quickly reached out to support her. Then he hugged her waist with one hand.

    ¡°Catalina, are you okay?¡±

    When he gently hugged her in her arms and asked carefully, she nodded. She smiled with an effort.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    She was lying, of course. Her whole body was hot like a fireball as if she had a fever after a fourth horn sprouted shortly ago.

    However, it seemed that he didn¡¯t have to worry much. She experienced it before, and above all, there was a great sense of aplishment and joy in her eyes. In the end, Yong-ho also smiled at her and said, ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ve won, thanks to you.¡±

    Having said that, he stroked her head with his other hand that did not hold her waist.

    She slightly bit her lower lip as if to hide her expression, but she couldn¡¯t help but turn her mouth up slightly with joy. She couldn¡¯t even control her pping ears and tail.

    ¡°Hey, you guys are looking good, but they are watching you,¡± said Gusion, pointing toward the stands with his chin. Not only the former heads of the House of Mammon but also the arena spirits were watching Yong-ho and Catalina intensely.

    Yong-ho tried to avoid embarrassment by clearing his throat. He then gently lowered her from his arms. After persuading her, who was trying to stand up, to sit down on the floor, he faced Gusion. Then he held out the scroll that came out of the lightboxes.

    ¡°What is this? Summons?¡±

    There was a word ced at the top, which looked like the title.

    Gusion answered, folding his arms, ¡°As the name suggests, it is a summons. You can summon the arena¡¯s spirits.¡±

    At that moment, Yong-ho¡¯s eyes looked different. Gusionughed insidiously because he already expected such a reaction.

    ¡°However, there are some limitations.¡±

    While reading the summons instinctively, Yong-ho raised his head again.

    Giggling a lot, Gusion raised three of his fingers.

    ¡°First, this is not permanent. If you read the summons carefully, you will realize that the maximum days of summons are three days.¡±

    Then he folded one finger. The three fingers did not mean only the summoning period of ¡°three days¡±.

    ¡°Second, Summon targets are limited to the floor masters you have defeated so far. In other words, I¡¯m excluded from the summons list.¡±

    ¡°Dang it,¡± moaned Yong-ho before he knew it. He regretted a lot that he could not summon Gusion. If he could, Gusion could do lots of things during those three days.

    His regret was Gusion¡¯s pleasure.

    Gusion said with an air of arrogance, ¡°Oh, it is too early for you to be disappointed. The floor masters you summon can sincerely do their best without any adjustment. That¡¯s the third limitation.¡±

    Gusion folded all three fingers.

    At that moment, something came to Yong-ho¡¯s mind quickly.

    ¡°Gushion, you said Kaiwan went up to the 20th floor, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You said that the 10th floor is special... Is the 11th floor weaker than the 10th floor?¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Replying leisurely, Gusion observed Yong-ho. At first, he didn¡¯t like Yong-ho that much, but these days, the more he saw Yong-ho, the more he liked this ¡®little master.¡¯

    Obviously, Yong-ho must have grasped the meaning of the third limitation while talking with Gusion.

    Kaiwan had climbed to the 20th floor.

    That meant that Kaiwan was at least stronger than the floor master on the 19th floor.

    Despite that, Kaiwan was serving as the floor master on the 10th floor instead of the 19th floor?

    If that was the case, the reason for that was just one.

    Yong-ho realized what it meant when Kaiwan said she would ¡®use her total might¡¯ right before fighting.

    ¡°So, what she meant was she would use her total might on the 10th floor, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Kaiwan did not lie. Like she said, she really did her best. However, her total might was limited.

    Yong-ho made a forcedugh. He asked, dropping his shoulders, ¡°I wonder if all the floor masters did the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Some of them did, but others didn¡¯t. For example, the steel cow, Taurine, you fought on the first floor has used his total might. But poor Ki, who lost to you on the 9th floor, is different. The real Ki is much stronger.¡±

    After all, the lower their assigned floor was, the less might they could use.

    Come to think of it, such logic was very usible. Yong-ho didn¡¯t know how many spirits there were in the arena, but it was difficult to think that their individual abilities were ranked ording to the difficulty level of each floor.

    ¡°What are the specific restrictions?¡±

    ¡°Well, mana or physical abilities as a whole... There are some other things, but it¡¯s difficult to list them all because each individual has different capabilities.¡±

    As if it was difficult to exin, Gusion, with a slight frown, shook his hand. Gusion then nced at the summons in Yong-ho¡¯s hand as if to change the topic and said, ¡°Even if you have passed the 10th floor, few guys get the reward like you. Obviously, you will find it useful.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded unwittingly. Now that the battle with the western region was around the corner, there was no reward more valuable than this one.

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a special reward. You deserve to be condescending.¡±

    ¡°No way. As you know, there are some more rewards. Oh my gosh, I¡¯ve never seen Kaiwan smiling so brightly like that.¡±

    Pointing to Kaiwan with his chin, who passed out, Gusion giggled again.

    At that moment, Yong-ho tilted his head because he couldn¡¯t understand what Gusion said.

    In no time, he blushed.

    ¡®Wish.¡¯

    Obviously, she mentioned it.

    Since she mentioned it without specifying the situation where Yong-ho would be defeated, it was difficult to say that the betting was proper, but she made the promise anyway.

    ¡®If you win, I will grant your wish, no matter what it is.¡¯

    Kaiwan¡¯s voice was automatically yed in his head. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just her voice that came to his mind.

    Yong-ho¡¯s eyes turned to the lower right. Catalina, who was resting quietly, flinched at his gaze and lowered her head slightly. Unlike her stiff tail, her slightly drooping ears were red.

    Any wish? Kaiwan clearly said she would grant it.

    Yong-ho blushed.

    He was a 20-year-old ¡°blood-boiling¡± youth who graduated from all-male middle and high schools as well as college. Even if a saint peeked into his mind, he wouldn¡¯t me this young man.

    However, there was someone who admired him in a different way.

    [A tremendous desire... No, it¡¯s anguish.]

    [It¡¯s really awesome. It¡¯s awesome in many ways. Little master, if you had this kind of anguish in the battle with Kaiwan, I guess you would have won even without turning to evolution.]

    Aamon¡¯s stern voice broke his delusions. Only then did Yong-ho notice Gusion¡¯s smirking gaze and cleared his throat in session.

    Then, he blew away the heat from his face by fanning it with his hand.

    Right at that moment, his legs were wobbly, and he flopped down helplessly.

    ¡°Oh my gosh!¡±

    ¡°My Lord?¡±

    Catalina, with her head down, was startled and hurriedly turned to Yong-ho.

    As if to stop her, Gusion shook his hand.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. He is simply exhausted. As you witnessed, he was messed up by Kaiwan.¡±

    His injuries were almost healed in the process of evolution, but his umted damages were still there.

    Gusion said to Yong-ho, ¡°Go to Scathach. She will cure you well.¡±

    Injuries in the arena weren¡¯t real injuries. However, his mind regarded his injuries in the arena as ¡°real.¡± So, he could not overlook his injuries. What he could avoid in the arena was physical damage and death. So, he had to endure the fatigue, pain, and aftereffects from his injuries.

    ¡°Well, you have a point, but...¡±

    Yong-ho also knew Scathach¡¯s ability because the reason he sought her from the beginning was to have her treat his injuries in the arena.

    Like Gusion said, he actually went to Scathach for treatment in the past.

    But there was something that he had to do first for now.

    ¡°Like you said, I don¡¯t think thepensation is over yet.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    This time, Gusion tilted his head. Yong-ho looked at Aamon on his wrist.

    ¡°Aamon.¡±

    Unlike Gusion, Aamon understood what Yong-ho meant.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yong-ho whose evolution EXP maxed out.

    It had been a few months since Yong-ho obtained Aamon. There have been so many things since then. Above all, he experienced so many deadly fights that he couldn¡¯t count them one by one.

    And finally, all of Aamon¡¯s evolution EXP were gathered. Aamon¡¯s previous changes were made due to the power of evolution. It was because Aamon himself released his power a little more with Yong-ho getting strong enough.

    He wanted to evolve Aamon.

    He wanted to make Aamon return to his original figure, which Yong-ho had degenerated to fit himself.

    However, Aamon gently expressed his rejection.

    He spoke in a strict but friendly voice.

    [You don¡¯t need to hurry, little master.]

    [First, I rmend you to visit Scathach for rest. You are exhausted, and as things stand now, you can¡¯t evolve my body.]

    [And...]

    [As a little master, you had better hear something from Scathach.]

    Yong-ho could not ept it initially. How earnestly he wished for the chance to evolve Aamon since he got him! Above all, he had been long prepared for evolving Aamon, the spear of red lotus.

    After all, Yong-ho nodded, epting his suggestion.

    Yong-ho stopped thinking about him any further. He turned to Kaiwan.

    Although she passed out after exhausting her physical strength, she looked very calm.

    ¡°Can I see her when Ie here next time?¡±

    Actually, he met none of the floor masters that he had defeated so far.

    Gusion replied sardonically, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just think about your wish. Well, it must be too obvious.¡±

    Then heughed slyly again. Yong-ho, who blushed instinctively, said a little fiercely, ¡°Bullsh*t, man! Give me the letter.¡±

    ¡°What letter?¡±

 Chapter 121 - The Garden of Life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 121: The Garden of Life (2)</h4>

    Instead of answering, Yong-ho mimicked Gusion¡¯s expression.

    rmed, Gusion gnawed his teeth and rummaged through his pocket.

    ¡°Man, here you are.¡±

    It was his letter to Scathach.

    Upon receiving the sealed letter, Yong-ho smiled warmly. He was not sure whether it was because of the power of greed or his illusion, but he felt Gusion¡¯s sincerity in the letter.

    ¡°Gusion.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I just called you. I think you¡¯re a better guy than I think.¡±

    Gusion¡¯s expression turned bizarre. Yong-houghed like Skull and stood up with Catalina.

    It seemed like the two relied on each other.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    She quickly responded and nodded with a joyful expression. Her tail fluttered pleasantly.

    Yong-ho and Catalina moved out of Gusion¡¯s sight. Watching them silently, Gusion muttered with mixed feelings, ¡°I wonder if I am right in describing them as Master and Elune... Well, Elune was more ferocious anyway.¡±

    He spoke with longing and joy as well as wistfulness mixed in his voice.

    Aamon didn¡¯t respond, and Gusion did not want his response.

    Taking out a cigar and putting it in his mouth, Gusion kept saying wistfully, ¡°I really miss our lord.¡±

    Even now, when he closed his eyes, he remembered clearly thest time he looked at the king¡¯s back.

    [Let me go back now, Gusion.]

    Aamon¡¯s voice was also trembling. Smiling at him once, Gusion slightly stuck out a cigar in his mouth, and Aamon scattered the mes of the red lotus in the air with a smile. One of the small embers lit his cigar.

    Aamon disappeared. Yong-ho and Catalina were no longer visible.

    But Gusion did not turn. Standing still, he was puffing out the smoke. Then he recalled the distant past.

    ***

    [It¡¯s really bad for my heart!]

    [Do you know how anxiously I am waiting for you every time you go to the arena?]

    [You get disconnected to me suddenly then it takes a few hours to connect to you again!]

    [If you think I like you because you havee back much stronger, you¡¯re mistaken! Awesome! The dungeon¡¯s mana has been greatly enhanced along with the control!]

    [What am I saying now?]

    [Anyway, it¡¯s not good for my heart!]

    As soon as Yong-ho got out of the arena, something like Lucia¡¯s nagging or affectionateints kept pouring down like rain.

    Making a sorry expression at her voice full of worry, Yong-houghed silly at her continuing chattering.

    ¡®Come to think of it, isn¡¯t Lucia¡¯s whole body her heart? Then, what¡¯s bad for the heart means that it¡¯s also bad for her whole body, right?¡¯

    Yong-ho stopped being a bit delusional about her and raised his head again.

    Catalina looked at him with a worried expression. Since she couldn¡¯t hear Lucia¡¯s voice, it was natural that she thought his action was strange because he suddenly giggled as soon as he turned around the arena.

    He stroked her hair again then said emphatically to clear her suspicion, ¡°Did you say I became so strong?¡±

    [Of course! Maybe you can take full control of the first basement floor.]

    [I¡¯m sure you can. Definitely!]

    [What happened at the arena?]

    Lucia was usually psyched but even so today. She seemed so because she underwent a sudden growth.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see it, he could feel it. Obviously, the heart of the dungeon grew one step further. The images of Lucia in his head also changed from a young girl to a girl in the mid-tote teens, who looked like an adult now.

    Instead of exining, he pointed his finger at the center of his forehead. As he withdrew mana to hide the horns, what he touched at the tip of his fingers was his smooth forehead, but Lucia could discern it.

    [Fifth horn!]

    [Oh my God! My master has a fifth horn!]

    There was a marked gap between the second and third horns. And the gap widened as the number of horns increased.

    So, it was natural that Lucia grew up, and that Catalina had a fourth horn.

    Yong-ho¡¯s growth this time was so dramatic.

    ¡°Anything unusual while I was in the arena?¡± He asked.

    [No, but something unusual happened yesterday.]

    [Dungeon spirit Eligos¡¯s mana has be stronger.]

    [I can¡¯t confirm the current status of the dungeon spirits Skull and Ophelia because they are in the dungeon of the House of Randolt, but it is clear that they have also changed... Oh my God!]

    ¡°Lucia?¡±

    Lucia could not immediately answer his call. Only shortly afterward did she respond emotionally.

    [A fourth horn has sprung out of Ophelia, the dungeon spirit!]

    Finally, Ophelia has a fourth horn.

    ¡°Wow, numerous happy events in a row.¡±

    Yong-ho smiled happily then told Catalina briefly about it since she was curious about what was going on. Even Catalina was so happy about Ophelia¡¯s fourth horn, but her expression was rather strange. Moreover, the way she touched the upper part of her ears was also unnatural.

    Only then did he find out what was on her mind. So, while brushing her hair, he told Lucia, ¡°Catalina also has four horns.¡±

    [Wow, really?]

    [I¡¯m thrilled because everyone has suddenly be strong!]

    Yong-ho¡¯s expression represented Lucia¡¯s reaction. Catalina, who wanted to show off her four horns, slightly bit her lower lip to hide her satisfied smile.

    He stroked Catalina¡¯s hair again and let out a long sigh. Since he was psyched in one way or another, he forgot he was still in bad shape.

    Lucia asked again in a worried tone.

    [Master, are you okay? You look very tired.]

    He didn¡¯t deny it tly. Leaning against Catalina slightly, he said to Lucia, ¡°Tell Eligos toe here, no, to Scathach¡¯s room on the first basement floor. Catalina and I will also move there.¡±

    [Okay.]

    [Don¡¯t overwork yourself. Please wait where you are now.]

    [I¡¯ll call y Golems in the training ground toe here. Sometimes it would be nice to use something to ride on, right?]

    She insisted rather than inviting him to do so.

    Yong-ho nodded gently again this time.

    ¡°Sure, please.¡±

    Yong-ho sat with Catalina on the sofa in Kaiwan¡¯s lounge.

    How long did they wait? Soon, y Golems appeared, making a thumping noise.

    ***

    ¡°What a mess you are!¡±

    Scathach, standing clockwise, spoke to Yong-ho with a bitter smile.

    Yong-ho, who was held in y Golems elegantly, smiled bitterly.

    Lucia was currently trying to take over the entire first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    So, Yong-ho directly ordered the golems to put him and Catalina down.

    Eligos wasn¡¯t seen yet because he was stilling down.

    Watching the y Golems waddling out of the Garden of Life, Scathach cast her gaze at Yong-ho and Catalina again.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need your exnation. Okay, you need recovery first. Take a deep breath and rx.¡±

    Yong-ho and Catalina gently followed her instruction.

    Right after he breathed out, Yong-ho suddenly felt naked.

    ¡°Scathach?!¡±

    He didn¡¯t even finish talking. When Scathach beckoned lightly, all his clothes including his underwear were removed.

    In a strange sense of liberation, Yong-ho knew what he had to do. But it was toote.

    The moment he rolled his eyes to the side, this time, a fresh blue liquid wrapped around his body. It was the same for Catalina, who was sitting next to Yong-ho.

    Scathach touched the air again. Then, Yong-ho and Catalina¡¯s clothes were folded and ced neatly on the floor.

    ¡°How about it? You feel sofortable that you don¡¯t even want to resist, right?¡±

    With his whole body buried in a blue liquid mass and only his head sticking out, he nodded instinctively. He wanted to deny it, but he felt reallyfortable. Catalina moaned pleasantly with her eyes closed.

    Yong-ho felt sofortable as if he was bathing in hot spring water. He felt like all the fatigue in his body was washed away.

    And that wasn¡¯t the only effect. The blue liquid, which could be called the vitality of Scathach, the Immortal Witch, breathed new power into them. It also affected their souls, too.

    ¡°It¡¯s extremely significant that the demons have one more horn. What I mean is you should not be content with the fact that your mana has be strong.¡±

    Scathach approached him. Part of the blue liquid from the floor entwined her legs.

    ¡°Elune even described one more horn as ¡®rebirth¡¯. I agree with it to some extent because it¡¯s not your appearance that changes. Your essence can be changed. And this change bes greater as the number of horns increases.¡±

    Yong-ho could feel something about Scathach. His feeling was simr to what he felt about his dungeon spirits Catalina and Eligos.

    ¡°It seems that both of you overworked yourselves. You seem to have consumed a lot of mana right away as soon as you got another horn. But you will be in big trouble. So, you had better refrain from repeating it next time.¡±

    Yong-ho could not help butugh awkwardly at her words. Obviously, he must have been crazy enough to use up the power of evolution during the battle.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, I think I was nagging too long. Don¡¯t speak ill of meter!¡±

    She was kind and gentle, which was different from Lucia¡¯s.

    It was unthinkable to speak ill of Scathach, who smiled as lovingly as a mother.

    Yong-ho pointed to the floor with a nce.

    ¡°Rummage through the inner pocket of my jacket. You¡¯ll find a letter from Gusion.¡±

    Scathach¡¯s expression immediately brightened.

    ¡°Thank you as always.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Smiling shyly, she took Gusion¡¯s letter. Normally, she would have opened the seal of the letter and started reciting it to Yong-ho, but she didn¡¯t today.

    Looking at the letter lovingly for a moment, she quickly poised herself and faced Yong-ho again.

    ¡°I want to read it right now, but I have a lot to do today. In particr, I have something to tell you, little master.¡±

    Her voice was still sweet. But her eyes were a little different from before.

    Yong-ho recalled what Aamon had said before he left the arena.

    ¡®Scathach has something to tell you.¡¯

    Why was it now? Was it because he had five horns?

    ¡°You know that Brigada and the Seven Godly Energies were the fragments of the Demon King¡¯s flesh, right?¡±

    She started by asking him. Yong-ho nodded because he experienced various things since he got Brigada.

    The Absolute Power that didn¡¯t exist anymore.

    Some said that the Demon King was the true creator of the demon world, and others said he was just a symbolic mass of power.

    No one could affirm which was more true. However, no one could deny the ¡°fact¡± that the Demon King existed.

    The Seven Deadly Sins, the fragments of the spirit of the Demon King.

    The Seven Godly Energies, the fragments of his flesh.

    Brigada, the remnant of the Demon King and God¡¯s metal, who didn¡¯t have Godly Energy.

    Scathach now started to mention Godly Energy, which was not the Seven Deadly Sins, and Brigada.

 Chapter 122 - The Garden of Life (3)

    <h4>Chapter 122: The Garden of Life (3)</h4>

    ¡°Godly Energy can be said to be a huge chunk of Brigada. Brigada is an alloy with a lot of impurities while Godly Energy is pure gold. Therefore, its synergy with the Power of Sin is notparable to Brigada. Moreover, each Godly Energy has special abilities. The Godly Energy that fell into the hands of the ¡°king¡± with the Power of Sin is truly the strongest weapon.¡±

    All the six kings, who currently rule the demon world, had one Godly Energy. Even though he possessed one of the Seven Deadly Sins, only Yong-ho had no Godly Energy.

    ¡°You can deal with Godly Energy with Godly Energy alone. However, there is no Godly Energy in the House of Mammon now.¡±

    In the past, Mammon, the King of Greed, possessed four out of the seven Godly Energies.

    But after his death, there wasn¡¯t a single Godly Energy left in the Mammon family.

    All of them were taken away by other ¡°kings¡±.

    Yong-ho felt a little incongruity in Scathach¡¯s words. She spoke as if the day woulde when Yong-ho had to confront other kings.

    Maybe she wanted him to prepare for the future.

    The distance between Scathach and Yong-ho narrowed. They were close enough to feel each other¡¯s breathing.

    ¡°My Master, the King of Greed, has prepared something, so any future King of Greed can confront those kings with Godly Energy proudly.¡±

    Scathach reached out. Then, Yong-ho¡¯s hands, buried in the blue liquid, were naturally lifted. She gently wrapped them and said, ¡°You are a qualified person. I¡¯m going to make your powerplete by getting the approval of all 12 dungeon spirits.¡±

    Even while all of his clothes were being removed, the maic field on his left arm was activated. Silver metal covered his left arm.

    Scathach kissed the maic field then breathed new magic into the back of Yong-ho¡¯s hand.

    The light enveloped the maic field. At that moment, its shape changed, like a dungeon spirit exposed to the power of evolution.

    A small circle was drawn on the back of his hand with the maic field. There were twelve grooves in the circle like a clock, and a clear blue gem was ced in one of the grooves¡ªthe groove between 10 and 11 o¡¯clock.

    Yong-ho could understand it. He instinctively felt Scathach¡¯s mana from the maic field. ¡°Conquer the Labyrinth of Greed. Get the recognition by the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon as the new king. If you be the true King of Greed...¡±

    Scathach smiled. Clipping her words a bit, she took a step back and widened the distance with Yong-ho. Showing elegant manners to him like she met him on the first day, she concluded by saying, ¡°You¡¯ll have a new Godly Energy. It¡¯s not the existing Godly Energy of the Demon King, but Mammon¡¯s¡ªthe King of Greed.¡±

    The eighth Godly Energy.

    Despite being different from all the seven Godly Energies that originated from the Demon King, the new Godly Energy can stand up against them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to push you for it hurriedly. But it would be better for you to have a clear goal, right?¡±

    Scathach moved her hands again. Then, a ck shadow erupted behind her back.

    It took on the form of fear.

    Yong-ho had seen it before. Although he saw it momentarily, he remembered it clearly.

    Obviously, it was one of the 12 Spirits he faced when he peeked into the memories of Mammon.

    ¡°What¡¯s on the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is Capricorn, Baphomet, the Demon of ughter.¡±

    It was a vicious monster that could be called darkness itself, which reaped death with a huge scythe.

    ¡°It¡¯s the worst among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.¡±

    Scathach, the Immortal Witch, never lied. Yong-ho knew it. He stared straight at the red eyes of the ck monster formed behind her back.

    ***

    It was none other than magic.

    The monster¡¯s red eyes had mana.

    Yong-ho slowly closed his eyes and locked Scathach¡¯s mana transmitted through her eyes, the window of the soul, and his memories of it under his eyelids.

    Darkness colored the world. But it wasn¡¯t long. New colors began to color the whole world that turned ck.

    It wasn¡¯t just Scathach¡¯s mana. Mammon¡¯s mana that he absorbed from the arena also responded. Those memories arising from that mana filled the empty spaces one by one.

    Yong-ho forgot himself. His five senses gradually became dull, and in the end, only vision and a little hearing were left.

    It was a ck world around him.

    The gray sky filled with dark clouds was like a disaster.

    Corpses were scattered around the copsed and broken castle gates. They were all badly disfigured bodies. The flesh and blood were randomly entangled, making it impossible to distinguish each other.

    Destruction was not limited to the castle gates. Yong-ho could smell the scent of rotting corpses, carried by the wind from far away.

    It was still. Although corpses were everywhere, there was not a single crow around them.

    Obviously, they all ran away. The smell of death was simply so strong. The living did not dare to approach.

    Apparently, a child¡¯s arm was in the middle of the road. The old teddy bear, which he must have grasped to reduce his fear, was mixed with blood and pieces of flesh. It was impossible to tell if it was the child¡¯s arm or someone else¡¯s, who died in this city.

    Just because the sky was gray, it did not mean that everything in the world lost its color.

    Although it was a scene of terrible destruction, the city contained many colors, as if to remember the glory of the past.

    Blue roofs and white walls, red and blue curtains, and grey bridges. Green grass even in this ce full of death.

    Yong-ho could realize that this city was upied by the demon world. This could be called the human world, just like the ce where Yong-ho came from.

    Someone stared at the teddy bear in the child¡¯s hand. The watery eyes hidden under the blue hair were full of mncholy.

    Scathach, the master of memory, couldn¡¯t pick up the teddy bear, after all. Calming her rough breathing, she stared at the center of the city, where all the causes of death originated in. Gusion stood next to her. He was no longer a leisurely andrge-hearted man, his signature appearance in the arena. He was full of anger. The anger was so intense that the mana emanating from his fists distorted the atmosphere around him.

    Elune did not disturb Gusion. Although she covered her eyes with a red belt, she could know it. This ce was not a battlefield, nor was it a space where they confronted each other with hostilities for survival.

    It was a ce where theymitted ughter.

    It was a feast of meaningless death.

    Elune was silent, and it meant that she was extremely angry.

    A ck-haired knight disturbed the three. Kentauros, he was wearing silver armor and had round shields andrge bows on each arm.

    He did not express anger like the three. He just looked at the center of the city with cold-hearted eyes. There was nothing like an expression on this middle-aged man¡¯s face with some wrinkles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yong-ho heard a voice behind his back. And the owner of the voice began to walk ahead.

    As always, he led his members majestically just like a king.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t read anything from that voice. It was a voice that they could interpret differently. Some would feel anger in that voice, while others would feel calm.

    When they approached the center of the city, the smell of death grew thicker.

    It looked like everything that had not lost its color even under the gray sky seemed to be dyed with darkness.

    And finally, the source of death revealed itself.

    A mountain of corpses piled up randomly became the throne for the incarnation of death.

    Sitting on it, the ck monster was chewing on a leg that seemed to be the child¡¯s, with an eerie smile.

    Its head reminded one of a goat. The body, covered with ck hair, was full of muscles that seemed to burst out anytime soon.

    The ck monster shook its head. Then, it stood up, goring its two huge, fierce horns in the air.

    It was huge. And it was mighty.

    Yong-ho felt his breath stopped at that. He felt different pressure from Gusion or Aamon.

    It was different from the de-like mana that he felt at the auction house.

    There was no hostility in that sticky one. Only pure murderous spirit was overflowing.

    Laughing fiercely, Gusion clenched his fists. Scathach also made a ferocious expression that could hardly be hers normally. Elune silently raised his hand on hisp.

    The ck monsterughed louder. The incarnation of death, created by a lunatic religious leader by offering ten thousand believers as human sacrifices, was dly willing to even die of himself.

    The monster grabbed a huge scythe. Since waking up, those it killed already exceeded hundreds of thousands. Maybe it was close to a million. Having harvested countless deaths, it could be called death itself.

    The ck-haired Kentauros raised his hand. He didn¡¯t do it to pull the bow. He asked his colleagues to stop.

    Kentauros¡¯s light brown eyes did not illuminate the ck monster. He only faced the back of the king standing silently.

    Yong-ho could not see Mammon¡¯s expression. As Scathach did, he had to look only at his back.

    Mammon raised his hand. And his action alone changed the air around him. The murderous intent of the ck monster, which seemed to press down the whole world, was broken and scattered.

    The mes of red lotus arose. Originating in Mammon¡¯s hands, they engulfed death. It never concealed its huge power, which burnt the heaven and earth and evaporated the sea.

    The ck monster roared. It rushed, threatening death. It looked like an overwhelming pressure as if a big mountain was crumbling.

    But Mammon was not scared. He swung Aamon toward the incarnation of death attacking from the front.

    ¡°No more peeking from now on.¡±

    A voice was heard. At the moment, the whole world was colored with light. But darkness swallowed up everything once again.

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. The forgotten sensations came back to him all at once and caused confusion.

 Chapter 123 - Skirmish (1)

    <h4>Chapter 123: Skirmish (1)</h4>

    It was the six kings who currently ruled the demon world.

    The King of Pride reigning in the northern part of the demon world.

    The King of Envy confronting the King of Pride in the northeastern part.

    The King of Lust who never moved out and was stuck in his Harem.

    The King of Gluttony looking for opportunities in the southeast.

    The King of Violence who keeps silent in the West.

    The King of Fury, the only woman among the six active kings.

    The territory of the King of Fury, located in the western part of the demon kingdom, had the most borders with the territories of other kings.

    It bordered the territory of the King of Violence to the southwest. It shared the borders with the King of Lust and the King of Gluttony to the east. It also shared a narrow border with the southernnd called and without owners.

    Separated by the sea to the north, it shared the border with the King of Pride.

    In other words, the territory of the King of Fury shared the borders with all six kings except the King of Envy.

    Other kings¡¯ impressions about the King of Fury were that he was a ¡®warmonger.¡¯ No wonder he was the only king who had fought all ¡®other kings¡¯. Of course, ¡°other kings¡± here referred to as the ¡°six kings¡±. Even the King of Fury couldn¡¯t fight the King of Sloth, who never moved out of his ce, or the King of Greed that didn¡¯t exist.

    As was the case with the confrontation between the kings recorded in history, there really did not exist a ¡°full-scale war¡± in which they intended to kill each other. So, most of them ended up fighting lightly when they had to.

    The direct fighting among kings was too dangerous. Moreover, kings were aiming for the chance to attack each other. As one of the five directors of the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce, Orobos, the strongest monster,mented that the kings were afraid of each other¡¯s surprise attack, so they could not conduct an all-out war.

    The reason the King of Fury was called a warmonger was not just because he wanted to confront all the other kings.

    She had the most experience in fighting on the battlefields, so when the fighting started, she always stood at the forefront. She even fought in battles where a king didn¡¯t have to.

    Thanks to this, the mortality rate of the King of Fury¡¯s army was ridiculously low, even though they were mocked as ¡°the idiots who only know how to rush.¡± It was because the King of Fury always took the lead.

    ¡®Warmonger.¡¯

    ¡®The one who quenches her thirst with the blood of the enemy.¡¯

    ¡®A crazy b*tch who knows nothing but fight.¡¯

    That was other kings¡¯ typical description of the King of Fury.

    But as was usually the case with such a description, mostments about the King of Fury were more of a lie than a truth.

    ¡°Hey, you son of a b*tch! Are you going to fight, really? Crazy?! Are you going to wage a real world war?!¡±

    A half-naked woman on a huge bed shouted, shaking her arms and legs violently like a child.

    Her name was Dritarasutra.

    She was none other than the King of Fury, who was also the king of Gandarva, who led the eight tribes in the demon world.

    She, who preferred the name of Dritara because she might twist her tongue while pronouncing Dritarasutra, drooped down her slim and white arms and legs as if she was tired of shouting. When it came to the ¡®King of Fury,¡¯ people thought of her as one with a grim and ghostly look, but she was far from that.

    Gandarva, her original tribe, boasted of stunning beauty among her eight tribes. One could feel her softness just by looking at her dark blue hair. Her long and thin limbs were nice and beautiful.

    But only her eyes were a little different. Her eyes with five-colored lights, which was hard to describe, were scary rather than beautiful. People looking at her had fear because of her eyes.

    Like the Gandarva race, her body smelled very sweet. The horsetail protruding from her hips did not get tangled with each other no matter how much she swayed, nor did it lose its luster even in the midst of a sand storm.

    The King of Fury caught her breath while huffing and puffing. She really tried hard not to be furious.

    Contrary to popr images of her as a warmonger, or rather she liked the fight itself, but she didn¡¯t like the consequences of the fight.

    A war was supposed to kill lots of people.

    Moreover, a war produced not only numerous orphans and widows, but it also burned everything in the world.

    The reason why the King of Fury always stood at the forefront of the army was simple.

    To her, that was the way to reduce the number of deaths the most.

    An overwhelming force deprived her soldiers ofbat opportunities. That meant that their chances of dying were also reduced.

    At the same time, it could minimize the death toll of the enemy. Unless they were the same kind of king, who in the world would want to fight the King of Fury? Those enemies who confronted the King of Fury chose to run away or surrender. Sometimes they challenged her, but she could easily win by killing their leader.

    Nobody believed this, but the King of Fury was a pacifist.

    What was the point of fighting each other in the wretched demon world?

    However, the King of Fury was both a pacifist and a realist, so she realized well that pacifism in the demon world was a vain delusion. For this reason, the King of Fury did not preach pacifism to his subordinates, although she wished for it deep down.

    ¡°It¡¯s really annoying! So annoying!¡±

    The King of Fury was so upset that she was about to go crazy.

    But the fact that she really shouldn¡¯t be furious at this moment made her even crazier.

    If she really got angry, her ¡°fury¡± would awaken. The awakening of that force, ¡®fury,¡¯ one of the Seven Deadly Sins, would be the worst situation.

    The King of Fury hated ¡®herself whose fury awakened¡¯ as much as a war.

    So, she took a deep breath once more. Counting the numbers she learned from the King of Violence the other day and memorizing the scriptures of the alien world helped her calm down her fury a lot.

    ¡®Thank you, uncle. I got helped again today.¡¯

    The King of Fury, who briefly thanked the King of Violence, the only one that could stop her when the force of her fury was activated, covered her face with both hands.

    Then she gave it a thought seriously.

    When the King of Pride and the King of Envy began to interfere with each other¡¯s dungeon spirits, she didn¡¯t feel interested because their actions were nothing new.

    But the situation was getting worse. If the situation was left escting like this, an all-out war among kings would be possible in hundreds of years.

    It couldn¡¯t be better if the King of Pride and the King of Envy met each other in a secluded ce, fighting for death, and both died.

    But that was not the reality.

    It was clear that their confrontation would result in an enormous number of casualties.

    Moreover, their fighting would most likely escte.

    Obviously, other kings would intervene.

    Popr criticism of the King of Lust was that he was crazy about sex. Stuck in his Harem, he indulged himself in drinking and sex.

    However, such criticism was also much of a lie like that about the King of Fury.

    The King of Fury, who had actually encountered the King of Lust, knew the truth better than anyone else.

    The King of Lust was a terrifying figure. If he had a chance to confront the King of Pride and the King of Envy, he would end his seclusion and stand up against them.

    There was also the King of Gluttony. This ignorantlyrge pig always openly revealed his greed.

    Unlike the King of Fury who was always worried about the possible breakout of an all-out war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, he would obviously wait for them to fight earnestly.

    What was even more funny was that this wasn¡¯t the worst.

    If either the King of Pride or the King of Envy would win more easily than expected, and as a result, the two Sins and Godly Energy were concentrated into one, it was evident that a huge fire of war would devour the entire demon world.

    In that case, not only her race, Gandarva, but also her eight tribes and the demon world as a whole would groan in the face of the disaster of a world war.

    ¡°King of Pride, you son of a b*tch! Stop it now!¡¯

    There was a limit to the pressure that she could put on the King of Envy, whose territory didn¡¯t share the border with that of the King of Fury.

    That was why the King of Fury turned her sword to the King of Pride. She concentrated her naval forces in the north to attack the rear of the King of Pride.

    ¡®If you fight the King of Envy as you do now, I will attack you from behind. So, stop fighting here.¡¯

    However, it was questionable whether her strategy would work.

    The King of Fury finally sighed again.

    ¡°The southern region was also noisy...¡±

    The emptynd in the south, an abandonednd.

    A war was going on even there. However, it was only a storm in a teacup.

    The possibility was almost none that the battle there would affect the entire demon world.

    But why did she care?

    Strangely enough, she was bothered by the war in the southern region.

    She felt as if she was missing something.

    The King of Fury shook her head. It was a useless worry. She could not afford to pay attention to the southern region. Now was the time for her to focus on the north.

    The King of Fury stood up from her bed then looked at the entire map of the demon world that filled one side of her spacious room, especially the House of Mammon located at the southern edge. But she looked at it only briefly.

    The days of the King of Greed ended a long time ago. She didn¡¯t have to worry.

    Her five-colored eyes turned north. The sound of her sigh spread in the spacious room again.

 Chapter 124 - Skirmish (2)

    <h4>Chapter 124: Skirmish (2)</h4>

    It was impossible for Yong-ho topletely regain Aamon¡¯s power with just one evolution.

    But it was definitely a step forward.

    Aamon¡¯s power was in a different league.

    Yong-ho definitely felt that way. He was thrilled with Aamon¡¯s power.

    Of course, Aamon¡¯s power required that much mana, so much so that although Yong-ho himself was in a different league with five horns, even he felt that Aamon¡¯s power was simply too overwhelming.

    Aamon did not have a clear shape on his hand. It could be described as the spear of mes at best.

    Despite that, Catalina was awakened by Aamon¡¯s power that shook the entire Garden of Life. However, Yong-ho couldn¡¯t afford to nce at Catalina.

    Two lights emerged from the maic field on his left hand.

    One was aqua blue, a symbol of Scathach, the Immortal Witch, and the other one was dark red, a symbol of Aamon, the demon spear of the red lotus.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes then faced the burning world, not darkness.

    [My little master.]

    The ming eyes looked down at Yong-ho. It was Aamon¡¯s soul that he had encountered several times.

    But it was different from now. Yong-ho could feel Aamon closer.

    ¡°Can we talk like this even if I don¡¯t go to the arena?¡±

    [Not always. However, it is possible, though in a limited way, when you release my power like now.]

    Yong-houghed awkwardly. It¡¯s because Aamon was outrageously eating away at his mana.

    He could talk with Aamon now because Aamon could release a powerful mana thanks to his sudden evolution, and he gave Scathach mana subtly, but he wouldn¡¯t do it next time. It was questionable whether Aamon could maintain his current status even for several minutes even when he was focusing on fighting, let alone talking with Yong-ho.

    However, it meant that Aamon had such a powerful strength.

    It was clear that Aamon went one step closer to the power Mammon exercised.

    [You may have heard it from Scathach.]

    [Conquer the Labyrinth of Greed and subdue the 12 Spirits of Mammon. Then you will be able toplete the Godly Energy of the King of Greed.]

    [I believe you can seed in it.]

    Yong-ho found Aamon¡¯s voice strict and serious, but at the same time, deeply affectionate.

    His kindness was clearly different from Scathach¡¯s.

    Yong-ho became somewhat embarrassed, so he changed the topic, feigning innocence.

    ¡°Come to think of it, if Scathach¡¯s star sign is Aquarius and Baphomet¡¯s is Capricorn... are they in the zodiac?¡±

    The zodiac signs meant the twelve constetions that divided the sun¡¯s orbit.

    Could it be true that there were 12 zodiac signs in the demon world like the human world?

    [Yes. Mammon, my master, said that the 12 zodiac signs were learned from a different world.]

    [Probably, this knowledge originated from your hometown, little master.]

    It was not true that the 12 zodiac signs existed in the demon world.

    However, it was clear that Aamon used the 12 zodiac signs as a motif and named the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    Yong-ho himself was the descendant of the descendants left behind by Mammon in the human world. There was nothing strange about the fact that Mammon had knowledge of the human world.

    ¡°Uh... So, what is your star sign, Aamon? What about Gusion¡¯s and Elune¡¯s?¡±

    [Gusion¡¯s star sign is Taurus, and Elune¡¯s is Libra]

    [I¡¯ve no particr star sign. My master said that I had better have an extra star sign because there was nothing befitting me. Actually, I am somewhat alien even among the 12 Spirits.]

    ¡°Wait a moment. If you don¡¯t have one, isn¡¯t it true that 12 zodiac signs are notplete from the beginning?¡±

    [Yes. Moreover, there were a lot of vacancies since some of the spirits already died.]

    [This is my little wish... I think it¡¯s good for you to fill the vacancies with new dungeon spirits.]

    [I mean, you canplete the 12 new Spirits bybining those from the old and new generations.]

    Unlike his usual attitude, Aamon spoke in a little excited tone.

    Yong-houghed pleasantly. The names of each of the 12 zodiac signs came to his mind.

    Which one was good for Catalina?

    Virgo or Aries?

    As if he already read Yong-ho¡¯s mind, Aamon blinked.

    [Libra would suit your escort girl.]

    [She is Elune¡¯s sessor in many ways.]

    Yong-ho was bothered by his mention of ¡®various ways,¡¯ but heughed it off.

    Aamon continued.

    [And you may think I¡¯m meddling too much, but I hope that you can put off your right to im your wish that you obtained the other day.]

    [I hope you can put it off until after you defeat Baphomet or the gang of the western region.]

    Yong-ho blinked at that because he never expected it.

    Moreover, Aamon mentioned even his right to im his wish.

    Aamon continued calmly while he was at a loss about how to respond.

    [Whenever I think of you and your escort girl¡¯s right to im the wish granted by Kaiwan, I see the little master¡¯s desire is overflowing.]

    [Given the power of greed, it¡¯s clear that you are going to use it carefully. ]

    [It is a catalyst of great power.]

    [This does not mean that you should not use the right to im your wish at all. If you postpone its use too much, you will not be able to use it as a catalyst. Project your desire more purely.]

    [Namely, not delusional sexual desires, but what you, little master, really want.]

    Aamon was extremely serious, which made Yong-ho even more embarrassed.

    It was as if his parents discovered a secret folder that he had hidden.

    Yong-ho wanted to tell Aamon that he should not be so serious about talking about such stuff, but he didn¡¯t.

    Moreover, Aamon¡¯sst words needed to be heard seriously.

    Aamonughed again then said in a zing me.

    [My little master.]

    [I believe it.]

    [Surely that day wille. I mean the day when I will call you my master, not little master.]

    Aamon was the same as always. Confirming his sincerity, Yong-ho smiled brightly.

    As he said in front of Scathach, Yong-ho straightened himself and responded, ¡°It won¡¯t take so long.¡±

    [I look forward to it.]

    The green mes came out of the red lotus, which soon engulfed the whole world.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes then opened his eyes again to face reality.

    ***

    Time passed fairly for everyone.

    The moment when Yong-ho talked face to face, there were new developments in the empty western and eastern areas.

    The house heads in the eastern region were never stupid. They could predict the future based on their judgment of the future.

    They were safe now.

    It was funny to discuss ¡°safety¡± in the midst of dungeon battles following the turbulence caused by Embrio, but it was a fact.

    While Embrio, who upied the northern region, attacked the western region, the eastern region was also in great turmoil. The sessive dungeon battles produced winners and losers, and from the moment the number of losers began to surpass that of winners, the eastern region gained a strange peace.

    The increased risk held back reckless action.

    Moreover, the surviving winners¡¯ power was big enough to threaten each other.

    It was as if the six kings, who were ruling the current demon world, could not engage in such a conflict because they checked against each other. In other words, they entered the so-called Cold War status.

    In the midst of this turmoil, Agares, who might break the bnce of power recklessly, was removed. Moreover, since he was not removed by anybody in the eastern region, there was little possibility that the pendulum of power would swing to one side.

    The house heads in the eastern region finally recovered their peace of mind and looked around.

    In just a few months, the situation in the southern abandoned area changedpletely.

    Several dozens of house heads over there were reduced to 14 or 15, all told, in the whole southern area. Some of them were killed by others while others gave up their status as the demon king and chose to be their dungeon spirits.

    The northern region was devastated. The only demon king left behind there was Embrio, the demon king of wolves.

    The destruction of the western region was underway. The Western Owners¡¯ Alliance, who rose triumphantly, were facing thest fight. To simply discuss the number of troops, they were numerically superior to Embrio¡¯s forces, but few believed in their victory.

    It was the southern region that produced the most unexpected results.

    People often referred to the southern region without owners as an abandonednd.

    ¡®The southern region¡¯ was just an abandonednd in the vast south.

    The number of house heads there was the least,pared with other regions, and the distance between the dungeons was also long.

    It was truly amazing that such a region stood out amid the turmoil.

    The House of Mammon.

    It was no exaggeration to say that the house perished, no matter how wonderful its past glory was. Moreover, the head of the House of Mammon defeated Agares, who was considered to be the strongest in the entire nk area in the south.

    Now, the house heads in the eastern region had to recognize that the House of Mammon in the south was no longer a fallen family. It was a powerful family that could exert influence over the entire deserted area.

    The house heads in the eastern region thought of the future.

    What was Embrio¡¯s next move? Would it be right for him to sit in the eastern region and watch the western region go to ruins?

    The heads of the two houses that divided the eastern region joined hands instead of fighting to decide each other¡¯s superiority.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time for them to fight. Their priority was to deal with the wolves approaching them from afar.

    The heads of two houses began to move. Their activities were not confined to the eastern region.

    ¡°Is this the result?¡±

    Ophelia, who returned to the Free City to deal with urgent affairs, calmly asked the uninvited guest in front of her. Instead of looking at him, she nced at a small box on top of an oak bar.

    The small box had a wet bottom. And what wetted the bottom was a red liquid that flowed out of the box.

    The uninvited guest responded by acting. With a gentle smile, he opened the lid of the box.

    Ophelia did not smile nor did she frown. Her gaze was cold to hide her agitation.

    In the box was an object that she guessed when she heard it.

    Junceros¡¯s daughter. It was her severed head, the head of the House of Abigail.

    The uninvited guest did not cover the lid again.

    Ophelia rolled her eyes to stare at the uninvited guest.

    He was a devil from one of the eight tribes, who was hard to find in the southern region. He was covered with green skin, close to blue, dressed in a spacious attiremon anywhere. He had a strong build, and his face had a sea urchin-like beard that matched well with his sharp ring eyes symbolizing a devil.

    He said, ¡°It¡¯s just a gift of friendship. It¡¯s always fun to get rid of the troubles in your neighborhood.¡±

 Chapter 125 - Skirmish (3)

    <h4>Chapter 125: Skirmish (3)</h4>

    The uninvited guest had a snake-like tongue. Ophelia knew he was very cunning, and she did not forget that it was a gift, but at the same time, it was a disy of strength.

    It was true that the House of Abigail was on the verge of copse. Besides, Jungceros¡¯s daughter was so weak that she could not bepared with Foras or Jungceros.

    But even so, she was the owner of her own dungeon. She was the owner of a dungeon heavily fortified.

    Even though Ophelia was watching Jungceros¡¯s daughter sharply, she did not know her death until the uninvited guest appeared.

    The house heads in the eastern region showed that they could infiltrate the southern region anytime and kill the head of any house stealthily.

    Instead of an ambiguous diplomatguage, Ophelia spoke directly, ¡°So, you want me to be an anvil in return for your being a hammer, right?¡±

    ¡°Great! That¡¯s correct. If you guys in the southern area stop Embrio, we in the eastern region will attack the northern region without losing the momentum.¡±

    The uninvited guest also replied straightforwardly.

    Ophelia gently rubbed the smooth surface of the bar with her fingertips.

    It was virtually his unteral notification as follows:

    Now that the western region is being attacked, we won¡¯t attack the northern region.

    For we want Embrio topletely destroy the western region.

    But at the same time, we don¡¯t want Embrio to upy the southern region because Embrio will be too strong in that case.

    We will nt hope in the House of Mammon, so they won¡¯t surrender, for we want the House of Mammon to fully confront Embrio that destroyed both the northern and the western regions.

    Ophelia thought to herself, ¡®In other words, you guys in the eastern region want to subdue Embrio and the House of Mammon, fully exhausted after upying the northern region and devastating the western region.¡¯

    She clearly read his intention, but she found it meaningless to argue with him here.

    Regardless of what the future holds for them, the eastern region was an ally of the House of Mammon, given the current situation.

    ¡°We¡¯ve left the dungeon of the House of Abigail as it was. I hope it will be of any help to the House of Mammon.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. You are the one who got rid of Agares, who were running wild everywhere. Our master is really grateful to the House of Mammon.¡±

    They were done talking finally.

    Ophelia bowed him out with a smile, while the uninvited guest left the tavern leisurely like he did when he entered.

    Counting the number in her heart, Ophelia closed the lid of the box, thinking time passed a lot since he left.

    Looking out the window, she saw the sun setting. But she couldn¡¯t hesitate. It seemed like she had to run all night today.

    <hr />

    It was at dawn when Yong-ho met Ophelia.

    Since he fell asleepte at night, he was very tired, but he couldn¡¯t avoid Ophelia, who ran here all night.

    As soon as Ophelia was done briefing, he closed his eyes and asked what came to mind first.

    ¡°How did you deal with the body of Jungceros¡¯s daughter?¡±

    ¡°I came here after ordering her burial after a simple funeral.¡±

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    He was serious. He didn¡¯t have any grudge against Jungceros¡¯s daughter, who he had never seen. In some respects, she was a pitiful woman.

    The next question he asked Ophelia was how she would respond to the unteral notification by the uninvited guest from the eastern region. It was no exaggeration to say that her response was already decided.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take over the House of Abigail first. It is impossible for us to fortify at this point. How about using it as a dummy?¡±

    The heart of the dungeon of the House of Abigail was highly likely to be good food for Lucia. However, Lucia didn¡¯t necessarily need it. It would have been desperate food for the House of Mammon in the past, but it was only one of its options now.

    Ophelia said, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to use it like a dummy, too. If you pretend to reinforce it a little, it will be difficult for outsiders to guess the dungeon¡¯s defense condition.¡±

    Rikum, a counselor to Yong-ho like Ophelia, was now staying in the House of Randolt. Since Yong-ho and Ophelia agreed, there was no reason for Rikum to oppose.

    Yong-ho told Ophelia to rest then wrote a simplemand.

    It was a letter ordering the crazy Oros in the Free City to upy the House of Abigail.

    A few hourster, Ophelia, who woke up at almost lunchtime, embarrassed Yong-ho a lot.

    <hr />

    ¡°Right to im your wish? Sounds like a really good idea. Fortunately, you have be strong thanks to the little master. I myself feel motivated to hear that.¡±

    Ophelia already heard from Lucia about what was going on, but she was still curious about what happened for the past several days when she was away.

    So, as soon as Ophelia woke up, she grabbed Yong-ho¡¯s escort girl Catalina and inquired about what had happened.

    Just like a good and innocent girl, Catalina told her about even what she didn¡¯t have to.

    It was only natural that she waspletely debriefed by Ophelia, formerly a veteran intelligence peddler.

    Among what she confided to Ophelia was the reason why the power of the dungeon spirits grew rapidly, the Godly Energy of the King of Greed that Scathach mentioned, the evolution of Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, and the existence of Baphomet, the worst spirit located on the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Each of them was interesting to Ophelia, but what caught Ophelia¡¯s attention personally was the right to ask for a wish that Kaiwan granted to Catalina and Yong-ho.

    Watching Ophelia talking to Eligos in the training field cheerfully like a lively girl, Yong-ho shook his head. He didn¡¯t look at Catalina who was checking his mood with her ears and tail drooping as if she now realized she leaked a secret. Instead, he watched Eligos, who was greatly embarrassed.

    Eligos was mounting a sophisticated attack on the pretext of sparring. But the training field was also a ce where they exchanged physical affection naturally. Besides, Ophelia mentioned she would grant his wish on the excuses of inspiring his motivation.

    Since Eligos could not outtalk Ophelia, he was desperately asking Yong-ho to intervene, but it was useless. Yong-ho ignored him by cruelly turning his head.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Eligos. Their sparring sounds like fun.¡¯

    Although Yong-ho felt terrible whenever he was mocked by Aamon, he enjoyed being an onlooker at this moment. He was also curious about what kind of wish Ophelia would say to Eligos.

    ¡®Well, like Ophelia said, this is going to motivate him a lot.¡¯

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t need to be flustered just because the eastern and western regions were in turmoil. Since the House of Mammon was taking care of what was necessary in an orderly manner, it would be better for Yong-ho to rx with small events like this.

    Perhaps having heard the rumor, the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon began to arrive at the training field to watch the fight between Eligos and Ophelia.

    As it was the break time after lunch, not only Goblin Rangers, but also Orcs, and even Burgrim and Treant came out. Yuria and Baduk sat next to Catalina.

    Given the situation at the moment, Eligos had no other choice but to fight.

    There was a fight a man could not avoid in his life, and this was the one for Eligos.

    Eligos revealed all three horns and disyed all his might. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were greatly agitated by the butler¡¯s power that they had never seen before.

    Eligos was much stronger than expected!

    Ophelia smiled cheerfully at Eligos¡¯ muscles that had swollen like a beast.

    She also spared no strength. She showed all her might by revealing a fourth horn.

    The dungeon spirits were shocked and got agitated again after seeing that.

    Orcs, the born fighters, clenched their fists and swallowed, watching the fight.

    Burgrim kept his eyes narrow to watch the two on the training field.

    ¡°Let me start.¡±

    ¡°Hope I¡¯m in your good hands, brother!¡±

    Shortly after exchanging greetings, the two Red Demons kicked off the ground at the same time. They rushed at each other with terrifying speed.

    It was truly breathless sparring. A head-to-head battle in which neither chickened out was going on.

    Yong-ho was freshly shocked. Eligos¡¯ growth was beyond imagination. Yong-ho took him to small battles a few times, so he knew he became strong, but little did he realize that this old butler became so strong since then.

    ¡®He is almost as strong as Ophelia when she entered the House of Mammon.¡¯

    No, it was different this time. He was stronger than Ophelia.

    Ophelia gave Eligos the right path. Eligos¡¯s beast-like offensive rooted in his Herculean power, producing tremendous offensive power. As far as his hurtling toward his opponent was concerned, Eligos might be the strongest among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Ophelia blocked Eligos¡¯s attack effectively. Considering that she was his teacher, her skills were remarkable.

    Everyone in the House of Mammon, including Yong-ho, was absorbed into their sparring. However, their sparring did notst long.

    About two minutes or so passed when Eligos punched her hard. Since his punch was on the target, she couldn¡¯t block or avoid it, so she bounced back because of the impact.

    The Orcs shouted at that moment, but Eligos, who punched her in the face, was very embarrassed.

    He was even worried that Ophelia was wounded by the punch.

    In fact, he threw the punch aimlessly, but as it turned out, Ophelia, not anyone else, was hit directly by the punch.

    ¡°Oops, you beat me. You¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger, Brother Ellie.¡±

    Ophelia, who fell somewhat seductively, spoke cheerfully.

    Eligos was embarrassed again. The Orcs, shouting in joy, now realized that something was wrong.

    But she did not care what they thought. She gently raised his upper body and said, whispering with a fox-like expression, ¡°Now, what kind of wish would you, Brother Ellie, ask of me? I hope it¡¯s not something trifling.¡±

    Ophelia tilted her head slightly. Everybody in the training field kept silent, watching them.

 Chapter 126 - Skirmish (4)

    <h4>Chapter 126: Skirmish (4)</h4>

    Eligos couldn¡¯t say anything with a stupid expression, and Yong-ho, a real man who graduated from an all-male middle school, high-school, and college, just blinked.

    ¡®Wow...¡¯

    On the other hand, Catalina, Yuria, and Lucia moaned in admiration.

    rmed by their reaction, Yong-ho suddenly came to his senses. He felt there was something these women should not have learned from Ophelia¡¯s interaction with Eligos, but it was toote. Eligos, who was moving his lips without saying anything, turned to Yong-ho. Again, he was desperately signaling him for help, but Yong-ho ignored it at once. Paying particr attention to Catalina and Yuria, he walked ahead and left the training field.

    ¡®Ophelia... scary girl.¡¯

    Shaking his head from side to side, Yong-ho looked back at Catalina slightly. As if she discovered something new, moved by the romantic interaction between Eligos and Ophelia, Catalina¡¯s gleaming eyes seemed very dangerous.

    And two dayster, Yong-ho met Skull, who hastily returned from the House of Randolt, and headed underground with all of his dungeon spirits.

    They were in front of the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Theyunched the attack on the ¡°Gate of Hell,¡± the massacre demon Baphomet¡¯s ce.

    <hr />

    The first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, ¡®The Garden of Life,¡¯ was literally a garden.

    Therefore, it was as good as an open ce. With no facilities to defend against the enemy, there was only a beautiful scenery that suited the castle of the great king.

    However, the second floor, ¡°Gate of Hell,¡± was different.

    Indeed, this was the beginning of the Castle of the Demon King.

    It was the first door at the end of the beautiful garden. Regardless of an ally or an enemy, anyone who wanted to enter the Labyrinth of the King of Greed must pass it.

    The passage connecting the first and second floors was very huge. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole room located in the opposite direction from Scthach¡¯s room was a passage leading to the second floor.

    When they passed through a huge arch door decorated with trees, vines and colorful flowers, a staircase wide enough for dozens to pass at the same time appeared before them. A film of soft mana blocked the space between the first and second floors, so it was impossible to discern what space was under the stairs.

    Yong-ho came here with the minimum number of dungeon spirits he selected in person.

    They were four dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, Smi, Bucephs, and four skeleton knights that stood out among Skull¡¯s squad.

    Under the influence of the ¡°Enkatro Pegnium,¡± a huge mountain on the dungeon of the Mammon family, called the end of the world, those dungeon monsters were far more powerful than the normal dungeons that appeared in the House of Mammon. And this tendency got worse as they went down to the deep floor.

    On the second floor, there would probably be dungeon monsters more powerful than those on the first floor. Moreover, since the second floor was an entrance, it was highly likely that traps were installed, unlike the first floor.

    When she met Yong-ho, Scathach did not specifically mention the structure of the second floor or the traps installed. However, she rmended that he take only the elite members rather than mobilizing a motley group.

    Going about 10 meters down the stairs, he stood in front of a canopy of subtle mana. The stairs also ran down to the canopy as if they stretched down theke.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t bother to look back. After smiling at himself, he stepped beyond the canopy.

    He felt as if he dipped his feet in the water. Instead of stopping, he speeded up.

    He quickly crossed the canopy and entered the second floor.

    The air changed.

    It was different from its freshness on the first floor. It was quite different from the Garden of Life that made him feel that it was cute despite its vastness for it contained a mountain, a field, and ake.

    It was such a huge space.

    The whole second floor was a huge space. The ceiling was over forty meters high, and the floor was real earth, not stone. Beyond the wilderness reminiscent of the Free City was erected a truly massive castle wall.

    It was exactly as Scathach said.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t think that the space he was standing now was inside the dungeon.

    He almost made a forced smile at the vastness of the second floor.

    ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    Catalina, who passed through the canopy after Yong-ho, opened her mouth wide.

    She decided she would not be surprised no matter what she saw, but she never imagined that she would face the vast wilderness and high walls before her eyes.

    To talk about its functions alone, it was like the ¡°gathering ce¡± on the first floor of the house of Mammon. In other words, it was like abat space where they secured arge space first to block the enemies with defense facilities.

    The only difference was the size of the space.

    If Yong-ho made the gathering ce, assuming the fight among a few dozens, the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed assumed thousands. Rather, it seemed possible to assume tens of thousands of forces at this scale.

    Eligos, who crossed the canopy after Catalina, kept gulping at the spectacr scene.

    He couldn¡¯t even imagine that there would be a ce like this in the basement of the Hosue of Mammon where he had been staying for decades. He was aware there was a basement, but he just thought there were literally several basements.

    Moreover, this was not the end. This was only the second floor.

    ¡¯13th floor.¡¯

    Yong-ho got goosebumps at the thought of it. It was the thing of the distant past, more than a thousand years ago, but Yong-ho could feel how powerful the House of Mammon was in the past.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yong-ho could not afford to be overwhelmed. He came here to conquer the second floor, not for sightseeing.

    Smi, who was already embarrassed in the Garden of Life, opened his eyes wide. Bucephs also went down the stairs with a confused look.

    There was a wilderness of about a hundred tens of meters from the end of the stairs to the wall. The wall was in contact with the ceiling. Therefore, the only way to enter the castle was to destroy the gate or the wall.

    After getting on Smi¡¯s back, Yong-ho looked far away. There were manyrge and small scars on the gray wall that looked as strong as deep-rooted trees. There were a lot of embrasures for a long-range attack, and there were a couple of stone statues of a fierce-looking giant on the left and right side of the huge castle gate, which seemed to be 20 meters high.

    When Yong-ho looked closely, there weren¡¯t only two statues. Stone statues in the shape of giants or monsters were seen at regr intervals. Some were so severely damaged that they could not be identified.

    The statues were still far away, but they were so huge that Yong-ho could only recognize shapes roughly. Catalina and Eligos once again expressed pure admiration.

    But Yong-ho was different. From the moment he saw the stone statues, he felt a strange anxiety.

    ¡®No way.¡¯

    At that moment, he saw something else. The flow of mana that was being released from the wall engulfed the statues.

    Vast space and wide ramparts.

    Would Yong-ho deal with the invading enemy with long-range weapons? Was there no other way than opening the wall for the hand-to-hand fighting?

    He got the answer soon. The stone statues standing on the left and right of the castle gate took a huge step.

    They didn¡¯t roar or shout. Their giant stomping reced it. The ground was shaken sonorously, which was as good as an earthquake.

    The stone statues saw Yong-ho at the same time. Then they rushed at him immediately.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yong-ho yelled.

    It was not a retreat order. He had Smi spread the wings of me.

    There were four stone statues on the move.

    In the past, they would have run away without fighting, but they would not now. Just the huge stone statues alone could not stop Yong-ho himself and his dungeon spirits.

    Smi pped the wings hugely. The dungeon spirits triggered Brigada at once.

    Catalina spread her wings made of ck mana and defended Yong-ho, who soared, scattering mes.

    Eligos and Ophelia kicked off the ground at the same time. They concentrated mana on their fists and legs. At the same time, they revealed their horns.

    ¡°Skull!¡±

    Skull lifted the battle hammer. The battle hammer, reborn in Burgrim¡¯s hand, did not simply save Skull¡¯s lightning strike. The lightning spell cast on the battle hammer itself strengthened Skull¡¯s lightning strike.

    Bucephs charged at them. The members of Skull¡¯s squad who got on their respective Nightmare horse followed their captain and raised their magic weapons.

    It was only a hundred meters of distance between them.

    The moment they ran toward each other, there urred the first collision.

    Ignoring the giants, Yong-ho flew toward the city gate.

    Catalina, who was separated from Yong-ho after soaring, saw the stone statue on the left. She strongly wished she could stand near Yong-ho. As the escort knight for the King of Greed, she wanted to stand by him. She needed the power to do it. She needed the power to be able to walk with him side by side!

    The darkness of greed rose from Catalina¡¯s fingertips. In an instant, it became huge before turning into a ck de. The stone statue could not attack Catalina. It was impossible for the statue to even look back at her passing by its side at a tremendous speed.

    The stone statue¡¯s head fell to the floor. The moment it slid along a cleanly cut surface and touched the ground, Eligos and Ophelia threw their punches at it.

    Bang!

    Although the two attacked the statue, there was only one noise heard. Eligos, who jumped high, punched the giant¡¯s abdomen, which resulted in massive destruction. The stone statue with a broken hole in its stomach copsed from its knees.

    Ophelia did the same thing. On the stone statue where she gored with her horns was a trace of a huge whirlpool. With a hole in its chest, the stone fell back.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull shouted.

 Chapter 127 - Skirmish (5)

    <h4>Chapter 127: Skirmish (5)</h4>

    Outpowering the copsing statues, Skull looked up.

    Thest remaining statue struck Skull with a sword. Instead of running away, Bucephs rushed at the sword. At Skull¡¯s order, Bucephs climbed not only the de of the sword but also the stone statue¡¯s arm.

    Bucephs was done with it so quickly that the statue could not even withdraw its arms.

    When it shook its arms vigorously, Bucephs was already about to attack its corbone.

    The lightning of greed shed from Skull¡¯s right arm. The battle hammer that swallowed up a lot of lightning hit the stone statue¡¯s jaw.

    The sound of the attack was different from when Eligos or Ophelia mounted the attack.

    The lightning strike exploded not only the stone¡¯s jaw but also the air. The shattered head of the stone statue scattered in all directions.

    ¡°Skull, Skull!¡±

    Bucephs stepped in the air. It created a scaffold made of dark magic where its feet touched, which was the unique driving method of the upper Nightmare horse flying in the sky.

    When the fourth stone statue copsed, Yong-ho turned to Aamon.

    He shot Aamon engulfed in the green mes at the castle gate right before his eyes. Break through the gate!

    It couldn¡¯t be called mes anymore. A great greed swallowed up ck mana.

    It transformed Aamon into a huge ballista.

    An incredible physical force hit the gate. The gate crumbled with a terrifying noise. Actually, it was separated from the wall as it could not withstand the impact.

    Smi entered the castle and hurriedly pped its wings of mes. He almost fell to the ground due to the aftermath of the terrible blow, but he adroitly kept his bnce beforending safely.

    Yong-ho also groaned in pain because he felt like his right arm would fall off. At the same time, he felt a strong pleasure in the fact that he destroyed the gate with a single blow.

    Yong-ho looked back from Smi¡¯s behind. The artificial sun¡¯s sunlight poured over the broken gate. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon followed Yong-ho, fully releasing their own mana.

    Yong-ho looked ahead again.

    He had no intention of stopping.

    <hr />

    There were a series of wide spaces inside the wall. It seemed that Mammon thought of the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed as the continuation of the huge ¡°gathering ces¡±.

    Namely, ces forrge-scale engagement.

    Because of this, the passage was wide, and the size of each room was also unusuallyrge.

    Yong-ho moved forward without hesitation. Dozens of dungeon monsters appeared in droves, but they couldn¡¯t stop the advance of Yong-ho and his spirits. Whenever the mes, lightning, and darkness rained down, they were destroyed in mass.

    Fortunately, there were few traps along the way.

    ording to Ophelia, there were ¡°traces¡± of a huge magic position or traps all over the second floor. However, most of them reached the end of their lifespan or were severely damaged and destroyed, which was natural.

    It was already hundreds of years ago that the House of Mammon lost the second floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. During that long period of time, Mammon¡¯s people were not supplied with properly and used up mana in dealing with the dungeon monstersing up everywhere.

    ¡®In some respects, I wonder if we are now benefiting from the dungeon monsters.¡¯

    Yong-ho was referring to the trap of the Labyrinth of Greed. If properly activated, the trap would have been a much greater threat than the dungeon monsters.

    Yong-ho only went straight ahead, following Scathach¡¯s advice.

    ¡®Baphomet is thest barrier on the second floor as well as its gatekeeper. The passage leading to the third floor is beyond Baphomet¡¯s sealed paper. To get there, you just have to go straight. The previous king was a very bold man.¡¯

    She was right. After he passed through fiverge rooms following the castle gate, he saw a straight path. With Catalina¡¯s power, he looked through the darkness to find a huge door. It was clear that it was the door leading to Baphomet¡¯s sealed paper.

    Yong-ho, who ordered his dungeon spirits to just move on until now, told them to stop for a moment.

    ¡®All of my dungeon spirits have be strong.¡¯

    They really fought much better than he expected. In fact, he was busy taking care of his own growth until now, but his dungeon spirits made a big progress, too.

    Especially, Eligos drew his attention.

    Ophelia had been recognized as a ¡°strong woman¡± in his mind since she entered the House of Mammon. In the case of Catalina, he felt it was natural that she became strong since she was around him as his escort knight all the time.

    But Eligos was an exception. He was the one who guarded the House of Mammon alone even when all the other dungeon spirits were fighting on the battlefield.

    Eligos didn¡¯t show all his skills when he sparred with Ophelia. His sparring partner was Ophelia.

    Regardless of his denial or not, Eligos cherished her very much. How could he disy his ¡®real skills¡¯ when she was his sparring partner?

    But Eligos was different when the opponent was the dungeon monster.

    He fully disyed his real skills while fighting the dungeon monster.

    Yong-ho understood why Eligos¡¯ name for his next advancement was ¡®Tyrant.¡¯

    He attacked the dungeon monsters fiercely just like a hungry beast catching its prey.

    His fierce attackpletely belied his usual appearance, so Yong-ho was shocked by such a stark contrast.

    Yong-ho smiled before he knew it when he recalled the days when he had just be the head of the House of Mammon, for he clearly remembered the small Eligos who went out to draw water every morning.

    Then he looked at Skull.

    When it came to the amount of training, no dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon could surpass Skull.

    That was why Yong-ho trusted Skull all the more. Moreover, Skull yed a very important role in the battle against Baphomet.

    Scathach chose Yong-ho himself and Skull as the key yers in this battle because of the characteristics of Baphomet.

    Death, Baphomet was the incarnation of death sent by fanatics in the alien world.

    Because of this, even though he was weakened, he exhaled the energy of death naturally like his breathing.

    Those whose energy was weak lost their lives just by being exposed to Baphomet¡¯s energy.

    Even those strong men saw their strength weakened because of their instinctive fear of death.

    It was only Yong-ho and Skull who could exert fullbat power even in front of Baphomet¡¯s energy of death.

    After experiencing more than hundreds of near-death experiences, Yong-ho could endure the energy of death.

    Since the undead Skull was already dead, he would rather feel calm in the face of Baphomet¡¯s energy of death.

    It was because of Baphomet that Scathach¡¯s test was a near-death experience from the beginning. Anyone who did not pass her test could never be an opponent of Baphomet.

    Yong-ho patted Skull on the shoulder, who he thought was always reliable.

    Skullughed heartily when he felt Yong-ho¡¯s confidence in him without Brigada.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Yong-ho was not in a hurry. He kept sharing the magic potion he obtained from the arena with the dungeon spirits. The restorative Scathach made for him also yed a great role.

    About 30 minutes passed. They caught their breath fully by now.

    Yong-ho ordered Smi, Bucephs, and the Skull Squad to stand by. He then sprayed the lights into the passage. After driving away the darkness, they went forward.

    It was a huge bronze door.

    Yong-ho realized that the name of the second floor, ¡®Gate of Hell,¡¯ referred to this door.

    Dozens of people were embossed on the door. They were groaning and crying in pain.

    Yong-ho took his breath deeply and held the doorknob.

    By Herculean force, he opened the ¡®Gate of Hell¡¯ very slowly.

    It was filled with imprable darkness. But he could see. Rather, he felt it.

    A ck monster fell in the middle of the wide empty area. Large shackles were attached to its neck as well as its limbs, and those tied on its legs were still connected to the floor.

    The door was not yet opened halfway. However, the energy of death came out continuously. The ck monster raised its head slowly, crying in a spooky voice.

    It wasughing. Its creepyugh filled the empty ce with the energy of death.

    Red eyes, Yong-ho remembered seeing them when he peeked into Scathach¡¯s memory.

    The ck monster shook its shoulders. It touched the floor with its hands and raised its upper body very slowly. It stared at Yong-ho with its red eyes shining alone in the dark.

    Yong-ho was scared. It was much more dreary than what he saw in her memory. He felt like Scathach saying that it had be weak was an absurd lie. Death wrapped around his body. He could feel hundreds, rather thousands of eyes around. The screaming of resentful ghosts filled the whole world.

    But Yong-ho opened the door. He didn¡¯t close it. Then he took a step forward in the darkness.

    Brigada was activated at once. His dungeon spirits followed their king, Yong-ho, just like Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits had done in the past. They were not terrified by the fear of death.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t have to say anymore. He quietly raised his hand. Like Mammon in his memory, he grabbed Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus that bloomed in the air. He drove away not only darkness but also the energy of death with the green mes of greed. The blue water, which was like the symbol of Scathach, spewed out from the upleted Godly Energy located in the magic field of his left hand.

    Baphometughed like crazy. His crazyughing soon turned into a roar. Baphomet saw Mammon in Yong-ho. So, it cursed him and got crazy. Grabbing the scythe of death from the darkness, it charged at Yong-ho wildly.

    It was like the rush of death itself.

    Yong-ho also rushed forward to confront it.

    As the new King of Greed, he confronted the incarnation of death.

 Chapter 128 - Outburst of Anguish (1)

    <h4>Chapter 128: Outburst of Anguish (1)</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Yong-ho had faced the monster. He encountered it when he first faced Aamon, when he met its eyes in a burning world when he encountered Gusion in the arena, and the moment Scathach revealed her skills for a very short time. He remembered it all, and he didn¡¯t forget the horrible feeling at that time. He was always overwhelmed by its absurdly enormous presence.

    He felt the same thing this time.

    Baphomet lost its strength as a dungeon spirit because it lost its master. Besides, it was extremely weakened since it had been sealed for a long time and shorn of its strength by the other 12 Spirits. Nheless, it was the incarnation of death that came from the alien world.

    It was so huge. So, Yong-ho felt like he would be trampled by this absurdly huge creature at any moment.

    But this time, it was different. It had to be different.

    He had to face this monster and defeat it.

    Instead of stepping back, he boldly advanced and confronted Baphomet head-on, which rushed toward him without hesitation, like a runaway lotive.

    Baphomet¡¯s body was huge. It was somewhat different from what he saw in Scathach¡¯s memory, but its head, resembling a ck goat, and its huge body were the same as before.

    It looked like a mountain seemed to copse in front of his eyes.

    Laughing like crazy, Baphomet wielded the scythe of death. It was wielding from above the power of death itself.

    Yong-ho did not miss that moment. He opened his eyes and saw death rushing to him.

    It had a trajectory. But what was seen wasn¡¯t everything. ck mana swirled around the de of its giant scythe. It was obvious that ck mana would devour a space several times the size of the sickle.

    Yong-ho could not move back at this point. It was also reckless for him to block the monster by wielding Aamon.

    But Yong-ho did not stop. He took another step, remembering Scathach¡¯s words.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Two voices rang almost simultaneously. And at that moment, when the screaming was going on, Catalina quickly approached him from behind his back, hugged him, and became his wings.

    The scythe of death swept the air. Yong-ho and Catalina overcame the evil energy of death. Under the wings made of ck mana, Yong-ho saw Baphomet¡¯s red eyes. Then he swung Aamon to cut through the space above Baphomet¡¯s head.

    Waves of the green mes engulfed Baphomet¡¯s head. The death wrapping around Baphomet¡¯s body exploded when it collided with the green mes. Cutting through the scattering energy of death, Eligos and Ophelia rushed toward it.

    The two scattered to both sides with Baphomet in between. They then attacked it with full force.

    There was no roar, no explosion, no scream. The air was scattered by their strong attack, but that was it.

    Baphomet turned to Blink. Its enormous body reappeared ten meters high above its original ce.

    Eligos was embarrassed. Ophelia immediately raised her head and looked at Baphomet.

    And death crushed Eligos and Ophelia one step ahead.

    It was apletely different kind of force they had never felt before. It wasn¡¯t the overwhelming presence of the strong. It wasn¡¯t even a physical force of destroying and breaking.

    It was death, the end of everything.

    The feeling of helplessness that they could not resist.

    The feeling of despair that there was nothing to rely on.

    Death prated Eligos and Ophelia. It didn¡¯t damage their bodies in any way.

    However, Eligos knelt down. Ophelia resisted by generating the mana of greed, but she could not stand it long.

    For a few seconds when Ophelia desperately resisted, Baphometnded on the ground again. Then it swung its left arm to strike down Ophelia. Suffering from the helplessness of death, she punched head-on by a giant blow.

    She bounced off more than a dozen meters like a broken marite. Then Baphomet kicked out Eligos by swinging his right arm, holding the scythe of death. Rotating its body greatly, it once again released the wave of death. The chains on Baphomet¡¯s neck and arms broke through the air with a terrible noise.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull broke through death. He broke the ck and huge waves of death with a battle hammer. He narrowed the distance with Baphomet at once and swung the lightning hammer again.

    Lightning shed from Baphomet¡¯s legs. It wasn¡¯t a fatal injury. However, Baphomet¡¯s legs were bent for a moment. Skull pulled the hammer again. And above Skull¡¯s head, and higher above Baphomet¡¯s head, Yong-ho pulled Aamon. Then, holding Aamon upside down, he created the pir of mes.

    The green mes struck Baphomet hard then engulfed its whole body.

    Catalina rejoiced, but it was too early for her to rejoice. The moment when the green mes covered its whole body, Baphomet kicked out Skull. Using that momentum, it rotated its body, and once again, it tore the air with chains on its limbs. Holding the scythe of death tightly, it split the air.

    But the scythe didn¡¯t reach Yong-ho. Nheless, death did not stop and spread. The power that could only be expressed as pitch-ck prated Yong-ho and Catalina.

    Catalina¡¯s head was broken. She was helpless, with no screaming or moaning, like Eligos experienced.

    Yong-ho stuck it out, clenching his teeth. Even while he was falling, he swung his left arm wildly. Just like he did when he defeated Kaiwan, he added Catalina¡¯s ck mana to the mana of greed. And he swept both Baphomet and the ground with a giant¡¯s hand at the same time!

    Baphomet jumped to avoid the giant¡¯s arm. Yong-honded on the ground with the help of a giant¡¯s arm instead of falling to the floor. He raised his head to attack the monster with Catalina, who finally pulled herself together.

    But they were crushed by Baphomet. It wasn¡¯t like ck mana or death. Literally, a huge palm pressed both Yong-ho and Catalina simultaneously.

    They could not resist the pure physical force created by the monster¡¯s weight and speed. Both of them got tangled together and were crushed on the floor. They screamed in pain when their bones were broken.

    Baphometughed madly. Yong-ho felt he was losing consciousness. He was punched only once, but the blow was so painful.

    Yong-ho once again clenched his teeth under Baphomet¡¯s palm. If he could not use his limbs freely, he intended to release his mana all at once and bounce off the palm of this monster.

    At the same time, Yong-ho felt that Eligos and Ophelia began to move. And even Skull, who was thrown on the floor by Baphomet¡¯s blow, was also standing up again.

    Each of them released mana of greed. Yong-ho further amplified the mana of greed by syncing with the dungeon spirits.

    But at that moment, Yong-ho made eye contact with Baphomet. It lowered its head to see him even when the spirits of the House of Mammon were rushing toward it.

    Its head resembled a goat. It was different from a human head.

    Yong-ho could read its expression. It smiled brightly.

    That was the only smile it could make¡ªmadness and rejoice, brightness and joy.

    It was obviously more weakened than before. But there was something that didn¡¯t change.

    It was still the incarnation of death.

    It was a monster formed at the sacrifices of ten thousand people, as well as the death itself imagined by beings in the alien world.

    It survived by eating over tens of thousands, rather millions of deaths.

    Death smiled. It exuded a force that could not even bepared with anything until now.

    With no sound or movement, it covered a huge ck space. It swallowed up the lights of the dungeon lighting devices that Yong-ho¡¯s party had spread for this battle.

    Eligos and Ophelia fell to the floor in the same position they were charging.

    Thanks to the power of greed, they did not die immediately, but that was it.

    They couldn¡¯t move even a finger because of their enormous helplessness.

    Skull was no exception. Although he already belonged to death, it did not mean he was free from death. His vivid sensation of death elicited a sense of life from him. Skull remembered his life for the first time since bing an undead. That was why he experienced the second death. Old fear and dread, as well as all the things he had to give up by dying, once again destroyed Skull¡¯s spirit.

    Skull copsed. He suffered from deep despair and sorrow, so much so that it wasn¡¯t strange even if tears poured out of his hollow eyes. Memories of living tormented him.

    Yong-ho breathed a short, rough breath. He became more and more unconscious.

    Although he experienced hundreds of times of mental death in the space Aamon created, all of it was fake. It wasn¡¯t real death.

    He couldn¡¯t feel the passage of time, which was natural, for it was what death was.

    There was nothing there.

    Despair broke his will. Empty feelings swallowed up his anger.

    ept it, death. Absolute serenity.

    Baphomet raised its hand. In fact, no matter how fast it did, Yong-ho felt its action was very slow.

    Yong-ho did not close his eyes. Instead of Baphomet¡¯s hand or death sickle, he saw something else. It was a so-called kaleidoscopic view of his life events.

 Chapter 129 - Outburst of Anguish (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129: Outburst of Anguish (2)</h4>

    He graduated from an elementary school life that he would never spend like that if he were born, grown-up, and went back to it again.

    He entered an all-male middle school because it was close to his home.

    He entered an all-male high school because the nearby coed high school was closed.

    Then he entered an engineering college because he liked engineering.

    Now, one more thing would make his life perfect¡ªjoining the army.

    He had joy and sadness. Although he had frustrations and trials, he had achievements and happiness.

    It was a good life.

    He had no regrets. Although he never dated a girl, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He didn¡¯t have a blind date, which he had expected a lot before going to college, but it didn¡¯t matter. Rather than being confessed by a lover, he never confessed love to any girl, but he didn¡¯t care. At least he kissed once. His partner was Ophelia. He kissed her for the purpose of overwhelming her mentally.

    He also touched Catalina¡¯s ears and tail. Kaiwan also said that she would grant his wish, whatever it was. His thinking was perhaps unfounded, but he felt that Kaiwan fell in love with him. To be honest, wasn¡¯t she serious? Didn¡¯t she say she would grant his wish? She could not say it to anybody, right? What about Catalina? She didn¡¯t show her heart to me, but was she feeling the same way as Kaiwan?

    ¡®So what? Damn it!¡¯

    Yong-ho opened his eyes suddenly. When he looked back nostalgically, he found his eyes wet before he knew it, so he got rid of this kaleidoscopic stuff.

    He had to survive now. There were still many things he hadn¡¯t done yet!

    [My little master!]

    Aamon¡¯s voice was heard. It was clear that perhaps from the moment death filled the empty space on the second floor, Aamon called him anxiously.

    The passage of time was still slow. Baphomet only now grabbed the scythe of death.

    So, Yong-ho had to move first and stand up after getting rid of this monster.

    [Desire! Long for it!]

    [Be greedy! My little master!]

    Aamon shouted. Yong-ho understood it. So, he brought out the power of greed.

    It was an original desire. He might be med for bringing out the will to live like that, but he didn¡¯t care. He imagined. He hoped and wished for it.

    He burst out anguish, hope, and desire!

    ¡°I really want to do it!¡±

    He shouted. Yes, he was serious. There were so many things he wanted to do. There were so many things he hadn¡¯t done yet. So he couldn¡¯t die. He couldn¡¯t be overwhelmed with death!

    Time elerated. Baphomet felt embarrassed. At the same time, he saw the scythe of death at its peak.

    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon. He felt Catalina was still groaning in death. Clenching his teeth, he activated the maic field.

    The power of greed. The power of desire.

    He didn¡¯t recklessly use up the unleashed anguish.

    His Godly Energy was a mass of Brigada.

    Although the magic field on his left hand was iplete, it had Godly Energy.

    Finally, Yong-ho brought life out of the 12 Spirits, which was the power of Immortal Witch Scathach that perfectly matched his will to live!

    Blue watery light exploded from his left hand. The power of life drove away Baphomet¡¯s death. Baphomet stumbled. For the first time since it confronted Yong-ho, it screamed in pain.

    It suffered by crying out the name of Scathach, who had the power of life.

    Yong-ho breathed roughly. He couldn¡¯t stand up, but he poured the power of life on to Baphomet. By offsetting death with life, he transformed Baphomet from the incarnation of death into just a giant monster.

    He needed to take the next step immediately, but his next move was already ready.

    ¡°Stand up, my dungeon spirits!¡±

    His dungeon spirits were faithful to his order.

    Eligos and Ophelia ran toward it. When they stood up again, they felt a strong force of life.

    They shared Yong-ho¡¯s desire and will to live from the mana of greed transmitted through Brigada.

    This time, theypletely destroyed Baphomet¡¯s legs!

    Baphomet copsed, kneeling down. It wailed even louder. It tried to drive away Yong-ho¡¯s force of life that neutralized his death.

    Catalina took his hand. She didn¡¯t want to die either. There were so many things she wanted to do while still alive.

    Holding her hand, he stared sharply at Baphomet. Then he ordered thest dungeon spirit right next to him.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull rose from death. Grabbing the battle hammer, he rushed toward Baphomet.

    All the power of the dungeon spirits was concentrated on Yong-ho through Brigada, which he, in turn, retransmitted to Skull.

    The green mes rose from the tip of the battle hammer. Greed with ck mana soared, and the mana of Eligos and Ophelia connected them all.

    Baphomet was struggling desperately. Instead of the scythe of death being evaporated by the power of life, he swung his huge right arm.

    Skull rode over it and charged at it. He added lightning to the power of greed, with the battle hammer that was broken without withstanding Baphomet¡¯s concentrated power but still functioning.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull jumped up and stared straight at Baphomet¡¯s red eyes.

    It was no longer the incarnation of death. What was standing before him right now was just a huge ck monster!

    Skull struck it with the battle hammer in a row. The concentrated power of greed exploded right above Baphomet¡¯s head!

    Skullnded on the ground as if to fall. Eligos and Ophelia raised their heads, breathing roughly.

    And finally, Yong-ho, who stood up finally, stretched out the magic field of his left hand.

    Baphomet, whose head was destroyed, could not see Yong-ho.

    However, Yong-ho saw its red eyes. As the King of Greed, he granted the promised rest in peace to the incarnation of death that was still harboring death despite his drastic weakness.

    Baphomet smiled. Yong-ho felt that way. And at that moment, Baphomet¡¯s enormous body turned into ck ashes and scattered in the air.

    Yong-ho slowly clenched his fist and looked at the newly added jewel on the back of his left hand with the magic field.

    ck with a purple hue. Capricorn, the power of Baphomet, the demon of ughter.

    Yong-ho reaped the power of life and possessed the power of death.

    <hr />

    It was like breaking a tight string suddenly.

    The moment when new power was added to the magic field, Yong-ho felt deeply tired.

    He acutely felt the pain all over his body again.

    It hurt and very much at that.

    He felt like his bones were broken all over his body. Although he was punched by Baphomet once, his whole body ached.

    Baphomet¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t just punching. The moment Yong-ho was pressed by its palm, the ck mana arising from Baphomet¡¯s left hand hacked his body.

    His body wasn¡¯t only bruised but also his skin ruptured. Besides, his body bled from various cuts.

    He wanted to squat down right now. However, he stuck it out, taking a deep breath.

    He was holding Catalina¡¯s hand in his right hand instead of Aamon.

    Catalina was injured, as well. Since she was behind Yong-ho, she wasn¡¯t hacked by ck mana, but Baphomet¡¯s striking down damaged her more than Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho looked at Catalina, who in turn, looked at him. They both poured so much mana into Brigada that their hands were trembling, but they smiled at each other, which looked silly.

    Yong-ho hugged her. Rather it was Catalina who hugged him.

    The two leaned on each other like that. He realized that he was alive by burying his face in her neck.

    When death engulfed everything, Yong-ho had a desire.

    That desire wasn¡¯t just lust. Had it been only lust, he would never have ovee Baphomet¡¯s death.

    There were a lot of things he really wanted to do.

    He seemed to know why Aamon described his lust as anguish.

    It was greed. He didn¡¯t give up on anything. Rather he couldn¡¯t give it up. Everything belonged to Yong-ho.

    Catalina was warm and soft when he hugged her. So he naturally closed his eyes. He wanted to stay like that for the rest of his life. Not only her breathing but also her subtle body scent was all sweet.

    Strangely enough, however, he recalled Kaiwan¡¯s face at that moment. To be precise, it was her smile right before she confronted him in the arena. Come to think of it now, it was almost like a foul smile. How could she show such a smile to him right before the fighting? He thought she outwitted him back then.

    It was not Kaiwan alone that came to his mind. Gusion, Scathach, and Aamon¡¯s faces came to his mind one by one. He also remembered his own dungeon spirits and the exclusive 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    He smiled awkwardly and opened his eyes. As if she was tired, Catalina did open her eyes.

    She was wiggling her tail weakly, but that was all. She seemed to totally rely on him. It looked like she would copse at the mere touch.

    Yong-ho hugged her waist a little harder. He kissed her head unwittingly and looked around.

    They were all exhausted.

 Chapter 130 - Outburst of Angish (3)

    <h4>Chapter 130: Outburst of Angish (3)</h4>

    Eligos and Ophelia were lying on the floor. Yong-ho thought they were having a touching hug, but they were too tired to do it.

    However, they were still strong Red Demons. Eligos, who could be called the strongest of the Mammon spirits, raised his upper body slowly. But Ophelia couldn¡¯t get up easily as if the blow by Baphomet was quite strong. However, she did not lose consciousness and whispered to Eligos.

    Yong-ho eventually gave up standing. He sat down, touching the floor with one hand and holding Catalina with the other. As soon as he sat down, he wanted to lie down again, but he barely held down the urge to do so. When he turned his head a little more, he saw Skull.

    Skull was also a total wreck. The battle hammer that Burgrim improved for him waspletely destroyed. What he had now was a bag only.

    His armor and helmet were also broken. He wasn¡¯t as bare as when he first came to the House of Mammon, but it was the first time since his fight with Poras that he was injured so much like this.

    Skull, kneeling on the floor and supporting his upper body with one cracked arm, trembled.

    His chin and head, in particr, trembled badly.

    ¡°Skull?¡±

    It was Skull that dealt a final fatal blow to Baphomet. Did he overwork himself because Yong-ho mobilized too much power into him?

    When Yong-ho called him in a worried voice, Skull slowly turned his head. Ghost mes that were supposed to be present in his hollow eyes were too small.

    And that wasn¡¯t all. Yong-ho felt somewhat concerned about Skull. It was something like a feeling of strangeness. And Yong-ho alone didn¡¯t feel it. He could sense Skull¡¯s feelings transmitted through Brigada.

    Yong-ho found it hard to express what it was. It was the kind of feeling that he could express byparing it to a torrent raging under the quiet water.

    ¡°Skull.¡±

    Yong-ho called him again. Skull reacted at his affectionate calling. Although it was a skull without any expression, Yong-ho knew that Skull was trying to smile, though with an effort.

    ¡°Skull... kull...¡±

    Speaking slowly and quietly, Skull fell to the floor instead of struggling to stick it out.

    As if he was encouraged by Yong-ho¡¯s calling, Skull cleared his anxiety a lot.

    Skull now seemed to be restingfortably like Ophelia and Catalina.

    Watching them, Yong-ho gulped. His sense of strangeness about Skull disappeared, and he could do nothing because there was nothing unusual about Skull at this point.

    Yong-ho just hoped it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Then once again, he held Catalina anew and hugged her. After oveing the temptation to fall asleep next to her, he looked at the mana in the empty space.

    The energy of death hadn¡¯t yetpletely disappeared from there.

    It was the same ck mana but different from Catalina¡¯s.

    Catalina¡¯s ck mana resembled the gentle night that embraced people. On the other hand, Baphomet¡¯s ck mana was like cold and terrifying despair.

    ck mana swirled in the ce where Baphomet stood. When it swirled once, the darkness scattered in all directions, which was spectacr, indeed.

    Yong-ho touched the magic field on his left hand with his right hand over her waist. Despite him not seeing it, the newly created Baphomet jewel clearly came to his mind.

    The power of death contrary to Scathach¡¯s life.

    Yong-ho finally let out a sigh. Prepared for fainting, he extended his right arm. Instead of hugging Catalina, he let her rest her hair on his thigh and grabbed the air.

    Following the mes of the red lotus, the green lotus arose. He collected not only his remaining mana, but also that of Eligos, Ophelia, Skull, and even Catalina, who almost passed out, and poured it into Aamon.

    His efforts paid off.

    Although he was not in the arena, he could talk with Aamon.

    [My little master.]

    Watching Aamon¡¯s true body, the burning spear, reminiscent of a weapon from the age of mythology, Yong-ho asked, ¡°Is Baphometpletely dead?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t afford to beat around the bush.

    Aamon answered his straightforward question.

    [Baphomet is the incarnation of death. The realization of the concept of ¡®death¡¯ that humans in the alien world conceived.]

    [Its body, which had been worn away for a thousand years since the disappearance of its owner, has nowpletely disappeared. Since the container holding the concept has disappeared, the concept will also disappear.]

    [However, we can¡¯t say it¡¯spletely extinct.]

    [The essence of Baphomet remained in its unfinished Godly Energy. Not only Baphomet¡¯s power, ¡®death,¡¯ but also some consciousness remains in it.]

    [But, my little master. You don¡¯t have to worry. It will never be able to hurt you, nor it will.]

    Baphomet couldn¡¯t hurt him.

    It also didn¡¯t have the intention to do so.

    Yong-ho let out a long sigh. Aamon smiled gently.

    [My little master. Good job!]

    [The power of greedes from desire.]

    [However, simple lust can¡¯t bring out the true power of greed, for it would be closer to the power of the King of Lust rather than the power of the King of Greed.]

    [Clearly, the power of lust was strong for you, but because it was mixed with the purer, original desire, you could ovee Baphomet¡¯s death.]

    [Hope and desire. Project your true wishes onto your desire.]

    Indeed, Aamon correctly pointed out what seemed to be embarrassing to Yong-ho.

    Instead of replying, Yong-ho looked at Catalina¡¯s face nkly. He had the urge to touch her cheek, but he couldn¡¯t because he was grabbing Aamon at the moment.

    But he was reaching the breaking point slowly. This time, he really wanted to touch her cheek quite seriously.

    So Yong-ho asked thest question, ¡°Third floor. Who among the 12 Spirits controls the third floor?¡±

    Aamon didn¡¯t answer right away. There was some pause. As a human, Aamon would have sighed or smiled bitterly during that short span.

    [Elune whose star sign is Libra, cutting the night.]

    [She is the owner of the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    After answering, Aamon withdrew the mes then went back to a bracelet, its original shape.

    ¡®Cutting the night... Elune.¡¯

    The escort knight for Mammon, the King of Greed, and his sweetheart.

    Yong-ho caressed Catalina¡¯s cheek. He closed his eyes because of her extremely soft face, but he shouted with all his might. He called Smi, Bucephs, and the Skull Squad, who were waiting in the corridor.

    The passage to the third floor was opened, but now was not the right time to move.

    First, he had to go back to Scathach on the first floor to restore stamina and mana.

    He felt Smi running behind his back. Only then did Yong-ho take a load off his mind.

    Touching Catalina¡¯s cheeks, he fell into a deep sleep.

    <hr />

    The end of the long battle was around the corner finally.

    uros, the head of the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance,ughed vainly. It was not because Cecharo of the House of Berne, his strong ally, literally disappeared, bleeding before his eyes.

    The Western Owners¡¯ Alliance was defeated by Embrio.

    And that defeat was already certain from the beginning.

    Five horns, which was the evidence of the strength towering over Embrio¡¯s head.

    They weren¡¯t new horns as a result of Embrio destroying the house heads in northern and western regions. Although he had only four horns from the beginning, Embryo, who cultivated his mana over the years, knew it.

    Embrio had five horns from the beginning. Most of the house heads in the northern and western regionsgged far behind him in power, and perhaps, even the power they absorbed by essences of horns was little.

    It was natural that the house heads in the northern region lost to Embrio helplessly.

    It was also understandable that each of them showed their might just like the one-man army.

    It was highly likely that there were quite a few with five horns under themand of six kings. But it was not the case in the barren ce of the south. To be precise, Embrio could be said to be the only and the most powerful in the southern area.

    Embrio absorbed the essence of Cecharo. Since it had only four horns from the beginning, his absorption helped him a bit.

    Embrio took another step. uros smiled bitterly at that.

    It wasn¡¯t just because of Embrio¡¯s horns that uros understood the defeat as ¡°something certain from the beginning.¡±

    uros realized who was standing behind Embrio.

    That was why he gave up andughed scornfully.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be a king, Embrio. You will eventually fall miserably after chasing only the king¡¯s shadow.¡±

    It was not known which king was supporting Embrio. However, whoever he was, he would not ignore Embrio¡¯s ambitions.

    Embrio did not answer. He just silently approached uros.

    That was why urosughed again. Instead of begging for life miserably, he wounded Embrio¡¯s mind with a final scorn.

    ¡°You know, Embrio, that you can never be a king.¡±

    Those were hisst words. uros couldn¡¯t talk anymore. With his heart destroyed while he was still alive, he died.

    Embrio took his essence. It could get quite a lot of power, just like the strongest head of a house in the western region.

    ¡®You cannot be a king.¡¯

    It was a curse. Embrio decided to think so. By ordering a group of wolves to eat uros¡¯s body, it dispelled his displeasure.

    The smoke from the battlefield covered the sky. Death, screams and groaning resonated everywhere.

    Leaving all this behind, Embrio stepped forward.

    He was heading for the south, where a great king was born.

 Chapter 131 - Completion of the Door of Space (1)

    <h4>Chapter 131: Completion of the Door of Space (1)</h4>

    Yong-ho slowly opened his eyes. Just as he woke up from a pleasant deep sleep, he regained consciousness naturally and calmly.

    First, it was cold. He felt someone¡¯s familiar softness all over his body.

    ¡®Scathach.¡¯

    Specifically, it was the blue liquid that Scathach used to handle.

    As if he was asleep for quite a while, his eyes hurt, but he couldn¡¯t properly move his arms and legs. After struggling in the blue liquid, he gave up and looked straight ahead. Somebody¡¯s pleasant smile weed him.

    ¡°Let me wipe it.¡±

    Scathach, sitting on the ice throne, moved her fingers lightly. Then, some of the blue liquid came up like tentacles and wiped his face.

    Her service didn¡¯t end there. One of the blue liquid tentacles stopped near his mouth and spewed clear, cold water.

    He didn¡¯t feel like drinking it, but it tasted slightly sweet and fresh.

    Resting his chin on her hand, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry because this is a clear water I¡¯ve drawn nearby. It wasn¡¯t the blue liquid or your purified urine.¡±

    ¡°Uh... Really?¡±

    Scathach giggled at his question. He felt nervous because he couldn¡¯t understand why.

    He shook off useless thoughts and looked around. He saw dungeon spirits sitting at regr intervals around Scathach¡¯s throne. Her whole body except her head was covered in blue liquid.

    ¡°Everyone is recovering, except that cheerful skeleton.¡±

    He got confused again at her statement. She gently moved her hand and turned the blue liquid containing him halfway around. At the entrance to her small pce was Skull lying naked with his armor removed.

    ¡°I tried to adjust his posture several times... Maybe he feels the mostfortable in that posture, namely rolling on the floor...¡±

    She was correct.

    He asked her, ¡°Can¡¯t you recover Skull? Are his injuries too severe?¡±

    ¡°No, his injury itself is not very severe. But he needs a different type of treatment. I treat people here by sharing my vitality. But because Skull is an undead, his body will be broken and destroyed if I share my vitality with him.¡±

    Yong-ho could understand it. Just like in games, casting heal magic to an undead damages their physical health rather than healing it.

    He looked at Skull with a bit of anxiety. He didn¡¯t think of any other way to heal Skull than evolving or advancing him.

    Scathach said again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I think a special skeleton like Skull can recover naturally. With sufficient mana, he will stand up quickly. Actually, he has recovered quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Then, did Skull have something like a natural recovery function?

    He had never heard about it.

    Scathach tilted her head and asked, ¡°Uh? You didn¡¯t know? Is this the first time Skull has ever been injured?¡±

    ¡°No, he was injured before...¡±

    Did Skull get this new ability when he had a consolidation evolution or advancement?

    Skull was now out of the lineage of the general undead monsters. Maybe he got it while he became a Magic Knight. Since bing a knight, he was not injured so much. If that was the case, it was reasonable to think that Yong-ho didn¡¯t know his natural recovery function.

    ¡®But...¡¯

    Why? Yong-ho felt somewhat strange about Skull.

    Skull was the type that rolled on the floor as usual, but he felt different about it this time.

    To be precise, there was something different about Skull before and after fighting Baphomet.

    ¡°Skull?¡±

    When Yong-ho called, Skull replied back immediately, ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    But he still didn¡¯t stand up.

    Scathach added, ¡°Well, it¡¯s very hard for Skull to stand up now. All the joints of his body were broken. His upper body was restored yesterday... If his recovery goes well, he can stand up tomorrow.¡±

    She was optimistic, but Yong-ho couldn¡¯t be relieved to hear that. The fact that Skull¡¯s upper body had recovered ¡°yesterday¡± meant that Yong-ho himself was unconscious for at least a day.

    ¡°How many days have passed since I got here?¡±

    ¡°Three days. About 62 hours, exactly.¡±

    ¡°Really? Three days?¡±

    ¡°Since you fought Baphomet, you were shocked mentally rather than being damaged physically.

    Besides, you used up all your energies, more than you could. Because of that, I ampletely exhausted, as you see.¡±

    Smiling warmly, she let her shoulders droop. Come to think of it, she looked more pale than usual. The reason she didn¡¯t get up from the throne was probably because she was weak.

    Yong-ho instinctively realized it. Scathach¡¯s vitality, which offset Baphomet¡¯s death, was not just power stored in her Godly Energy. Actually, she drew it from herself, just as Yong-ho took his dungeon spirit¡¯s power through Brigada.

    He also understood how he could defeat Baphomet and why Scathach and Gusion asked him to challenge Baphomet.

    Apart from Yong-ho¡¯s suffering, Baphomet¡¯s body was clearly weakened, so much so that it was iparable to the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon such as Gusion and Scathach.

    Nevertheless, Baphomet was strong. Its power of death was overwhelming.

    Yong-ho could defeat it because he could offset Baphomet¡¯s death with her vitality.

    Otherwise, even if Yong-ho himself managed to ovee its death with the power of greed, he would have been defeated in the end.

    ¡°Is it true that I can use Godly Energy to draw out the power of the 12 Spirits that recognized me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s called Godly Energy. However, you can¡¯t do it freely, like drawing out the power of your own dungeon spirits because they haven¡¯t fully recognized you. In order to derive their power, you need the corresponding power. I don¡¯t know what method you used, but in this fight you made it, and you stole my power. Because of that, you won, but I was exhausted.¡±

    It seemed that she referred to the mana of greed that Yong-ho amplified by the outburst of his anguish.

    Yong-ho asked again, ¡°Then what is Baphomet¡¯s power?¡±

    ¡°Same thing. Baphomet can use its power, but notpletely. Just like you used my power, it needed to pay the price. You defeated him, but... you are not yet capable enough to control Baphomet¡¯s ¡®death¡¯.¡±

    After stopping there, she took a big breath. She looked at Yong-ho quietly, with his chin resting on her hand, and continued again softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too impatient. Someday you will get the power of everybody. I can guarantee it for you.¡±

    Strangely enough, Yong-ho felt relieved to hear what she said. He leaned against the blue liquid. After rxing anew, he looked back at his own spirits, especially Catalina.

    He felt reassured. Scathachughed at that.

    ¡°Oh my God! Your affection for her is obvious now.¡±

    Yong-ho decided to be impudent at that moment.

    He calmly turned his gaze to her and said, ¡°I heard from Aamon that the third floor belongs to Elune.¡±

    ¡°Right. And given her personality, she is probably fully ready for any attack. In a sense, you might find her tougher than Baphomet. So, I rmend that you challenge the 3rd floor after getting stronger.¡±

    Suddenly, she closed her eyes tightly then snapped her fingers lightly. Then, the blue liquid surrounding him was sucked back to the floor. Like before, the magical power arising from her dressed him back.

    ¡°I¡¯m done healing you, little master. Your spirits need to recover for another half a day, so go up first. I think Lucia has lots of things to report to you.¡±

    It had been as many as three days since he got here. So, he was curious about what was going on on the ground.

    ¡°Thank you, Scathach.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my little sister. You can always rely on me.¡±

    With a smile, she waved her hands, and Yong-ho responded quickly then hurried out of her ce. At that moment, he immediately heard Lucia¡¯s voice, as if she had been waiting for him. [Master!]

    [Butler Jun and Tigrius, head of the House of Randolt, have something to report to you.]

    Jun, the only female dungeon spirit among Goblin Rangers, had been on the job training as a butler apprentice under Eligos for a while. Since Eligos was absent for the past few days, she probably took over his job.

    Smi, who was rolling around at the entrance to the Garden of Life, recognized Yong-ho and quickly approached. He quickly climbed on Smi¡¯s back and heard Lucia¡¯s report.

    [Jun¡¯s report is about the current status of the dungeon spirits, the number of gold mines, the tax collected from the Free City for this month, and the control of the dungeon of the House of Abigale.]

    Briefing him quickly, she showed him light sentences and a few numbers. It was a much more simplified report than usual.

    Yong-ho understood why Lucia was in a hurry. So, he gave it a quick look and asked for the next report.

    [This is a report from Demon King Tigrius under yourmand.]

    [The fight between the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance and Embrio is over.]

    [Embrio has won. Embrio seems to be realigning troops.]

    [Tigrius got this intelligence 12 hours ago.]

    After all, Yong-ho was sliding into the inevitable fight.

 Chapter 132 - Completion of the Door of Space (2)

    <h4>Chapter 132: Completion of the Door of Space (2)</h4>

    Moreover, he could not take Lucia¡¯s report as ¡°real-time¡±. Perhaps, the fight itself already ended at least 12 hours earlier by now.

    Probably the fighting was over two or three days ago.

    What would be Embrio¡¯s next move, who destroyed the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance?

    Would he advance into the southern region directly or take a brief break?

    [Your subordinate, Demon King Tigrius, has requested materials for fortifying the House of Randolt.]

    [Since he is in a very urgent situation, you might want to help him out as soon as possible.]

    Smi, who noticed that something serious was going on, quickly moved. After arriving at the central hall of the Garden of Life immediately, he climbed the stairs leading to the ground.

    ¡°Lucia, how far is the House of Randolt from the ce of the final battle between the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance and Embrio?¡±

    [Because they fought deep in the west, it would take at least five days based on their average marching speed.]

    If so, Young-ho could feel rxed even if Embrio already started his forces.

    And there was little possibility that Embrio started his forces right after defeating the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance.

    As expected, Tigrius was a very careful guy. Lucia showed Yong-ho not only the news about Embrio¡¯s victory but also the paragraphs from the report that Tigrius filed separately.

    It was about the progress in their fight, the size of the troops mobilized by both sides, and the movement of Embrio¡¯s forces located elsewhere.

    Embrio could not immediately move his forces. He needed to realign after the battle. He had to have them take a rest even for a day.

    If that was the case, Yong-ho had some time to prepare for his advance. Even if Embrio decided to advance to the southern region as quickly as possible, it would take at least three days for them to reach Yong-ho¡¯s ce.

    Smi ran down the hallway of the House of Mammon.

    The dungeon spirits, who weed back Yong-ho after a few days, showed their respect to him, but he could not afford to return their greetings.

    Kicking the door of the Demon King, Yong-ho ordered.

    ¡°Tell Burgrim to prepare the weapon for Skull. Tell Tigrius that I will supply him with the necessary materials. Tell Oros to have his men stand by, so they can move anytime. Ophelia and her forces will understand what I mean.¡±

    [Are you going to head straight to the House of Randolt after stopping by the Dungeon Market?]

    Yong-ho got off Smi¡¯s back. When Yuria, who was cleaning the Demon King¡¯s room with Baduk, nodded to say hello, he raised his hand lightly and sat down on the throne.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to leave after one or two days¡¯ break.¡±

    Since he had several days of preparing for Embrio¡¯s attack, Yong-ho had to make the most of this period. Although Lucia didn¡¯t know what Yong-ho was thinking, she didn¡¯t ask anymore.

    [Okay.]

    [I will convey your message to Burgrim, Tigrius, and Oros.]

    Lucia¡¯s sincere voice was fading from his ears.

    After taking a breath, he closed his eyes.

    Then he essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    <hr />

    The virtual space of the Dungeon Market was a hugework created by magic.

    The head of each house could enjoy virtual services by essing thework through clients provided by the Dungeon Merchant.

    Yong-ho slowly opened his eyes. Since everything that he saw, heard, and touched in a virtual space was transmitted directly through consciousness, not through his five senses, it was not necessary to have a human body, but all the heads of houses, including Yong-ho, possessed the same physical body in the virtual space as they did in the real world. The virtual space was kind of a device to not only protect self-consciousness within a huge mass of mental magic called a virtual space, but it also reduced the sense of incongruity that one felt instinctively.

    Yong-ho was now familiar with it, for he essed it so many times.

    However, he felt a sense of incongruity instead of feeling familiar this time.

    When he opened his eyes, it was not a white space that filled my vision.

    There was light through the darkness. The piles of light connected in a series of dots like an archipgo located in the great sea had different shapes.

    Funny enough, the current situation itself was quite familiar to him, for it was simr to the scene he saw when he peeked through the memories of Kaiwan, Mammon, and Scathach through mana.

    But why did he suddenly see these things? Did something happen while he was essing the virtual space? Was that the reason why he regenerated the memory from Mammon embedded in himself or the mana of the 12 Spirits?

    Yong-ho stepped forward. Then one of the piles of lights came to his nose.

    He heard no sound. He focused on those who stood among the lights.

    Gusion was bleeding. He cried out, sitting on the floor, with his body covered with scars.

    Scathach was breathing life into him.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. He didn¡¯t have any clue just like Scathach¡¯s memory that he saw in the Garden of Life. Only Gusion and Scathach were in the dark.

    Scathach was also crying. Yong-ho was really shocked to see her crying with a messy face like a child because she always smiled cheerfully.

    Yong-ho gulped before he knew it. He realized that Gusion¡¯s tearful gaze was directed at a certain ce.

    Yong-ho moved on then Gusion and Scathach faded from him. A new pile of light came to him.

    It was Sitri. She wasn¡¯t as calm and elegant as she had been. She cried sadly.

    She, who squatted on the floor, was holding Elune covered with blood.

    Yong-ho could notprehend the scene. He couldn¡¯t even tell whose memory it was now.

    Elune opened her lips with an effort. Sitri bowed hastily, and Elune slowly moved her lips.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t know what Elune was talking about since her voice was hardly audible, but Yong-ho instinctively felt that it was Elune¡¯sst.

    Sitri nodded several times. Elune smiled gently at her. She tried to touch Sitri¡¯s cheeks with her bloody hands but couldn¡¯t. Her arms soon drooped again and stopped moving.

    It was a deep silence. Sitri touched Elune¡¯s cheeks with her trembling hands. She hugged Elune¡¯s body that started to get cold and kissed her forehead several times.

    Her tears didn¡¯t stop. Weeping silently, Sitri held Elune¡¯s head in her arms then looked into the sky. She was looking at something in the air.

    Yong-ho stepped forward again. Instead of the red sky of the demon world, he encountered a new pile of light this time.

    The moment he saw the back of someone he knew, he lost memory. Darkness swallowed everything up.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    Yong-ho heard a voice. The moment a ray of light drove away the pitch-ck darkness, it turned into pure white as if to turn a page of a book. The virtual space of the Dungeon Market returned to its original ce.

    Yong-ho turned around. Sitri was nkly standing in the direction where the voice came from.

    Yong-ho saw her sad eyes. Recalling her a moment ago, Yong-ho felt like tears were about to flow down her cheeks at any moment.

    But Sitri didn¡¯t cry. She even erased her grim smile andughed cheerfully. She pointed to Yong-ho¡¯s left arm with her eyes.

    ¡°I see. You¡¯ve started to create Godly Energy. I wish I had anticipated it, but it¡¯s faster than I expected... It¡¯s really my fault.¡±

    A white chair rose behind Yong-ho and Sitri¡¯s backs. Sitri asked him to take a seat.

    ¡°As you can guess, what you saw a moment ago is my memory. The mana of the 12 Spirits embedded in your lovely magic field and that person... Whether the mana of the King of Greed came by coincidence or necessity, it stimted the storehouse of memories I made. I wonder if I have to call it a kind of harmonized phenomenon.¡±

    Yong-ho opened his lips, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. He had lots of things to ask, such as what the memories he had seen were, why Elune died in Sitri¡¯s arms, and what happened the day Mammon died.

    But Yong-ho stopped himself from asking. Properly speaking, he couldn¡¯t because the moment he made eye contact with Sitri, he realized that she would not answer all his questions.

 Chapter 133 - Completion of the Door of Space (3)

    <h4>Chapter 133: Completion of the Door of Space (3)</h4>

    Sitri lifted her hands lightly with her palms up.

    ¡°This is my private space. You would not have seen all those things in my memory in a normal virtual space. Otherwise, I would have prepared something in advance. That¡¯s my fault, though. You haven¡¯t done anything wrong. I don¡¯t have any intention to get upset because you peeked into my memory.¡±

    When she finished speaking, she let her shoulders droop. She said a little jokingly, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny anymore that I¡¯m also an exclusive dealer for the House of Mammon.¡±

    She stuck out her tongue at the end of her words, tilting her head. Normally, he could hardly see her acting charmingly like that.

    Sitri was beautiful. Her acting charmingly for the first time fascinated him.

    However, he couldn¡¯t erase her weeping face from his mind. He seemed to discern her feelings hidden in her charming behavior.

    ¡°Well, shall we get back to our business?¡±

    Sitri approached him with a chair. The distance between them was wide enough to have a small table between them.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After forcibly emptying his mind, he faced Sitri again.

    ¡°I would like to buy something.¡±

    Then he quickly moved his fingers. Then, a documentposed of letters of light was created before her eyes. It was about thest installment of materials needed to fortify the House of Randolt.

    Sitri nodded. Then she moved her fingers and presented a bill for the materials to Yong-ho.

    It almost matched the cost Tigrius specified in the report.

    They stroke the deal by signing in the air. Since he already spent all of the remaining budget for the fortification, he could not purchase anything else unless Oros arranged the financial support from the House of Abigail.

    It was time to leave. But Yong-ho could not stand up because Sitri, who already got close enough to touch his knees, quietly grabbed Yong-ho¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You are very urgent, dear client!¡±

    Yong-ho did not hide. It wasn¡¯t because he peeked into her memory that he couldn¡¯t focus on her surprisingly soft touch.

    ¡°Embrio defeated the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance. Most probably, they will be marching to the south.¡±

    Embrio¡¯s forces were different from previous enemies.

    He could not bepared with not only Foras and Jungceros but also Agares and Tigrius.

    Sitri looked into Yong-ho¡¯s eyes and tilted her head.

    ¡°So?¡±

    Yong-ho was embarrassed. Sitri grabbed his hand a little harder. She asked, facing close to him, ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    It was Yong-ho who boldly challenged Baphomet, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Then, could Yong-ho unusually be scared of Embrio just because he was a powerful demon king who upied both the north and west?

    The reason that Yong-ho felt more nervous now was not because he was afraid of Embrio.

    Even when he had to face Foras as the head of the House of Mammon with no resources, he could not think of the option to run away.

    What Yong-ho felt nervous about was the difference between his fight against the floor masters in the arena as well as 12 Spirits and his uing fight against Embrio. He had also fought the powerful Agares. What made him feel uneasy?

    Sitri discovered that Yong-ho himself didn¡¯t know exactly why he was uneasy.

    That was why she let go of his hand and caressed the back of his hand gently.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s me who wants to beforted now. Still, since you are my deal client, let me tell you something.¡±

    Looking straight into his eyes, Sitri withdrew her hand and asked, ¡°My dear customer. What does the House of Mammon mean to you?¡±

    Obviously she was not asking him about the long history or tradition of the House of Mammon.

    She didn¡¯t mean that he should take pride in being the descendant of that great King of Greed.

    What did the House of Mammon mean to Yong-ho?

    He blinked. In no time, he gave a hollow smile, for he understood why he was more scared about fighting Embrio than Baphomet.

    The House of Mammon was not a ce that he was taken to forcibly.

    It was a precious house.

    It was a ce that he lived with not only Catalina and Eligos but many dungeon spirits.

    But Embrio was different from Baphomet or the floor masters. He could destroy not only himself but also all of the Mammon House.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay since the King of Greed has been greedy for ages. It¡¯s natural that you want to take them all because Mammon himself was also a very greedy person.¡±

    Sitriughed brightly. Just like she did to Elune, he kissed Yong-ho¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Let me stop here. I look forward to seeing you again next time.¡±

    She stepped back. As soon as she moved her hand yfully, pure white swept over his mind.

    ***

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. The Demon King¡¯s room was quiet since Yuria and Baduk left after cleaning the room.

    He took a big breath. He moved his fingers and opened the reports Lucia submitted into the air again

    He read them all but paid attention to one paragraph.

    He saw it, but he deliberately put it off.

    The door of space waspleted at a time when his fight with Emrbio was around the corner. Yong-ho smiled. He reached out and removed the report. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want to go back to his home country. He wanted to see his father and his friends. He wanted to eat chicken or coke but not now.

    He already decided on something when he resumed the construction of the door of the space.

    Back then, he vowed that he would go back to his home country only after defending the House of Mammon, his house, by defeating Embrio.

    ¡°Lucia.¡±

    [Yes, Master.]

    ¡°Tell Scathach to speed up healing my dungeon spirits. There is something I have to finish today.¡±

    He made up his mind.

    So, instead of stopping and turning around, he just had to go straight ahead.

    He stood up from the throne. Then he headed to Burgrim¡¯s workroom to pick up the weapons to give to Skull in person.

    ***

    Gusion was different from him in Sitri¡¯s memory.

    Encountering Yong-ho, Gusion burst into a heartyughter.

    ¡°Scathach was right. It¡¯s really my first time seeing a head of a house like my little master. I¡¯ve defended the arena for over a thousand years... But this is my first time in my whole life.¡±

    The former heads of the House of Mammon sitting in the stand were also confused.

    Kaiwan, standing next to Gusion, did not hide her embarrassment. Sheughed awkwardly as if he was dumbfounded and asked Yong-ho, pointing with her chin, ¡°Are you really okay?¡±

    ¡°Well, no problem.¡±

    Replying immediately, he did not look back. Behind his back were not only Catalina but also the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, standing.

    Nobody among the previous heads of the House of Mammon who had visited the arena brought all of them there with him.

    Why? There were several reasons.

    For example, it was dangerous for anybody, who was not the house head, to challenge in the arena. Or it was because those dungeon spirits, who inherited the legacy of the House of Mammon, might be stronger than its head. Or it was because the house head didn¡¯t want to share the opportunity called the arena with them, even if they were dungeon spirits, Or it was because the house head was afraid of an increase in those who knew the secret.

    There was only one thing that really bothered Yong-ho.

    It was none other than the danger of the arena.

    But if he could share the power with them through Brigada, or if the dungeon spirits could refrain themselves from challenging the floors under themand of Yong-ho, he could reduce the danger of the arena drastically.

    ¡®When you go out to the arena, it¡¯s only after all of you get advancement.¡¯

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t going to be content with just keeping it.

    He was determined to have Embrio dare not to covet the House of Mammon, let alone the north and the east.

    Now the fight against Embrio was just around the corner, Yong-ho didn¡¯t have enough time.

    But Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were determined to stop and defeat Embrio¡¯s forces.

    Each of the dungeon spirits moved forward and embarked on the challenge one by one.

 Chapter 134 - Sword of the House of Mammon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 134: Sword of the House of Mammon (1)</h4>

    It had already been a few months since Embrio, the Demon King of Wolves, mobilized his forces in the north.

    Embrio fought constantly throughout that period.

    As a result, he unified the northern region and destroyed the western region.

    The oues of the wars were different. Although they were invaded by Embrio¡¯s forces, the results were different in each region.

    Most of the dungeons in the north survived. Not all the heads of houses there were annihted. Many of them survived by going under hismand.

    On the other hand, the western region was thoroughly destroyed. To put more pressure on the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance, Embrio destroyed the heart of the dungeons that he already attacked.

    The destruction of the dungeon meant the copse of their livelihood. Moreover, Embrio erased not only the dungeons but also the ¡®estates¡¯ of the heads of houses from the map.

    Only ruins remained in the western region. Most of the heads of houses there were killed.

    Residents there, who lost their houses, had no choice but to be refugees or bandits to survive.

    Embrio epted most of those refugees to use them as human shields in the next war.

    On the day the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance copsed, thest dungeon in the west, the House of Bern, fell.

    After greedily swallowing the heart of the dungeon, Embrio mobilized his forces into the only city left in the western region.

    The battle, which left total ruins behind, had a bad effect on Embrio¡¯s forces as well. Their fatigue was different from it when they unified the northern part.

    But Embrio didn¡¯t want a pause in the attack. Although he upied the western region right after destroying the northern area, he became impatient and greedy.

    The situation drove him into a corner. The turbulence that Embrio himself created by starting the war was no longer ying its role. The eastern and southern regions were virtually unified under different gs. Instead of fighting each other like those in the northern region, the heads of houses united as one like the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance to block Embrio himself.

    Of course, Embrio could stop advancing any more and go back. If he led his troops back to the north, those in the east and the south would not dare to make the mistake of raising up an army to challenge him first.

    However, Embrio could not take over the southern area if he gave up now. It was also against his own ambition, and the King of Gluttony would not allow it.

    The timing could not be better if he decided to attack the southern area.

    The confrontation between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, which was intensifying in the northern part of the demon world, diverted the kings¡¯ attention from the south to the north.

    Even the King of Gluttony, who was the strongest supporter and enemy of Embrio, was no exception.

    So, now was the golden opportunity for Embrio to attack the southern region.

    It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Embrio to unify the southern region for the first time since the great King of Greed, Mammon.

    ¡®The problem is the eastern part.¡¯

    It was the eastern part where there were the most heads of houses. But only two of them shared the power of all others there, and Embrio could not ignore their power.

    Embrio wondered why they didn¡¯t attack the northern region while he was fighting the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance?

    The reply to his question was simple. They were waiting for the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance to fall into Embrio¡¯s hands.

    Then what would they do next?

    ¡®If I attack the southern region, they will immediately advance to the north,¡¯ Embrio thought.

    Obviously they read each other¡¯s intentions too well.

    It was highly likely that the heads of houses in the eastern part struck a deal with those in the southern region.

    In other words, those in the south would be an anvil for their counterparts in the east, while those in the east would be a hammer for their counterparts in the south.

    Embrio smiled lightly. If that was the case, he would carry out what they wanted.

    ¡®Let me attack the southern region.¡¯

    He was going to attack it as fast and as strong as possible. While the forces he left in the north were blocking their counterparts in the east, he would lead his army to destroy the southern area. After upying the south, he would advance straight into the east to smash them.

    It would have been difficult for him to make the same decision as this if he had to wage a war in the human world, not the demon world.

    Why? It was because of the problem of military supplies.

    The western area, which had been thoroughly destroyed, could not serve as a supply base properly. If Embrio prated into the southern area to attack the eastern part, it was evident that the supplies route would be unusually long.

    It was too unstable to make up for the supplies by plundering in the enemy¡¯s area.

    No matter how well the soldiers fought, they couldn¡¯t fight without eating.

    However, they could solve this problem in the demon world.

    The solution was to keep the dungeons in the south instead of destroying them as they did in the western region.

    This didn¡¯t mean that they would solve the problem of supplies by consuming the food in the dungeons under their control.

    They were going to use the Dungeon Market.

    By using the newly acquired Dungeon Market as a transport destination, they were going to purchase grains from the Dungeon Market.

    In addition to grains, they could supply not only military equipment but also dungeon spirits as much as they wanted, if they had the funds.

    As everyone in the demon world admitted, the Dungeon Market¡¯s delivery was fast and urate. Moreover, even six kings could do nothing about the Dungeon Market. The heads of houses in the southern or eastern area could not obstruct Embrion¡¯s deal with the Dungeon Market.

    Embrio had enough money. The number of goods he collected in the process of destroying the dungeons and cities in the west was truly enormous.

    He realigned his focus in thest city of the western region. Then he ordered Bizarro to move his troops to the south as the advance party, who a former house head was now serving as his trusted general.

    Embrio¡¯s forces began to move.

    Finally, his armyunched an attack on the south.

    <hr />

    As expected, Bizarro¡¯s advance party used the crossroads where the House of Randolt was located as the attack route. Since Embrio nned to take the dungeons in the southern region under hismand, Bizarro¡¯s decision was a natural choice.

    Bizarro, the Demon King of Rain, was a practical man. He knew how to use those refugees from the western region as human shields in the war.

    There was no usible deration of war or a magnificent speech to raise the morale of his forces.

    Bizarro advanced his troops into the dungeon of the House of Randolt.

    A cruel battle began.

    Screams and howls filled the dungeon.

    Since dozens, rather hundreds of lighting fixtures cleared the darkness in the dungeon, the unfolding scene was harrowing all the more. Nothing could hide the tragic casualties everywhere.

    However, the dungeon of the House of Randolt, which had been thoroughly fortified recently, embarrassed Bizarro¡¯s forces. A typical dungeon would have been already upied, but a series of defense zones of the dungeon dyed their advance.

    The poison that arose from the floor melted the flesh of the advance party. The numerous javelins shooting from the corridors turned the forcibly mobilized ¡®arrow shields¡¯ into something like hedgehogs.

    Goblins and Kobolds, pushed to the forefront as ¡®arrow shields¡¯, cried out in fear, but they had nowhere to run away amid the arrows raining down on their heads. The Lizardmen, the backbone of Bizarro¡¯s forces, didn¡¯t hesitate to behead the runaways.

    Bizarro used the reckless method of destroying all the traps of the dungeon by using these ¡®arrow shields.¡¯ Funny enough, however, this method worked quite well.

    The durability of the traps wasn¡¯t supposed tost forever. Bizarro¡¯s forces blocked the holes where the odor of the piled-up corpses was leaking out, and the javelins flying from the wall did not harm Bizarro¡¯s forces, who used the bodies of the killed goblins and kobolds as shields. Luckily for Bizarro, all the avable javelins in the dungeon ran out.

    To make matters worse, the mes of the traps operated by mana had the same limits. Each time they shot the mes, poor kobolds and goblins were burned in droves, but the number of their shots was limited.

    The mana of the dungeon was not unlimited.

    Bizarro sacrificed nearly three hundred goblins and kobolds in breaking through the traps in the dungeon. As a result, he seeded in neutralizing most of the traps.

    Bizarro, themander of the raid, did not even enter the dungeon of the House of Randolt. Positioning himself outside the dungeon along with his own men, Bizarropiled the real-time information about the fighting results and drew a dungeon map of the House of Randolt.

    It was literally a messy dungeon. The shape of a dungeon differed ording to its master, but its width and depth were usually the same.

    As an experienced head of a house, Bizarro could find out the size of the dungeon on the House of Randolt almost urately. That was why he swore at its previous owner, astonished by the dungeon.

    The House of Randolt made more than 70% of its entire area as a defense area. Except for the dungeon spirits¡¯ living space for food, clothing, and shelter, there were virtually no other facilities.

    But it was almost over now. Although he sacrificed three hundred out of the seven hundred soldiers he led, he could neutralize almost all of the dungeon traps. The only thing left now was the gathering ground, the final defense zone of the dungeon.

    Bizarro was sure of victory. So, he looked at the dungeon mapfortably.

    He waited for the victory news from his men inside the dungeon.

 Chapter 135 - Sword of the House of Mammon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 135: Sword of the House of Mammon (2)</h4>

    ¡°Crazy bastard!¡±

    Tigrius cursed, which was something uncharacteristic of him.

    After observing the entire dungeon through the soul of the dungeon, he could not help but curse.

    Just as Bizarro was embarrassed by the fortification of the House of Randolt, Tigrius was dumbfounded by Bizarro¡¯s tactics.

    Bizarro¡¯s way of attacking was far from reasonable. How could he dare to sacrifice hundreds of his own forces to destroy the dungeon traps? But he did.

    And his method paid off. At first nce, it was the least effective and the most reckless, but the final results werepletely different.

    Most of those that were killed were goblins and kobolds that didn¡¯t y any other role than being ¡®arrow shields.¡¯ Although they numbered about three hundred, Bizarro could protect his main forces from the attack with little damage. Moreover, it had to be taken into ount that the purpose of the traps wasn¡¯t only to kill the enemy but also to ¡°dy¡± them.

    If Bizarro¡¯s forces had attempted to break through the traps in a normal way, they would have had to spend much more time and energy than now.

    The only hindrance that he had to break through was the gathering ce. Although Rikum and the dungeon spirits were defending the final line of defense, they were outnumbered by Bizarro¡¯s forces.

    Despite the sacrifice of nearly three hundred troops, Bizarro¡¯s forces still numbered over four hundred. Moreover, he had nearly a hundred troops standing by outside the dungeon.

    In other words, Bizarro was a very meticulous guy. Therefore, it was impossible to ambush themander of the enemy by using the secret passage of the dungeon.

    But Tigrius didn¡¯t give up.

    He went back to the secret passage by using Blink. He gave up the option of destroying each of the enemy forces in the dungeon while Rikum and the dungeon spirits were ying the role of anvils at the gathering ce. As things stood now, the gathering ce was in danger of being taken over even before he destroyed them in the dungeon.

    ¡°Poison in the right hand, Gust in the left hand.¡±

    He cast a spell while running. Pushing through the door of the secret passage, he put his hands together. Then he blew out the poisonous wind forward.

    A green wind with a tremendous amount of poison swept the Lizardmen attacking the gathering ground. In an instant, more than a dozen Lizardmen fell, bleeding.

    ¡°Tigrius!¡±

    Rikum came running to him, shouting. As if he was engaged in a fierce battle, he opened the way with a battle-ax stained with the blood and flesh of Lizardmen.

    The situation of the dungeon was worse than Tigrius expected. All of the traps installed in the gathering area were neutralized. The defensive positions were also almostpletely destroyed amid the fierce battle between them.

    Tigrius, who was temporarily incapacitated in the aftermath of thebination magic, quickly raised his body. Rikum cut a Llizardman¡¯s neck once again with the battle-ax.

    ¡°Come this way! I have to make space!¡±

    Extreme fortification of the House of Randolt simplified the rest of the space.

    What was located next to the gathering ce was the heart of the dungeon.

    Tigrius smashed the head of a Lizardman attacking him with his cane. At the same time, he ran toward Rikum and prepared a new spell.

    There weren¡¯t many spells avable in a closed space where intense fighting was taking ce at the moment. If he decided to use one, Tigrius had to be prepared to sacrifice friendly forces just like Bizarro did.

    ¡°Firewall in the right hand, Gust in the left hand.¡±

    He wanted to sweep away the inside of the gathering area with the gust of mes, which would bring big damages to the friendly forces, but he had no other choice now.

    Rikum groaned. A Lizardman¡¯s long spear pierced his shoulder. The Orc, who was fighting right next to him, was wrapped in a steel thrown by the Lizardman. It was helplessly dragged along in an instant, and it turned into a piece of minced meat in no time.

    At that moment, Tigrius didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. He gathered magic in both hands.

    ¡°Combination magic! Fire Storm!¡±

    A huge wave of mes covered the inside of the gathering area. It engulfed not only the enemy but also the friendly force.

    But it was weird. The color of the mes was not red. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even hot.

    The dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt engulfed in mes screamed and struggled instinctively before stopping soon. Although the green mes engulfed them, they were not injured. On the other hand, the Lizardmen that were caught in the same mes were dying.

    Tigrius looked at both of his hands in embarrassment. Fire Storm was still in his hand.

    Some of the flying mes didn¡¯t re up, swallowed up by the green mes.

    At that moment, Rikum shouted. All the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon shouted in joy. As if they were crazy, they quickly jumped into the green mes and roared!

    ¡°The Demon King of mes!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    The green me faded. And this time, the de of ck mana swept everywhere. Starting from the entrance of the gathering site, it ruthlessly hacked those Lizardmen that barely survived the green mes.

    The dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt could see now.

    Tigrius rejoiced to see his master who finally arrived at the scene.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve kept the defense line very well until now, Tigrius,¡± Yong-ho said with a smile.

    There were so many Lizardmen in the gathering ce that there were still lots of them who survived despite the waves of mes and the whirls of ck des, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t care at all.

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t even standing with reinforcements. Next to him was only one escort knight, who always apanied him.

    But the Lizardmen didn¡¯t dare to attack him. Although ogres were ignorant, they instinctively knew who was superior, so they stepped back, screaming.

    The battle didn¡¯t be more intense. Regardless of friendly forces or enemy, they didn¡¯t dare to fight.

    Tigrius released the mana he concentrated in both hands and thought for a moment.

    Yong-ho was a different man this time.

    He was not the kind of man that Tigrius had fought before.

    What the hell happened during this short period? Moreover, it was not only Yong-ho alone that changed.

    Tigrius, a demon king and wizard, did not miss the fact that it was Catalina who wielded the de of ck mana.

    That mana was much stronger than he imagined. Although he could not figure it out because mana was released instantly, he felt it seemed to be the same as his. Moreover, I felt some specialness embedded in mana, which he could not exin properly.

    Tigrius shook his head. Now was not the time for him to think about stuff like this.

    There were still many enemies. Outside the dungeon was Bizarro standing by with his elite forces.

    But Tigrius blinked at that moment because he felt something very strange.

    How could Yong-ho appear here? Every passage of the dungeon was filled with enemies, and outside the dungeon, Bizarro was standing by with his elite forces.

    Tigrius looked at Yong-ho. Instead of exining to him, Yong-houghed heartily.

    Realizing something, Tigrius swallowed. He urgently called the soul of the dungeon and ordered it to exin what the Dungeon Meerkats saw.

    Tigrius shuddered, astonished.

    Only four men were destroying Bizarro¡¯s army numbering one hundred.

    <hr />

    Demon King of Rain Bizarro couldn¡¯t understand the current situation.

    Only a dozen minutes ago, he was waiting for the good news about victory while sitting in the shade.

    However, something unknown poured down from the sky with a terrifying force.

    There was a lot of dirt, and when it settled, the only thing he could see was the bodies of five or six mangled Lizardmen.

    When he was distracted by that, there were a couple of explosions in the left and right of the one hundred elite soldiers standing in a row. It was a terrific explosion.

    On the right, thunder and lightning stroke, and on the left, there urred something very strange, such as Lizardmen soaring into the sky in groups as if they were going against gravity.

    It was a pitch-ck knight on a ck horse that seemed to be wielding the weapon of lightning. And it was a huge red monster with ck horns that threw the Lizardmen into the sky as if it were a storm.

    Bizarro couldn¡¯t issue any order to his elite forces. He couldn¡¯t open his mouth because he was so embarrassed by the sudden situation.

    And his embarrassing inaction could not be med. Even if he had issued any order at that moment, the situation would not have changed.

    Thest Lizardman that fought to the end without fleeing was thrown into the air. The red-skinned muscr giant, rather a beast who threw the Lizardman weighing more than 200 kg with a single punch, approached Bizarro, letting out a breath reminiscent of purgatory smoke.

    Turning white, Bizarro shuddered. Although he kept thinking he had to run away, he couldn¡¯t move even a finger. As if his tendon was cut off, Bizarro¡¯s arms were drooping without moving. And his legs were bent at a bizarre angle and could not function properly.

    It was one of the four that smashed Bizarro¡¯s elite forces.

    Wrapped in ck mana that fluttered like mes, it stood alone and looked down at Bizarro, who fell on the floor. The beautifully raised buttocks and narrow waistline obviously showed it was a beautiful woman, but its face was far from a woman. More specifically speaking, it had no face at all. There was something that looked like eyes, but they were nothing more than something like a metallic mask.

    All ck, it was literally a weapon. With the ck mana arising from its whole body, it not only cut Lizardmen but also Bizarro¡¯s both arms.

    Bizarro caught his breath. Even though his whole body was covered with wounds, he still had power. If he could release the power that empowered him as the name, ¡°the Demon King of Rain¡±, he could escape, rather struggle desperately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    The person that smashed Bizarro¡¯s legs burst intoughter.

    It was exactly two, not four, who defeated one hundred Lizardmen. While a ck knight on a ck horse and a huge red monster smashed the Lizardmen, Bizarro could not help them out because his feet were bound by two women. He had to confront them who were equal or superior to him in fighting.

    One of them, a Red Demon woman, trampled his thigh hard. He struggled again in terrible pain, and the Red Demon, Ophelia, pressed down his shoulder with both arms.

    Licking her lower lip, she said, ¡°This is yourst moment, so I hope you can enjoy it enough.¡±

    This time, again, something that Bizarro could not understand happened.

    With her eyes half-closed, Ophelia kissed Bizarro. He felt it was soft and sweet, but at the same time, he got goosebumps.

    He lost consciousness, though very briefly. But he immediately felt that the moment he faced Ophelia, who breathed out seductively after kissing with her lower lip, he let her read his mind.

    But there was no time for him to worry about it. A huge shadow came over him. Covering not only him but also Ophelia on top of him, it roared like a beast. It was disying a clear hostility toward him.

    With a smile, Ophelia stepped back.

    A giant, red beast, Eligos, who turned into a beast, clenched his two fists reminiscent of a giant hammer.

    Bizarro could no longer remember what happened after that.

 Chapter 136 - Sword of the House of Mammon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 136: Sword of the House of Mammon (3)</h4>

    ¡°Brother Eli¡¯s jealousy was far stronger than I thought...¡±

    As if she felt shy, Ophelia covered her face with her hand, blurring her words.

    And Eligos, who stood next to her, shook his head, pressing on his temple as if his head was pounding and said, ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    However, given that his red skin was getting redder, Eligos seemed to admit it.

    As if he understood, Yong-ho patted Eligos on the shoulder and looked down at Bizarro¡¯s mangled body. Although he had the fourth recently, he had four horns, but he met hisst moment very tragically.

    Yong-ho lightly joined his hands together and prayed for his rest in peace then took his essence. Therger the difference between one¡¯s mana and the other¡¯s, the worse its efficiency, so he couldn¡¯t take much from Bizarro. Nheless, Yong-ho felt a bit of thrill.

    ¡°Whew!¡±

    Yong-ho looked back at the smashed Lizardmen soldiers and admired the great achievement that only four, rather two, made in the fight.

    Promoted as Red Demon Tyrant, Eligos acquired a new ability called ¡°Beast,¡± as Yong-ho expected.

    His new title exactly reflected his new ability. As soon as he empowered himself, Eligos turned into a beast. At first nce, he looked like a gori.

    Both arms, tightly fused with muscles, looked like iron pirs, and his fists were reminiscent of the weight of heavy equipment for destroying buildings. White hairs with gray color grew out of not only his head but also chest, arms, thighs, and other areas where hair could grow, making him look like a real beast.

    Eligos, in his beastly shape, was truly the monster of the House of Mammon. Aside from his images as a monster, Eligos¡¯s endless strength was impressive, as evidenced in the House of Mammon and the House of Randolt.

    Yong-ho himself and Catalina got on Smi. Skull rode on Bucephs. And Ophelia got on the back of Eligos, who turned into a beast.

    Although they took a few breaks in the middle, they smashed the Lizardmen, feeling no fatigue after traveling such a long distance.

    Skull was promoted from Magic Knight to Eldrich Knight.

    In fact, Skull made the most surprising achievement in this battle.

    When Yong-ho evolved Skullst time, he was not sure when he could promote Skull.

    But this time, he could see it. Moreover, Skull¡¯s ability to evolve also increased. Even his level changed.

    Obviously, Skull changed before and after fighting Baphomet. Although Skull could not discover what changed as it was getting around casually as usual, Yong-ho doubted one possibility.

    ¡®Perhaps...¡¯

    Did Skull feel something from death? Perhaps, Skull recovered some of its former self before bing the undead.

    After bing an Eldrich Knight, Skull became stronger overall. It was now nearly two meters tall, and despite having only bones, it unleashed terrifying power. Its mana was also stronger, so it could use lightning much more powerful than his days as a Magic Knight.

    Skull could not wear the armor that Burgrim had made because of the different dimensions. Therefore, the armor protected only part of its arms and legs, chest, and back. Fortunately, the helmet could be used as it was.

    What Skull chose as the recement of the broken battle hammer was a rtively short new battle hammer and a huge ymore. Both were magical weapons that Burgrim had used before.

    Ophelia kept smiling at Eligos as if she liked his shyness. Promoted to the Red Demon Breaker, she also gained beast skills like Eligos. However, her beast skills were different from Eligos¡¯s. It was true that she became more militant, but there was something elegant about her, reminiscent of a feline beast. Her appearance didn¡¯t change that much, either.

    Gusion said the reason for this difference was that the two had different temperaments in the first ce, but it was mainly because they were affected by Yong-ho¡¯s preferences, just like their appearances after evolution was influenced by Yong-ho¡¯s thinking.

    Finally, Catalina was promoted from Shadow Runner to Shadow Mystress.

    As the owner of the shadow, she could create her own alter ego with ck mana. One of the four who smashed Bizarro¡¯s army was none other than her alter ego.

    The only drawback was that her alter ego would disappear naturally if it was too far away from Catalina and that if Catalina did not directly manipte it, its behavior pattern would be too simplified. But she could deal with it without any problem.

    It was when Catalina and her alter ego fought together in the same ce when her alter ego could unleash its power fully.

    Currently, Catalina had limited ability to control her alter ego, so her alter ego only imitated Catalina, but even that was powerful because there was plenty of room for its application, such as dyed attacking or simultaneous attacks from various angles.

    After dissembling her shadow alter ego, she patted her ears lightly. It seemed that she felt quite a sense of aplishment in this battle.

    Yong-houghed bitterly again.

    ¡®Sorry.¡¯

    Originally, Catalina used to move her ears more actively,pared to other elves, but it was thanks to Yong-ho¡¯s evolution that she advanced as far as here. In other words, his subconscious wishes that he wanted to see more of her cute ears made him evolve her skills.

    But Yong-ho kept mum about it ording to Gusion¡¯s advice and looked at her tail. It certainly seemed to be moving more briskly than it did before her advancement.

    ¡®Well, she had lots of other improvements anyway.¡¯

    For example, her figure was one of them. Of course, since it reflected Yong-ho¡¯s tastes, it was questionable whether Catalina would like her own figure.

    Afterpletely absorbing Bizarro¡¯s essence, Yong-ho faced Ophelia again.

    While teasing Eligos until now, she got serious again and said, ¡°I read Bizarro¡¯s mind and got some information. Bizarro was the chief of the advance party that attacked the House of Randolt. Currently, Embrio himself is leading his main forces to the southern area. It seems that Embrio is nning to attack the east after prating through the south at once. And...¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°It seems that Embrio thought he would easily take over the House of Randolt with Bizarro as the head of the advance party.¡±

    ¡°It looks like the House of Randolt is a piece of cake to him.¡±

    Yong-houghed bitterly, but he understood. Bizarro led as many as seven hundred soldiers.

    If Yong-ho himself had note to help out Tigrius, or if he had arrived a littlete, the House of Randolt would have been captured in the end.

    ¡°How many are Embrio¡¯s main forces?¡±

    At that question, Ophelia narrowed her brow slightly.

    She hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Around 4,000, I guess. There are about a thousand elite soldiers who have followed Embrio from the north.¡±

    Yong-ho closed his eyes tightly. He understood why Embrio underestimated the southern region. Currently, the number of troops the House of Mammon could mobilize was one thousand at most, even if all the troops of the Free City join them.

    But the gap between the troops was not big enough for Yong-ho not to ovee.

    Although he was ridiculously inferior to Embrio in the number of troops, he had confidence that he would never be outpowered by Embrio in terms of the quality andpetence of his men.

    The war in the demon world was different from the ones in the human world in many ways, which Yong-ho discovered in history.

    It was because there existed the owners of transcendentbat power.

    ¡®The number of Embrio¡¯s horns is at least five.¡¯

    Embrio devoured not only almost all the heads of houses in the west but also those in the north. Having eaten them all, he would have at least five horns, given his enormous absorption of their essence.

    Yong-ho stopped thinking about it anymore. He looked back at Tigrius, who couldn¡¯t help but admire the dungeon spirits that were so different from what he had seenst time.

    ¡°Troops of the Free City and Skull Squad led by Oros areing from the rear. So, let¡¯s get rid of the enemy¡¯s bodies piled up in the dungeon and realign our forces.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Master.¡± Tigrius nodded.

    However, he couldn¡¯tpletely hide the anguish around his eyes. Although the defense of the House of Randolt was remarkably strengthened withplete fortification, it was trampled by only 700 soldiers led by Bizarro.

    Given that Embrio¡¯s main troops numbered 4,000, he wondered how Yong-ho and his reinforcements could stop them.

    Yong-ho also understood Tigrius¡¯ concerns. However, he did not want to give up before fighting. Tigrius felt the same way, too.

    ¡°Tigrius, I have one suggestion. I hope you think it over well before replying. I won¡¯t mind if you refuse to answer.¡±

    Yong-ho spoke, and this time, Tigrius read his mind.

    ¡°I want you to be the dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon this time.¡±

    His suggestion was what Tigrius expected.

    It wasrgely for two reasons that Yong-ho did not make Tigrius a dungeon spirit until now.

    First, in order to effectively proceed with the fortification of the House of Randolt, it was necessary to have someone like him who could order the souls of the dungeon in the field.

    Second, Yong-ho himself could not afford to make Tigrius a dungeon spirit back then.

    Now, he solved both problems. And now he needed one more powerful dungeon spirit rather than the demon king under hismand

    Yong-ho¡¯s suggestion was that Tigrius should give up the status of the demon king.

    Since he yed the role of the head of the House of Randolt, he would not lose his power, but the weakening of his power was inevitable.

    He had to give up the house now.

    Tigrius slowly closed his eyes. It was something he was prepared for when he was defeated in the battle. Moreover, he was interested in bing a dungeon spirit of the House of Mammon. How strong could he be? Where would the ¡°power of evolution¡± that he heard from Ophelia lead him?

    ¡°Let me ept yourmand, Master.¡±

    To his own surprise, Tigrius responded cheerfully. Yong-ho took his hands with deep gratitude.

    And three dayster, Yong-ho, who confirmed the movement of Embrio¡¯s main forces through the scouts, gathered all the dungeon spirits in his room.

    Because the living space of the dungeon was reduced drastically by excessive fortification, the demon king¡¯s room was also narrow. The only furniture in the room was just one bed, so when the five dungeon spirits gathered in one ce, there was only a little space left.

    The reason that he gathered them was to convey his own tactics that he had been pondering over for the past few days.

    But there was one thing he had to do first.

    Namely, he had to invite Tigrius as the 7th member as a dungeon spirit.

    Sitting on the bed, he took out a summons from his pocket. Each of the four who already knew the subject of the summons made different expressions, and Tigrius was looking at the summons alone seriously.

    Yong-ho let out a long breath. After deciding firmly, he tore the summons to free his mana.

    And the one who appears thus...

    The one who descends beyond the constraints of the arena as well as time and space.

    Her gray hair fluttered in the strong wind.

    There was mischievousness in her ferocious eyes.

    The head of the House of Mammon three generations ago.

    Kaiwan, the Demon King of Distortion.

    ¡°So, have youe up with any wishes for me this time?¡±

    Standing askew, she asked teasingly, licking her lips lightly.

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly instead of answering.

    He weed her with open arms. She would be the joker in his fight against Embrio as well as his sixth sword.

 Chapter 137 - Rebellion King Embrio (1)

    <h4>Chapter 137: Rebellion King Embrio (1)</h4>

    Bizarro, the Demon King of Rain, didn¡¯te back from the battle, nor did the seven soldiers led by him. It was because his forces were virtually annihted.

    His soldiers, who infiltrated the dungeon of the House of Randolt, could not get out of it. None of the hundred elite lizardmen, who guarded Bizarro outside the dungeon, run away, as if to demonstrate their loyalty and courage, and were literally annihted.

    Since there was none who could convey the bad news to him, Embrio didn¡¯t know what happened in the dungeon.

    But there was one thing he knew for sure, which was that the Demon King of Rain, Bizarro, died. The evidence that the soul of the dungeon he was in charge of perished confirmed it. Embrio wondered how Bizarro died.

    Bizarro was the master of a house in the northern area. He had four horns, but he just advanced to that level. Hisbatpetence was mediocre, and his personality was good enough. He was far from hot-tempered nor was he stupid enough to kill the goose thatid the golden eggs. If he had been such a person, Embrio himself would not have spared his life.

    Of course, there could be no absolute survival in battle. It was possible that Bizarro was killed by a stray arrow or sword.

    But Embrio could not imagine such a scenario easily. When something happened, there was supposed to be some usible reason for it. It was nevermon for a rat to kill a cat.

    ¡®Did the head of the House of Mammon kill him?¡¯ Embrio wondered.

    What if the house head himself defended the House of Randolt and took Bizarro¡¯s life?

    It was this man who defeated Agares.

    Although Embrio had never faced him in person, it was highly likely that this man had more than four horns.

    But Emrbio still could not understand why nobody out of the 600 soldiers, apart from Bizarro and his loyal 100 lizardmen, didn¡¯t return from the dungeon. Were they all annihted?

    If that was the case, perhaps, the House of Mammon was much more powerful than Embrio himself expected.

    Embrio pondered over what to do now.

    It was ridiculous for him to withdraw his forces now. Moreover, even if the House of Mammon was more powerful than he expected, Embrio thought they were obviously not stronger than his forces.

    In his mind, the House of Mammon couldn¡¯t have been stronger than the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance. It was true that the head of the House of Mammon took the essence of those heads of houses in the southern area after defeating them, but it was only a couple of them whose essence he took. If he had been strong, his absorption of their essence would not have been good enough to result in his dramatic growth. If he had been born weak, he must have had the fourth horn only recently.

    Of course, there was a possibility that the master of the House of Mammon was a man with superhuman strength. If that was the case, Embrio couldn¡¯t understand his behavior pattern up to now, for the Mammon master slowly took over the hegemony of the southern area after struggling in various battles.

    There was only one master in the House of Mammon now, and the most soldiers he could mobilize was around 1,000.

    Certainly, it was iparable to the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance with a dozen masters of houses and nearly seven thousand troops.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to attack the southern region as nned.¡±

    Embrio¡¯smand was conveyed to hismanders. Except for the one thousand troops that left for the north as supporting units, the remaining three thousand troops resumed their march to the south.

    <hr />

    Since there was no table in the room, Yong-hoid out a map of the front lines on the floor and exined the tactic he devised.

    It was neverplicated. It was a very simple tactic.

    It took about 30 minutes for him to brief his dungeon spirits about it.

    Cross-legged on the floor, Kaiwan looked sharply at the map with her arms crossed.

    And soon, she rolled her eyes and met his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it...¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°You must be crazy, seriously.¡±

    Having said that bluntly, Kaiwanughed as if his tactic was absurd.

    Since her look was so ferocious, it looked like she was ridiculing him.

    But Yong-ho, who always appreciated her selfless smile, understood the true meaning of herugh.

    Of course, Kaiwan had no intention of ridiculing or denouncing him.

    She thought his tactic was rather absurd, but at the same time, she admired it a bit.

    Yong-ho chuckled at herment that he was crazy.

    As if to avoid her gaze, he rolled his eyes to see other dungeon spirits.

    Eligos was looking at the map with a nk expression. Ophelia tried hard to make a smile, and Catalina, puckering her lips, was looking at Kaiwan. It seemed that she was more bothered by Kaiwan ridiculing Yong-ho as a crazy man than by his tactic itself.

    Skull chuckled as usual. The purple ghost mes in its hollow eyes gave out a calm impression, but it still felt like a skull.

    Yong-ho, who was nervous about the various changes in Skull these days, let out a breath of relief briefly.

    Lastly, Tigrius, who joined the House of Mammon as its fifth dungeon spirit, did not betray his expectations. He said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s definitely a reckless tactic, but it seems your tactic is the best at this point. You will never be able to beat Embrio by simply holding up in the dungeon.¡±

    Ophelia added, ¡°I agree with Tigrius. And...¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    When Yong-ho asked back, Ophelia narrowed her brows as if she was embarrassed and replied, ¡°It seems like the tactic fits your personality well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment,¡± said Yong-ho with a smile.

    Yong-ho then looked at Kaiwan again. She unfolded his arms and touched the floor with both hands. Leaning back, she said, ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve been summoned as your dungeon spirit, I¡¯ve no other choice but to follow your order. Like Ophelia just said, the tactic seems to fit your personality. I can feel something like your cunningness or meticulousness that you have shown in the arena. I think your tactic is better than that. Honestly, I really like it.¡±

    When Yong-ho visited the arenast time, he did not challenge the 11th floor. Instead of obsessing with the mana of Mammon or the rewards of the arena, he was seeing the bigger picture.

    The dungeon spirits moved under Yong-ho¡¯s control. They didn¡¯t even think of challenging the floor that required their utmost strength. They challenged those floors only that they could winfortably enough to satisfy the evolution EXP.

    As a result, Catalina, Ophelia, and Skull only challenged up to the third floor, and Eligos only challenged the second floor. Although each of the dungeon spirits was strong enough to challenge higher floors because of their four horns equal to their master, Yong-ho never allowed it.

    Despite his status as the King of Greed, Yong-ho exercised moderation in a strange ce.

    Gusion med him for that but liked it at the same time. On the other hand, Kaiwan thought their behavior was really surprising.

    However, this tactic was truly befitting Yong-ho. At the same time, it was obviously reckless. She could feel his conviction in victory with this tactic.

    ¡®That¡¯s why he did it before.¡¯

    By using the power of evolution during a battle, Yong-ho evolved himself.

    She witnessed it in front of her eyes, but she thought his action was absurd when she thought about it even now.

    When she noticed Kaiwan¡¯s sharp nce at him turning agreeable, Catalina pricked her ears. Fortunately or unfortunately, no one paid attention to her ears, though.

    Tigrius said again, ¡°Even if your tactic is sessful, you will incur heavy casualties. I am not sure if this crazymander Oros can effectively control the freewheeling troops of the Free City... I¡¯m a bit worried.¡±

    The situation this time was different from when they fought Agares¡¯ army in the Free City.

    Ophelia replied on behalf of Yong-ho, ¡°It will be alright. Nobody in the Free City army knows that the western region was devastated. So, they have every motivation to fight. Moreover, Oros will fight well. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    Although Ophelia spoke calmly, she had a point. It was natural that she showed such a reaction as one of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon and one of the heads of the Free City. Instead of colliding with her about it unnecessarily, Tigrius backed off.

    Yong-ho was satisfied with the fact that the dungeon spirits were coordinating among themselves well without him bothering to reconcile their opinion.

    ¡°Ophelia, convey to Rikum and Oros about my decision. Tigrius, double-check the defense posture of the dungeon. Skull, have your squadron stand by. Given the speed of Embrio marching his army to the south, you have to get them leaving tomorrow morning. I¡¯m sorry for all this, but make sure you get enough rest.¡±

    All of them responded to him by politely epting his order.

    ¡°Then, what about me?¡± Kaiwan asked.

    Although they were faced with a life-threatening battle, they could not stay nervous forever.

    Standing up, Yong-ho told Kaiwan, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restaurant and eat something. It¡¯s like you¡¯re here on vacation in decades, right? There is nothing to eat in the arena anyway.¡±

    Yong-ho said that, although he never experienced an army life.

    Kaiwan smiled brightly at his reply while blinking, curious about what he was going to say.

    ¡°Well, I would like to grant two wishes for you, not one. By the way, when are you going to ask for it? Why are you sozy in letting me know about it? Is it a big wish?¡±

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly at her question. Instead of replying, he said to Kaiwan while gesturing with his chin, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Kaiwan stood up readily. Then Catalina, who also stood up before she knew it, moved her lips.

    Was she going to say the same thing as she did in the arena?

    Kaiwan stroked her hair as if she was cute. Thanks to that, Catalina curled her lips suddenly while trying to say something. Yong-ho also stroked Catalina¡¯s hair.

    Kaiwanughed.

    ¡°She is cute too.¡±

    ¡°You bet, she is cute and pretty.¡±

    Agreeing with her a bit awkwardly, he left the room ahead of Kaiwan.

    Unlike Ophelia who looked at him weirdly, Yong-ho appreciated Tigrius very much, who turned his eyes away from him elegantly.

 Chapter 138 - Rebellion King Embrio (2)

    <h4>Chapter 138: Rebellion King Embrio (2)</h4>

    Days and nights changed one after another.

    Embrio¡¯s army, finally crossing the borders between the west and the south, was approaching the Dungeon of the House of Randolt fast.

    Embrio didn¡¯t rush. Riding on a giant wolf instead of a horse, he turned his gaze aside.

    Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals, one of the house masters under hismand, replied politely, ¡°There is a group of troops ambushed in the right rear of the dungeon of the House of Randolt. About six hundred, all told. Given that their arming posture is not organized, it seems they are from the Free City.¡±

    As the name suggested, Lotus could freely control wild animals and even shared their senses.

    Embrio nodded. He didn¡¯t expect their defense posture was poor like that. It was unlikely that the master of the House of Mammon, whose troops were absolutely inferior, would retreat.

    To make matters worse, since the master could not ce all his troops in the mid-sized dungeon of the Hosue of Randolt, it was highly likely that he had them ready to ambush Embrio¡¯s army.

    ¡°Move forward like we did.¡±

    While attacking the dungeon of the House of Randolt, his forces were in danger of being ambushed, but Embrio didn¡¯t worry that much. His forces were different from Bizarro¡¯s in terms of the size of the troops. Even though Embiro mobilized one thousand troops to attack the dungeon, he still had two thousand troops on standby.

    Now, Embrio kept gesturing to Lotus. After understanding his signal, Lotus bowed out politely and headed to the left-wing of his main forces. Then he turned the marching course of the light infantry troopsposed of orcs and lizardmen slightly, for the target of his attack was not the dungeon, but the forces of the Free City in ambush behind it.

    Orc warrior Kijamu,mander of the main unit¡¯s heavy infantry, elerated the march.

    Of the 1,500 troops located in the center of the main unit, about 900 people, more than half of them, followed hismand. Consisting of heavy infantry and arrow shields, their main mission was to attack the dungeon of the House of Randolt.

    The remaining forces left behind were six hundred light infantry, who were reserve units.

    Moreover, there were troops on the right-wing of the main unit.

    Dozens of cavalry, headed by a Death Knight riding on a giant lizard running on two legs, and about 500 light infantry, stopped marching like Embrio¡¯s main forces and kept their ce.

    The fighting began from a distance.

    The light infantry led by Lotus shed with the forces of the Free City.

    Since their ambush was exposed to the Lotus army, the Free City soldiers had no tactical advantage at all. They were just struggling to fight back the Lotus¡¯s light infantry that numbered almost twice as much as them.

    Kijamu didn¡¯t pay attention to Lotus¡¯s fighting. His heavy infantry, with scared goblins and kobolds attacking ahead, stormed into the dungeon.

    Embrio just watched hismanders leading the fight. Instead of leading the forces by himself, as he did when fighting the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance, this time he took his time and just waited.

    He heard the ttering of horses¡¯ hoofs behind his back. Again, it was as he expected.

    In the current situation, there were not many things the master of the House of Mammon could do.

    Embrio felt that the master would try to divert his attention to the troops in the frontline then have his own elite forces attack the main forces led by Embrio¡¯smander in the rear. Embrio could clearly understand how Bizarro was defeated. Perhaps, he was defeated by the same tactic.

    The wolves turned. The elite soldiers mixed among the reserves calmed their confusion.

    Embrio burst intoughter after noticing a group of soldiers running to him at a distance.

    20 of them at most.

    Each one of them was an elite soldier, but their number was too small. It was like hitting a rock with eggs.

    ¡®Was he crazy?¡¯

    Embrio raised his hand. He didn¡¯t even have to go out. Death Knight, who was standing by on his right, could handle them alone.

    But at that moment, the air of the battlefield changed.

    Terrible mana was released from the elite soldiers of the House of Mammon, who were rushing like a moth running into the mes.

    As the attack was so sudden, Embrio was at a loss about what to do.

    His main unit was dealt a strong blow.

    ¡°Kuhhhhhhhung!¡±

    It was a beast¡¯s roar. Huge red monsters that prated into his main forces threw them into the sky, wielding their arms violently. The red beast on the monsters¡¯ backsmanded them with a single sh of light.

    But the cavalry of the House of Mammon didn¡¯t charge at Embrio¡¯s main unit. The pitch-ck Nightmare, flying in the lead, turned to the right when the red monster and the beast revealed their ws. The cavalry rushed toward the Death Knight!

    Lightning struck and gusts arose fiercely, protecting the cavalry. Moreover, the mana unleashed by each of them was exceptionally powerful.

    Extreme confusion dominated Embrio¡¯s main unit. However, he couldn¡¯t think of quelling the confusion. He didn¡¯t even look at the Death Knight, who was about to collide with the pitch-dark knight. When Embrio and his men were distracted by the ambush of the House of Mammon, they suddenly raised their heads. Embrio red his eyes before he knew it.

    Under the red sky of the demon world, there was another sun. A huge and intense lump of green mes red up.

    Embrio could not afford to think about where they suddenly appeared or how they hid mana.

    The red monsters, apparently under the master¡¯smand, were raging inside his main unit.

    Embrio hastily opened up his mana. Yong-ho, standing on the back of Smi, roared and brandished Aamon.

    The sun of the green mes hit the ground.

    <hr />

    Embrio¡¯s army witnessed a disaster pouring out from the sky. Those who witnessed their colleagues¡¯ heads being smashed by the red monsters¡¯ fists, those who screamed to ovee their fear, and those who tried to run away instinctively raised their heads and looked at the sky.

    It was beautiful.

    The green mes exploding under the red sky of the demon world were luxurious, morous, and mysterious.

    But they couldn¡¯t admire it because the me was alive.

    The sun of green mes that hit the ground turned into dozens, rather hundreds of mes.

    They covered the sky and the earth and colored the whole world green.

    Sparks of the mes scattering like petals turned into fatal weapons and struck Embrio¡¯s army. He spread the map of hell on the ground.

    Those who were engulfed in mes screamed painfully. The moment the sun of green mes hit the ground, its heat and shock instantly killed nearly a hundred soldiers. The remaining survivors were also swept away by a wave of sparks from the source of the shock.

    Yong-ho looked down at all this from the sky. Although they couldn¡¯t destroy all of Embrio¡¯s main unit and his right-wing troops that didn¡¯t move, the ambush already achieved a lot.

    Nearly two hundred troops were incapacitated by the attack, and the battlefield was thrust into an extreme chaos.

    But Yong-ho felt his attack wasn¡¯t sufficient. The attack was just a killer punch. He really had to prepare for lots of stuff for this attack.

    He concentrated mana for about thirty minutes. At the same time, Kaiwan used the power of distortion non-stop for thirty minutes so that he couldn¡¯t have his abnormally concentrated mana caught by Embrio. She distorted the flow of mana in the atmosphere adroitly to hide his mana.

    Added to this was Tigrius¡¯ illusion magic. Thanks to this, Yong-ho wasn¡¯t even caught in the eyes of Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals.

    Lastly, Skull, Tigrius, Eligos, and Ophelia mounted abined attack.

    While Embrio and his army¡¯s eyes were fixed on the ambush, Yong-ho soared on the back of Smi. Of course, he had to distract Embrio¡¯s attention even during that short span, so Kaiwan, on Smi¡¯s back like Yong-ho, did her best to use the power of distortion to deceive Embrio.

    Then came the killer attack by Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits. Without any regret, Yong-ho breathed harshly and drank the mana potion he had obtained from the arena. So did Kaiwan. Exhausted after using the power of distortion for about thirty minutes, she tried to recover mana instead of looking down on the ground.

    Yong-ho¡¯s attack just began.

    There were still many enemies, and Embrio was well and alive.

    ¡°Oohoooooooh!¡±

    Eligos roared in the mes that covered the ground. He literally ran around like he was crazy.

    The mes of greed never harmed Yong-ho¡¯s possession¡ªEligos. As a result, Eligos wasn¡¯t afraid of the mes at all. Rather, Eligos actively used the mes.

    While being faithful to his wild nature, Eligos freely used the skills he acquired so far.

    The storm of power.

    Whenever he wielded his punches amid the green mes, enemies¡¯ blood sttered and bones scattered everywhere. A terrifying noise of breaking and destruction resonated in all directions.

    Ophelia ran silently. If Eligos was a storm in the air, she was lightning on the ground.

    She was fast and intense. Moreover, her attack didn¡¯t know distance. A shock wave that she caused by kicking in the air broke the atmosphere and crushed the ground with a strike.

    The role of the two Red Demons was to break the backbone of Embrio¡¯s main unit. ordingly, they didn¡¯t stop for a moment. They didn¡¯t forget that the moment Yong-ho¡¯s green mes disappeared, he would be exposed among the one thousand troops.

    Skull¡¯s unit prated the troops on the right-wing of Embrio. They suffered rtively less damage from the green mes, but it didn¡¯t mean their resistance to Lance charging was reinforced.

    The giant ck horses carrying Skull¡¯s troops on their backs guaranteed the unusual impact and racing power of the cavalry. They immediately trampled on the light infantry in Embrio¡¯s right-wing.

    Prating the infantry squad with Lance charging was a standard military tactic.

    The moment they stopped moving, the cavalry was no longer a cavalry.

    For this reason, Skull Squad prated Embrio¡¯s right-wing. They ran diagonally and got out of the ce except for one.

    ¡°Skulllull!¡±

    However, Skull didn¡¯t prate the right-wing. Skull immediately ordered its unit¡¯s members to get around and charge again at the right-wing. Skull then turned the head of the horse. Skull drove a horse face to face to the one who rushed forward without turning his gaze even when the sun of the green mes was pouring down.

    Bucephs exuded a hot, harsh snort. Skull also roared wildly, grabbing ymore, which was embedded with lightning.

    The Death Knight. He was one of the prized figures of the undead monsters!

 Chapter 139 - Rebellion King Embrio (3)

    <h4>Chapter 139: Rebellion King Embrio (3)</h4>

    The Death Knight held an unusually huge zweihander in his hand. Wrapped around in pitch-ck armor, he fluttered a red cloak and released a wicked energy.

    It was overwhelming. It was a terrifying energy indeed.

    The wicked energy was so intense that Embrio¡¯s army near the path of the Death Knight screamed in painful groaning.

    It wasn¡¯t an enemy that an ordinary undead monster could deal with. It was in a different league from the start.

    But Skull didn¡¯t back down. It sharply stared at the Death Knight with Bucephs and red its purple eyes even more.

    The wicked energy of the Death Knight.

    It didn¡¯t matter. Skull didn¡¯t care. ymore screamed from Skull¡¯s hand!

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Brigada shined. Skull brought out not only the mana of greed but also other power.

    It was death. It was the power of Baphomet, the demon of ughter and one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    Lightning was added to death. The mighty power to tear even the wicked energy of the Death Knight was present in Skull¡¯s ymore.

    The Death Knight also didn¡¯t back down. He rather smiled at Skull¡¯s power. A great warrior when he was alive, heughed like crazy and frantically wielded zweihander at Skull.

    The moment they werepressed against each other and the moment they stopped moving, the two warriors who returned from death looked at each other.

    They shed violently.

    Embrio didn¡¯t look away.

    When the sun of the green mes hit the ground, he opened all of his five horns. It wasn¡¯t the time for him to hide his power fumblingly.

    The huge mana he released instantly became a barrier in itself. It easily blocked the waves of the green mes raining down in dozens of strands.

    Embrio saw the essence of the sun of the green mes. Despite death rising to overtake him from all sides, he analyzed it.

    It was strong. Even if that was the master¡¯s all power, his evaluation didn¡¯t change.

    Embrio erased everything from his mind that he had expected of the House of Mammon so far.

    And he closed his eyes. There were two Red Daemons running around like crazy.

    They were also strong. Each of them could bepared to uros, the strongest in the Western Owners¡¯ Alliance.

    An undead monster, apparently from the House of Mammon, was confronting the Death Knight. It was a pretty tight fight between them. And this kind of fight was far beyond Emrbio¡¯s expectation.

    There were already three yersparable to uros. In addition, the master of the House of Mammon was much stronger than them. Were they all?

    Embrio opened his eyes. Once again he released powerful mana to put out the green mes around him. He saw two women as if they were dancing down from the sky.

    Kaiwan was gorgeous. She damaged the world with a whip sword that stretched to dozens of meters in length. The dark red mana that bloomed under her gray hair spread out in all directions.

    Catalina was sharp. She could be called as good as the de of ck mana.

    Shended on the ground, cutting through the air, and cut everything standing in the way by scattering des of ck mana in all directions. Then she cleaned the ce where her king would stand.

    And there was one whonded on the ground between the two women. He was holding the spear of the red lotus, revealing his five horns without hesitation.

    He was still far away from Embrio. There were more than a hundred troops in between.

    Embrio looked into Yong-ho¡¯s eyes. Yong-ho also didn¡¯t avoid his gaze.

    Embrio realized something. It wasn¡¯t how strong the master of the House of Mammon was or how he created his current power. What Embrio realized was what he had to do in the future.

    Right now at this moment, the fight here would determine the fate of the southern area.

    The eastern region was still intact, but in the end, it was only a stepping stone for his advance.

    Thend where the greatest King of Greed was born. Who would rise up again in thend? Who would seed the genealogy of the great king?

    Embrio ordered the attack, and hismand resonated in the sky.

    ¡°Mobilize whatever you can! Do your best in this fight because this is a fight worth fighting for!¡±

    This time Yong-ho raised his head. Although he was facing Embrio, he looked at the sky instinctively.

    Catalina groaned. Kaiwan opened her mouth wide.

    What wasing down from the sky?

    Even at the moment when Yong-ho created the sun of the green mes, there was something watching the ground from a higher ce.

    Huge wings covered the sky. Death came down.

    <hr />

    Crazy Oros fought with all his might.

    Embrio¡¯s army was almost twice that of the Free City. Moreover, Oros¡¯s forces were inferior to them qualitatively, let alone quantitatively.

    Embrio¡¯s army boasted of their most fighting experiences in the southern nk. The bums in the Free City also had lots of fighting experiences, but the nature of their fighting was different.

    A tight, dense formation by Embrio¡¯s army pressed the freewheeling formation of the Free City troops. The bums in the Free City who were not ustomed to this kind of fight eventually had to choose to survive rather than fight to kill their enemies.

    So, Oros came out to the forefront. It wasn¡¯t a situation in which he wouldmand them in the rear. After all, Oros was tasked with keeping the enemy at bay. What he needed at this moment wasn¡¯t a cold-heartedmander, but a mad troll who would smash the enemy¡¯s bones in the front line.

    He smashed an orc¡¯s head with a stick. He killed the goblins rushing without fear by trampling on them. He then swallowed drugs, which maximized not only the troll¡¯s unique regenerative power but also strengthened all the functions of his body.

    Regardless of friendly or enemy forces, they were killed here and there. Oros looked everywhere with glittering eyes. Since the drug was working, Oros let out a breath roughly and shouted.

    Right at that moment, the sun of the green mes hit the ground. The intense shocksted only for a moment, but it stopped all fighting.

    Orc warrior Kijamu¡¯s heavy infantry, who were beating the dungeon spirits of the House of Randolt hard, looked toward their main unit nkly. So did Lotus, the King of Wild Animals, who was in the thick of ughtering the Free City troops.

    Orosughed. He was in doubt when he heard it first, but now he could trust it sincerely.

    He was sure he could win the fight.

    But when he believed so, the sky opened. Something more intense than the sun of green mes made everybody look up at the sky.

    There was something he had never seen before.

    But everybody knew what it was.

    Oros stepped back. He was more than a few hundred meters from it, but he made eye contact with it. Staring at Oros himself, it spread its huge wings.

    ¡°No!¡±

    Someone shouted. And that was it.

    The dragon descended over the forces of the Free City.

    Although it was fooled by death, it breathed out the power of the great King of One, called Dragon Breath.

    <hr />

    What was the strongest among the numerous races in the demon world?

    There were lots of disagreements about it. Given that there were big individual differences even among the same race in the demon world, such disagreements were taken for granted.

    However, whenever they mentioned it, they never failed to mention this race.

    Dragon.

    The descendants of the great King of One, who had inherited the fantastic veins of water.

    Some called them the king of all wild beasts and birds.

    Others said their very existence was a miracle.

    They were strong. When fully grown, they were dozens of meters tall, and they were very tough. Their muscles were transcendent, and the scales were firm. Despite theirrge body and weight, they could freely roam the sky. Dragon¡¯s bones, teeth, and ws werepared to the hardest metal in the demon world.

    Aside from their mighty physical power, their inherent mana was also extraordinarily powerful. To talk about the average mana of each race, the dragons were the best in the demon world.

    As if their skills were insufficient, the dragons also had various other skills. Some of them had superpowerspared to the power of the masters of houses.

    Dragon.

    Some called them perfect beings.

    And the ultimate weapons they possessed.

    The primitive power inherited from that great King of One.

    Dragon Breath or breath weapon, it was pouring down from the sky now. It was a lump of power embedded with terrible wicked energy.

    It was purple. Crazy Oros couldn¡¯t know more than that. He was crushed by its overwhelming power without defending himself or avoiding it.

    Like the sun of the green mes, the breath weapon exploded as soon as it hit the ground. The purple wicked energy covered dozens of meters in diameter and annihted all that existed in it.

    A huge thing, which was dozens of meters long from head to feet, was floating in the air. That alone was amazing, but it really unleashed an overwhelming power.

    The battlefield froze. Embrio¡¯s army and the soldiers of the Free City looked at the dragon, forgetting the fight.

    They instinctively covered themselves. And what happened immediately afterward astonished everyone again.

    The dragon threw itself on the ground. Its descent, which could be called a free fall, was an attack in itself. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Numerous soldiers were crushed by its giant body. The dragon moved. Rotating its body roughly, it swept the ground with its tail. Dozens of soldiers again died in its simple attack.

    The dragon roared then turned around, releasing a terrible wicked energy. Its dreadful eyes red threateningly.

    It wasn¡¯t necessary to tell friendly forces from enemies in this situation. The soldiers of the Free City couldn¡¯t move like a frog in front of a snake. Embrio¡¯s army was no exception. Even though the dragon didn¡¯t do any harm, they were seized with fear instinctively.

    ¡°This is the dragon. It¡¯s undead. So it¡¯s weak. Weaker than when it was alive. It doesn¡¯t have any special skills. So, don¡¯t be scared.¡±

    Somebody spoke quickly. It was none other than Kaiwan.

    She was wary of the dragon that she saw with stiff expression and Embrio at the same time.

    She had a point. This dragon was weaker than a living dragon. This dragon, which could be called a sort of skeleton, lost many powerful weapons unique to the dragon.

    The scales harder than any armor were no longer present in it. In the process of falling as an undead, it lost most of its skills, and its cold-hearted intelligence turned into that of a beast.

    Nheless, it was still a dragon.

 Chapter 140 - Rebellion King Embrio (4)

    <h4>Chapter 140: Rebellion King Embrio (4)</h4>

    Moreover, it didn¡¯t lose everything. It had a terribly wicked energy, and it regained something else because it rose again from death.

    Its defense ability was weakened, but its durability became stronger. It could continue to fight in the battle despite injuries that a living being couldn¡¯t endure, just like Skull.

    Hundreds of soldiers of the Free City evaporated in an instant. It didn¡¯t take too long for the remaining troops to bepletely destroyed.

    There was no time. Embrio was looking this way even at the moment the Bone Dragon¡¯s Breath Weapon hit the ground.

    ¡°Kaiwan!¡± Yong-ho called.

    Kaiwan rolled her eyes at his somewhat tense voice. There was a bit of fear and a lot of pride to hide it in her ferocious eyes.

    Yong-ho said, ¡°It¡¯s my wish. Detain Embrio.¡±

    Yong-ho spoke shortly, but what he meant was clear. After a brief pause, Kaiwan smiled bitterly. Although he stood in the midst of close to one thousand enemies, facing the terrifying posture of Bone Dragon and Embrio, Yong-ho shouted proudly, ¡°Okay, if you do well, I¡¯ll grant you one more wish. And grant my wish, too!¡±

    This wasn¡¯t the time for anybody to smile. But Kaiwan spoke cheerfully with an effort.

    Yong-ho also responded with a bitter smile, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are using your right to grant wishes too often?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s worth it.¡±

    She stopped saying anything further then stared at Embrio instead of Yong-ho.

    She wore a fierce smile befitting her ferocious gaze.

    ¡°Defense is my specialty. I¡¯ll stick it out. Bute back to me quickly. Honestly, I think this is going to be rather tough for me.¡±

    The moment she finished talking, the battlefield frozen by Bone Dragon Dragon began to move again.

    Bone Dragon spread its wings and hit the ground. Eligos and Ophelia resumed fighting. Shouts, screams, and cries filled the battlefield.

    Embrio moved forward. Fully opening her four horns, Kaiwan stepped forward. She showed her back, not her face, to Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho also turned around. Instead of watching Kaiwan, he hugged her waist, and Catalina understood what she was supposed to do. Catalina hugged him face to face and spread her wings of ck mana.

    Their attack was simultaneous.

    Bone Dragon finally screamed and soared into the sky. By wielding the whip sword, Kaiwan recklessly ughtered the enemy soldiers located between her and Embrio. Tigrius raised his head, and Eligos and Ophelia shared their intention through their eyes. They broke through Embrio¡¯s forces to move toward Kaiwan.

    Catalina flew. And the traces of red mes were added to the ck traces in the sky.

    Flying over while burning the remnants of the mes, Smi carried Yong-ho and Catalina on its back again.

    Yong-ho looked down at the ground for thest time. Skull and Death Knight were fighting against each other. Eligos and Ophelia almost reached Kaiwan. Kaiwan attacked Embrio and his soldiers recklessly as if to attract their attention deliberately.

    Embrio didn¡¯t counterattack Kaiwan. He stepped forward and stopped. He looked at Yong-ho.

    Embrio¡¯s eyes were cold. And Yong-ho knew it. Although he didn¡¯t know why, Yong-ho realized that Embrio also took an adventure. Despite the fact that he was in a very favorable situation, Embrio exerted all his powers.

    Yong-ho was right. For Embrio, Bone Dragon was a secret weapon that he didn¡¯t want to use until thest moment. Embrio already revealed the Death Knight. If Bone Dragon was added to this, it would definitely attract others¡¯ attention too much. Perhaps, some among the kings might feel suspicious about Embrio¡¯s tactics. The Death Knight and Bone Dragon were too powerful for a housemaster in the southern area to own.

    Nevertheless, Embrio revealed Bone Dragon. He knew from his sense, sharpened through numerous battles, that he did the right thing.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to hide it now, for he knew that this was a fight in which he had to kill Yong-ho by mounting a massive attack from the beginning.

    Embrio and Yong-ho turned away from each other. Grabbing the handle on Smi¡¯s back, Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He released mana as if not to be outpowered by Bone Dragon¡¯s massive body that blocked his vision.

    Embrio took another step and stared at Kaiwan, now attacking him magnificently like a mantis in front of a wagon. Hebined the mana released at random for a properbat posture.

    Bone Dragon roared. Facing its dreadful roaring right before its eyes, Smi screamed grotesquely. Smi spread the wings of the mes wide and soared higher into the sky.

    Yong-ho thought that he could not hope for Kaiwan¡¯s support when she was in an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation like now. So, he had to defeat Bone Dragon by joining hands with Catalina alone.

    Smi twisted its body with a wild scream. Despite its huge wings, Bone Dragon was fast.

    Bone Dragon¡¯s mrs prated the space where Smi stayed until a moment ago.

    The sound of its teeth meshing each other was already horrible. But Yong-ho couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted by it. So, he ordered, and Smi flew again, screaming. Rather than increasing its distance with Bone Dragon, Smi got rather closer to it then prated into its neck!

    At that moment, the de of ck mana created by Catalina with all her might hit Bone Dragon¡¯s neck. But that was it. Her attack left a small scratch on its bone, but it was not broken.

    Despite the attack, Bone Dragon kept its ce. Rather, Catalina was almost thrown out by Bone Dragon¡¯s repulsive force.

    In the meantime, Yong-ho concentrated his consciousness and checked the mana flowing in the body of Bone Dragon. It was a huge me. Crimson mes of mana covered the entire body of Bone Dragon. The mes were so strong that he couldn¡¯t spot any weaknesses.

    Bang!

    Bone Dragon once again bit the air. This time, it didn¡¯t stop there and released mana.

    Although it lost mana after bing an undead, Bone Dragon didn¡¯t lose the operational skills on mana. Several lumps of mana condensed in a circle raced toward Yong-ho.

    ¡°Smi!¡±

    ¡°Kahhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Giving out a screech, Smi spread its wings. In a desperate aerobatic flight, it changed its direction in the air then flew toward Bone Dragon¡¯s back once again. Yong-ho swung Aamon and poured the green mes on the back of Bone Dragon.

    Bone Dragon roared. The unique energy of death of the undead was added to one of Bone Dragon¡¯s innate abilities, the Dragon Pier. It was a terrifying force that deprived the will of life, like the energy of death that Baphomet released.

    Although Catalina hastilybined the ck mana to create a huge shield, it wasn¡¯t a physical attack on Bone Dragon. Smi, exposed to the energy of death, momentarily lost consciousness. Yong-ho endured it by clenching his teeth and ordered Catalina in heart.

    He swung Aamon once again and burned anything around Bone Dragon to disturb its vision.

    Catalina lowered her posture while falling down. She buried himself on Yong-ho¡¯s back and put her arms on Smi¡¯s back. After releasing ck mana and binding her around Smi¡¯s body, she spread huge wings behind its back.

    ¡°Kuuuuuuuk!¡±

    Screaming strangely, Catalina barely pped her wings and flew again before crashing down on the ground.

    Bang!

    There was a big explosion again. Moreover, the ground exploded this time. The explosion urred because Bone Dragon, with its vision blocked by the waves of the green mes, fired Dragon Breath recklessly toward the ground.

    The energy of death spread in all directions. Some of Embrio¡¯s soldiers disappeared along with the ground.

    Smi finally regained consciousness and pped its wings again. Catalina breathed out roughly and withdrew the wings of ck mana.

    They couldn¡¯t fight this way any longer. Basically, it exhausted Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits. So, he needed something else to deal a fatal blow to Embrio.

    ¡°Smi!¡± Shouted Yong-ho.

    At that moment, Smi repressed the desire to run away once more. At themand of its master, it concentrated all the power on the wings of the mes. Forgetting even Bone Dragon, Smi soared into the sky.

    Bone Dragon and Smi crossed each other. In that short moment, Yong-ho saw Bone Dragon once again. The mana of death red up like mes.

    The mana of death.

    The energy of death.

    Yong-ho realized. He encouraged Smi even more. While rising almost vertically, he grabbed Aamon. He concentrated mana on the magic field on his left hand.

    Bone Dragon was definitely strong. Its physical strength was superior to Baphomet¡¯s.

    However, it was different when it came to the energy of death. Unlike Baphomet, the incarnation of death that descended in the alien world, Bone Dragon was just an undead. Its physical force was incredible thanks to its powerful mana, it was essentially inferior to Baphomet.

    So, Yong-ho thought he could defeat Bone Dragon and he had to.

    The red demonic sky. Smi rotated in a ce high enough to make everything on the ground seem so small. It turned its head to the ground and stared at Bone Dragon located hundreds of meters below.

    Kaaaaaah!!¡±

    The wings of mes red up in the air. Smi descended vertically. Yong-ho put Aamon on his side. Yong-ho and Catalina shined brightly at the same time, and a tremendous ck mana covered the magic spear of the red lotus. It really created a huge spear.

    Lance charging was pouring vertically.

    Bone Dragon saw it. As soon as Smi turned in the air and opened its mouth, Bone Dragon opened its mouth and let out Dragon Breath!

    It was different from before. It wasn¡¯t a single shot. Like the breath of mes of red dragons, the energy of death continued toe out.

    But Smi didn¡¯t avoid it. It elerated its speed by screaming wildly. The huge spear made of ck mana and Breath Weapon shed in the air. And at that moment, Yong-ho¡¯s magic field as well as the Godly Energy of the King of Greed sent out blue watery light!

    The force of life. The power of the Immortal Witch Scathach covered the spear of ck mana.

    The life-empowered huge spear prated the Breath Weapon full of the energy of death from the front. It was a collision of tremendous power.

    The tip of the spear was shaken randomly. The Breath Weapon was shaken by the power of life, which could be called itsplete opposite.

    But it was not strong enough. It couldn¡¯t prate the Breath Weapon.

    Rather than trampling on the energy of death, the energy of life gradually began to be eaten away.

    Scathach once told Yong-ho that he needed to pay the corresponding price to bring out his Godly Energy.

    Yong-ho could do it when he fought Baphomet. The power of his intense greed was so huge that even the magic spear of the red lotus admired it.

    But he didn¡¯t now. His mana was insufficient. He couldn¡¯t bring out the force of life from his Godly Energy.

    But he clenched his teeth and exerted all his power to bring out mana. If he were pushed out for a moment, he would perish here. Rather than prating the Breath Weapon, he would be crushed by the energy of death.

    He needed to be greedy now, so he could bring out the mana of greed. He had to pump up the will to live. Can he do it?

    ¡°I like you!¡±

 Chapter 141 - Rebellion King Embrio (5)

    <h4>Chapter 141: Rebellion King Embrio (5)</h4>

    At that moment, Catalina shouted behind his back. Despite the fact that he was on the verge of life and death, Yong-ho blinked before he knew it.

    Catalina hugged his back tightly. It wasn¡¯t just because she witnessed his fight with Baphomet.

    She thought if she didn¡¯t do it now, she could never do it. Burying her head again, she shouted again, ¡°I really like you!¡±

    Her feelings were conveyed to him through Brigada. It was a more intense and pure expression of her affection for him than any of her words.

    Yong-ho¡¯s face turned red. Smi screamed about her confession amid the fighting, but she didn¡¯t care.

    Yong-ho now felt Catalina¡¯s thoughts and feelings. He felt as if his heart was bursting. His will to live was overflowing now.

    [Desire!]

    Aamon¡¯s voice reached him, and he also shouted at Aamon. He desired while being grateful to his simple-mindedness. He desired and desired.

    ¡®I¡¯ll survive. I¡¯ll surely survive. Let me win by all means!¡¯

    ¡°Oooooooooooh!¡±

    The mana of greed exploded. He brought Scathach¡¯s life from his Godly Energy. He finally prated the link to Scathach, which he couldn¡¯t because of insufficient power. It seemed that he could hear her voice, who must be in the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Life overwhelmed death. It didn¡¯t stop offsetting it but destroyed it. Despite Bone Dragon¡¯s enormous mana, the Breath Weapon copsed!

    Smi spread its wings of mes and sped up again. Catalina hugged Yong-ho¡¯s waist even tighter. Aamon roared.

    A fatal blow.

    Lance charging prated the Breath Weapon. Without slowing down the momentum, Aamon prated into Bone Dragon¡¯s mouth. The vortex of life from the huge spear tore death. And it finally reached the center of Bone Dragon, where there must be Bone Dragon¡¯s heart, a mass of powerful mana when it was alive.

    Greed shouted. The greed arising from Yong-ho¡¯s whole body was exactly divided in two.

    One wrapped up Catalina, and the other wrapped around the center of mana.

    The spear made of ck mana was dismantled. The watery blue energy of life exploded and opened the way again. What was left now was the green mes of pure greed.

    Greed led the way. Even at the moment when he prated Bone Dragon like an arrow, Yong-ho cut through the center of mana with Aamon.

    What happened next was Smi¡¯s forceful advance.

    Finally, Smi prated through Bone Dragon. Catalina looked behind her back, blushing. She witnessed Bone Dragon shattering in the air.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t hesitate. He ignored themon sense of the demon world that the living shouldn¡¯t absorb the essence of the undead contaminated with the energy of death.

    Greed, it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The green mes swallowed the essence of Bone Dragon and its power.

    ***

    Yong-ho also couldn¡¯t help but look at the spectacr scene.

    The red Breath Weapon shattered in the sky. The huge spear engulfed in the green mes prated Bone Dragon.

    The explosion that shook the sky, and the loudness and splendor that reminded one of thunder and lightning.

    Smi left the traces of mes in the sky. It slipped out of the bones of Bone Dragon and drew a new trajectory once again.

    The bones of Bone Dragon poured down from the sky because the power of death that made Bone Dragon exist as an undead was destroyed by Scathach¡¯s force of life.

    Those who watched Bone Dragon¡¯s fighting, shouting with joy, were so embarrassed. They were so shocked to watch the huge dozen meters long being shattered into pieces.

    Embrio was as embarrassed and shocked as them.

    Grabbing Kaiwan¡¯s neck. Embrio raised his head before he knew it. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the sky even though he could break her neck with a little more push.

    Kaiwan smiled slightly.

    She was covered with wounds. When Yong-ho was engaged in a fierce battle with Bone Dragon in the air, another fight was going on intensely on the ground. Despite the fact that her specialty was defense like she said, she was thoroughly abused by Embrio.

    Embrio had something simr to Yong-ho, but he was different. His pressing down on Kaiwan with overwhelming mana was the same as Yong-ho, but he was different in terms of its delicacy and sophistication.

    It was literally impossible to do something about Embrio. He read not only Kaiwan¡¯s attack but also her every move. He read even the power of distortion early on and dealt with it.

    Blood flowed from her lips. She was hit only twice, but the blow was big. Her right shoulder was smashed, so she couldn¡¯t move, and the color of her abdomen exposed to his attack terribly changed. She quickly reduced the shock with the power of distortion, but her internal organs were messed up with a little shock.

    However, Kaiwan didn¡¯t lose her fighting spirit. She still had her left arm and two legs, so she could fight as much as she could.

    ¡°I¡¯m different from you...¡± She barely said with her neck held by Embrio.

    Embrio, who was chasing the traces of the red wings, rolled his eyes at her feeble voice.

    Even though her eyes were half-closed, she still looked at Embrio ferociously.

    Their fightingsted only shortly, but Kaiwan already sized him up.

    Embrio¡¯s mana was familiar to Kaiwan himself.

    ¡°We have the blood of the great House of Mammon flowing through our body, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    Mammon¡¯s blood was flowing in Embrio¡¯s body. Nobody knew the reason. Over a thousand years was never a short time even in the demon world. Maybe Embrio was a remote rtive of Mammon, or he might not know he shared the blood of the House of Mammon.

    Embrio¡¯s eyes were cold. However, Kaiwan didn¡¯t miss the agitation hidden in his cold eyes.

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t know how the fight would end up. That was why she had to raise the odds of Yong-ho¡¯s chance of winning a little more. Kaiwan was thinking of infuriating Embrio.

    So, she made a terrible smile. She never showed it before Yong-ho, but she now showed the most ferocious smile at Embrio, which she used to show at those who insulted and despised the House of Mammon. Her smile contained sarcasm on her viper-like lips.

    ¡°Kneel down and respect and wee the King of Greed...¡±

    From Kaiwan¡¯s point of view, she didn¡¯t expect much when she said that. She just wanted to keep insulting him to break hisposure.

    Contrary to her intention, her words got on his nerves from the beginning.

    Embrio¡¯s eyes trembled. He couldn¡¯t hide his agitation anymore.

    Even at that moment, Embrio looked back at the sky. It was his instinctive movement.

    Not only Embrio, but everyone on the battlefield did so.

    Bone Dragon was no longer in the sky. The traces of the mes that Smi¡¯s wings left behind were beautiful, but they weren¡¯t strong enough to draw attention from everyone on the battlefield.

    Nheless, everyone looked at the sky. Those who were sensitive to mana felt more pressure.

    Embrio opened his lips. Kaiwan smiled slightly.

    Bone Dragon¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t scattered. Its essence that the living couldn¡¯t even absorb because it was contaminated with the energy of death burned in the green mes, which looked too small. The master of the House of Mammon, the demon king of mes, swallowed the essence of Bone Dragon.

    It was stupid. It was like swallowing poison. But the master didn¡¯t copse. There was no painful scream from him.

    The release of a huge mana.

    A vortex of intense mana that shook the surrounding area.

    ¡°The Sin Of Greed...¡± Embrio said, as if he sighed.

    At that moment, Kaiwan wrapped the power of distortion around her neck and bounced off Embrio¡¯s hand.

    Kaiwan fell down to the floor. Embrio quickly turned his head. Instead of praising their king, Eligos and Ophelia kicked off the ground again, feeling their mana growing.

    And the sun of the green mes rose again. Yong-ho, who drastically shortened the time required for concentrating mana by almost fully releasing the absorbed essence of Bone Dragon, looked down on the ground.

    Five towering horns on his head shook. Smi headed back to the ground with its wings of mes.

    Embrio¡¯s army had experienced this kind of stuff before. So, they were agitated. They tried to run away with a screech.

    Kaiwan smiled. Embrio knew he couldn¡¯t even use her as a shield against Yong-ho.

    Surprisingly, the green mes of the master of the House of Mammon could distinguish between friendly forces and enemies. Therefore, Embrio decided to face the disaster proudly.

    He erected five horns and released mana. He also activated his power!

    Bang!

    Yong-ho swung Aamon. The sun of the green mes hit the ground once again. It destroyed Embrio¡¯s main unit, and once again recreated the map of hell on the ground.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes for a moment. He felt the mana transmitted through Brigada.

    He briefly found out the condition of his dungeon spirits engaged in the intense fighting.

    Skull was still fighting the Death Knight with all its might. Eligos and Ophelia smashed Embrio¡¯s main unit amid the green mes. Commanding Skull¡¯s unit instead of Skull, Tigrius destroyed Embrio¡¯s forces in the right-wing.

    Yong-ho opened his eyes again. Catalina let go of her hands around his waist. She knew what she had to do. She couldn¡¯t intervene in his fight with Embrio. What she had to do now was to save more soldiers of the Free City fighting under Oros¡¯smand.

    Standing on Smi¡¯s back, Yong-ho looked at Catalina. Sheughed vigorously, pping her red-hot ears.

    Yong-ho kicked Smi in the back. Catalina also flew, spreading her wings of ck mana.

    The two flew in different directions.

    ¡°Embrio!¡±

    Shouting at him, Yong-honded on the ground. The green mes ring up all over the ce were split automatically, making way for Yong-ho.

    And the green mes exploded not far from Embrio. Powerful mana crushed the green mes. But Yong-ho focused on his consciousness. He read Embrio¡¯s mana in the air. He wasn¡¯t just content with seeing it. He predicted its trajectory!

    Bang!

    Aamon shed with an unknown huge spear. Yong-ho and Embrio looked at each other beyond their weapons. Each other¡¯s mana shed in the air and exploded.

 Chapter 142 - Rebellion King Embrio (6)

    <h4>Chapter 142: Rebellion King Embrio (6)</h4>

    The two pushed each other away. They distanced themselves from each other as soon as they shed, and they took the same tactics almost simultaneously. It was to increase the intensity of their mana in the surrounding area.

    Yong-ho and Embrio realized it instinctively. They could read the flow of each other¡¯s mana, so they increased the concentration of mana to dy the other party reading the trajectory of the attack with the help of the flow of mana.

    Embrio stepped forward. But at that moment, someone intervened in the battle between the two demon kings. With a thunderous screech, Eligos punched Embrio like lightning.

    It was a perfect surprise attack.

    Yong-ho and Embrio were so conscious of each other that they couldn¡¯t pay attention to others. Embrio quickly twisted his upper body, but Eligos punched Embrio¡¯s left arm immediately. Even with that attack alone, his left arm was torn out.

    Eligos smiled. Embrio¡¯s left arm, which had been torn off, was fluttering in the air.

    Then Eligos broke the floor with his fist.

    Then Embrio stepped forward and threw a punch in Eligos¡¯s chest with his left arm.

    Then he came up with the pration strike to put all his mana into the opponent¡¯s body.

    With a thunderous noise, Eligos¡¯s massive body rose slightly upward. Soon he copsed, gushing blood. Embrio shook his upper body just like he did when he confronted Eligos.

    Ophelia rushed toward Embrio and attacked Embrio¡¯s thigh hard with a turning kick. Her sharp kick cut his left leg like a beast¡¯s teeth.

    But Embrio moved ahead again. Stepping on the ground with his left foot, Embrio stretched out his arms. Then he mounted a pration strike into Ophelia¡¯s abdomen, who stopped momentarily because of embarrassment.

    Bang!

    Yong-ho stepped forward strongly. As if he was doingnce charging, he charged at Embrio, pointing Aamon upright.

    Ophelia copsed, throwing out blood and pieces of intestines. In terrible pain, she understood what Embrio¡¯s real power was. She kept thinking, hoping that Yong-ho would also discover it.

    The Demon King of Wolves, it was just his nickname. It wasn¡¯t the name Embrio had as a true demon king.

    Embrio¡¯s real power was regeneration. It was his super-speed ability to regenerate, which was fast and strong enough to recall immortality.

    It wasn¡¯t because Embrio avoided Yong-ho¡¯s attack that he twisted his body after releasing that power. In fact, the purpose of his action was to minimize the shaking of his body in the aftermath of Eligos and Ophelia¡¯s attack. In other words, he immediately prated into the opponent¡¯s body for a counterattack right after being attacked.

    He did the same this time. That was why Embrio confronted Yong-ho¡¯s attack from the front.

    Yong-ho stabbed into the air, not Embrio. It caused a strong wave of the green mes and engulfed Embrio.

    Ophelia¡¯s intention was passed on to Yong-ho, so he was convinced of what he saw.

    Embrio¡¯s ability to regenerate was real, not tricky.

    Tsupahahahaha!

    Embrio jumped over the waves of the green mes. Although he was wounded by the heat of the ultra-high temperature, he didn¡¯t care. By the time he passed through the mes, his wounds already regenerated. Thanks to the powerful magic field around his body, he had no fatal injuries.

    The huge spear in Embrio¡¯s right hand stabbed into the air. His action waspletely different from it when he fought Kaiwan. All his movements were optimized only for his attack. It was an extreme move that neglected his own defense.

    He was faster and more powerful. Yong-ho, who managed to get out of it by kicking the ground, grabbed Aamon. Then he stretched out Aamon toward Embrio, who was advancing again to get him.

    But Embrio didn¡¯t avoid the attack. Rather he didn¡¯t defend it. Aamon pierced Embrio¡¯s abdomen. Embrio groaned in pain, but he didn¡¯t copse. Rather he took a step forward.

    Yong-ho quickly released Aamon from his hand. But it was alreadyte. Likewise, Embrio¡¯s right palm, who abandoned the huge spear, touched him. It was the so-called pration strike.

    Embrio¡¯s mighty mana began to spread with terrifying momentum.

    ***

    Yong-ho bounced off randomly. It was no exaggeration to say that he was thrown out almost a dozen meters or more.

    This was something abnormal that he never expected. Embrio¡¯s pration strike was a skill to destroy the opponent by pouring mana into his body. It was far from a technique to push the enemy out.

    Yong-ho rolled on the floor. Clenching his teeth, Embrio pulled out Aamon from his abdomen.

    His pration strike failed. It was true that he touched Yong-ho for the pration strike, and released all his mana, but that was it.

    Putting up with pain, Yong-ho raised himself up. His tattered left arm, covered with wounds, drooped.

    The moment Embrio turned to the pration strike, Yong-ho moved his left hand. It was impossible for Yong-ho to clearly pinpoint Embrio¡¯s target, so it was almost a miracle that he could avoid it.

    Fortunately, Embrio¡¯s attack was straight and linear. Embrio touched Yong-ho¡¯s left hand. At that moment, Yong-ho activated the Ring of Distortion and blocked his pration strike with the Shield of Distortion. The reason why Young-ho bounced back was because the pration strike couldn¡¯t get into his body and only bounced off the Shield of Distortion.

    But Yong-ho¡¯s defense was iplete. Above all, he activated the Shield of Distortion too quickly. Although he managed to block the mana of the pration strike, he could not block itpletely. Even though he was exposed to just a little bit of Embrio¡¯s mana, his left arm was in tatters. Probably, he couldn¡¯t use his left arm during this battle.

    On the other hand, Embrio was still well and strong. Although his whole body was burned by the mes of the red lotus while he was separating Aamon from his hand, Embrio wasn¡¯t wounded. As soon as he pulled Aamon out, he recovered his body in an instant, as if he was going against time.

    Yong-ho stared at Embrio and thought about his power. If his regeneration ability was his real power, he would never be truly immortal.

    ¡®Mana.¡¯

    Only now could Yong-ho realize what it was.

    Embrio increased the concentration of mana that he was releasing around him, but he couldn¡¯t hide the flow of manapletely.

    His mana was being consumed for regeneration. That meant that there was clearly a limit to his regeneration ability, as well.

    What should Yong-ho do now? Should he keep attacking Embrio until his mana run out?

    Bang!

    But Embrio didn¡¯t let Yong-ho buy time. Yong-ho concentrated his consciousness.

    Instead of reading his mana, Yong-ho tried to read Embrio¡¯s movements.

    He felt a sharp pain in his left arm again but tried his best to put up with it.

    Embrio¡¯s right hand stabbed into the air. Embrio¡¯s weapon wasn¡¯t just the pration strike.

    He had powerful mana based on the five horns, a stocky body, and superhuman patience and will to endure even the pain of his whole body being burned.

    Yong-ho barely managed to avoid Embrio¡¯s right hand. However, his action was a trick to make Yong-ho avoid it. Embrio¡¯s real attack came from his left hand.

    And Yong-ho also saw it. Embrio wasn¡¯t the only one who set the trap.

    Yong-ho grabbed the air. Then the mes of the red lotus arose. Aamon, which Embrio had thrown on the floor, rose from Yong-ho¡¯s right hand!

    Embrio couldn¡¯t respond properly to Aamon¡¯s sudden appearance. He couldn¡¯t even use the secret weapon he had prepared for this battle when he was dealt a strong blow by Yong-ho.

    Aamon again pierced Embrio¡¯s abdomen. Yong-ho held his breath. Instead of screaming, he poured magic into Aamon.

    The violent green mes arose roughly, burning Embrio¡¯s body from the inside.

    But Yong-ho didn¡¯t stop. He saw Embrio regenerating his body and copsing amid the green mes. Embrio was gathering mana. Even in terrible pain, he raised his arm and grabbed Aamon, which showed truly his astonishing will.

    Embrio stared at Yong-ho while suffering from pain beyond imagination. Not content with grabbing Aamon, he took steps to narrow the distance with Yong-ho.

    Then Yong-ho once again poured out mana. Embrio¡¯s body burned again. Thanks to the enormous power of mana, Yong-ho could notice Embrio¡¯s bare bones.

    And Embrio took it as an opportunity. He dyed recovering his abdomen, so he could get out of Aamon. Even amid the pain of his hair turning white because of the intense heat, Embrio finally created a moment of counterattack.

    Yong-ho saw Embrio, so did Embrio!

    Bang!

    At that moment, Embrio¡¯s right arm was bitten by something. It was Kaiwan¡¯s whip sword that snatched it like a viper.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Kaiwan let out a screech. Then she pulled Embrio¡¯s whole body with her left arm. Just like she did to Yong-ho on the 10th floor, she struck Embrio on the floor by swinging her whip sword violently.

    She held him only for a moment. She couldn¡¯t hold him for long because her injuries were so severe that she found her left arm already losing strength.

    But that was enough. Time was made.

    Embrio regained freedom from Kaiwan by cutting off his right arm wrapped in the whip sword. Instead of attacking Kaiwan, who fell, exhausted and bloody, he grabbed the magic spear he created with mana. Then he ran into Yong-ho again.

    Yong-ho confronted him now. Appreciating Kaiwan¡¯s help, he rushed toward Embrio.

    During the time Kaiwan created, Yong-ho kept pondering over how to defeat Embrio.

    Yong-ho and Embrio shed.

    Embrio aimed at Yong-ho¡¯s immovable left arm. Yong-ho also stabbed him with Aamon this time. Both attacked each other without thinking about their own defense.

    They crossed each other. Embrio was a little faster in attacking. He pierced Yong-ho¡¯s left shoulder with the magic spear. But itsted only a moment. Yong-ho didn¡¯t stop.

    Enduring the pain, he stretched out his right arm. He stabbed Embrio¡¯s chest with the magic spear of the red lotus, Aamon, and created the green mes of greed.

    They repeated the same attacks several times. Embrio activated the power of regeneration and at the same time focused on the magic spear. He wanted to release mana through the tip of the spear.

    But he did it differently now.

 Chapter 143 - Rebellion King Embrio (7)

    <h4>Chapter 143: Rebellion King Embrio (7)</h4>

    Embrio, who was trying to heal his wounds by using his power, felt his power disintegrating.

    Death.

    A dark purple light shed from the magic field in Yong-ho¡¯s left arm. The terrible power of death ate away Embrio¡¯s power.

    It was also excessive for Yong-ho. Scathach¡¯s life and Baphomet¡¯s death were different.

    The mana of death, raging insanely, pushed its de into not only Embrio but also Yong-ho.

    Moreover, Embrio didn¡¯t give up before the mana of death. He turned all the mana he was trying to exhale to Yong-ho toward Aamon. He resisted the mana of death while empowering the power of regeneration that was constantly diminishing.

    Embrio showed a truly thrillsome will, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t care. The driving force of Embrio¡¯s strong will wasn¡¯t important to him. What really mattered was that he had to destroy Embrio at this moment.

    Embrio¡¯s mana shed against Yong-ho¡¯s mana violently.

    This type of fight was new to Yong-ho. It could be called a showdown between the two men¡¯s pure mana.

    Embrio was a little stronger when it came to mana itself. Because of the energy of death, Yong-ho didn¡¯t fully absorb the Bone Dragon¡¯s mana. Moreover, he used too much mana when he released the force of life.

    Yong-ho drew mana from Brigada and didn¡¯t stop there. He hoped more than that to destroy Embrio. Yong-ho took the power of mana greedily!

    The power ofbination magic, dungeon spirit Tigrius¡¯s power as the master of the house, although the power of his soul was weakened, he still had it.

    Greed brought it out. Yong-ho screamed in extreme pain as if his head was breaking.

    He added a new light to the magic field emitting purple light.

    Scathach¡¯s life was back in strong motion. To bring it out, Yong-ho consumed not only his mana but also his own force of life. He triggered the power ofbination while staring at Embrio, astonished by his new power.

    It was a mess. It was the power ofbination that he couldn¡¯t properly control in the first ce. But that was enough. Scathach¡¯s life and Baphomet¡¯s death didn¡¯t cancel out.

    The two different forces repelled each other strongly and finally exploded!

    Death swallowed up Embrio¡¯s power. The explosion caused by the opposite power of the two blew away Embrio¡¯s magic.

    Embrio screamed. Yong-ho roared once again. The green mes of greed surged from Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.

    ***

    Yong-ho¡¯s knees were broken helplessly. He couldn¡¯t hold up anymore and flopped down.

    He was breathing roughly. He felt like his heart was bursting. And his hand holding Aamon trembled violently.

    His mana ran out. He could no longer endure the pain. If he could, he wanted to copse and faint right away.

    However, he once again clenched his teeth and looked straight ahead.

    Embrio was down. With his whole body covered in blood, Yong-ho didn¡¯t know how he was wounded.

    Unlike Yong-ho himself, Embrio still had mana. But Embrio didn¡¯t activate the power of regeneration. He barely breathed out asionally.

    Yong-ho felt that Catalina was running toward him. Smi, which dared not to intervene in the fierce battle, flew down andnded on the ground to protect its defenseless master.

    Yong-ho caught his breath. He raised his upper body while falling forward and clenched his teeth. Although he took the Bone Dragon¡¯s mana too quickly, it was definitely a driving force for his growth. Moreover, his evolution EXP had maxed out thanks to this fight.

    So, he had to stand up. He shouldn¡¯t lose consciousness yet. He had to share Catalina¡¯s mana to activate the power of evolution. There were still the remnants of Embrio¡¯s troops in the House of Randolt and in the rear. The fight between Skull and the Death Knight was also not over.

    Yong-ho stood up. He stumbled, but he finally stepped forward.

    Watching him, Embrio¡¯s hands trembled.

    The two faced each other again. Smi stood by Yong-ho¡¯s side. Catalina¡¯s ck mana was gradually transferred to Yong-ho through Brigada.

    And at that moment, Embrio sprang to his feet. He passed by Yong-ho, who flinched because he couldn¡¯t react instantly. Then Embrio poured all his remaining mana into the ground.

    Yong-ho flopped down again. Smi stood between the two.

    Embrio¡¯sst attack didn¡¯t miss. The ck demon watcher, who was leaning out of the ground halfway, was killed when his heart burst. It was because Embrio activated the secret magic from the day he encountered the watcher.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t understand the situation. But he realized it instinctively. Instead of attacking himself with the remaining mana, Embrio attacked the demon soaring from the ground.

    Embrio, who fell on the watcher¡¯s body, closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t see any more. Now his mana ran outpletely. He had no sign of recovering.

    Embrio smiled faintly then squeezed his voice and said, ¡°King of Greed... you¡¯re back...¡±

    Actually, Embrio had been longing for his return throughout his life.

    He didn¡¯t want to tell his story in detail nor did he want to persuade the King of Greed to understand him.

    He continued, ¡°Hide your greed... Beware of the King of Gluttony...¡±

    The watcher was killed. But nobody knew there might be another watcher. Even if it wasn¡¯t true, the King of Gluttony would soon infer the situation.

    Embrio¡¯s hearing, as well as sight, were paralyzed. Even his pain became dull. He didn¡¯t question his own action. Maybe he projected his wishes and unfulfilled dreams onto the new King of Greed.

    ¡°King of Greed,¡± Embrio said for thest time. With a faint smile, he died.

    ***

    Embrio¡¯s army scattered in all directions and fled.

    Rikum, who fought fiercely in the dungeon of the House of Randolt, didn¡¯t know the situation of the battle. He simply flopped down on the floor, content with the fact that the battle was over.

    Tigrius, who not only helped Skull fight the Death Knight but also Embrio¡¯s troops in the right-wing, was also exhausted. He was pretty much exhausted, but the old gentleman didn¡¯t flop down. He rode his horse tomand the surviving Free City troops.

    Skull¡¯s armor was shattered again. ymore was also so badly damaged that Skull could never use it again.

    However, Skull grabbed the half-broken Death Knight¡¯s skull with his hand. Only after getting to Yong-ho, it rolled on the floor. As if to reassure him, Skull said in a dying voice even though it was already dead, ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Eligos fainted. Ophelia, leaning over Eligos, gave a grunt of pain. Since both of them were strong Red Demons, they could survive. Otherwise, they would have lost their lives by Embrio¡¯s pration strike.

    Catalina, who transferred all her mana to Yong-ho, drooped on Smi¡¯s back. And she was satisfied with the current situation. She hasn¡¯t heard Yong-ho¡¯s answer to her confession, but she felt happy that she confessed and that he survived.

    ¡°What a mess!¡±

    Squatting on the floor, Kaiwan spoke. She stretched her legs, leaning against some monster, not knowing whether it was an orc or not. She looked terrible, but at the same time, she looked prettyfortable.

    Yong-ho squatted in front of Kaiwan. Thanks to Catalina sharing mana with him, he could barely move around. If he used mana again, it was certain that he would lose his strengthpletely, so he put off using the power of evolutionter. He also decided to think about Embrio¡¯sst words and actionster.

    ¡°Thanks, Kaiwan.¡±

    His shortpliment contained his genuine and deep appreciation. He really thanked Kaiwan.

    Without her help, it would have been Embrio, not him, who was here.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I had a very pleasant vacation thanks to you. I feel like I¡¯m alive after a long time,¡± she replied with a bright smile.

    He felt it before, but her smile was really charming. Moreover, the fact that she made such a smile at him alone was even more revealing.

    Alien mana was circting around Kaiwan¡¯s body. It was none other than Gusion¡¯s mana, not anyone else¡¯s.

    ¡°I think I used too much mana. I¡¯m sorry, but I need to return early. I think if I don¡¯t go now, I might die soon. Let me go and get some treatment.¡±

    Kaiwan was a dungeon spirit in the arena. Until the new owner of the arena appeared, the fate of her life and death was left with the arena.

    Yong-ho nodded.

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll get you discharged from there, not just vacation. Let¡¯s eat a lot of delicious things again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I look forward to it.¡±

    Kaiwan leaned down. Gusion¡¯s mana grew stronger and stronger.

    ¡°Yong-ho Chun.¡±

    Kaiwan called him again. She seemed to hesitate for a moment then rolled her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s my wish. Don¡¯t move and stay still. Don¡¯t even answer.¡±

    At that moment, Catalina pricked her ears. Smi felt something ominous.

    Yong-ho remained still as she requested, and she moved his body with a grunt.

    She wrapped his face with both hands and gently kissed his lips.

    Her kiss was short but very intense. It was different from when he kissed Ophelia.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    Kaiwanughed in a silly manner, which didn¡¯t fit her at all. After touching his cheek, who hardened like a stone statue, she winked at Catalina, who was shocked in fear.

    She winked at Catalina again and said with a smile, ¡°See youter.¡±

    Gushion¡¯s mana enveloped Kaiwan and disappeared with her.

    Smi shook its head as if it shouldn¡¯t have seen them. Catalina was drooping on Smi¡¯s back just like wetundry. She was about to cry now.

    Watching them all, Skullughed heartily. Then it shouted once again for Yong-ho, who was ovee with deep emotions at the victory.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    The battle was over. It was a victory for the House of Mammon.

 Chapter 144 - Homecoming (1)

    <h4>Chapter 144: Homing (1)</h4>

    The southern and northern parts of the demon world were hugely different, like night and day. Unlike the southern area called an abandonednd, the northern part always yed an important role in the history of demons.

    First, thend there was fertile. Even without special magical measures, they could do farming without any problem.

    There were rich underground resources, and transportation of goods on sea routes was brisk thanks to the three rivers that led to the deep sea, one of the three major seas of the demon world.

    However, it wasn¡¯t because of this alone that the northern part was called ¡°the blessednd¡±. That was not the most important reason.

    There was a powerful flow of mana in the north. Since it was more powerful than any other area of ??the demon world, some even called it the ¡°great flow.¡±

    Perhaps, thanks to the powerful flow of mana, those in the north were often superior to those in other regions within the same race. It was because some were born with more mana than others.

    Those in the north were strong. They lived longer, and even their reproduction rate was faster than that of those in other areas.

    And there was one family that had dominated the northern part for a long time.

    That family was very special. Even in the long history of the demon world, there was no other family that could pair with that family.

    Originally, the Seven Deadly Sins couldn¡¯t be inherited from generation to generation.

    Regardless of the current kings but also the previous ones, it wasmon that the house of the Seven Deadly Sins changed with the emergence of a new king.

    But this family was an exception.

    Since the Seven Deadly Sins emerged, this family had never lost the title as the Sin of Pride until now. The master of this house always reigned in the north as the King of Pride of the day. Even before the great King of Greed emerged thousands of years ago, his ancestors were the King of Pride. Even now, more than a thousand yearster, they maintained that privilege.

    The dungeon of the King of Pride was the oldest dungeon in the demon world. The weight of the umted years surpassed the Labyrinth of Greed. All those born and raised in the north grew up, watching the dungeon of the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride was someone who reigned over the people. The first King of Pride thought that looking down on the earth from the sky befitted him. Therefore, his dungeon was not built underground. Built on the ground, the dungeon stretched toward the sky.

    The tower of Pride was the tallest skyscraper in the demon world.

    At that time, the King of Pride was on the top floor of the skyscraper. In his ce while facing the sky, he thought about the worldly affairs.

    He was young. Over a hundred years had passed since he took over as the king, but since he was born with such a powerful mana, he had no sign of aging.

    He was tall and his eyes were confident. He had gray hair and a strong build, with three eyes on his forehead.

    Wearing a pitch-ck cloak adorned with ck bird feathers, he grinned on the throne made of dozens of wings. He looked at the pieces on the chessboard again.

    The King of Fury was demonstrating force beyond the sea. But he didn¡¯t care. The King of Fury was the weakest of the six kings, contrary to popr rumors. That ridiculous peace-seeker wouldn¡¯t dare cross the sea.

    Like it or not, the King of Violence was a dragon. He was the guardian of the treasure.

    He usually crouched in his own nest, and he didn¡¯t bother to provoke a war first.

    The rest of the kings were like him. So, the King of Pride was convinced they wouldn¡¯t make the provocations.

    ¡°It was too long.¡±

    A false peace under the name of bnce was no longer needed. Now, he needed destruction for a new beginning.

    The King of Pride made up his mind. He exercised psychokinesis to move the pieces of the chessboard.

    It wasn¡¯t just the pieces that moved at that moment. The troops in the north crossed the border.

    He started a war.

    ***

    Yong-ho¡¯s battle with Embrio was over. But it didn¡¯t mean the war was over.

    There were lots of things Yong-ho had to take care of everywhere.

    The immediate problem was how to handle the remnants of Embrio¡¯s army.

    Almost all those soldiers under Embrio¡¯smand survived and left the battlefield.

    The troops of the House of Mammon didn¡¯t even dare to chase them.

    Although they won, the damage was too great. Oros was killed, and more than two-thirds of the troops of the Free City, who followed Oros, were also killed with only two hundred surviving.

    Most of the Free City soldiersined of extreme stress and fatigue. Therefore, it was impossible to have them pursue their enemies.

    Embrio¡¯s soldiers dispersed in all directions. Most of them fled to the west, but there were quite a few who ran away deep into the south. Of course, nobody thought they would capture the dungeon of the House of Mammon or upy the Free City.

    However, their existence itself was a headache for the south. It was necessary to subdue them sooner orter by defeating them or absorbing them into the south.

    Even Lotus, the Demon King of Wild Animals, who apanied Embrio on this battle, also survived and escaped.

    It was okay if he ran to the west or north, but if he prated into the south, it was a different issue. Lotus was the master of a house with power. He was far from an ordinary remnant.

    The northern and eastern regions were also troublesome.

    In the north, there were several house masters who had surrendered to Embrio.

    Since they had been waiting in the north to stop the provocations by the east, it was difficult to judge how they would act after Embrio¡¯s defeat.

    Currently, the biggest source of trouble was those in the east.

    They initially tried to fish in troubled water while Embrio was fighting with the House of Mammon. Now that Embrio was gone, it would be nothing strange if they attacked the south instead of the north. Of course, it was more likely that they would march into the ownerless north instead of attacking the south.

    This was the bigger problem in a sense.

    The immediate problems were more annoying and challenging.

    For example, problems such as the reorganization of the House of Randolt, collection of the Bone Dragon¡¯s bones, the return to the House of Mammon, calming down the popr uneasiness in the Free City, and the restoration of dungeon spirits.

    Out of these headaches, thest one made it even more difficult for Yong-ho to handle things efficiently. Basically, he was short-handed for lots of work.

    Half a day passed after the battle with Embrio was over.

    Yong-ho was perching on the bed of the Demon King¡¯s room in the deepest part of the House of Randolt. His outside wounds were healed thanks to another evolution through furthering physical strength, but that was it. His whole body ached.

    But he couldn¡¯t fall asleep easily. It wasn¡¯t just ¡°cosmetic problems¡± that the House of Mammon faced today.

    What was the demon that Embrio defeated at thest minute?

    What did Embrio¡¯s will mean?

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t take Embrio¡¯s essence and that of the demon that surged from the ground, for they were totally destroyed. It seemed to be the effect of the magic that Embrio activated for thest time.

    Beware of the six kings.

    Watch out for the King of Gluttony.

    Tigrius, the least injured among the dungeon spirits, couldn¡¯t give counsel to Yong-ho because he was so busy with taking care of the aftermath of the battle. Ophelia, who usually served as an advisor to Yong-ho whenever problems like this happened, was also a patient now.

    Yong-ho gave up asking for their advice. It seemed that the best policy, for now, was to take a rest. It was foolish to just worry because there were so many problems.

    ¡®Well, I took care of the bigger problems anyway.¡¯

    Actually, he was done with moving the wounded soldiers into the dungeon of the House of Randolt. Since most of the spaces of the house were fortified, most of the wounded soldiers had to lie down in the aisles or gathering ces, but it was inevitable.

    ¡®Sure, that¡¯s the way I should do right now.¡¯

    Letting out a long breath, he turned his gaze to the side. He was faced with something he had to solve now.

    Catalina was sitting at the end of the bed quietly. Her long ears and tails were drooping on the floor. Even after the battle, she worked tirelessly until now. She was exhausted because she shared all her mana with Yong-ho.

    However, she might have another reason for letting her ears droop like that.

    He gulped before he knew it. The sound of him gulping was heard unusually loud. Yong-ho took a deep breath again.

    Even though he did so several times, he couldn¡¯t calm down his pounding heart. Rather, his heart was beating more rapidly now. So, he said, pretending to be calm as much as possible, ¡°Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh, yeah! Master!¡± she said, flinching a little bit. But she was looking down at the floor.

    He clenched his teeth, which was really bad for his heart. He felt like his face was blushing.

    But he had to speak. So, he opened his mouth again, though stutteringly.

    ¡°You know... I mean what you said to me during the battle.¡±

    Catalina slowly turned her head and looked at him.

 Chapter 145 - Homecoming (2)

    <h4>Chapter 145: Homing (2)</h4>

    She was nervous, too. As if she was scared, her eyes were welled with big tears.

    He couldn¡¯t continue because his head was in a whirl at the moment.

    But she didn¡¯t wait indefinitely. Instead of biting her lips, she pricked her ears straight.

    Facing him directly, she said, ¡°I was serious when I said that.¡±

    That was how far she could say.

    Even without Brigada and even without getting connected to the dungeon spirit, he could know her feelings. So, he answered, ¡°I like you, too.¡±

    In fact, Yong-ho thought of a lot of nice expressions about her, but that was all he could say calmly at the moment. He said again, ¡°I mean I like you.¡±

    It looked like a basic answer that even an elementary boy could say, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t care.

    He saw her pping her ears like wings after a long time. Despite her watery eyes, she couldn¡¯t hide her lifting the corner of her lips with joy.

    His heart was beating faster again. She pulled her buttocks slightly and approached him.

    ¡°Master...¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°I hope you can grant my wish... Will you?¡±

    He never expected it, but he nodded immediately. Honestly, it was impossible for him to think rationally now.

    She let out a big breath then swallowed and moved boldly. She narrowed her distance with him and said, seeing him face to face, ¡°Please stay still. Don¡¯t even talk.¡±

    At that moment, he was going to say, ¡®Wait a minute,¡¯ but stopped.

    He thought about what she just said because he had heard it before and several hours ago at that.

    Anyway, he stiffened like a piece of wood, and Catalina wrapped her cheeks with her trembling hands.

    Ophelia and Kaiwan did the same thing to him, and now Catalina was doing it.

    It seemed that he was born to be kissed rather than kiss somebody.

    Catalina gently closed her eyes. However, Yong-ho couldn¡¯t close his eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her lips, getting closer to his lips little by little.

    ¡°Ophelia, Enderion¡¯s daughter, is interfering with the master of the great House of Mammon. I¡¯m really really sorry. But It¡¯s too urgent for me. And I think this is the perfect time.¡±

    Startled, Yong-ho turned his head toward the direction where the voice came from.

    Catalina was standing in the corner of the room, boasting of her best agility among the dungeon spirits. She erected her tail as if she was quite surprised.

    Ophelia, the owner of the voice, alternately looked at her and Yong-ho with mixed feelings and narrowed her eyes. Smi was shaking behind Ophelia¡¯s back for some reason.

    Clearing her throat once, Ophelia continued, ¡°It¡¯s not something like the enemy¡¯s ambush. It¡¯s because of the bones and restored items of the Bone Dragon.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t hide her fatigue when she said that. In fact, she was incapacitated after she was hit by Embrio during the battle. No matter how much she took the potion, it was irrational for her to stand before Yong-ho like this now.

    However, instead of falling and taking a break, Ophelia chose to move, clenching her teeth.

    She needed someone to take care of picking up the pieces after the battle.

    Even though Yong-ho and Catalina were busy with picking up the pieces after the battle, they weren¡¯t yet used to it. It might sound arrogant, but without Ophelia, it would have taken much more time for Yong-ho to clean up after the battle.

    Ophelia said, ¡°Although I collected the ruins of the battlefield in one ce, I don¡¯t have enough troops to guard and transport them. And it is not the right time for us to ask for additional troops from the Free City. So, I wish we could use the transport service of the Dungeon Market, although it was expensive. Besides, we need more medicine to treat the injured.¡±

    The bones of the Bone Dragon were in themselves a great treasure. So, they shouldn¡¯t be neglected.

    Despite that, the ruins of the bones were scattered on the battlefield randomly.

    In the eyes of former merchant Ophelia, it looked like the gold nuggets were up for grabs on the street.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t answer right away. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t understand her request. Since he was busy cleaning up outside the dungeon until now, he knew well how badly the bones were neglected.

    The reason he agonized was because the House of Mammon had no cash reserve. The delivery service of the Dungeon Market was quite expensive as Ophelia said.

    Like an excellent dungeon spirit, Ophelia read his mind, and said, ¡°You can pay for their service with some of the bones. I know it¡¯s too good to pay with the bones, but it¡¯s more urgent to safely move the bones of the Bone Dragon into the warehouse of the Mammon House and to heal the wounded. I am sorry, but I would like you to approve it.¡±

    Ophelia found one more value in the bones of the Bone Dragon.

    Who made the Bone Dragon? Who the hell gave the Bone Dragon to Embrio?

    The clue on that question could be found in the bones. There weren¡¯t so many individuals or groups with the ability to create undead monsters like the Bone Dragon.

    Such power was too strong for the master of a house in the abandoned southernnd.

    The Death Knight and the Bone Dragon were too powerful dungeon spirits to be owned by the master of a house in the south.

    There must be somebody behind it. Be it an individual or a group, there was clearly a certain presence behind Embrio¡¯s back.

    Yong-ho nodded at Ophelia. He stood up and approached her.

    ¡°Let me approve it. I think you are in charge of the deal with the Dungeon Market, too, right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she replied, narrowing her eyebrows.

    Since she was sincerely sorry, she couldn¡¯t even smile.

    He smiled at her. Although he really wanted to take a break at the moment, he gave it up.

    ¡°Okay, let me ess the virtual space right now. But I also have something to order you.¡±

    He grabbed Ophelia¡¯s hand then led her to the bed, so she could sit on it.

    ¡°Now, take some rest. Sleep first, and take care of other stuff after you wake up.¡±

    Ophelia couldn¡¯t answer right away because she felt like she would copse on the bed when she was just sitting there.

    ¡°Well, I think I have to greet you when youe back...¡±

    ¡°Just go to sleep,dy.¡±

    Yong-ho slightly winked at her and sat on a throne in one side of the demon king¡¯s room.

    ¡°Lucia, get ready for me to ess the virtual space.¡±

    [Okay, Master.]

    [And just a moment ago my heart was pounding.]

    Lucia giggled brightly. Yong-ho, whopletely forgot Lucia was watching him all along, tried to calm down. Before essing it, he saw Catalina for thest time.

    ¡°I will be back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Catalina¡¯s tail pped. Yong-ho closed his eyesfortably.

    He essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    ***

    It was the first time that Yong-ho essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market in a ce other than the House of Mammon.

    He opened his eyes in a strange atmosphere.

    It was quiet. And there was nothing.

    He just blinked in a white space. It was a very familiar space, but he had never encountered anything like this.

    ¡°Uh... Sitri?¡±

    There was no answer from her. He looked around in a little anxiety.

    ¡®Was this such a terrible ce?¡¯

    The pure white horizon, which was just connected endlessly without even its shadow, was terrifying.

    What the hell happened? He tried calling her once again.

    ¡°Sitri?¡±

    [Recognition number: 009]

    [Descendant of the man.]

    [Yong-ho Chun, the current master of the House of Mammon]

    [Your recognition has beenpleted. Wee.]

    When the letters of light spread out in front of his eyes, he could hear the slightly stiff voice of a woman. Her voice was suddenly heard, but since he was familiar with it, he was rather relieved. It was a standard voice that could be heard everywhere, such as when they introduced the catalog of the Dungeon Merchant.

    The voice continued.

    [Sitri is currently attending the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce.]

    [You can¡¯t chat with Sitri now.]

    [Would you like to go back? Or would you like to trade in normal mode?]

    Yong-ho knitted his eyes slightly. Maybe he was overconfident, but it was Sitri¡¯s way of dealing with him. The Sitri that he used to be familiar with would have conveyed a direct message to him instead of rying her message through a machine.

    ¡®Is she attending an emergency meeting?¡¯

    He became curious. Sitri always described herself as a big shot in the Dungeon Market.

    And her statement wasn¡¯t a lie. She was a powerful witch that had lived for over a thousand years.

    If it was an emergency meeting in which Sitri had to attend, the agenda was highly likely to be unusual.

    ¡®I wonder if it¡¯s rted to Embrio.¡¯

    He momentarily questioned it, but he soon shook his head. There was zero possibility that the emergency meeting was about it.

    It was highly likely that it was a much bigger agenda at the meeting.

    Looking at the letters of light, Yong-ho asked, ¡°Can¡¯t I wait here until Sitri returns?¡±

    [You can.]

    [However, I can¡¯t tell you exactly how long you have to wait until shees back.]

    ¡°How long has it been since the meeting started?¡±

    [I can¡¯t answer that question.]

    In a way, it was a natural answer.

    Instead of asking more, Yong-ho moved his fingers. Although he couldn¡¯t see Sitri at the moment, the whole white space made him adjust to the situation. A chair that looked very fluffy rose behind his back.

    ¡°Let me wait here. Can I browse the catalog of the Dungeon Market?¡±

    [Sure, you can. I hope you have a great time.]

    The letters of light disappeared. And, as if it could be a substitute, a round sphere of light was formed around his left hand.

    Buried deep in the white chair, he gently touched the sphere of light. Then, a familiar catalog of the Dungeon Market opened in the air.

    The reason he chose to wait wasn¡¯t just because he was curious about the results of the meeting that Sitri attended. He needed a direct deal with her. Since he wanted to pay with the bones of the Bone Dragon for the delivery service, it was absolutely necessary for him to negotiate with her about the price.

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    He decided to rx. Being connected to the virtual space itself consumed mana, but now he had five horns. The amount of mana recovered naturally was more than that consumed in the virtual space. If he could stop being impatient, he could have a pleasant break.

    ¡®What a big catalog!¡¯

    It was different from the limited catalog that Sitri had shown to him so far. The general catalog of the Dungeon Market boasted of very detailed items because of the vast variety of its trading items. Yong-ho first typed Bone Dragon on the search bar. Soon, theplicated stuff on the screen disappeared and a concise sentence appeared on it.

 Chapter 146 - Homecoming (3)

    <h4>Chapter 146: Homing (3)</h4>

    [Catalog of 6-Star Dungeon Spirit]

    [Most items can¡¯t be bought here.]

    [If you want to buy them, please consult with the person in charge.]

    Until now, the dungeon spirits Yong-ho dealt with were those with three stars at most.

    6-star dungeon spirit? He admired it unwittingly.

    Without Scathach¡¯s force of life, he would never have beaten the Bone Dragon.

    ¡®I see.¡¯

    He now understood why it was so strong. At the same time, he had some doubts.

    How did Embrio get the Bone Dragon?

    The price of the Bone Dragon was astronomical. Since he developed a gold mine, Yong-ho could make a lot of money, but that wasn¡¯t enough.

    Of course, Embrio must have been richer than Yong-ho himself. Still, it seemed difficult for Embrio to buy the Bone Dragon, Yong-ho thought. First of all, its price was too expensive, but there was another essential problem here. In other words, the Bone Dragon wasn¡¯t a dungeon spirit that he could get with money alone.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes gently. There were a few things that came to his mind, but instead of jumping to conclusions, he decided to sleep on it for now. He needed some more information about Embrio.

    ¡®Let me take care of what I can do now.¡¯

    After opening his eyes, Yong-ho looked for things he could do with the bones of the Bone Dragon.

    Things he imagined wereid before his eyes¡ªvarious weapons made from dragon bones.

    A smile came to his lips naturally. He wasn¡¯t sure if Burgrim could smelt the dragon¡¯s bones, but if Burgrim could, it would be a jackpot for Yong-ho because he could have a whole dragon¡¯s bones dozens of meters long.

    Overly excited at the prospect, Yong-ho checked the price of weapons made from dragon bones. Once again, he smiled happily.

    ¡®I think I will make a lot of money by trading the dragon bones.¡¯

    He seemed to know why Ophelia was so anxious. It was natural for her to get nervous when she saw such a trove of gold was being neglected on the street.

    Yong-ho gulped and browsed the catalog again because something came to his mind suddenly.

    ¡®Got it!¡¯

    [4-Star Dungeon Spirit]

    [Dragon soldier]

    [Skeleton born from dragon¡¯s bones]

    [Made with dragon bones as a material, it boasts of much stronger defensive power than an ordinary skeleton.]

    [Depending on the type and age of the source dragon, its properties and strength are different.]

    Yong-ho fidgeted with his fingers in a row. This time, he looked for the menu items on the scroll item, not dungeon spirits.

    [Scroll of dragon soldier creation]

    [* Dragon bones needed.]

    [* It is rmended to purchase dragon bones together.]

    Fortunately, it existed. Yong-ho breathed a breath of relief.

    Although the House of Mammon had a good wizard like Tigrius, he was a novice in terms of necromancing.

    So, Yong-ho thought of filling Skull¡¯s unit with dragon soldiers. He thought of one more.

    He felt really empowered, imagining that Skull would be reborn as a Bone Dragon.

    He felt satisfied as if his belly was full without eating anything.

    While fighting Embrio, he realized very clearly that the battle in the demon world was different from that in the human world. Thebat power of each dungeon spirit was truly superhuman, so it was possible to overshadow numerical superiority by qualitative strength.

    Initially, Yong-ho reluctantly chose the elite soldiers under the inevitable circumstances, but he had a vision. It was better for him to produce ten elite soldiers at the cost of producing one thousand troops with poor armament andbat power. It was a difficult task for ordinary masters of houses, but Yong-ho himself had the power of evolution. And he could make it.

    After googling on the Bone Dragon and dragon soldiers, Yong-ho checked the dungeon spirits, feeling more rxed. He didn¡¯t check them out for purchase or window shopping. He examined the genealogy of high-ss dragon soldiers one by one.

    ¡®Let me buy them low and grow them for battle.¡¯

    What he paid special attention to was the top-level ss. They were clearly different from the ss of mes that he came across identally.

    Ifrit, the crown of mes in the shape of a beautiful woman.

    Wicantra, the crown of thend in the shape of a powerful giant.

    And the top-level crown with the remaining five attributes.

    ¡®Oh, Smi is also in their league.¡¯

    However, Smi was already too far from Ifrit. Perhaps, without repeatedly evolving itself until it became something like a dragon, it would hardly be close to a human shape.

    Some time passed, and it was time for Yong-ho to pile up purchase items in his head.

    While the letters of light were splitting in front of his eyes, a dazzling beauty appeared.

    ¡°Dear client, thank you for waiting.¡±

    Sitri was there as always. After greeting Yong-ho who stood up happily for greetings, she created a chair across him.

    ¡°I had to attend a meeting because something urgent happened.¡±

    She frowned slightly as if she was in trouble.

    Yong-ho asked carefully, ¡°Have you solved the problem?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet. It¡¯s just the beginning. It looks like this kind of meeting will continue for some time.¡±

    Sitri smiled cheerfully. After seeing her smile, he was convinced that even though Sitri would give him some hints about the meeting, she wouldn¡¯t tell him what happened at the meeting or why the meeting was held.

    Sitri changed the topic.

    ¡°My dear client, what has brought you here?¡±

    She looked so beautiful when she asked him, tilting her head a bit. But even before he answered, she pped her hands and said with a bright smile, ¡°Oh my God! I would like to congratte you from the bottom of my heart. The fact you are here right now means that my dear client has defeated Embrio, right?¡±

    Her statement made it clear that the agenda of the meeting wasn¡¯t Embrio¡¯s defeat.

    He nodded with a smile. Sitri suddenly narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only thing I want to celebrate. Any other good news?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t manage his expression. Faced with his silly expression, she pulled her body slightly back.

    ¡°Well... I feel like my loyalty to my dear client has been weakened very slightly. Don¡¯t make such an expression before otherdies. That¡¯s my sincere advice.¡±

    But Yong-ho couldn¡¯t help butugh. Recalling Catalina pping her ears, he cleared his throat once again. Changing his expression this time, he said, ¡°I would like to trade the bones of the Bone Dragon.¡±

    His deal with Sitri was quick and cheerful, as always,

    So, he sold the entire left leg bone of the Bone Dragon. In return, he purchased the delivery service by the Dungeon Market, arge number of recovery items, and a scroll to create dragon soldiers.

    In his mind, the price of the Bone Dragon¡¯s bones were sold a little lower, but he didn¡¯t protest because he didn¡¯t think Sitri wouldn¡¯t force him to price down the bones.

    As if she read his mind, she added lightly, ¡°If you incur the wrath of the undead, the value of the dragon¡¯s bones is supposed to go down because the energy of death resides in the dragon¡¯s bones. Please keep this in mind if you are going to smelt the bones of the Bone Dragon.¡±

    Yong-ho justughed bitterly.

    The deal was all over. He enjoyed his conversation with her, but he stood up because he wanted to take a break more than anything else now.

    ¡°Let me leave now. See you next time.¡±

    ¡°Can I give you a piece of advice before you leave?¡±

    Sitri also stood up. Getting closer to him, who was puzzled, she whispered, ¡°If you are going to visit the ¡®house,¡¯ you had better hurry up. If you dy, you might not have time to visit.¡±

    He looked at her. Hiding her expression, he stepped back. It was just clear that her advice was rted to an emergency meeting.

    ¡°I love you, client. See you next time.¡±

    Bowing to him, she disappeared after winking at him. It seemed like she was asking him to find out more by himself if he was curious.

    It was clear that something big had happened to the demon world. Given Sitri¡¯s attitude, it didn¡¯t seem like it would have a direct negative impact on him, but he had no choice but to be careful from now on.

    He shook his head once. He pulled himself together and closed his eyes.

    Then he logged out of the virtual space.

    ***

    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat]

    [Lubb-dupp]

    [You can treat me as if I don¡¯t exist. I can understand.]

    Between breakfast and lunch the next day Yong-ho, who barely woke up from more than ten hours of sleep, listened to Lucia, half asleep. Had Catalina not woken him up, he would have slept for a few more hours.

    ¡°Sorry to wake you up...¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. I asked you to wake me up by this time. Thanks.¡±

    Smiling softly, he got up from his bed and stretched himself lightly.

    He stroked Catalina¡¯s head. He looked around in no time and kissed her lips lightly.

    He felt good but shy at the same time. Catalina raised her tail with her ears blushing.

    [Wow, oh my gosh!]

    [Will you really treat me like someone who really doesn¡¯t exist?]

    [Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m watching you?]

    Letting Lucia¡¯sint in one ear and out the other, he pinched Catalina¡¯s cheek.

    He wanted to touch her more, but he didn¡¯t want to be trapped by Lucia.

    [Brrrr]

    [Whiny]

    [Sob sob]

    Seeing Lucia expressing onomatopoeia in a row, it seemed that Lucia was really sad or angry. Since Lucia was like his alter ego, it was natural that Lucia reacted like that.

    He left the room after teasing Catalina and Lucia a little more in different ways.

    After having a quick meal, he gathered the dungeon spirits and Rikum, the leader of defense of the House of Mammon in one ce.

    ¡°You guys did a great job.¡±

    He was serious. Indeed, all of them suffered so much that none were in good shape.

    Yong-ho looked back at Rikum, who was bandaged almost all over her body.

    ¡°Rikum, all the dungeon spirits who participated in the battle will receive due rewards. Thank you for surviving.¡±

    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were not characters in games. They were real human beings with their own lives. So, he needed to give them due rewards, aside from hispliments. He could not get their loyalty for nothing.

    Tigrius, perhaps the least injured among them, said, ¡°The delivery service team of the Dungeon Market has started shipping the bones of the Bone Dragon. You don¡¯t have to worry because they are quick and urate.¡±

    But Tigrius was also exhausted like others because he was tasked with cleaning up after the fight for the reason he was the least wounded.

    Seeing him for a moment, Yong-ho turned his head to the side. He noticed something unusual in Tigrius¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Do you want to say something?¡±

 Chapter 147 - Homecoming (4)

    <h4>Chapter 147: Homing (4)</h4>

    Instead of answering immediately, Tigrius moved his lips up and down a few times, something unusual for his typical reaction.

    After hesitating for a moment, Tigrius said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I would like to get some bones of the Bone Dragon. Just a little bit.¡±

    Although he was an ascetic and perfect old gentleman, he was also a wizard.

    Above all, what he wanted was the bones of the Bone Dragon. If he wanted, he could use it not only as weapons material but also material for magic experiments or a catalyst for various powerful magic. Moreover, the bones that Yong-ho got this time were those of a fully-grown dragon.

    It was natural for a wizard to covet the bones.

    Yong-ho smiled brightly at his desperate gaze. Since he became one of his dungeon spirits, Tigrius had never expressed his desire openly, so Yong-ho wanted to grant his request.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say you can use them to your heart¡¯s content, but you can use some of them. You can trust me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    As if he felt a bit embarrassed, Tigrius didn¡¯t hide his smile. Watching him, all of the other dungeon spirits showed approving smiles. Fighting at the risk of his life, Tigrius was already a member of the House of Mammon.

    Rikum said again, ¡°I think we will be done cleaning up before dark.¡±

    ¡°How about the funeral?¡±

    ¡°I think we can handle their bodies here quickly and proceed with it formally after returning to the Free City. Because of thepensation for the killed, I don¡¯t think we can wrap up the matter in a hurry.¡±

    The funeral was not only for the dead but also for the living.

    The Free City had thergest pool of talent that was avable to Yong-ho.

    Since they had a potential for the city¡¯s development, Yong-ho could never treat the matter lightly.

    Ophelia¡¯s face turned somewhat gloomy as if she recalled Oros, the maniacmander of the Free City who lost his life to the Bone Dragon.

    Rikum continued to brief Yong-ho about the recovery status of the injured and the fatigue of the remaining troops.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s discuss what to do next from now on. Ophelia, please go ahead first.¡±

    When Yong-ho pointed to her, she stood up and said after greeting him briefly, ¡°The battle is just over, so there is a lot of spection. I¡¯m sorry, but I hope you can take this into ount.¡±

    It was unavoidable. There was clearly a limit to Ophelia¡¯s intelligence. Above all, she was exhausted at the moment. No matter how strong she was as a Red Demon, she couldn¡¯t heal her severe wounds right away.

    However, she smiled and continued, as if to reassure everyone, ¡°In this battle, more than 500 of the Embrio army, made up of about three thousand, were killed. Out of the remaining two thousand and five hundred, most of them were alive and fled, except for those who were severely injured. Most of the frontlinemanders also survived, so there is a possibility that they could gather the runaway soldiers to engage in military activities. But it is unlikely that they¡¯re going to be a big threat because their leader, Embrio, was dead.¡±

    What she said up to this point was already discussed yesterday.

    Pointing to the northern and eastern parts of the southern area, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s been a day since the battle was over, so I guess rumors are already spreading. In fact, the north is more of a problem than the ruined west, but since the north is located very far from the south, and people there are faced with the army in the east, so they don¡¯t pose an immediate threat. In my opinion, they will be absorbed by the eastern army, or they will enter into a power struggle among themselves after repelling the eastern army.

    There were numerous geographic patterns that could not easily pass between the north and south. The reason why Embrio hit the south from the outskirts of the west was partly to block the east from outside support, but the main reason was because attacking the south right from the north was geographically difficult.

    ¡°The biggest problem is the people in the east. They are maintaining their troops safely at the moment. But I can say with certainty that they won¡¯t be a threat to the House of Mammon and its master.¡±

    Even Ophelia herself was confident that she could defeat the head of the eastern army.

    The House of Mammon was strong, as evidenced in this battle.

    Eligos was moved to tears quietly. Catalina also suppressed her feelings by biting her lips slightly. The two dungeon spirits, who saved the House of Mammon from the verge of copse, felt like the present situation was a dream.

    ¡°Since there are so many survivors, the rumors will spread specifically and widely. If the masters of houses in the east are smart enough, they won¡¯t act recklessly.¡±

    Although they thought of fighting Embrio after upying the northern area, either Embrio or the House of Mammon was much stronger than they expected. If they heard the oue of the battle this time, it was highly likely that they would get scared and refrain from provoking.

    ¡°There are two options for the eastern army¡ªattack the north as it is now, or go back to their homnd and preserve their power.¡±

    ¡°I guess they¡¯ll attack the north.¡±

    There was a real possibility that they would attack the north. They already rose up the army and needed to strengthen their army to challenge Yong-ho. Moreover, now that the power of the House of Mammon declined greatly after fighting Embrio, this was the right time for them to attack him. If they hesitated a little longer, they would have no choice but to withdraw their army even if they didn¡¯t want to, for the east, their main base, would be likely upied by the House of Mammon in the south.

    Ophelia nodded as if she agreed with Yong-ho¡¯s prediction.

    ¡°In fact, either way is good for us. If they attack the north, we can give back what they were trying to profit from us while we¡¯re fighting Embrio.¡±

    Yong-ho had nothing to lose in this situation. The House of Mammon had the necessary power.

    Eligos, who wiped his tears off slightly with a handkerchief, asked Ophelia, ¡°Can we expand to the west?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately or fortunately, there is little left for us to take in the devastated west.

    Luckily enough, it seems that there are some supplies left in thest city... As soon as it is known that Embrio was dead, they will be the target of looting. The west will be simply hell. Maybe sooner orter, refugees wille from the west to the south in droves.¡±

    Ophelia, who responded affectionately to Eligos, turned to Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho nodded because he agreed with her.

    When she was done talking, Rikum said again, ¡°In order to expand to the west, we need some time to heal. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but we need infantry to conquer and maintain the dungeons and estates there. Although we won, the number of troops we can mobilize from the House of Mammon was greatly reduced. I rmend you focus on restoring your strength, first of all.¡±

    Yong-ho epted his rmendation because he was right.

    After pausing for a moment, Yong-ho had everybody pay attention to him.

    He said in a calm voice, ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you about another topic.¡±

    He was not going to talk about the post-battle cleanup or prediction of what wasing next.

    Turning his eyes away from them slightly, he said, ¡°Embrio was definitely a strong man. He was a faithful hero who unified the north and the west in just a few months. But even so, I feel that the troops he mobilized in the battle yesterday were excessive. In particr, the Bone Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that somebody is behind Embrio?¡± Tigrius asked.

    Yong-ho nodded at his sharp question.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s very likely.¡±

    ¡°If someone is really behind his back, he must be extraordinary. Apart from the Death Knight, the Bone Dragon is really in a different league.¡±

    At least in the southern area, there were none who could possess a Bone Dragon. Money wasn¡¯t the problem. Top-ss dungeon masters could not be bought with money alone.

    Moreover, the Bone Dragon that Yong-ho defeated this time was not included in the catalog of the Dungeon Market.

    If so, it was the Bone Dragon that the Dungeon Market created secretly, or one created independently by an individual or a group without the help of the Dungeon Market. Either way, its scale was too big. Even considering the wholend of the demon world, not just the southern area, there were not many who could create a Bone Dragon.

    ¡°From now on I want to make a little assumption. You can take it far-fetched. So, take that into ount when you listen.¡±

    Not only Tigrius, but also Ophelia made a subtle expression.

    Clearing his throat once, he said, ¡°Embrio acted strangely before he died. Instead of attacking me with his full might, Embrio chose to protect me.¡±

    ¡°Protected you?¡± Ophelia asked suddenly. Since she didn¡¯t hear it yesterday, she was obviously embarrassed to hear it.

    ¡°The ck demon that thrust through the ground tried to ambush me. I was so exhausted and focused on Embrio then that I didn¡¯t notice it, but Embrio killed the guy. He killed it by using an enormous amount of magic as if he expected its attack in advance.¡±

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t take the essence of Embrio and the ck demon because thest magic used by Embriopletely destroyed the essence of both.

    It didn¡¯t seem like he improvised this kind of magic hastily. Maybe it was magic that he had prepared only to defeat the ck demon because he never used it while fighting Yong-ho, who had magic as powerful as that.

    ¡°He left me a strange will. ¡®Hide your greed. Beware of the six kings, especially the King of Gluttony.¡¯¡±

    Having said that, Yong-ho waited for a moment. Rikum and Tigrius sprang to their feet almost simultaneously.

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    It was not because Embrio left a will that they were astonished. They were more worried about some facts contained in the will.

    ¡°Yes, Rikum, I am the King of Greed with the sin of greed.¡±

    Yong-ho admitted it. Looking back at Tigrius who was making an astonished expression, he raised his right hand and said, ¡°And this is Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.¡±

    The mes rose. They saw it many times, but it was still very fresh to Rikum and Tigrius.

    That was true. It wasn¡¯t something like the mes of the demon king.

    Yong-ho¡¯s magic up to now was not dependent on artifacts.

    The return of the King of Greed, Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus that guards him at hand, and the legendary-like beings in the demon world.

    Tigrius felt calm amid the confusing situation, for only now could he understand it.

    The miraculous actions that Yong-ho showed him so far were far from those by an inexperienced and young demon king. He was the true king of the south that finally returned.

    Grabbing Aamon again, Yong-ho waited until Rikum and Tigrius sat down.

    Then he said in a low voice, ¡°Embrio told me to hide the fact that the King of Greed appeared. And he warned me to be wary of the King of Gluttony among the six kings. So, I¡¯ve guessed in reverse from here.¡±

 Chapter 148 - Homecoming (5)

    <h4>Chapter 148: Homing (5)</h4>

    Yong-ho put several pebbles on top of the entire map of the southern area. They pointed to Yong-ho himself, Embrio, the King of Gluttony, and the ck demon, respectively.

    ¡°The mastermind of Embrio is the King of Gluttony. And the ck demon is his minion that he ced to monitor or help Embrio.¡±

    ¡°Monitor him?¡±

    ¡°If they had a cooperative rtionship, it¡¯s illogical that Embrio killed the ck demon. So, I think Embrio and the King of Gluttony maintained the type of rtionship that helped them use each other, not a master-servant rtionship.

    Tigrius nodded and said, ¡°Assuming that the King of Gluttony coveted the southern area, that makes sense. If Embrio tried to use the King of Gluttony as you said, he might have plotted to revolt deep down.¡±

    It was also possible that the King of Gluttony tried to use a surrogate called Embrio instead of directly confronting Yong-ho.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just because of the barren environment that the southern area had been abandoned. It¡¯s because nobody wanted any of the six kings to take possession of the southernnd, the birthce of Mammon, the great King of Greed.¡±

    ording to his logic, the King of Gluttony used the surrogate to unify the southern area and ruled it behind the scenes.

    ¡°If so, what you have just said means that Embrio betrayed the King of Gluttony at thest minute. Not only did he save you by killing the watcher, but also, it warned you against the King of Gluttony,¡± said Tigrius.

    Yong-ho nodded at Tigrius¡¯ assumption.

    Catalina, who was silent until now, narrowed her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Did Embrio hate the King of Gluttony so much?¡±

    Based on his exnation, Embrio took thest step of interfering with the King of Gluttony¡¯s scheme instead of dealing a fatal blow to Yong-ho who killed him.

    At first nce, Embrio¡¯s action could not be understood.

    ¡°Maybe he projected himself onto you, master. Or he might have changed his mind just before dying.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded at Ophelia¡¯s analysis. Actually, he also thought of it, too.

    He said, ¡°There are too many assumptions here from the beginning. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to jump to any conclusion before we gather more information about Embrio¡¯s intention. I would like to pay more attention to the King of Gluttony.¡±

    Ophelia said, ¡°First of all, I think it¡¯s better for you to keep hiding the power of greed, as Embrio said. The other kings will not stand still when they hear the seventh King of Greed has returned.¡±

    Tigrius said this time, ¡°I also agree with Ophelia. If you think about it carefully, the King of Gluttony seems to have the biggest headache. His territory borders the northeast of the southern area. Moreover, if he had been really behind Embrio, he would have amassed enormous intelligence,pared with other kings. In the extreme situation, they could mobilize their troops for the simple fact that you defeated Embrio and the Bone Dragon. They might move their troops directly because of their wariness of other kings, but it¡¯s possible that they can send their minions to gather intelligence about us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of choosing to build up our strength in the south rather than expanding into the west immediately. In that case, we can leave the north and the east as they are,¡± Yong-ho responded.

    Actually, he didn¡¯t need to hurry. What he needed now was not an external expansion.

    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon who knew the truth of the Labyrinth of Greed understood his intention.

    His priority was to attack the Labyrinth of Greed andplete his Godly Energy.

    Eligos recalled the arena more than anything else. If Yong-ho controlled the arena and obtained all of the dungeon spirits there, including Gusion, he would not need to fear anything, even if his rival were the King of Gluttony. He could deal with the king easily.

    When Catalina, Eligos, Skull, and Ophelia, who could be called his original dungeon spirits, exchanged meaningful nces with each other, Tigrius felt a strange sense of alienation, but he remained silent. As he did today, he believed that one day he would hear from Yong-ho about it directly.

    When they almost wrapped up their conversation, Yong-ho brought out thest topic.

    ¡°Ophelia, collect intelligence about the northern part of the demon world.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about the northern part of the demon world, the territory of the King of Pride?¡±

    If the southern area was at the southern end of the demon world, the King of Pride¡¯s territory was located at the northern end. Since both territories were at the opposite end, they were too far from each other.

    But Yong-ho had a good reason to ask Ophelia for it.

    ¡°When I essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market yesterday, Sitri was attending an emergency meeting. And she said to me, ¡®If you don¡¯t do it now, you won¡¯t have any time to visit home.¡¯¡±

    ¡°No way...¡±

    ¡°She may have said it simply because of the southern area, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all. It is possible that the fight between the King of Pride and the King of Envy has escted more than they expected.¡±

    In fact, Yong-ho had never been outside the south, let alone the southern area itself. However, he could easily guess that the fight between two kings would have a great influence on the entire demon world. It was just like the fighting between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, it¡¯s a grave situation,¡± Tigrius moaned.

    If something went wrong, the whole demon world would be engulfed in the mes of war.

    While everyone was in a serious mood, Catalina curled her lips again.

    After hesitating for a moment, she asked carefully, ¡°Master, aren¡¯t you nning to visit the human world?¡±

    ¡°Well, very briefly. Aside from my homesickness, I have to.¡±

    The door of space was alreadypleted. Moreover, he felt this was the only opportunity to visit his hometown as Sitri said. If he dragged his feet a little longer, he would not be able to leave this ce because of the King of Gluttony as well as his concern about the northern and the eastern parts.

    Yong-ho turned to Eligos and said, ¡°How often do I have to visit?¡±

    ¡°You have be so strong,pared with when you just came to the throne of the master of the House of Mammon. If you visit this time, you will have no problems for at least hundreds of years.¡±

    Yong-ho was already a powerful existence that was half a human and half a demon. To describe him, he could be called a ¡®hybrid demon¡¯ like Catalina.

    In the case of Burgrim or Asran, a hero of the alien world, who he had seen at the auction house of the Dungeon Market, they didn¡¯t need to regrly visit their hometowns even though they were from the alien world. It was because, unlike Yong-ho, they were already familiar with mana before they came to the demon world.

    ¡°Okay, I think I have to visit my hometown quickly.¡±

    He didn¡¯t intend to stay long. Maybe for two to three days.

    He wanted to say hi to his parents and reassure them about his safety then return quickly.

    At that moment, he suddenlyughed yfully because of Catalina¡¯s expression, who was standing behind his back.

    ¡°Why? Will you miss me even if I am absent for a few days?¡±

    Only now could they confirm each other¡¯s affection. Definitely, she would miss him.

    However, she couldn¡¯t even say yes immediately. When she blushed without answering, he took her hand and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be disappointed because I¡¯m going with you.¡±

    Astonished, she blinked, and Eligos and Opelia, who had already talked about it, exchanged meaningful nces. And Smi, waiting outside the door in the hallway, shook its head and clicked its tongue.

    ***

    [Any dungeon spirit will do. How about Ophelia, Eligos, Tigrius, or Skull, except for Catalina?]

    [In terms of camouge, I think Tigrius is the best!]

    Late at night, Lucia urgently made an offer to Yong-ho, who just returned from the House of Mammon quickly.

    He needed to have one dungeon spirit apanying him on his visit to his hometown.

    The dungeon spirit was supposed to escort him but would also assist him by using the magic for his return to the demon world.

    Yong-ho, a human being, was like a sign in the human world. Because of him, they could stably create the coordinate of the door of space leading to the human world.

    That was why he needed its opposite. If someone in the demon world directly connected to Yong-ho closely apanied him, it would be possible to obtain more stably the door of space leading to the demon world than he himself passed it alone.

    So, Yong-ho chose Catalina. Besides, she was his escort knight. In all respects, she was the right candidate.

    But Lucia didn¡¯t seem to think so.

    [Master?]

    [Master?]

    [You¡¯re so mean! If you cross into the human world, I can¡¯t watch, or protect you!]

    How could Lucia watch or protect him?

    So, he quickly ignored her suggestion this time. He picked up themunications gear and talked to Ophelia, who remained in the House of Randolt.

    (I will restore the power of the House of Mammon as much as possible during your absence.)

    (Don¡¯t worry about the situation here. Have a safe and pleasant trip!)

    Yong-ho also replied shortly because the device could only convey short messages.

    ¡°Okay, I hope I¡¯m in your good hands.¡±

    (I, Enderion¡¯s daughter, Ophelia, will try to meet your expectations.)

    Hismunication with Ophelia was cut off.

    He looked back at the dungeon spirits who came out to see him off.

    ¡°Master, have a great trip.¡±

    Yuria, already the cutie of the House of Mammon, said goodbye to him on behalf of them.

    She was really cute when she slightly bowed to lift her skirt.

    He stroked her head gently.

    ¡°Let me buy you a present. Have you heard about chicken?¡±

    ¡°Chicken?¡±

    ¡°Yes, trust me. It¡¯s incredibly delicious. It is also a symbol of world peace. If I can, I¡¯ll bring Coke, too.¡±

    Yuria¡¯s eyes twinkled at his grand exnation. Baduk, who was next to him, drooled at the name of the food. As a result of repeated evolution, Baduk turned into a reliable creature, but it was still a simple animal.

    After exchanging his gaze with Smistly, he stood at the door of space.

    Just like he did when he first met her, he gently grabbed Catalina¡¯s hand, who was dressed in a suit.

    [Please have a great trip!]

    [Please say hello to your father!]

    This time, Yong-ho didn¡¯t ignore Lucia¡¯s words.

    After greeting her, he turned to Catalina.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°I, Escort Knight Catalina, will risk my life to protect you, master!¡±

    Although she said it gravely, her ears and tail pped.

    How would his father react when he saw this escort knight?

    Lucia activated the door of space. Almost all of the mana produced daily by the House of Mammon was put into the door of space. As it was not sufficient, about half of the mana she umted for the past few days was exhausted.

    Mana swirled inside the empty circr frame of the door of space, creating a te of blue mana that moved like a wave.

    There was a road that led to the human world over there.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t leave for the human world for good. It would be his brief visit.

    Nheless, his heart was pounding.

    He stepped forward and threw himself into the door of space with Catalina.

 Chapter 149 - Mammonéˆ¥æªš Legacy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 149: Mammon¡¯s Legacy (1)</h4>

    This time, he felt different when he essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    This time, he felt somewhat different when he passed through the secret passage to the arena.

    The feeling when the water of Scathach¡¯s life covered his whole body.

    The moment he felt it, he lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again,pletely different senses dominated his whole body.

    Time has passed. He could recognize it. He only closed and opened his eyes, but there was definitely something in between.

    Yong-ho breathed. He quickly regained the sensation of his whole body. He felt the warmth and softness at his fingertips.

    Regardless of who was the first, Yong-ho raised his upper body almost at the same time as Catalina. Sitting down, they looked back, as if they promised to do so.

    Their mana was swirling. It looked like he was seeing the distortion created inside the dungeon.

    The twist that sprinkled a brilliant light naturally became smaller and fixed at the size of a small tennis ball. Only then could Yong-ho afford to look around.

    He opened his mouth wide open. It was foreign and familiar to him. It was strangely unfamiliar to him because almost all of therge furniture such as the bed and desk disappeared, but it was definitely Yong-ho¡¯s own room. The wallpaper and ceiling he was used to seeing for the past ten years proved that it was his room.

    He was back. This was Earth, the human world.

    Perhaps, since he realized he was back to his home, he felt that even the air was different.

    He could hardly see the flow of the demon world, which he always saw in the demon world by concentrating his consciousness. In fact, he was freed from the demon world now.

    ¡°It¡¯s my home,¡± he said.

    Catalina looked around, pping her ears slightly. When she first took him, she couldn¡¯t afford to look around because she took him only in haste.

    He couldn¡¯t pay much attention to her. He suddenly rose from his seat and shouted again.

    ¡°My home!¡±

    The smell of the room he missed so much tickled his nose. In fact, there was nothing special that he could smell in the room, but he was touched anyway.

    He quickly opened the door and shouted instinctively, ¡°Dad! Son is back! Dad!¡±

    But he heard no answer from his father. There was no one in the living room.

    Catalina said cautiously, ¡°There seems to be no one in this house right now.¡±

    Actually, she was much better at sensing human presence than him.

    He nodded. Come to think of it, it was natural there was nobody at home at this time.

    ¡®I think Daddy went to work. Chicken house. Our family business.¡¯

    Moreover, when Catalina and Eligos kidnapped him, they did something else. They said they left a letter he prepared carefully in the human world. Of course, it was a letter with trantion magic, so that people in the human world could understand it even if they didn¡¯t know thenguage of the demon world.

    ¡®Since your son has the talent of a demon king, we are inviting him as the master of the House of Mammon.¡¯

    That was what was written in the letter, ording to Eligos and Catalina.

    If the letter had been found in another house, his father might have suspected that his son, who was in delusion, left a strange letter before leaving the house, but Yong-ho¡¯s house was special. Maybe his father might have been happy to learn that his son finally carried out his determination.

    ¡®Um, my father might have thought so.¡¯

    His father might have even thought that it should be him, not his son, that Eligos and Catalina should have taken.

    Thinking about his father, Yong-ho calmed down. Although he was still excited, he could think about lots of other things.

    He looked at Catalina. She was good. Her ears and tails pped vigorously.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    After checking something out, which Catalina could not understand, Yong-ho looked back at himself. He first checked what he brought with him from the demon world.

    His suit as the Demon King, reminiscent of a semi-suit, was neat. The magic field on his left arm was also kept well in the form of gloves, and the me bracelet, another form of Aamon, was kept in good shape.

    He injected a little mana into Aamon. As if to respond, there was a faint green me around the bracelet. He could feel Aamon.

    Next, he opened the leather pocket on his waist. It was barely the size of a fist, but what was inside was special. It was full of items that seemed expensive at the first nce.

    It was the human world without the Dungeon Market. Although he was going to stay here for a few days, he didn¡¯t want to be financially pinched as the Demon King. Besides, he wanted to make fortune for his father.

    If he could have his way, he wanted to bring much more than now. However, since he spent so much money for the fight against Embrio, there weren¡¯t many cash assets he could bring immediately.

    ¡®How fortunate!¡¯

    Not only Catalina and Eligos, but also Ophelia did not know well about the movement between the two different worlds through the door of space. Even wizard Tigrius and Burgrim, who experienced moving between the two different worlds knew little about this field.

    What Yong-ho knew for sure was that all kinds of electronic devices, such as aputer and cell phone that he carried with him when he was first taken to the demon world were destroyed. Besides, those with a fairlyplex internal structure among the items in the desk drawer were ruined without exception.

    On the other hand, the clothes Yong-ho himself wore were intact. As a result, he took the gold and silver jewels under the assumption that those with simple structure would be okay. Fortunately, his prediction was correct.

    After breathing a sigh of relief, Yong-ho looked back at the ce where the twist of mana happened. He recalled something that came to his mind when he witnessed the gentle spreading of mana that leaked out like reverberation.

    ¡°By the way, Catalina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    ¡°What were you going to do about me in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    He slightly scratched the back of his neck. He didn¡¯t intend to question her about his kidnapping now. After experiencing the movement between the two worlds, however, he wanted to ask her. Moving between the two worlds wasn¡¯t far from normal. The amount of mana spent making the door of space was truly enormous.

    It might sound ridiculous, but Yong-ho himself made rapid growth beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. There was a reason why Tigrius called him a man with a miraculous growth after seeing him.

    That was why he could create the door of space.

    But what would have happened if Yong-ho himself did not have the sin of greed?

    Could he have achieved the same growth as now?

    It was questionable whether he could have managed to move between the two worlds even if he had not been defeated by the master of a house like Poras.

    The reason he came to the human world now was because he needed to visit once.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t have toe ¡®now.¡¯

    Eligos exined why Yong-ho should visit the human world. ording to him, since Yong-ho was from the human world, he needed to be exposed to the atmosphere of the human world on a regr basis. Otherwise, his power could be weakened.

    However, to examine his exnation a little further, it was somewhat different from what Yong-ho first thought.

    In fact, anyone didn¡¯t have to visit the human world by all means just because he was from it. Those who could handle mana from the time they first entered the demon world actually did not have to visit the human world.

    Yong-ho himself was now a very powerful demon king. Despite that, however, he needed to visit the human world once. It was because his mana was weak when he moved from the human world to the demon world, and his ability to control mana was also poor.

    In other words, regardless of how strong he became after entering the demon world, the amount of mana and his ability to control it at the time of moving between the two worlds determined the frequency or necessity of his revisiting.

    It was a rather strange phenomenon. It seemed more like an artificial concept of ¡®permission¡¯ rather than a natural phenomenon.

    It was like the situation where the length of one¡¯s stay in a foreign country differed, depending on what kind of visa one received when receiving one¡¯s entry or exit visa.

    ¡®It seems that there is an alien world with no restrictions like this.¡¯

    In any case, it was true that Yong-ho needed to visit his hometown once. And after this visit, he wouldn¡¯t have to revisit the human world for the next hundreds of years. Maybe the time limit itself would disappear because Yong-ho himself became that much stronger.

    However, Yong-ho was still in doubt when he recalled his first kidnapping.

    In what way did Catalina and Eligos think about having Yong-ho go back home?

    The two didn¡¯t even know that Yong-ho himself had the sin of greed, and they didn¡¯t expect he would make such a rapid growth.

    Did they take him to the demon world without any n just because they wanted to satisfy their pressing needs?

    Besides, Yong-ho had one more question.

    Eligos clearly said that he would use all of the remaining mana of the House of Mammon to open the door of space.

    When he experienced it, however, he wondered if it was possible.

    The House of Mammon at the time was really on the verge of ruin. They might have had a very small amount of mana by then?

    Until now, Yong-ho deliberately held the urge to ask this kind of question, but he had no other choice but to ask now.

    When Yong-ho narrated his questions one by one, Catalina curled her lips.

    After her ears drooped several times, she looked at his face and said very carefully, ¡°There was a scroll.¡±

    ¡°Scroll?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was one of the few legacies that had been inherited to the House of Mammon without being lost. I and the butler collected mana to operate the scroll.¡±

    Generally speaking, the magic of an ordinary scroll was supposed to be triggered by mana built into the scroll itself. However, since she mentioned she needed to get more mana, the scroll certainly didn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary one.

    ¡°How many scrolls were there at the time?¡±

    ¡°Well... just one. Still, it was useful. When I opened the door of space with this scroll, I could engrave a magic circle in the room of the demon king. So, I thought I could open it again at least once with the help of a famous wizard or the Dungeon Market or make the door of space like now!¡±

    It was what Yong-ho thought it was.

    Instead of getting angry, he pinched Catalina¡¯s cheeks painfully. He felt upset that she called him without any contingency n, but she and Eligos were so desperate at that time.

    Regardless of the process, however, Yong-ho chose the path to be the master of the Mammon House.

    When she looked like she was going to cry, feeling sorry, he found her long face so cute that he could not let go of her hand easily.

    He felt like he learned something dangerous just like when he first touched her tail.

    ¡°Hmmm. Let me ask you one more. How did you find me?¡±

    At first, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, but he felt it was a little weird when he thought about this. He couldn¡¯t even understand why he had not been curious until now.

    Gently rubbing her red cheeks, Catalina replied, ¡°Well, the scroll itself was not intended to open the door of space but find and bring someone suitable for the master of the Mammon House. Two candidates from the Mammon House were identified by the scroll, but only you had the ability to be the master.¡±

    ¡°The other one was my father?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Perhaps, the person that the scroll found was you. It seemed that your father was spotted because he was near you. I can confess it to you only now, but little did I think I was connected to the human world like this.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Yong-ho roughly understood the whole situation, but other questions came to his mind.

    Why did Mammone to this ce, Yong-ho¡¯s own hometown?

    And what was the difference between the human world and other alien worlds, such as Burgrim or Baphomet¡¯s hometown?

 Chapter 150 - Mammonéˆ¥æªš Legacy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 150: Mammon¡¯s Legacy (2)</h4>

    They bought and sold beings in the alien world at the Dungeon Market. If so, did they deliberately open the door of space and go to the alien world to search for beings to take as ves?

    Or did they go on a ve hunt whenever the twists leading to the alien world by chance opened up?

    Yong-ho got curious about this question but got it out of his head for now. He could get the detained answer if he could go back and ask Tigrius or Sitri, or even Scathach, but not now.

    ¡®Sitri wouldn¡¯t have said that for no reason.¡¯

    When he told Sitri he was rebuilding the door of space, she said it would never be easy.

    The former Sitri would not have said so simply because supplying mana was difficult. Obviously, there was something else that Yong-ho himself did not know yet.

    When he was lost in thought, Catalina hesitantly asked, ¡°Uh... Master?¡±

    She seemed worried that he might be angry a lot.

    However, he stroked her hair and said with a cheerful smile, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m home anyway. Let¡¯s enjoy our stay here until we go back to the demon world.¡±

    He was serious. After checking the scroll with the seal of the Dungeon Market, he reached out and closed the doorpletely. When returning, all he had to do was to make a little gap by tearing the scroll in the ce where the door of space was opened then send a signal to the House of Mammon. Then, the House of Mammon that received the signal was supposed to open the door of a new space by using Catalina as a coordinate.

    The duration of his stay in the human world was about two days based on the demon world. ordingly, he first needed to find out about the time difference between the two worlds.

    He wouldpare the time spent in the demon world with the time that passed here.

    He first headed to the window. He pulled out the blinds and looked out the window.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    He admired what he saw outside, and Catalina opened her eyes wide at the scene that she saw for the first time.

    Big snowkes were falling down from the sky on a dark winter night.

    ***

    ¡®Let mepare it thoroughly, but it¡¯s almost the same.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t simplypare it by the change of seasons. There were so many red things outside the window in addition to snow.

    Given that the church not far from his house was decorated with Christmas trees, it seemed to be around the end of the year. It was perhaps just before or after Christmas.

    Then what should he do now? Should he wait, sitting down in his room, until his father came back?

    Since he was not alone in the room, he could do something attractive to her but he couldn¡¯t.

    He headed to the living room then stood there looking at a small bulletin board in the living room.

    ¡°Oh, is this the rumored warning letter from the school?¡¯

    At the left corner of the bulletin board, there was a ¡®warning letter¡¯ issued by the university.

    Since he got F in all subjects, it was natural that he got the letter.

    But he wasn¡¯t afraid at all because he nned to drop out anyway.

    He was no longer a freshman of an engineering college, but the master of the Mammon House as well as the King of Greed.

    Nodding bravely, he turned his gaze to the side again. This time, he instinctively flinched before he knew it.

    ¡®You¡¯re alright.¡¯

    It was the same as the warning letter. But it had nothing to do with his own life.

    He deliberately ignored the ¡®physical examination notice¡¯ stamped by the Ministry of Defense, and he quickly looked at the bulletin board. Since there was nothing special, he reached out to Catalina, who fluttered her tail and looked around.

    ¡°Catalina, let¡¯s go to see my father. Oh, no, let¡¯s go and eat chicken¡±

    Just like Yuria did, Catalina tilted her head at the word ¡®chicken¡¯ but only for a moment.

    After tearing the disguise magic scroll that Tigrius had prepared for her in advance, she hid her ears and tail and held his hand.

    Then both of them went out in a pleasant mood.

    ***

    As soon as he left the front door, Yong-ho had no choice but to go back home.

    Unlike the warm southern area in the demon world, he felt so cold on a night in Seoul where big snowkes were falling down.

    He took out a long parka and mountaineering clothes called a windbreaker from the closet.

    After thinking hard for a moment, he handed the parka to Catalina because he felt it would make her warm enough.

    To his slight disappointment, she did not show any particr interest in the elevator.

    In a way, her reaction was nothing unusual because there were quite a few things like boxes that moved automatically in the demon world.

    Rather, she showed more interest in the snow falling down from the sky. Ever since she was born, she had never left the southern area, so she grew up without seeing snow at all.

    He cautiously reached out when he watched her ears flinching Instead of fluttering.

    He touched the space where her ears were supposed to be in ce, but he actually touched her real ears, for Tigrius¡¯ magic did not transform her ears. It just simply concealed them.

    Startled, she flinched, but he instinctively moved his fingers.

    Without bothering to read her mana, he touched her erected tail.

    His erotic feelings were revived this time, too. Her touch was sensual enough to make him addicted to it.

    ¡®No, this is not important.¡¯

    He asked her if she could wrap her tail around her waist or put it inside the padding.

    As things stood now, passersby could hit her tail.

    Catalina initially urged him not to y a prank on her, but she nodded awkwardly anyway.

    As he passed by the door of his apartment unit, cold air blew over his cheeks. He looked around, breathing in cold air.

    White snow covered the whole world. It was such a contrast with the ck sky, but he didn¡¯t feel they didn¡¯t cancel out each other. The night gently wrapped the white snow, and the white snow gave the night warmth.

    Christmas decorations on the flowerbeds of his apartment created a more colorful scene. Untilst year heined about such decorations, but this time, he felt different. The world looked so beautiful to him.

    ¡®I feel really warm out here.¡¯

    With his hands in his pockets, he made a gap inside it by slightly raising his left arm.

    Then he signaled to her with his eyes. She curled her lips then crossed his arms.

    As Christmas had yet toe, Christmas carols were ying everywhere. There were quite a lot of people on the street.

    Although the streets were wide, everything was densely located,pared to the southern area. She might have lots of curiosity here. Instead of looking around her, however, she leaned slightly to him and looked up at the stars in the night sky.

    He was also in a strange mood. It wasn¡¯t just because she was next to him.

    He came back to Earth, the human world.

    Just a few days ago, he was engaged in a life-threatening battle with Embrio, but now, he was in peace.

    But he didn¡¯t want to stay in peace forever.

    He felt that the ce he had to return to was not here but to the House of Mammon.

    He walked on the street slowly. Instead of looking around like her, he focused on himself.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that he was insensitive to people around him. Passersby were looking at them from all directions. Some of them stopped walking and turned to him and Catalina, and others even took pictures with smartphones.

    Catalina, who had a sharper sense than him, could not miss it.

    She whispered to him, ¡°Master, their intense gaze at us is not very good. Did they find out my identity?¡±

    Obviously, her voice was rather sharp than nervous. Although he used to tease her with a soft touch, she was his escort knight. She could overpower these passersby easily if she had to defend him.

    But he gently tapped her on the forehead and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. They¡¯re not looking at you for that reason. So, just never mind.¡±

    She tilted her head with a puzzled expression but listened to him.

    He rather enjoyed their intense gaze and various feelings in it and stepped forward.

    Among them were some women, who were turning their eyes at him, not her.

    He took great delight in it.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯m more handsome and cool now. My body is in better shape, too¡¯

    He was praising himself deep down when he suddenly stopped and smiled in satisfaction, looking at a store at a distance.

    It was a store decorated with wood. Inside the ss wall was full of customers, who enjoyed chicken and beer. It seemed as if he could hear their chattering from the chicken house.

    He wasn¡¯t moved to tears when he entered his room, but this time, he suddenly shed tears before he knew it. Rolling his eyes, he looked at somebody busily moving among the customers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Folding his arms, he walked with big strides. The store door opened with a jingling sound.

    ¡°Daddy,¡± he said briefly.

    The middle-aged man, who turned to him after hearing the jingling bell, faced him and stopped moving. Shortly afterward, he opened his mouth again.

    ¡°Son.¡±

    Yong-ho and the middle-aged man, Kija Cheon, stepped forward toward each other at the same time. ¡°Daddy!¡±

    Yong-ho opened his arms to give him an emotional hug. His father hugged him tightly.

    After tapping him on the back a couple of times, he looked back at his face.

    He said with a smile, ¡°Wee back. Let¡¯s share our dramatic reunion after the shop is closed. Delivery has been backed up. As you know, it¡¯s the busiest season of the year.¡±

    Yong-ho just blinked at his thrilled voice. He could not believe his ears.

    ¡°Two chicken orders in World Park Complex 6. I put the delivery address on the paper bag.¡±

    When he came to his senses, he was already outside the store. He found himself holding a paper bag with chicken in each hand.

    Yong-ho looked back again. His father wasn¡¯t looking at him.

    ¡°Uh... Master!¡±

    Catalina, who couldn¡¯t even enter the store at all, spoke in an embarrassed voice.

    Looking at her briefly, heughed. Heughed heartily.

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s my Daddy!¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°This is normal in my house. It is right for us to share the joy of our touching reunion after business hours.¡±

    Yong-ho felt a bit sorry for his father¡¯s way of weing him back when he returned home in several months, but he felt reassured at the same time. Obviously, his father understood his long absence from home well.

    ¡®Come to think of it, I wonder if he intentionally posted the warning letter from the university and the physical examination notice on the bulletin board?¡¯

    Did he do it to tease him as soon as his son came back?

    Again, such action befitted his father. That was why Yong-ho happily climbed onto the delivery motorcycle. Moreover, I wasn¡¯t alone here today. Sitting behind his back, Catalina naturally hugged his waist.

 Chapter 151 - Mammonéˆ¥æªš Legacy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 151: Mammon¡¯s Legacy (3)</h4>

    [Kangsok! Chicken delivery man is here. Go get it...]

    Yong-ho heard a husky voice over the speakerphone. He waited for the front door to open, manipting the card reader that he handled after a long time. Catalina pped her invisible tail behind his back.

    Shortly afterward, the front door opened, and a handsome and strong young man appeared.

    Although it was midwinter, he was wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

    ¡°Hello. The chicken¡¯s price is 13,000 won ($11)...¡±

    As soon as the door was opened, the young man, who spoke in a friendly manner, took a card out of his wallet. This man, whose name must be Kangsok as heard over the speakerphone, was dumb founded.

    He looked at Catalina over Yong-ho¡¯s shoulder nkly.

    Yong-ho turned up his mouth slightly again. He skillfully manipted the card reader after receiving it from the man. Then he gave the chicken bag and the card to the man who was still resting his dreamy eyes on her.

    ¡°Enjoy!¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks. Goodbye.¡±

    At that moment, the man came to his senses and returned Yong-ho¡¯s greetings with a smile.

    He wistfully looked at her again, but he closed the door in no time.

    ¡°It looks like he had a crush on you.¡±

    When Yong-ho whispered, getting on the elevator, Catalina slightly narrowed her eyes.

    She said in a very serious voice, ¡°He is obviously a fragile human being, but he looks unusual. Maybe he has great potential.¡±

    By evolving several times, she came to cultivate a great sense of discernment. So, given her statement, it seemed that the man was really a man of unusual strength.

    ¡®I wish I had examined him more closely. Something like his mana.¡¯

    However, Yong-ho already left the man¡¯s house, who was only a young man in his twenties that ordered chicken. Since the man didn¡¯t inherit the blood of the demon king like him, Yong-ho didn¡¯t have to care much.

    Yong-ho climbed on the motorcycle again. A stream of news was appearing on therge outdoor monitor of the broadcasting station across the street.

    [Recently, there are more and more people going into aa while ying online games.]

    [This is happening in several games, not any specific game. For this reason, experts present various views on it.]

    [Most experts point out various harms such as addiction to online games, but some experts havepletely different opinions.]

    [Reporter Hye-rim Jeon is going to report in detail. Reporter Jeon?]

    The sound of the broadcast news faded away.

    Yong-ho went out for seven more deliveries after that, and it wasn¡¯t until eleven o¡¯clock at night that he could meet his father at home. Fortunately, his father closed the store earlier than usual.

    His father sat down on the floor of the main bedroom and asked Yong-ho and Catalina to sit down. He listened to his son¡¯s story rtively calmly.

    Yong-ho did not make the mistake of telling him honestly what he had suffered. Not only did he skip anything about the battles, but also he greatly glorified the condition of the House of Mammon. He didn¡¯t want to make his father worry about him uselessly.

    After hearing all of his son¡¯s story, his father let out a heavy sigh and looked at his son and Catalina alternately.

    Shaking his head in no time, he said in a low voice, ¡°Dang it. I should have been there.¡±

    He almost murmured to himself, which made Yong-ho smile. It befitted his typical reaction.

    As if he said it as a joke, his father also giggled.

    ¡°Anyway, you solved my long-cherished wish instead. I would like to congratte you on bing a demon king. Um, is it okay for me to celebrate you? I don¡¯t think there is somebody like a warrior in the demon world, right?¡±

    Yong-ho barely held the urge tough at the word ¡®long-cherished wish.¡¯ As expected, it was not Yong-ho alone who had delusions when he came to find out the secret of his family.

    ¡®Come to think of it...¡¯

    Adjusting his posture, Yong-ho looked at his father. Then he triggered the power of evolution right away.

    [Name: KiJa Cheon (Male)]

    [Race: Human]

    [Property]

    [Individual nature]

    [Smart / Whimsical / Sly.]

    [Individual aptitude]

    [Intellect / Stamina]

    After all, like father, like son.

    Yong-ho, whoughed at his slyness first, let out a mixed and subtle sigh. It wasn¡¯t because of his father¡¯s extremely low stats. In fact, he could evolve his father quickly even without collecting evolution EXP.

    ¡®Is he the same grade as a skeleton worker?¡¯

    After all, his father was as good as a human being.

    What Yong-ho could evolve with the power of evolution was only those who had a certain level of rtionship with him. Only then could he make them his dungeon spirits and evolve them.

    However, Kija Cheon was different. He was Yong-ho¡¯s father. He could evolve his father even without making him his dungeon spirit.

    ¡°Daddy, close your eyes and stay still. I¡¯ll do something good for you.¡±

    ¡°Your eyes are glittering so intensely. I don¡¯t think I need a shlight in case of a ckout. You¡¯re different from me.¡±

    ¡°Because I am a real demon king.¡±

    When Yong-ho approached him, chattering lightly, his father looked somewhat anxious, but he soon closed his eyes. Yong-ho put his hand on his shoulders and activated the power of evolution.

    ¡°Oh my...¡±

    When Yong-ho chose the specialization of his physical strength, he got the expected results.

    His father wasn¡¯t as much rejuvenated as Eligos, but that was enough. Not only the fine wrinkles around his eyes have disappeared, but his build has grown stronger than before.

    ¡®He doesn¡¯t have a horn yet.¡¯

    Yong-ho thought about goblins for a moment then shook his head quickly. He felt he should not think about more than now.

    Regardless of his son¡¯s reaction, Kija Cheon was amazed by his thick arm muscles. Then he nced at Catalina who was smiling softly as if she enjoyed watching them all along.

    He told Yong-ho again, ¡°Son, I have something for you, too. It¡¯s a family treasure that I was going to pass on to you someday. I think now is the time.¡±

    After telling him about it directly, his father opened a small safe inside a chest. He pulled out a box the size of his palm and presented it to his son.

    ¡°This is our family treasure. ording to our ancestors, it is said to be the object of the man, the very demon king whose blood is flowing in our family members.¡±

    ording to him, this had been kept for over a thousand years.

    ¡°It¡¯s a mysterious item. It looks like an ordinary antique, but it certainly has some power. Over the past thousand years, our family lost this item several times. But it was handed back to our family in one way or another, I hear.¡±

    Then he opened the lid of the box. There was a ck, round metal te inside the box.

    Yong-ho had never seen it before. However, Catalina¡¯s expression changed.

    A smile disappeared from Yong-ho¡¯s face.

    It wasposed of a metal te.

    God¡¯s metal Brigada reacted to Yong-ho¡¯s mana. It shined brightly on its own.

    The fragments of memories that had been kept for over a thousand years were just revealed. He was holding a woman in his arms.

    The woman with dark hair and purple eyes was by no means ordinary.

    But he didn¡¯t care. Although the woman was considered alien to humans in this world, she was just a woman to him.

    She was beautiful, wise, and kind. And she loved him, above all.

    That was enough.

    He himself.

    He blinked his eyes. The woman disappeared. He saw a man covered in a lion¡¯s skin.

    So heavy and tall, the man was meeting her eye level even when he sat down.

    The man said something to her, which made sense. Unlike his savage appearance, the man was always rational.

    The man wasn¡¯t eloquent , but she nodded at the man¡¯s short but powerful words.

    But in the end, she didn¡¯t follow the man¡¯s words.

    The man wasn¡¯t angry. He sighed once as if he also expected things would end up like this.

    As always, the man stood up.

    The man took a few steps again. The surroundings changedpletely.

    Two women stood far away. They stood side by side. Then one of them was hugging the other, but their expressions were different.

    The blonde woman, who covered her eyes with red leather, was angered by the red-haired woman who kept trying to stick to her. But the woman didn¡¯t push her away. The red-haired woman smiled brightly at the blonde woman. She pretended to be extremely friendly to that blonde woman.

    It was a familiar scene. When he covered his eyes, more things came to his mind and disappeared again.

    What appearedstly was a red-skinned man and a woman with watery hair. The red-haired man¡¯s head had a horn like a bull¡¯s.

    He said something, holding the woman¡¯s waist tightly. It was what he used to say, something like ¡®I would follow you wherever you go.¡¯

    This time, again, she nodded. But she did the same to the man wearing the lion¡¯s skin.

    He could not ept it. He could not allow her to share hisst moment.

    He turned around. There was an endless staircase under the blue sky.

    He looked down from there.

    Their images ovepped, and their visions were mixed.

    Yong-ho looked up from the bottom of the stairs at the man who was introduced as ¡°he, himself¡± a moment ago.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Mammon.¡±

    There came out a voice, unwittingly. The man on the stairs, Mammon, the King of Greed, smiled brightly. Instead of looking down from above, he flopped down on the stairs.

    Yong-ho instinctively felt that this was not a conversation. It was a unteral notification. Those standing there now were the same illusions until now.

    Mammon rested his chin on his hand. Tworge horns reced his crown. The rest of the horns were hidden, so it was not known how many horns he had originally.

    It was an illusion.

    Obviously, it was no more than an illusion.

    However, there were mixed feelings reflected in Mammon¡¯s eyes, something like affection or kindness.

    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m facing you here means that you are special among my descendants. You¡¯re a special guy who not only has the power of greed but alsoes from an alien world. I wonder how many years passed after I died until you were born. I¡¯m also curious about how much you resemble your founding grandma ¡®Yon.¡¯ I wonder if I can find any trace of your resemnce to Yon since your blood has been mixed for numerous generations.¡±

    The woman with ck hair and purple eyes.

    Mammon took his hand off his chin with a regrettable expression.

    ¡°Unfortunately, you are still not qualified. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you everything. But it looks like it won¡¯t be long before I will lower the bar for qualifications.¡±

    Yong-ho wanted to ask what the heck he was talking about, but he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    He could not even climb the stairs. He just got fixated on the spot, and Mammon stood up and opened his arms.

    ¡°Boy, keep this in mind. I have always been faithful to my desires. That¡¯s why I do not regret my ¡®choice¡¯ at all.¡±

    That was why he did not listen to the man in the lion¡¯s skin or Gusion. He rejected Scathach¡¯s wish because he loved her. He didn¡¯t need to share hisst moment with her.

    ¡°Boy, the new King of Greed. I hope you can do the same.¡±

 Chapter 152 - Mammonéˆ¥æªš Legacy (4)

    <h4>Chapter 152: Mammon¡¯s Legacy (4)</h4>

    Mammon smiled. Seeing his smile, Yong-ho had no choice but to ept his advice.

    Mammon turned and slowly climbed the stairs. He moved on with Yong-ho gazing at him from behind.

    Looking at his back, Yong-ho raised his head a little more. He looked up to the sky at the end of the stairs. And he realized that the sky was not in the demon world or in the human world.

    It was something different.

    Darkness captured the light.

    Yong-ho opened his eyelid.

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    He gasped for breath. When he opened his eyes urgently, he saw his father thrown into confusion. He could hear Catalina¡¯s voice, too.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Yong-ho felt heartsick. Losing his bnce at the moment, he quickly reached out and touched the ground. Catalina hugged his waist.

    His jacket was taken off, or rather, it was torn apart.

    A metal te that was split into dozens of pieces was attached to his left chest like a tattoo.

    Like a wound from a beast¡¯s w, it was long and reached down to his side.

    It didn¡¯t hurt. Rather, he felt fresh. He felt like he got a big load off his chest.

    He naturally closed his eyes. He felt greedy. His greed ate something new. He could do what he couldn¡¯t do before.

    The power of attribute. Something he devoured but could not make his own.

    Greed awakened Agares¡¯ lightning again. The earth, which was the attribute of thend worm, also woke up after lightning.

    He felt the light and darkness one after another. The earth, fire, wind, water, lightning, light, and darkness, called the Seven Great Attributes, all radiated their own light inside greed.

    Their strength and weakness existed. However, everything empowered him.

    Even those things other than the Seven Great Attributes could now be called his attributes.

    Yong-ho opened his eyes again and reserved his stronger greed.

    Then he smiled with an effort at his father and Catalina, who was wearing a worried expression, to try to calm them down.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Are you really okay? Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Mammon¡¯s purpose was twofold, namely passing down memories and reinforcing greed. Of the two, passing down memories was iplete. However, only reinforcing greed was done properly.

    ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve learned how to deal with greed.¡¯

    It was the kind of know-how that he could obtain only after dealing with the power of greed for a long time. He felt he obtained it. He even felt greed and his own will were united into one.

    Yong-ho carefully pushed Catalina aside and changed the way he was sitting.

    Watching his son quietly, his father let out a sigh as if he felt rxed.

    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s true that the demon king¡¯s blood is flowing in our family.¡±

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s blood is also flowing,¡± Yong-ho said abruptly.

    One of the transferred memories naturally came out.

    ¡°Our ancestors, I mean the woman who married Mammon and gave birth to our ancestors. She wasn¡¯t pure human but half-human and half-demon. She was sort of a nine-tailed fox, and her name was Yon.¡±

    Catalina, who didn¡¯t know what a nine-tailed fox was, blinked with a confused look.

    His father, who was dumbfounded for a moment, soon regained hisposure and said, ¡°It¡¯s unconventional, but it¡¯s a secret of our birth that isn¡¯t particrly surprising.¡±

    Anyway, it happened a thousand years ago, and those born at that time were also the very distant ancestors of Yong-ho¡¯s family.

    Yong-ho also nodded at the new fact about his ancestors. The descendants of the demon king or the descendants of the demon king and the half-demon were the same. Anyway, Cheon¡¯s family was mixed with lots of human blood for a thousand years.

    The legacy inherited from generation to generation for a thousand years was now in Yong-ho¡¯s heart. Moreover, it was unlikely that he would remove it.

    His father stood up, slightly ncing at the clock on the wall. He told Yong-ho and Catalina, who were about to stand up simultaneously.

    ¡°It¡¯s so dark outside. Go to sleep. I have made the bed for you in your room.¡±

    ¡°Daddy?¡±

    His father passed by his son and opened the door of the main bedroom. It seemed that he nned to show him to the room in person.

    After all, Yong-ho also hurriedly stood up. Catalina also came out with the two into the living room. However, the way his father acted was a bit weird.

    Instead of heading to Yong-ho¡¯s room, his father headed toward the front door.

    On the way, he didn¡¯t forget to put on the coat on the sofa in the living room.

    ¡°Let me go out for a drink. I¡¯m probablying backte tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    What the heck was he talking about? How could he get out when his son returned home in several months? Was he going out for a drink with somebody at this time?

    When he was at a loss about what to do, his father clicked his tongue.

    Then he winked at Yong-ho and left quickly.

    Before following his father, Yong-ho recalled hisst nce at him. Then he naturally understood what his father signaled to him.

    He gulped before he knew it and turned quickly.

    Instead of taking care of Catalina, who was also embarrassed, Yong-ho opened the door of his room.

    There were two pillows but one nket in the middle of the room.

    He could immediately understand what it meant. Both blushed and gulped at the same time.

    ***

    It was dark and quiet.

    Even though he kept a thick cotton nket on, he felt like he could hear his heartbeat.

    He gasped for breath, though briefly. Without even closing his eyes, he just stared at the ceiling.

    In fact, there was nothing special about it. It wasn¡¯t the first time heid on the floor side by side with Catalina like this. Didn¡¯t he sleep with her on the floor like this for a few days after bing the master of the house?

    ¡®No, it¡¯s different! How can it be the same this time?!¡¯

    Yes, that was true. This time, the situation was too different. It was definitely not the same as the previous situation.

    First of all, there was no Eligos. There was no Lucia. There wasn¡¯t even Ophelia who could open the door anytime and disturb them. Even Aamon didn¡¯t respond as usual. It was as if Aamon fell asleep.

    ¡°Catali...¡±

    ¡°Mast...¡±

    The two blurred at the same time before stopping.

    In extreme tension, he squeezed his voice.

    ¡°You go first.¡±

    ¡°You first, master...¡±

    Even this time, they talked at the same time. Their voices couldn¡¯t mix in the air and shattered. He closed his eyes tightly in a tense situation that made him so nervous and excited.

    He caught his breath to pluck up courage.

    At that moment, there was something that touched his fingertips. It was her hand that he held not only today but also several times in the past. But her touch was special this time. Her hand just touched his fingertips, but he felt like his chemistry with her was electrifying.

    He didn¡¯t know if he moved first or Catalina did it first, but suddenly, their hands touched each other. Naturally, they interlocked their fingers.

    ¡°Remember my wish for you? It¡¯s still valid, right?¡± She said when he opened his eyes.

    Although she stuttered, she said it clearly. He turned his head to the side.

    Lying on her side, she was looking at him with her ears drooping.

    He did not move. She carefully stretched out one of her hands that didn¡¯t touch him.

    She had her face close to him.

    This time, she closed her eyes again. He could hear her breathing. Then she kissed him.

    Her shy kissing did not end there. She felt like her tongue melted. Her heart was beating wildly as if it was going to burst at any moment. The saliva she tasted for the first time was so sweet.

    ¡®You¡¯re so good at kissing.¡¯

    He was embarrassed. Her kiss was clearly clumsy. But it was really fascinating.

    Since it was her first time kissing him, it was funny for him to question if it was good or bad, but he was convinced that she kissed well. Her kiss reminded him that she was a half subus.

    Her breathing, which paused for a moment, continued again. Her sweet breathing touched his lips.

    Gently opening his eyes, he gulped again before he knew it. He looked at her blushing cheeks and her eyes, wandering about what to do. Curling up her body because she was shy, she looked so lovely to him.

    He naturally caressed her cheeks, which were hot. He smiled, and she slightly curled her lips.

    Her ears that drooped got stiff as if she was tense.

    He then touched his ears and kissed her once again.

    ***

    Yong-ho¡¯s father returned home around lunchtime the next day. His son, whose mind he read so well, wasfortably sitting on the sofa in the living room.

    His son looked so peaceful and rxed as if he owned the whole world.

    He winked at his son like he didst night, who was smiling at him like a man.

    This time, Yong-ho opened his mouth first.

    ¡°Daddy, are you not going to open the shop?¡±

    ¡°Today the store is closed temporarily. Have you forgotten telling me you are going back tomorrow?¡±

    Yesterday, the store was already open, and there were customers, so he could not forcibly close it. But he could close it today.

    Catalina, who usually sleptte in the morning, woke up muchter today.

    Feeling a bit awkward, Yong-ho prepared lunch. Usually, there were only two at the dining table, but today, there were three after a long time.

    Another dreamlike day passed.

    Packing lots of stuff to take to the demon world, Yong-ho tore the scroll to create a new twist. When he sent a signal to the House of Mammon, arge door of space was formed from the twist.

    ¡°I wille back again.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t go with his father. It wasn¡¯t time yet. It was highly likely that a new war would break out in the demon world.

    His father tapped Yong-ho on the shoulder. He didn¡¯t feel sorry for his son, who didn¡¯t talk about going with him.

    ¡°Son, as always, I respect your choice. So, behave yourself well. Don¡¯t get hit by anybody. Got it?¡±

    He winked with one eye. At that moment, Yong-ho knew it.

    His father already noticed that what his son said was not true and that the demon world was by no means a peaceful and safe ce.

    After all, Yong-ho couldn¡¯t deceive his father. His father could discern everything about him by merely looking at his gaze.

    It was possible because he was his father and parent.

    His father pped him on the shoulder. Instead of holding him in his arms, his father took a step back and increased the distance between them.

    ¡°Go back now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dad.¡±

    Yong-ho smiled at him. Catalina moved up and down her lips to say goodbye but gave up.

    She returned his goodbye by bowing to him.

    His father also smiled, beckoning to him to hurry up.

    Yong-ho held her hand. He gave his father a slight nod for thest time and threw himself into the door of space.

    Standing still, his father watched him going back. Even after the door of space was closed and the twistingpletely disappeared, he stood there for a while then turned around.

    ¡®The demon king¡¯s blood is flowing in our family.¡¯

    It had only been 4 years since he said it to Yong-ho.

    His father left his son¡¯s room. His blue eyes glittered intensely after a long time.

    He closed the door with an awkward smile. It was time for him to open the store.

 Chapter 153 - Preparation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 153: Preparation (1)</h4>

    Embrio was dead.

    The meaning of his death in the southern area was extraordinary.

    He was the most powerful master in the southern area and also the most belligerent.

    Few thought that Embrio¡¯s death would mean the end of the war.

    His death was likely only the beginning of a new war because of his risky ambitions during his lifetime. In the worst case, the entire southern area could be in unprecedented turbulence like a carriage without the horseman.

    Everyone in the southern area was all on edge. Embrio¡¯s remnants were seeking a way to survive, and the masters of houses in the eastern area were restless because of the power of the new master of the House of Mammon.

    It wasn¡¯t the masters of houses that suffered the most when war broke out. The ordinary people, who were destined to be sacrificed in the war, kept being anxious about their future.

    However, all of this only mirrored the situation of the southern area.

    Embrio¡¯s death.

    From the perspective of the whole demon world, it was not a big event.

    It could be rightly called a storm in a teacup.

    The King of Gluttony thought it should be called like that and intended to make it a minor event.

    The king raised his unusuallyrge arm to enjoy dinner. A glutton as well as a gourmet, he ate, drank, and devised how to start a war.

    Atst, a war broke out. The King of Pride finally advanced his army toward the territory of the King of Envy. Since the former dered a war, befitting his grandiose ambitions, nobody believed the current war would end up being a small local war like before. It was an all-out war. An all-out war among the kings who had sin and Godly Energy!

    The King of Gluttony was eating food more quickly. Rakshasas, who had been kidnapped from the King of Fury¡¯s territory, hastily brought new food to him. Gandarbas, the beautiful girls and musicians for him, also yed faster music to the pace of his eating.

    The King of Gluttony came from a lowly devil, a small and fragile demon often eaten as snacks byrge monsters such as ogres or trolls.

    As a result, the King of Gluttony knew his limits. Unlike other kings, who were noble from birth, he knew how to endure and stick it out.

    The King of Pride was certainly strong. Probably, he was the strongest of the current six kings.

    But the King of Envy was also as tough as him. He was the oldest king, along with the King of Lust. He was a living legend that lived during the same era as Mammon, the great King of Greed.

    The fight between the two was unlikely to end quickly. So, the King of Gluttony had to make the most of it. Namely, he wanted to control information and minimize several facts about Embrio¡¯s death.

    The Bone Dragon? Its power was only the delusion of the wanderers, who fled the battlefield. Its power was greatly exaggerated in the process of its rumors spreading everywhere. It was more of an undead Wyvern. That was the right title for the dragon. And it would soon turn out true.

    The kings were not supposed to have any interest in the southern area. They had to look to the north only. The King of Gluttony himself was thinking of pretending to do so. He already deployed his troops on the northern and western borders.

    He would attack the southern area only after his battle with the northern area escted enough. It was when all the kings got the south out of their minds when it was time for him to upy the south.

    ¡®The master of the House of Mammon.¡¯

    His performance on the battlefield was impressive to the King of Gluttony.

    He could not obtain detailed information about the master because the mole he ced to watch Embrio was killed, but his defeat of Embrio as well as the Bone Dragon and the situation of the battle he grasped indirectly through the eyes of the crow were enough to confirm that the master was very powerful.

    The sudden emergence of a powerful master in the southern area?

    It wasn¡¯t impossible. It was really possible.

    But what if it was not true?

    What if the master, like the King of Gluttony, came from a low birth?

    More than a thousand years had passed since the sin of greed disappeared.

    The King of Gluttony began to move his hand again and devoured the food in front of him.

    <hr />

    The power of experience was great. Yong-ho¡¯s second movement between the two worlds was much better than his first one. Instead of sitting down, he stood upright and met the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon who came out to wee him back.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Just as she did when he left, Yuria greeted him on behalf of them.

    Yong-ho put down packages on both hands and stroked her head. Yuria wasn¡¯t the only one to wee him back cutely.

    [I earnestly waited for you toe back!]

    [Wee back, Master. How was your trip to your hometown?]

    Lucia, who was talking to him cheerfully, suddenly raised her voice.

    Startled, Yong-ho raised his head. Yuria as well as other dungeon spirits looked at him, embarrassed.

    Lucia shouted again.

    [There is something different about you!]

    [Seriously! Something different about you!]

    [Uh... Oh, no.]

    [I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t protected you.]

    [Sob, sob]

    [I should have seen it.]

    What Lucia saidst was the most important. Yong-ho, who smiled awkwardly in embarrassment, sharply looked at Lucia, and she giggled as if she deliberately cracked a joke.

    [Haa, our master has be a man!]

    [You have lost your purity, but that¡¯s your other charm. As you have been breathed on, why don¡¯t you decide to be a bad man from now on?]

    Yong-ho narrowed his eyes even more. He even doubted that Lucia was talking to someone else, not him. Her use of vocabry was getting more lively day by day.

    ¡°Stop joking now!¡±

    After whispering to her, he took his hand off Yuria and looked at other dungeon spirits.

    An unexpected person was standing among them.

    ¡°Ophelia?¡±

    ¡°I, Ophelia, Enderion¡¯s daughter, am happy to meet you, master of the Mammon family. I briefly stopped by before heading to the Free City.¡±

    Unlike Yuria, who greeted awkwardly, Ophelia greeted him professionally, rolling her eyes quietly. Catalina, who was standing nkly behind him, looked at her.

    ¡°Hummmm¡±

    Her moaning had mixed meanings.

    Catalina let her ears droop and curled her lips when she found Ophelia¡¯s sharp nce. Eventually, she lowered his head, blushing.

    Ophelia grinned then told him, who was a bit embarrassed like Catalina, ¡°It seems like you had a great and rewarding vacation out there. Congrattions!¡±

    Her statement was as significant as her gaze.

    Although Ophelia was not as good as his father in terms of discernment, Yong-ho found it hard to hide his sleeping with Catalina from her. So, he just chuckled. Smi, lying on the floor at some distance, shook its head at Yong-ho¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°You¡¯ve brought lots of stuff here. Can you tell me what they are?¡± Asked Ophelia.

    Ophelia, one of the good dungeon spirit models, did not put her master in trouble.

    She changed the topic appropriately.

    So, he replied right away, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to see you empty-handed. So, I¡¯ve brought a motley of stuff.¡±

    Indeed, the baggage was full of various stuff.

    Since they were extraordinarily strong, Yong-ho and Catalina could bring them. The baggage was heavy enough for four or five adults to carry.

    Yuria, who was closest to Yong-ho, also showed interest in the baggage. She didn¡¯t p her tail or ears like Catalina, but two strands of her hair that protruded like antennae were cutely pping instead.

    Baduk, sitting next to Yuria, also sniffed its nose. It seemed that Baduk was trying to prove his smelling power like a dog.

    ¡°Alright. Look at this, Yuria. This is a chicken.¡±

    Yong-ho did not dy opening the baggage. He opened one of the paper boxes on the top of the baggage and showed them the savory seasoned chicken. It was fried chicken prepared by his father passionately for the dungeon spirits of his son and the House of Mammon. There was no ¡°chicken¡± as a dish in the demon world, but there were creatures that almost looked like chicken. Yuria and Baduk instinctively realized that what he took out was ¡°meat¡±.

    Baduk already started to drool. Yuria also drooled over it.

    Yong-ho did not stall for time. He immediately wrapped a chicken leg in a piece of paper and gave it to Yuria.

    ¡°Thanks for the chicken.¡±

    After thanking him first as she learned, Yuria bit the chicken leg. Then she made an expression she had never made before. Her expression was ecstasy itself.

    This time, Baduk was drooling profusely over it. Yong-ho handed a piece of chicken to Baduk and observed it happily.

    He was not sure about their eating culture in the whole demon world, but there was one thing that he could confirm at least within the southern area.

    The dietary culture in the southern area didn¡¯t develop very much.

    All meat was grilled or boiled raw, and most vegetables were eaten raw or boiled in water.

    It was the same for the bread made from grain. However, pancakes made with eggs were among the most delicious foods.

    Of course, even in the southern part of the country, there was something called splendid dishes. For example, Ophelia¡¯s tavern sold some quite delicious dishes. But it was hard to say that they were really delicious. The average taste was so low that they just tasted rtively delicious.

    The reason why the food culture in the southern area was so undeveloped as to rival British cuisine was because of the food situation there.

    Since the area was so deste, they could not properly farm. With nothing around, seafood was also rare, and most of the fruits in the forest were inedible.

    In a word, food was rare there. It was impossible for them to develop food in this situation. They didn¡¯t have enough food to eat right now, so how could they study something like cuisine?

    It was all thanks to the Dungeon Market that cooking in the southern area was developed as much as it was now.

    If the Dungeon Market had not supplied them with basic food at low prices, the poption in the southern area would have certainly been reduced by half.

    So, long ustomed to the rustic southern food, these dungeon spirits had the first taste of delicious dishes of modern society.

    What a difference between cooking for survival and cooking for gourmandism!

 Chapter 154 - Preparation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 154: Preparation (2)</h4>

    Yuria, who ate a chicken leg right away, was so excited that she was jumping up and down in ce. It looked like she wanted to express her feelings but couldn¡¯t think of the right words.

    Baduk was chewing on even the chicken bones beside Yuria.

    Since the two showed such a fantastic response, other dungeon spirits, who gathered near the door of space, watching the two eating carefully, showed deep interest. They were already drooling because of the delicious smell of the chicken.

    Yong-ho served a piece of chicken to one of the dungeon spirits that pretended to be the most indifferent. She was none other than Ophelia.

    ¡°Hey, Ophelia, try it. It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Ophelia received one and took a bite of it gracefully. Catalina held the urge tough hard while watching her. She then pped her ears in no time because she saw Ophelia¡¯s tails wagging violently.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yeah, I have to admit it.¡±

    Ophelia held the urge to take one more bite as much as possible. In fact, she was the hostess of a tavern nearby, which could be called the best ¡®restaurant¡¯ in the area. So, she didn¡¯t want to show them she was making a big fuss over the food.

    Although she wasn¡¯t honest, Yong-ho was satisfied because he also noticed her tail wagging fervently even without Catalina¡¯s signaling to him with her eyes.

    Yong-ho opened a few more chicken boxes and handed them out to those dungeon spirits that gathered near the door of space. While everyone was enjoying the chicken happily, Treant, which couldn¡¯t eat food, let its branches droop with a long face.

    ¡°Let me tell you what I have brought here.¡±

    Ophelia, who secretly packed a box for Eligos, turned around in embarrassment.

    Instead of embarrassing her, Yong-ho naturally pointed to the box stacked right under the chicken.

    ¡°This is Coke. It¡¯s a soft drink. It¡¯s really the best if you drink it cold.¡±

    Yong-ho just felt good just by looking at it. But Ophelia was a little different.

    She blinked her eyes several times and asked in a cautious tone, ¡°Uh... Master, did you bring only something to eat?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    Ophelia¡¯s pretty eyebrows frowned a bit. He heartilyughed at her gaze that reflected regret and a little bit of pathetess.

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, of course.¡±

    He removed the boxes of clothes he bought for some dungeon spirits such as Catalina, Yuria, and Ophelia. He then pointed to the thingsid under them. There were stacks ofrge bags.

    ¡°I bought some seeds.¡±

    ¡°Seeds? Do you mean seeds to grow crops?¡±

    ¡°Right. The grains supplied by the Dungeon Market are okay, but their breed was not improved. These seeds are a better breed you can grow properly in the Garden of Life.¡±

    There were potatoes in the human world, and there were simr crops like potatoes in the demon world, but they were different. Potatoes in the demon world were small and tasteless, and they didn¡¯t taste as good as those in the human world.

    It was because of the difference in crop breeding.

    Potatoes in the human world were improved in a way that they became bigger, more delicious, and more productive. Compared with wild corn that didn¡¯t go through crop breeding with the corn grown on a farm, grains of thetter were ten times as many as the former.

    All the crops supplied by the Dungeon Market couldn¡¯t be called wild crops, but they were inferior to their counterparts in the human world. That was why Yong-ho brought the seeds.

    The Garden of Life was not just fertilend. There was an aura of growth promotion that originated in Scathach¡¯s vitality, whose amount would make it possible to collect several times as many seeds within a few months.

    ¡°And these are books on farming. I¡¯ve also brought some cookbooks.¡±

    Although Ophelia did not know the human characters, she could roughly guess what kind of information was in it. After admiring the excellent binding of the books and the printing method, she agreed with his opinion.

    ¡°If we can provide delicious meals of excellent quality, the morale of dungeon spirits will go up greatly.¡±

    After all, all of them are working to eat. Moreover, the pleasure of eating was very important in the demon world where there were few dishes to enjoy. It was far from the situation where in the army soldiers paid lots of attention to the taste ofbat food.

    Except for chicken, coke, and a few favorite items, it was no exaggeration to say that virtually all of the items in Yong-ho¡¯s baggage were agricultural products.

    Since his visit to the human world was made so suddenly and his stay there was so brief, he could not afford to buy other stuff.

    Yong-ho felt it rather awkward to bring out clothes for Yuria and Opheliastly in the presence of other dungeon spirits, so he changed the topic.

    ¡°How have you been here? Didn¡¯t anything else happen while I wasn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°Restoring their strength is going on well. Brother Eli and Skull are returning to the House of Mammon with the Skull unit. Maybe they will arrive by tomorrow morning. They startedte because they were wounded, but they are all in good shape now. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    Ophelia paused for a moment then continued after catching her breath.

    ¡°The House of Randolt has stabilized again under Tigrius¡¯mand. I¡¯m going to go back to the Free City tomorrow. And the bones of the Bone Dragon have been stored safely in the warehouse. Burgrim is so anxious to work on his dream right now.¡±

    Listening to her briefing quietly, Yong-ho opened his eyes wide and asked, ¡°Huh? Burgirm is just looking at them now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since the bones of the Bone Dragon are a valuable asset. It is impossible for Burgrim to tamper with them without your permission.¡±

    Cutting him off, she rted the rest of her briefing to him.

    ¡°A battle between the runaway soldiers seems to have broken out in the west, as expected. I guess refugees from the west wille in a few days. In the case of the north and the east... sorry. I have not yet gathered intelligence about the situation there. However, I think those in the east will have heard about Embrio¡¯s death by now. So, I think they will have to choose whether to attack the southern area or defend their ownnd by the day after tomorrow at thetest.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They are far away from us anyway. What about the remnant soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Those runaway soldiers, who fled to the south, were not engaged in any suspicious activities yet. Contrary to our concerns, Demon King Lotus of the Wild Animals seems to have moved westward.¡±

    The situation was very favorable for Yong-ho. It seemed that he didn¡¯t have to worry about them at this point.

    ¡°Jun, take the remaining chicken to the restaurant and hand it out to other dungeon spirits. And move all other packages to my room.¡±

    Jun, the only female Goblin Ranger, who was ying the role of butler Eligos, bowed to him and followed his order. Jon, Ron, and Yon moved with Jun like they were one. Although there were three helping her, they acted in perfect unison.

    [Master, you must have been very tired from your journey. Are you going to move around right away?]

    When Lucia quickly asked quick-wittedly, Yong-ho replied in a low voice, ¡°You know I had a good rest for two days. And it seems that there are a lot who have been waiting for my return anxiously for the two days I was away.¡±

    He recalled several of them in his mind. Catalina approached him. Leaning toward him, she, who had a deeper bond with him than ordinary dungeon spirits, asked, ¡°Which one would you want to see first?¡±

    ¡°Well, let me think about it. I guess she¡¯s going to wait for me more earnestly.¡±

    He beat around the bush, but Catalina instantly knew who she was, for they could understand each other¡¯s intention just by looking at their eyes.

    Catalina curled her lips slightly when he mentioned that woman.

    <hr />

    [I was worried that the power of your anguish would disappear... I think my concern was unfounded.]

    [The power of your anguish has be stronger.]

    Yong-ho was standing in the middle of the arena. There was no enemy on the other side.

    There was the wreckage of the 13th floor floor master, Giant War Golem, scattered everywhere after beingpletely shattered.

    The instant opening of his mana, which could be better called ¡®explosion,¡¯ was far from simple.

    Mana released by Yong-ho was always different. Depending on the color and properties of the opponent¡¯s mana, he brought out the opposite.

    Yong-ho himself possessed only three attributes¡ªme, chill, and lightning¡ªbut the mana he released during battle was much more diverse. Not only Catalina¡¯s darkness, but also Eligos¡¯snd and Ophelia¡¯s wind were added to his strength.

    Aamon did not hide his satisfaction. Yong-ho became stronger. His spearmanship made a lot of progress, so he really looked like a master spearman.

    [Your previous anguish had a mix of shame, inferiority, and anger.]

    [But now it is different. It is a purer desire. You have the desire to have more and the confidence in having more. Indeed, such desire can be said to fit your greed.]

    [My little master.]

    [Desire. I am proud of you since you are faithful to your desires.]

    Obviously, Aamon praised him, but he didn¡¯t feel like that.

    ¡®Ah, please...¡¯

    Yong-ho wished Aamon didn¡¯t mention it in a serious voice like that.

    He swung Aamon briskly and turned the spear into a bracelet then hurriedly fanned himself with his hand. After taking off heat from his face to some extent, he took Mammon¡¯s mana and the rewards of the arena.

    Mammon¡¯s mana tasted delicious. Perhaps, thanks to the growth in his ability to utilize greed, the efficiency rate of him absorbing mana also improved.

    ¡®The reward is usually good.¡¯

    It was a ring that improved the concentration of magic casters. He felt he had better give it to Tigrius.

    When Yong-ho turned after wrapping up, Catalina, who was waiting in the audience, stood up suddenly and pped her hands. Yong-ho felt satisfied with her reaction.

    ¡°Oh my... Look at her turning up her mouth with joy,¡± said Gusion.

    Instead of responding right away, Yong-ho used Catalina¡¯s ck mana as Brigada.

    Then something amazing happened!

 Chapter 155 - Preparation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 155: Preparation (3)</h4>

    Yong-ho jumped more than twenty meters with just one foot roll. He jumped so high that it seemed like he was flying.

    Its principle was simple. The moment he kicked off the ground, the ck mana released from his legs propelled him off the ground strongly.

    Landing right in front of Catalina, he reached out and hugged her waist. Once again, using ck mana, he stood in front of Gusion this time.

    His action waspletely different from showing off his Herculean power.

    Only the one who could use ck mana freely could make such a gentle jump.

    Moreover, Yong-ho performed the same tricks as before with the mana of his dungeon spirit he brought out through Brigada, not his own mana.

    ¡°Hey, you can do something extraordinary. You seem to have be too strong suddenly, don¡¯t you?¡± Said Gusion,ughing loudly.

    Snorting at him, he let go of Catalina. Then he flopped down across from Gusion.

    ¡°Stop eating, man. I¡¯ve brought it here for Catalina. Are you going to eat it all?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t me me for eating. Actually, I¡¯ve got one left for her. I know you are the King of Greed, so don¡¯t be mean to me.¡±

    They exchanged barbed words, but they just did it jokingly. Yong-ho looked at the chicken box with a bit of regret on his face.

    Kaiwan was recuperating in the recovery room of the arena. It was natural that she was still in bed because she was injured heavily during her fight with Embrio.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even those who were battered by you are up and running once they are discharged from the recovery room. You can see them next time,¡± said Kaiwan.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    After replying quickly, Yong-ho caught his breath. After trying to forget her smile that kept popping up in his mind, he faced Gusion.

    Yong-ho could see his smiling face, which was so familiar to him by now, but at the same time, he could see his face, who was crying and begging. Of course, his second image was an illusion. It was from the memory that he had read from Mammon¡¯s legacy in the human world.

    Mammon didn¡¯t tell him everything, saying he wasn¡¯t qualified yet. Mammon also said 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, such as Gusion and Scathach, were not ready yet, but he didn¡¯t tell Yong-ho the truth about his own death.

    But it didn¡¯t mean that there were no clues at all. Yong-ho could create a single picture, though iplete, by putting together the fragments one by one.

    Mammon didn¡¯t share hisst moment with the 12 Spirits.

    Yong-ho could not know what caused Mammon¡¯s death, but he was certain they were not with him during hisst moment.

    At that time, Gusion cried and begged Mammon to allow him to stay with the master until hisst moment.

    Sitri was looking up to the sky, hugging Elune who was dying.

    Scathach asked Yong-ho to fight with his dungeon spirits all the time.

    And Mammon went alone, leaving all of them behind.

    Mammon died alone.

    Then, who and what killed him?

    Why was there no record of his death in history?

    There was one more question.

    Why do Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits hide the truth from Yong-ho?

    What were the ¡®qualifications¡¯ Mammon mentioned?

    ¡®Gusion wants to tell me about it,¡¯ Yong-ho thought to himself.

    He could feel it. Aamon, Scathach, and Sitri hid the secret, but for different reasons.

    Gusion was holding the urge to tell.

    On the other hand, Aamon and Scathach didn¡¯t want to talk from the beginning.

    Why were they divided about it?

    Yong-ho remembered Mammon¡¯s words, ¡®I have always been faithful to my desires. Because of that, I do not regret my choice.¡¯

    That was what Mammon said to him.

    At first, Yong-ho thought he said it to express his satisfaction. But he came to think differently about it when he reflected on it more. He felt like Mammon was drawing a line between himself and Yong-ho.

    ¡®I hope you can do the same, too.¡¯

    ¡®Go your way Act ording to your desires.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t be bound by Mammon himself.¡¯

    Yong-ho blinked.

    At that moment, Gusion, in reality, not in his memory, was looking at him anxiously and said, ¡°Little master? Are you feeling ill? Were the wounds you got from Embrio infected?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m a little tired.¡±

    ¡°I understand. You broke through three floors at once. There were almost very few who challenged the floor recklessly like you after the 10th floor. Kaiwan lost on and on, but finally, she continued to challenge persistently and climbed it.¡±

    There were seven floors for Yong-ho to challenge before the 20th floor, where Kaiwan lost. Considering the corresponding increase in difficulty, it seemed that he could reach the 19th floor without much difficulty.

    ¡°Come to think of it...¡±

    Suddenly, he said something that came to his mind, so he asked Gusion, ¡°Is there any other floor where they issue a summons on the way to the 19th floor?¡±

    Gusion answered, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t guarantee, but you might get one because you will challenge the floor after the 10th floor. Even if they issue a summons, it¡¯s not difficult to get you one. By the way, why do you need a summons? Are you going to bring Kaiwan to do something?¡±

    Gusion urately read his mind. Yong-ho nodded.

    In fact, Like Gusion pointed out, Yong-ho nned to summon Kaiwan if he could obtain a summons.

    ¡°Well, I want to experiment with one thing.¡±

    So, he needed Kaiwan only. The situation could be a little different if another previous master of the House of Mammon appeared on his way to the 19th floor, but right now, he couldn¡¯t think of any other candidate than Kaiwan.

    Nodding slowly at his earnest answer, Gusion asked, looking back at Aamon, the mes of the red lotus next to him, ¡°Aamon, is it true that the anguish of our little master is getting stronger?¡±

    [It¡¯s getting stronger. But... it¡¯s a little bit different. It is greed, not lust.]

    [Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that there is no lust in it at all...]

    At that moment, Yong-ho shook his hand wildly and stopped Aamon from talking more.

    Somehow, it seemed that Catalina was making a sullen expression behind his back.

    Why did Gusion, who usually never cracked a joke, mention it in a situation like this and put him on the spot?

    Yong-ho, sighing at Aamon¡¯s gentleugh, said to Gusion, ¡°Deliver the chicken to Kaiwan well with my best regards. Let me go back.¡±

    He stood up. Gusion saw him off in person.

    ***

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you said you needed my approval.¡±

    It was really veryte when Yong-ho left the arena, but instead of going to the demon king¡¯s room, Yong-ho headed to Burgrim¡¯s workshop because he knew well that Burgrim was looking forward to seeing him.

    On top of Burgrim¡¯s workbench was a whole bone almost the size of Catalina. It was part of the ribs of the Bone Dragon.

    The Bone Dragon¡¯s bone was definitely a great material. It was hard and light, and it had strong magical energy inside it.

    Nheless, it was bone, not metal.

    Its processing was not smooth. It was impossible to melt it like metal then harden it to reshape it.

    The only way to process a dragon¡¯s bones was to ¡®drill¡¯ it.

    If one ground a bone to make a knife, it was inevitable to discard some bones. And it was almost impossible to utilize all the discarded bones.

    Of course, dragon bones were also valuable as a magic catalyst, so they were not discarded forever. But the bones required lots of waste in the process of making tools.

    That was why Burgrim waited for Yong-ho. Only after receiving a specific order and getting his permission to use the amount of bone could Burgrim start working on.

    Desire was ring up in Burgrim¡¯s eyes. His eyes were glittering as strongly as when he was longing for the evolution of mana.

    Yong-ho thought to himself, ¡®Is it simr to the situation where he obtained an incredible toy in his hand?¡¯

    Yong-ho could not know it. He just giggled at Burgrim and gave him a specific order.

    Aside from making the ¡°dragon soldiers¡±, which could be called high-level skeletons, he had no specific n about how to use the bones, so he decided to provide Burgrim only onerge fang and a few small bones. He thought this would be enough for Burgrim to make weapons and armor for his dungeon spirits.

    Burgrim started working right away. It seemed that he had no intention of taking a break until he produced the results.

    Catalina, who came out on the hallway, said with admiration, ¡°He always seems to be passionate whenever I see him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯spletely different from when I saw him the first time, right?¡±

    She nodded. When Yong-ho first came to the House of Mammon, Burgrim wasnguid with his eyes drooping.

    It wasn¡¯t just Burgrim that changed. All the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon have changed since then.

    ¡°Butler Eligos has changed a lot too,¡± she said with mixed feelings.

    At that moment, Yong-ho chuckled because he recalled the bleak House of Mammon when he saw it first.

    Jon and Ron, the first dungeon spirits that he bought at the Dungeon Market, were no longer just goblins. It had been a long time since they surpassed ordinary goblins not only in appearance but also in their abilities. Even if they fight ogres even now, they were highly likely to win.

    Heading to the demon king¡¯s room with Catalina, he chatted with her. There were almost no dungeon spirits in the hallway because it was sote at night.

    When they finally reached the room, he heard Lucia¡¯s voice.

    [Master, it¡¯s deep at night.]

    [You have to take a rest now.]

    Yong-ho knitted his brows, while Lucia kept talking.

    [Pit-a-pat]

    [Lubb-dupp]

    [This time, let me count from one to ten... Uh?]

    [Our connection is getting lost...]

    [Master?!]

    [When did you get this skill?]

    [I¡¯ll hate you if you disconnect the line with me...]

    Lucia, which was interrupted in the middle of her talking,pletely disappeared in the end.

    Freed from her connection, Yong-ho reached out to Catalina, who opened her eyes wide, not knowing what happened.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to be busy tomorrow. Time for rest now.¡±

    That was true. Tomorrow he was going to summon dragon soldiers and evolve dungeon spirits including Skull. Probably, he would use more mana tomorrow than today.

    Catalina blinked once. She looked back at her room at the entrance of the demon king¡¯s room and smiled differently. Then she said warmly to him, who made an awkward expression, ¡°Sure, master.¡±

    She held his hands, then naturally stepped into the room of the demon king.

    ***

    Unlike the southern area where peace was restored, the northern area was on fire.

    It was the chaos caused by Embrio¡¯s death.

    The eastern army struck the northern army fiercely. Some of the northern soldiers fought a deadly battle, while others gave up too easily, surrendering to the eastern army.

    Embrio¡¯s dungeon was also among those that were ruined and burnt down.

    It was a small and insignificant dungeon. For this reason, few of the northern army knew that the dungeon burning right now before their eyes was Embrio¡¯s.

    A wolf went out of the burning dungeon. The wolf came out to fulfill his order that he gave before leaving the dungeon.

    The leader who led the herd of wolves was killed.

    However, the leader¡¯s members weren¡¯t killed altogether just because their leader was killed.

    If a new leader appeared, they could continue to survive as long as they wanted.

    The wolf carrying Embrio¡¯s legacy suddenly left the northern area.

    The wolf headed south to join the killed leader¡¯s runaway soldiers, who had followed him.

    The wolf was the new leader that Embrio had nominated as the new leader just before his death. It was the wolf that Emrbio recognized as the king.

    The moonlight was cloudy. The wolf ran through the dark night.

 Chapter 156 - Libra Elune (1)

    <h4>Chapter 156: Libra Elune (1)</h4>

    There was an expansion of fertilend under the sparkling artificial sun.

    It was thews of nature that life would be born and would grow.

    It was not different here. Countless nts sprouted, grew, and bore fruit.

    It was a scene that one felt warm about just by looking at it. The golden waves of wheat swayed like waves in the wind, and the corns in full ear were shyly wrapped in green leaves. Strawberries and grapes, which would surely smell so sweet in one¡¯s mouth with a bite, also showed off their beauty with their own colors.

    It was beautiful. It was a scene that made one feel the greatness of life and nature, except for a bit of a sense of strangeness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think our little master is so mean this time like he wasst time?¡±

    Scathach, the Immortal Witch and the owner of the Garden of Life in charge of healing the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, frowned.

    The Garden of Life was full of death.

    Nearly 50 skeleton soldiers were absorbed in farming with their own farming tools.

    As they were new to the garden, many of them weren¡¯t familiar with farming, but they made up for their clumsy skills through their meticulous and repetitive actions peculiar to the undead.

    The way that the undead in the realm of death cultivated nts caused Scathach to feel an instinctive sense of strangeness. Moreover, there were more than 50 skeletons in the garden. Simr things were going on in all four circr rooms on the first floor.

    In some rooms, they grew fruit intensively, and in other rooms, they grew preference items such as sugar cane, cacao, and tobo. The most impressive among them was the room where they grew medicinal materials such as hemp and poppy.

    The beautiful garden where Scathach healed the visitors¡¯ mind and body did not exist anymore. Instead, there were only rice paddies and fields filled with the smell of manure from all directions.

    Yong-ho, who returned from the human world, increased the number of skeletons a lot.

    Skeleton workers, who could be called the lowest dungeon spirit, were very cheap.

    A dragon¡¯s single finger bone, which cost less than pure dragon bones, could buy tens of skeleton workers.

    Yong-ho purchased a total of 200 skeleton workers.

    There were very few masters of houses who bought as many skeleton workers as he.

    When Yong-ho recalled Skull when he arrived at the House of Mammon, it was natural that he thought so.

    Skeleton workers performed very badly.

    They were weak and slow. Of course, they were good at repetitive work almost without taking any break, but their efficiency was so low that it was hard to regard it as their strength. Besides, their learning ability was also limited.

    Given these factors, it was questionable whether the unit price of skeletons was really cheap.

    Nheless, Yong-ho purchased skeleton workers inrge quantities, for he had some measures to deal with them unlike an ordinary master of a house.

    ¡°Oops... sorry. I was nodding off. What did you say?¡±

    Yong-ho, with his whole body buried in the blue liquid, spoke slowly with his eyes half-closed.

    He had shadows under his eyes.

    On the day he bought the skeleton workers, Yong-ho promoted all of them to skeleton soldiers.

    They were literally tremendous construction workers. However, with the money to buy two hundred skeleton workers, he took advantage of gaining two hundred skeleton soldiers.

    It was a really profitable business, given that he would promote them to skeleton warriors or higher beingster.

    It was good to have an elite force, but it was also necessary to have as many skeletons as possible. Yong-ho learned and felt a lot while fighting Embrio. From now on, he intended to use the power of evolution more aggressively.

    Scathach let out a long sigh again, after all. Instead of ming Yong-ho, who looked worn out with fatigue, she turned her eyes at the dragon soldiers that made her feel ufortable. She frowned at them again.

    Unlike typical skeletons, the dragon soldiers were farming by twos and threes in a field. They were seven, all told, but each of them was strong enough to be equivalent to five or six skeleton knights. To convert them into skeleton soldiers, they were worth more than a few hundred.

    It was really eerie and terrifying to see them, about 2 meters tall, squatting on the field and hoeing clumsily.

    It was unthinkable for them to be engaged in such manualbor. As dragon soldiers, they were supposed to be proud of themselves. As an undead, they wouldn¡¯t disobey their owner¡¯s orders, but they could throw tantrums andin while working.

    However, the dragon soldiers were busy hoeing hard.

    It was because another powerful being that could smash their pride at once was also squatting and honing like them.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Dragon Bone Knight.

    Its existence itself was different from general dragon soldiers.

    It was huge. It even gave the aura of grandeur beyond just being huge.

    Its color was pure white itself. Since it was made from the hardest and sharpest fangs of the dragon¡¯s bones, it was slender and sturdy.

    Its anti-magic resistance was also excellent. It would obviously ignore any typical mana.

    The purple me burning in its head, reminiscent of a humanoid or dragon, caused wonder and fear at the same time.

    It was a great warrior that could confront a Death Knight, arguably the pinnacle of the skeleton warrior series.

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    After murmuring something like ¡®The sun is so warm, so it¡¯s good for me rolling on the floor,¡¯ Dragon Bone Knight got down to hoeing hard again.

    Scathach murmured, ¡°Come on, it went too far.¡±

    She felt like that because she witnessed the whole process of Skull being reborn as a Dragon Bone Knight.

    Yong-ho really invested a lot in Skull.

    So, his efforts to create a dragon soldier to be used for evolving Skull were unusual from the beginning.

    First of all, he selected the best quality of the dragon¡¯s teeth as materials.

    Then he went through one more process instead of simply using the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier as he did for other dragon soldiers. It was Tigrius¡¯sbination magic.

    Tigrius, who was summoned from the House of Randolt, used the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier and that of summoning a skeleton mage at the same time.

    And hebined the two magics with the power ofbination magic.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy. Yong-ho didn¡¯t use the magic by himself. It was the magic contained in the scroll. Moreover, Tigrius¡¯s power itself was weakened after he became Yong-ho¡¯s dungeon spirit.

    Nheless, Tigrius finally seeded. Although he wasted the scroll of summoning a dragon soldier and the scroll of summoning a skeleton mage, his efforts paid off anyway.

    Thus, a dragon soldier with the power of a skeleton mage was born.

    This time, Ophelia did her bit. To prevent an emergency, she weakened the ego of the dragon soldier with mental magic. She badlyined about having to kiss a skeleton, but the price she paid for that was very cheappared to the results. Of course, this was what Yong-ho thought to himself.

    Finally, Yong-ho activated abination magic evolution.

    He was satisfied with the oue. Just looking at it, he felt like his belly was full even without eating anything. Skull now had the physical strength that surpasses a dragon soldier and the magic ability that surpasses typicalbat wizards. The small number of magic that Skull could use was somewhat its weakness, but it was still more than enough to be used in battle.

    Skull had been reborn as a deceptive all-weather wizard warrior with strong attack power, high defensive abilities that could ignore typical magic but use its own attack magic.

    Despite that, Skull was hoeing humbly in the field. No matter how powerful it was reborn, Skull was still a skull.

    Scathach clicked her tongue then turned to Yong-ho again. He was half asleep at the moment.

    She asked, ¡°I know you overworked yourself these days. Then you didn¡¯t sleep at allst night? Tell me honestly. You didn¡¯t sleep properly for the past several days, right?¡±

    Yong-ho flinched at her questioning. Then Lucia cut in as if she had been waiting for this chance until now.

    [You¡¯re right!]

    [Scathach, just listen to me!]

    [You¡¯ve got to spread this gossip everywhere!]

    [I¡¯ve got one thing to tell you.]

    [Whispering.]

    [Whispers.]

    ¡°Oh my God! How indecent!¡±

    Scathach screamed with both hands on her cheeks.

    But Yong-ho shouted, ¡°Lucia, you didn¡¯t hear anything except for the whispering, right? I just kept working! That¡¯s all!¡±

    [Really?]

    [Are you sure you just worked, doing nothing else?]

    [You disconnected themunication link with me, who¡¯s cute, pretty, poor, and miserable, and just kept working for several days?]

    [Are you sure?]

    [Really?]

    As if she was really disappointed in him for the past few days, Lucia pressured him a lot. Burying himself in the blue liquid, he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Well, let me exercise the right to remain silent.¡±

    He felt it fortunate that Ophelia was not here at the moment. Catalina was asleep, wrapped in blue liquid across from him. If she had been awake and seen this, she would have been very embarrassed.

    Scathach burst intoughter. After soothing Lucia with kind words, she said, ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to be ashamed of. It¡¯s natural, and you¡¯re the King of Greed anyway.¡±

    Then she lifted his blue watery eyes and looked a little further away.

    She continued, ¡°I want to make more money. I want to have a woman. I want to be strong. I want to grow a dungeon. I want to evolve dungeon spirits. All this is ¡®greed.¡¯ There is no such thing as a high or low greed because it¡¯s hope and wish. It¡¯s what everybody really wants.¡±

    Staring in the air, she turned her eyes back at him and earnestly said like his mother, ¡°Greed itself is not bad because it is the driving force of our life and development. So, just desire it as much as you want. Just keep wishing for it. Don¡¯t be shy. Your strong wish will be your strength in no time.¡±

    She made a beautiful and brilliant smile. Yong-ho, who unwittingly looked at her, enchanted with her charming smile, seemed to understand why she had the power of ¡°life¡±.

    ¡®Come to think of it...¡¯

    There was something that came to his mind.

 Chapter 157 - Libra Elune (2)

    <h4>Chapter 157: Libra Elune (2)</h4>

    Yong-ho asked right away, ¡°Scathach was ¡®life¡¯ and Baphomet was ¡®death¡¯, right? Is the power of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon like that? Isn¡¯t it something like ¡®concept¡¯, not attributes such as earth, fire, or wind?¡±

    Scathach pped her hands to hear it and said, ¡°How discerning you are! You¡¯re right. Most of us 12 Spirits are using ¡®concepts¡¯ as our power, which can be said to be the result of the intellectual activity of the lives with their own will and emotions.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about Gusion?¡±

    He asked it instinctively, but the more he thought about Gusion, the more curious he was because he could not think of any ¡°concept¡± that suited Gusion.

    She waved her hands and said, ¡°Ask him directly. My sweetheart has the power suitable for him perfectly. Ah, it¡¯s not something like ¡®cuteness¡¯. I almost gave you a correct answer!¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think he isn¡¯t even close to ¡®cuteness¡¯...¡±

    ¡°Uh? Why? You will never know how cute he is when we are alone. So much so that I want to tell others how cute he is.¡±

    She said, blushing, but he tried not to imagine his being cute to her.

    He felt goosebumps at the thought that Gusion was acting cute to her when they were together.

    ¡°What is Elune¡¯s power?¡±

    He didn¡¯t mention it just to change the topic. Checking it out was important to him because he was nning to start attacking the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed today.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the power that suits Elune the most. But at the same time, it is also a very ambiguous force. Depending on who has her power, the strength and weakness of her power will be very different. But I believe you can use her power as well as anybody else.¡±

    It seemed that she didn¡¯t want to answer his question fully.

    After he got out of the blue liquid, Yong-ho summoned Skull and the dragon soldiers. He also ordered Lucia to call Eligos and Ophelia.

    About 30 minutester Yong-ho was done preparing for the attack and left the Garden of Life. He headed for the Labyrinth of Greed on the 3rd floor, the realm of Elune.

    ***

    Dragon Fear, it was one of the several powers that the descendants of the great Dragon Lord that inherited the vein of fantasy fully.

    It was an overwhelming power.

    Its existence itself caused others instinctive fear.

    Reborn as a Dragon Bone Knight, Skull could exert power simr to Dragon Fear. It was a powerful force that could not even bepared with the fear of death that the ordinary undead induced to the living. So much so that a road was opened the moment Skull stepped forward. Wendigos, the dungeon monsters that resembled a monkey, who were in charge of controlling the entrance to the 3rd floor, couldn¡¯t even dare to approach Skull¡¯s party. The only thing they could do was to scream in anger while shuddering.

    Bucephs, which was carrying Skull on its back, moved on ostensibly as if he was boasting.

    Since Bucephalus had been promoted to ¡°Nightmare Vanguard¡± after the bloody battle with the Death Knight, his showy marching was quite a view.

    Looking back once, Bucephs snorted hard. It seemed meaningless to others, but Smi took it differently. Shaking its head as if it was upset, Smi kept signaling to Yong-ho with its eyes. Yong-ho understood Smi¡¯s feelings. That was why he gently got off Smi¡¯s back and waved his hand. He looked at Eligos, who was gleaming with a strong desire to win, promoted by Skull¡¯s pompous behavior then gave him a brief order.

    ¡°Kill them.¡±

    There were hundreds of Wendigos. But it didn¡¯t take long for all of them to copse.

    ***

    ¡°It looks like the third floor is a gambling hall,¡± said Ophelia, looking around.

    Since the battle was not over yet, she was still inbat mode, and her voice was more excited than usual because of that.

    After getting rid of hundreds of Wendigos in the room at the entrance, Yong-ho continued to move inside. Just like the other floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, the third floor was also full of dungeon monsters piled up over a thousand years, so the battle never ceased.

    Yong-ho stepped back and watched in order to get the dungeon spirits¡¯ evolution EXP. He then looked around like Ophelia. He asked Ophelia puzzlingly, ¡°Did you say this is a gambling ce?¡±

    The third floor was more like ¡°indoor¡± rather than the first or second floor. The first entrance room¡¯s ceiling was so high and spacious that Smi could even fly there, but it wasn¡¯t after that. There was a series of corridors, so he felt like he entered arge dungeon.

    Currently, the ce where Yong-ho and his party stopped was a space that could be called a gathering ce. There was a towering path in the middle of the square-shaped room, and a wide staircase was connected to the floor about 1 meter low. Since the stairs were connected to the whole road, it could be said that the central passage was made of stones stacked in a pyramid shape on the t ground.

    Although there were several long grooves in the stone ground, that was it. So, he felt like it was a square rather than a gambling hall.

    Ophelia exined, ¡°It seems to be a traditional slime stadium. Those stairs look like seats, and there are slimes racing along the grooves on the ground. Originally, things like partitions should be stretched along the grooves, but they seem to have been broken with the passage of time. I can see quite a bit of debris around. Probably they might have bet money over there and got the dividend.¡±

    She seemed to have a point. Recalling the racetrack he went with his father, he imagined the slimes crawling hard along the rails one after another. They didn¡¯t move vigorously, but they looked pretty cute, he thought.

    ¡°I found some traces in the room where we first entered, things like dice and gambling chips.

    Probably they might have gambled at several small tables in that room, just like they did in my tavern.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Wasn¡¯t the second floor the gateway to the Labyrinth of Greed? Gambling room right next to the door?¡±

    ¡°Well, they could express their confidence like that because this is no other than the Labyrinth of Greed. And in my opinion, it seems that the third floor is a space to support the entire load. I mean ¡®magical load¡¯ rather than a physical one. That¡¯s why the room or passage is narrower than the first or second floor, and the ceiling is low.¡±

    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s a multi-purpose room, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think there is a good chance that a real luxury gambling house was built on a deeper floor.¡±

    At that very moment, thunder crashed. It was the sound of Skull hitting the head of the one-eyed giant standing at the exit with a battle hammer. The head of the giant, nearly six meters tall, literally shattered into pieces.

    Instead of watching Smi and Eligos, who were fighting hard, Yong-ho kept asking Ophelia.

    ¡°By the way, is a gambling room an essential dungeon facility?¡±

    He asked because the gambling room here was about the size of a racetrack. So, he did not understand quickly because she mentioned that a high-end gambling ce was probably on a deeper floor.

    She knitted her brows a bit and replied, ¡°I told you about it once before, but it is a useful space in many ways. As one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, I would like to strongly rmend that you install it in the Mammon House, too. How about a bar there? Just as you¡¯re faithful to your desire, the dungeon spirits are also faithful to their own desires. They need a ying area where they can satisfy their desires. ¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Actually, she was right. Unlike young Yuria or Baduk just content with something to eat, Orcs might have various desires. Although the Free City was avable as a ce to satisfy their desires, it was so far away from the House of Mammon. Obviously they couldn¡¯t go that far after their work was over.

    Although the ratio of undead spirits like skeletons was overwhelmingly high at the House of Mammon, general dungeon spirits also increased a lot in the process of Yong-ho absorbing Free City and the House of Randolt. As the owner of the dungeon, Yong-ho could not help but consider the welfare of the dungeon spirits.

    ¡°What about other masters? I mean the masters ofrger dungeons.¡±

    Since the masters of dungeons in the southern area, especially the dungeons of those masters affiliated with Yong-ho, were weak, their dungeons were not big.

    What he wanted to refer to was the dungeons outside the southern area and the dungeons of powerful masters at that.

    Ophelia smiled brightly and said, ¡°There are many good cases where they build huge estates outside their dungeons.¡±

    ¡°You mean something like a vige, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Besides, the role of an estate is not just a ce to satisfy their desires. It serves as a driving force that can help them control a muchrger number of dungeon spirits than a normal dungeon. Aside from the Labyrinth of Greed, it is difficult for thousands or tens of thousands of spirits to live in a typical dungeon.¡±

    ¡°You bet.¡±

    Right now, the Free City was ying a simr role. It was necessary for Yong-ho to secure a space where arge number of people could stay in order tomand thousands of soldiers.

    Actually he asked the question casually, so he stopped delving into it further. It would not be toote for him to devise about building an estate after upying the third floor.

    While Yong-ho and Ophelia were exchanging opinions, almost all of the dungeon monsters in the slime stadium were wiped out. He looked back at Catalina, who was guarding him as his escort knight rather than fighting directly because she was smiling at him strangely.

    Noticing his gaze, she replied quickly, ¡°Well, I feel the gambling ce here looks good because Elune, not anybody else, is in charge.¡±

    Libra Elune, to quote Scathach¡¯s words, she was one of the 12 Spirits who was sincere and methodical.

    Yong-ho also naturally nodded. Her images that he remembered in his memories were far from gambling. She was strict, serious, and stern in everything.

    Like Catalina said, however, he thought she was a good fit as the manager of the gambling ce.

    ¡°Does it mean she ensures fairness in the gambling ce?¡±

    Anybody could trust Elune, and she would not give short weight and short measure anyway.

    Catalina nodded quickly, saying that it was exactly what she thought.

    But Ophelia was different. She said with a wicked smile, ¡°Well, what I say may sound impertinent, but her presence in the gambling ce may be a sophisticated strategy for true deception. After all, a gambling house is a ce where the gambling house, not the clients, wins.¡±

    This was the statement by the former hostess of the tavern, who used to run thergest gambling house in the Free City.

 Chapter 158 - Libra Elune (3)

    <h4>Chapter 158: Libra Elune (3)</h4>

    Catalina opened her eyes wide at her statement, while Yong-ho imagined a situation where he, who squandered family fortune at the gambling ce, watched Yuria and Baduk crying while lying on the floor. For some reason, Smi was also crying beside them.

    Yong-ho felt he needed to think twice about setting up a gambling room in the dungeon of the Mammon House.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going anyway.¡±

    By now, the dungeon monsters at the entrance were removed already. Yong-ho walked toward Smi bravely making the snorting mixed with sparks.

    The third floor was a gambling room, as Ophelia expected.

    Yong-ho passed several simplified arenas, rooms with roulettes, and lounges before standing before a tightly sealed door. Like the Garden of Life, Scathach¡¯s space, the 3rd floor gambling house was structured so that he could go down to the 4th floor without having to pass by the 12 Spirits. In front of the sealed room was arge staircase leading down to the fourth floor.

    Elune, one of the 12 Spirits and Mammon¡¯s escort knight, already died. However, Scathach told Yong-ho that Elune must have left behind her surrogate.

    For this reason, Yong-ho again ordered Skull and Smi to step back.

    He allowed only himself and his dungeon spirits to enter the room.

    At his order, Skull and Eligos opened the tightly closed door.

    ***

    The room was spacious and quiet.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t need to throw a lighting device. The moment the door was opened, a soft light poured down from the ceiling. It was like moonlight.

    He stopped Skull from trying to walk ahead then pulled Aamon out of the air. His greed naturally triggered as if he was breathing. Some of the colored smoke arising from him wrapped around the dungeon spirits, and the rest spread into every nook and cranny of the room.

    He took the first step. Darkness in the room and the light from the ceiling reacted to him. Every time he took one step, darkness was cleared away. The light from the ceiling illuminated the ce where he stepped forward, as if to guide him.

    There was no such thing as a trap. Led by Catalina, the dungeon spirits began to follow him one by one.

    And when he finally reached the middle of the room, the door that was open wide closed smoothly. The light guiding him became stronger, while the other lights from all sides dimmed. It was like starlight that dimmed when the moonlight got brighter.

    The soft golden light became one. It formed a lump of light then took the shape of a human in no time.

    It was a blurry shape. However, Yong-ho could see it clearly.

    Golden hair and a red eye patch.

    Libra, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Elune who cuts the night.

    It was a beautiful scene. Standing up from the light, she breathed softly. Everything about her coincided with the woman in his memory.

    Despite her slender figure, he didn¡¯t think she was fragile at all. Rather, he felt she was strong, determined, and sharp.

    She opened her mouth, ¡°The King of Greed, who has finally returned!¡±

    At that moment, Yong-ho knew that none of the previous masters of the House of Mammon could face Elune. She opened her eyes in response to his greed.

    Elune continued, ¡°What you are facing now is a mere shadow of the old me. But don¡¯t worry. I am obviously Elune that cuts the night. And I, standing before you now, will think and judge the same way I do.¡±

    On the day Mammon died, Elune also died.

    Moreover, Elune died ahead of Mammon.

    So, the Elune that was standing here was her ghost. She was a kind of alter ego she had left behind right before she went out of the Labyrinth of Greedstly.

    But it was exactly what Elune said. She could not be ssified as a mere ghost.

    Yong-ho felt like he faced the very Elune in his memory. Even the dungeon spirits realized that they were facing a legend just like when they encountered Scathach and Gusion.

    In particr, Catalina seemed to have been more impressed than other spirits perhaps because she shared with Elune her unique characteristics such as an escort knight and a lover.

    Catalina looked at her with a pious expression.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good introduction. Can you show me your face a little more clearly?¡± Elune said kindly. She wasn¡¯t necessarily as sharp as a sword. She, who had loved everything about Mammon, also loved him because he was Mammon¡¯s descendant.

    She wanted to face him kindly as if she were his mother.

    Yong-ho took a couple of steps again to get closer to Elune. Although she was wearing an eye patch to cover her eyes, Elune had a mental vision. She could easily see through anything that ordinary people could not see.

    Elune gently caressed his cheeks. A smile came to her lips naturally.

    ¡°You look like that person.¡±

    He didn¡¯t need to ask who that person was. Withdrawing her hand, she took a step back.

    Once again, she took a look at him as a whole then said brightly, ¡°You¡¯re very attractive. I don¡¯t know how many generations have passed, but it was certain that a person¡¯s blood must be flowing in your body. And you seemed to have inherited the blood of the Incubus a lot. It must be the blood of the famous and powerful Incubus family.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Yong-ho raised his voice before he knew it.

    Eluneughed gently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised. I can figure out this kind of stuff very easily.¡±

    ¡°How can you...¡± He blurred.

    He felt something was strange, but he thought maybe she was right. Above all, her voice was full of confidence.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while since you became the King of Greed. I can feel gravity in you. You seem to be older than you look. And...¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± he said, shaking his hand quickly.

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m from the human world. I don¡¯t know my ancestors, but my father is just a normal human. It¡¯s only been about half a year since I became the master of the House of Mammon.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡± Elune said in a strange tone. It was a familiar scene for Yong-ho.

    ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t believe my ears. You became the master only six months ago? Your blood was not mixed with an Incubus?¡±

    Remarkably embarrassed, Elune quickly looked at his lower body. Aside from her embarrassment, she blushed.

    He quickly covered his lower body with his hand as if he was also embarrassed.

    He was sure why this scene was familiar to him.

    ¡®Dang it! How can she be wrong?!¡¯

    Ophelia murmured, narrowing her eyes. Eligos leered at Catalina while Skull looked at Catalina openly. Catalina was so shy at the moment. As if she was humiliated, she was at a loss of what to do, turning red.

    Put to shame, she lost their reverence, let alone mystery about her.

    In the same league as Elune, Catalina, who couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, covered her face with both hands. Likewise, Elune did the same.

    It took a lot of time for the two escort knights, who shared everything over a thousand years, to regain theirposure.

    ***

    ¡°You, the King of Greed who has finally returned!¡±

    Her voice was elegant and beautiful. Resonating hazily in the moonlight, it was truly fantasy itself. But Yong-ho said, knitting his brows, ¡°Wait a minute. It seems unreasonable to start over from the beginning as if nothing happened.¡±

    Not only Yong-ho, but also the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family looked at Elune with mixed feelings such as cold,passion, and regret, etc.

    Elune curled her lips and said, ¡°So mean!¡±

    Grumbling a bit, Elune suddenly stretched out her hand then pointed to Catalina, who was feeling shy like her.

    ¡°Hey,e over here.¡±

    ¡°Uh, me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you.¡±

    Since she was singled out suddenly, Catalina blinked, embarrassed, then turned to Yong-ho as if to ask for his permission. When he nodded a bit, she scurried to Elune.

    Elune let out a long sigh. She quickly nced at him, but he was not clear because she was wearing an eye patch. Then she put her lips to Catalina¡¯s long ears and whispered something.

    Then Catalina showed a reaction befitting her. She pped her ears as if startled then nodded violently, looking at him.

    He was not sure what she was trying to express to him, but it was clear that her action bothered him a lot.

    Elune smiled then whispered into her ears again. As if she agreedpletely, Catalina kept nodding. This time Catalina whispered to Elune.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right!¡±

    This time, Elune agreed excitedly. Yong-ho was extremely bothered.

    After all, Elune said something very important.

    ¡°Oh, I just feel refreshed only now.¡±

    Eluneughed. Catalina alsoughed instinctively then quickly curled her lips. Elune patted her on the shoulder and put her index finger in the middle of her lips. This time, Catalina raised her finger as Elune did then nodded.

    It looked like they wanted to keep their conversation today to themselves.

    While Yong-ho was nervous, wondering about their conversation, Ophelia clicked her tongue. Eligos shook his head because he felt sympathetic to Yong-ho, and Skull justughed.

    With a brighter expression now, Elune looked back at Yong-ho and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. What you see here is Elune¡¯s ghost. That¡¯s why she is more honest, simpler, and more childish. The real Elune is a beautiful and noble swordsman, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Since Elune reacted so brazenly, it was hard for Yong-ho to respond properly.

    Catalina, trying to read his mind, quickly came to him and stood where she was.

    As if on cue, Elune spoke again right away, ¡°I think I can stop ying with you. The power of my ghost has be so weakened. It seems it took much longer than I thought for the new King of Greed to appear. Let¡¯s get back to the main point now.¡±

    Elune changed the atmosphere. Yong-ho felt her manner was distant now, though she looked very friendly to him a moment ago.

    ¡°The fact that you are here means that you have been recognized by Scathach and Baphomet.¡±

    The light in the room dimmed. The moonlight pouring toward Elune dimmed, but the starlight became brighter instead.

    ¡°Scathach¡¯s power is life. Baphomet¡¯s power is death.¡±

    The number of light increased. However, the light could not drive out the darkness. The moonlight was eclipsed, and the starlight was too little to drive out the darkness. The starlight was buried in the darkness one by one, and the darkness in the room grew thicker.

    However, no one looked away. Everyone looked at Elune. There were others right next to her, but they didn¡¯t feel it. They felt as if there were only Elune and Yong-ho in the dark.

 Chapter 159 - Libra Elune (4)

    <h4>Chapter 159: Libra Elune (4)</h4>

    ¡°I, Elune¡¯s power is justice. However, justice is very hard toe by, contrary to what others think about it. Just like true perfection could not exist in this imperfect world, justice could not exist. So, it is like an ideal we have to just look to.¡±

    Elune knew that her own justice was not true justice. It would rather rightly be called an indomitable conviction.

    ¡°My strength is like a will that never bends. It¡¯s like the courage to take a step toward the light even in the dark where you can¡¯t look ahead at all.¡±

    The starlight faded now. The dim moonlight was eclipsed by the darkness.

    Elune asked in the darkness, ¡°If you want to back down, now is the time. But that¡¯s not an option.¡±

    It was a pointless question. Yong-ho wouldn¡¯t havee here if he hadn¡¯t intended to challenge the test in the first ce.

    Elune didn¡¯t dy any further. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started.¡±

    Silence was added to the darkness. He couldn¡¯t see and hear anything anymore.

    He breathed. He couldn¡¯t feel it. It wasn¡¯t just the darkness that eclipsed the surroundings.

    What was Elune¡¯s test? Surely, was it to endure istion created by darkness?

    It was not. He noticed that the test began.

    The sword of light poured down. After cutting through the darkness, it cut his chest.

    He instinctively backed down, but he couldn¡¯t avoid it. The terrible pain in his heart spread to his whole body.

    He was still in the dark. He couldn¡¯t feel his surroundings. Moreover, it was difficult for him to even concentrate. He felt regret now. The memories that he wanted to forget, the memories and feelings that had been dulled by time, began toe flooding back to him.

    It was a shock that surpassed the pain of the flesh. It was brief but sharp enough for him to forget the pain. Elune did not stop.

    The sword of light poured out again. He couldn¡¯t escape it again. His shoulders were split, with blood gushing out from it. Even his blood was eclipsed by the darkness.

    He could note to his senses. Mental and physical pain alternately raged in his body. He stumbled without hearing his own scream. Elune¡¯s ordeal, which came so suddenly, was so tough.

    [Concentrate!]

    [You must set yourself right in the dark. You must end the confusion with a strong will!]

    Aamon shouted, but it didn¡¯t reach him. The darkness blocked Aamon¡¯s voice.

    Yong-ho gasped for breath. The funeral came to his mind. The pain that had been buried in his heart tormented him. The little Yong-ho was crying sadly.

    The sword of light kept pouring down. He was hacked. He desperately moved his body, but he couldn¡¯t even tell the right side from the left. All he could do was to avoid her fatal attack.

    The darkness took away his sense of bnce. Pain and confusion endlessly disturbed his concentration, which made him drift in the flood of emotions. It was almost impossible for him to erect five horns and release mana.

    Aamon did not stop shouting. Aamon shouted to him to stand tall in the dark with strong winds and greed.

    However, he could not produce the power of greed. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t even think about it. He was just being hacked in the darkness created by Elune.

    Aamon felt nervous. Aamon knew Elune. Elune was different from Scathach. Elune was much more resolute and cold-hearted. He could die at the end of this ordeal.

    [Little master!]

    It was almost a desperate scream. Aamon felt that his voice finally reached him.

    Aamon was convinced that he was focusing in the dark. But it was toote.

    The sword of light cut his chest again. As he couldn¡¯t stand it, he sank to the floor.

    Aamon called him again. He didn¡¯t answer his call.

    He raised his head. It was so dark that he could see the sword of bright light.

    He instinctively knew it would be hisst moment.

    He didn¡¯t even know how much time passed. The time he wandered in the terrible darkness where Elune invited him was short, but he felt it was long.

    The sword of light poured out from overhead. Aamon screamed.

    Yong-ho also clenched his fist. He called only one name even at this moment when his memories and feelings were being hacked.

    ¡°Catalina!¡±

    At that very moment, the darkness broke. It shattered and copsed. The sword of light did not reach him.

    Yong-ho gasped for breath. He lifted his head, sweating.

    Elune, grasping the sword of light, was standing in the bright moonlight.

    Catalina was standing behind her back. She was aiming at Elune¡¯s neck with the sword of ck mana.

    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just Catalina. Skull was standing before him.

    ¡°Kuhuuuuuh.¡±

    Yong-houghed beyond the wreckage of the shattered darkness. All the wounds inflicted by the sword of light were fake, but the mental shock was real. Because of that, he felt the pain as if he had been cut by a real sword, but he still smiled.

    ¡°Uh... How could you...?¡± Elune asked in confusion.

    She asked Yong-ho, not Catalina who was aiming at her neck.

    The purpose of this ordeal was to strengthen the will of the sessor of the House of Mammon. Oveing extreme confusion and darkness with strong conviction was the model answer.

    But Yong-ho didn¡¯t do it like that. The reason Elune stopped her sword was not because he overcame her ordeal. It was because Catalina, who was supposed to not know what was happening to him, aimed her sword at Elune.

    The darkness eclipsed not only Yong-ho but also his dungeon spirits. Of course, there were differences. Unlike the darkness that eclipsed Yong-ho, it only blocked their movement.

    The dungeon spirits should not have known what was happening to Yong-ho. In fact, except for Catalina and Skull, the other spirits were only looking at Yong-ho and Elune alternately as if they didn¡¯t know what had happened.

    ¡°How could you...?¡± Elune asked again.

    Wiping his cold sweat, he replied, ¡°Scathach told me I should fight you with dungeon spirits.¡±

    Of course, Scathach didn¡¯t say it to him, with Elune¡¯s test in mind. In fact, he didn¡¯t recall Scathach¡¯s kind reminder from the beginning. Even now, he could reply like that because the fight was over.

    When he was in the dark, he lost himself. As Elune intended, he drifted in confusion and fear.

    But at the same time, he could feel it when he was thrown to the floor and in terrible istion by the darkness. At that moment, he felt he was not alone. He knew that even in this darkness, there were his dungeon spirits, who got connected with himself.

    What came next was totally his own world. He couldn¡¯t hear Aamon¡¯s voice, but he focused.

    In the midst of being swept away by the drift of emotions, he never let go of his touch with the dungeon spirits, who were connected with him like a lifeline.

    And he finally moved.

    He conveyed a simple but strong will to Catalina and Skull. It was Catalina who responded first. The escort knight became a sword to protect her master. She broke the dark veil that Elune had unfolded. And Skull became a shield for its master.

    Elune opened her lips. Yong-ho couldn¡¯t specifically exin what he had done, but Elune already understood it. That was why she didn¡¯t withdraw her sword right away.

    The Elune standing here was her ghost. In other words, she was a replica that the real Elune had left behind just before she left the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Because of that, her emotions and memories were the same as hers back then, which synced with Yong-ho and made Elune silent.

    Some time passed after that.

    When he began to feel nervous, Elune withdrew the sword. She felt a bit dispirited, but she smiled kindly.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the model answer to my test, but you have ovee it anyway.¡±

    The moonlight pouring from the ceiling became stronger. Yong-ho instinctively lifted the magic field on his left arm. It was giving off a golden gleam, next to blue and purple.

    Catalina and Skull naturally stepped back.

    Elune politely showed due manners to Yong-ho.

    She ended the ritual by transferring her power to him.

    ***

    ¡°Power of anguish again! Last time Gusion and Kaiwan said that the source of the master¡¯s power is an incredibly powerful desire for lust.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not true!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it looks like a weak denial, not a strong one. Then, is it really true?¡± Ophelia said, hurriedly covering her chest with both hands. Why the hell did she cover her chest while talking about it?

    Yong-ho looked around as if asking for help, but there was no one who could help him.

    Eligos gently cleared his throat, and Catalina didn¡¯t turn to Yong-ho at all. As always, Skull justughed.

    ¡°Skull Skull!¡±

    Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits left Elune¡¯s room. They headed back to the upper floor with Smi and Skull¡¯s unit on standby.

    After saying goodbye to Yong-ho¡¯s party, Elune watched them leaving quietly.

    Since she transferred her power to him, she couldn¡¯t sustain herself anymore.

    Along with the dimming moonlight, her body turned more and more gray.

    [Elune.]

    The mes of the red lotus arose near Elune, who was now almost translucent.

    Aamon also overworked itself. But Aamon couldn¡¯t help but see herst moment.

    Although it was nothing but her ghost, it was still Elune.

    Elune did not ask about what happened after she died because she already knew the answer after learning about the current status of the Labyrinth of Greed and Scathach¡¯s request to Yong-ho.

    Aamon didn¡¯t say much. It was just content with staying with Elune. When herst moment came, it was Elune who opened his mouth first.

    ¡°I think that person, too, must have thought of us until the end.¡±

    [You bet.]

    Aamon knew it, too. Although Aamon didn¡¯t see Mammon¡¯sst moment, it remembered the moment when it got disconnected from its master.

    Mammon did not die in regret, anger, or fear. What he thought about until hisst moment was his concern about the 12 Spirits and Sitri.

    ¡°Well, I have to say goodbye to you once and for all.¡±

    Aamon could hardly see Elune¡¯s figure now. Elune turned to Aamon. She smiled like Mammon did and said, ¡°I hope the new King of Greed is in your great hands, let alone the escort knight who resembles me.¡±

    Instead of answering, Aamon nodded. Elune slowly closed her eyes and disappeared.

    The only thing left in the darkness of the night where even the starlight disappeared was the me of the red lotus.

    [My master, the great one who saved the demon world!]

    With that faint call, Aamon also closed its eyes. The mes of the red lotus were ring up fiercely and faded with the wind.

 Chapter 160 - Embrioéˆ¥æªš Legacy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 160: Embrio¡¯s Legacy (1)</h4>

    The King of Pride issued a deration of war against the King of Envy.

    There were many who wanted to stop the King of Pride.

    The King of Fury expressed his opposition by deploying troops on the shore, but he was ignored. The King of Pride knew better than anyone else that this pacifist, stigmatized as the war fanatic, would not be able to strike himself first by crossing the sea irrationally.

    One of the five directors of the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce, Orovas, called a man of Herculean power, uncharacteristically sent a gentle letter to the King of Oman. In the letter, he expressed humbly that the Dungeon Market did not want a direct war between them.

    The King of Oman also ignored this letter. After all, the Dungeon Market was nothing more than a motley of traders. They could not take a hard line topletely block their dealings with the King of Pride, for it meant that the Dungeon Market would be directly involved in the two kings¡¯ actions. Other kings would never stand by the arrogance of the Dungeon Market.

    There was also some movement behind the scenes. For instance, the King of Envy tried to desperately stop the breakout of an all-out war that might bring about a total catastrophe.

    But all such efforts were in vain. The King of Pride made the decision. As the most arrogant king under the sky, he did not know the option of breaking his will.

    A full-out war began.

    The King of Pride was in no hurry. His offensive was slow but persistent.

    The King of Envy¡¯s army was defeated. The dungeons at the border were destroyed and captured. But it was only a skirmish of the war. The King of Envy¡¯s defeat was not fatal.

    Those who watched their battle didn¡¯t think the King of Pride won decisively.

    But some of them thought the battle was already over. Among them was the King of Envy.

    The King of Lust walked across his or her harem.

    The dungeon spirits and contractor witches, exhausted from the frenzied feast thatsted for forty-nine days, were lying here and there, naked in various ces in the harems.

    The King of Lust was both a child and an adult. He was both he and she, and a pure virgin as well as a madman addicted to sex. As someone who could freely choose men, women, and children, his look didn¡¯t matter to him at all.

    The King of Lust walked alone in the pce where everyone was asleep. On the forty-ninth day, the king was a child, so today, on the fifty-ninth day, he was an adult.

    He was a handsome young man. His white skin like a marble was a sharp contrast with his ck hair.

    With the horns of a lewd goat, he entered the devil king¡¯s room in the deepest part of the harem. Unlike all the ces in the harem, that ce weed the king with constant purity.

    He felt good when his bare feet touched the floor. The image of the King of Lust was reflected like a mirror on the floor made of smooth obsidian. The King of Lust enjoyed thest fun before facing the hustle and bustle that called him to this ce.

    The King of Lust sat on the throne. It was as soft as a virgin¡¯s skin, asfortable as a woman¡¯s breast, and as hard as a man¡¯s muscle. He looked into the air with blurry eyes.

    ¡°Hey, long time no see. It¡¯s been almost 30 years since I came back here, right?¡±

    His little whispering was transmitted far away through mana. The magic, called the watcher¡¯s eye, connected a distant being with the King of Lust.

    [Asmodeus.]

    It was an old man¡¯s voice. The King of Lust closed his eyes and faced the images that came to his mind. He was a thin and tall old man. Both his white beard and hair were long. The clothes he was wearing were more than high-quality even from the king¡¯s point of view. But all these things were hidden by one thing. It was the old man¡¯s eyes. His fully raised eyes reflected ferocious emotions.

    ¡°Alright, Leviathan.¡±

    The King of Lust called the old man¡¯s name.

    Calling each other¡¯s name was unusual to them because there were few who could call the king¡¯s name.

    The King of Envy.

    He caught his breath once. He seemed to have calmed down his hot temper as much as possible, but his voice was trembling.

    [You probably know it. That little kid, King of Pride, has attacked me. How ungrateful he is! He surely heard from his father about our special services, right?]

    Perhaps, if there had been any dungeon spirit near the King of Envy at that moment, he would have killed it. The King of Envy had terrible emotional power.

    The King of Lust asked with a sigh, ¡°What did we do for him?¡±

    At that moment, the King of Envy held his breath. It wasn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t remember what to say. He was upset. He sprang to his feet and cried out in anger.

    [We saved the demon world! Saved the demon world! Without our help, the demon world as it is now would not have existed. It can¡¯t exist. Even that little king wouldn¡¯t have been born!]

    The King of Lustughed again and shook his head.

    ¡°No, Leviathan. We didn¡¯t save the demon world. He saved it. It was Mammon who saved the demon world. Absolutely, we didn¡¯t. We are just petty cowards. Did you already forget why we covered up what we had done on that day?¡±

    [Asmodeus!]

    ¡®Did envy change you like that, or was it because you could take possession of envy?¡¯

    That was what the King of Lust wanted to ask him, but he didn¡¯t.

    Instead, he asked, ¡°Leviathan, what do you want me to do?¡±

    The King of Envy let out a harsh breath. He barely calmed down and opened his mouth, but he spoke harshly as if he could not ovee his hard feelings.

    [Help me. Let¡¯s defeat that arrogant little king together. We had better have him get on his knees under our feet and lick our shoes. We¡¯re going to share all his possessions!]

    The King of Lust let his words in one ear and out the other. Then he shook his shoulders and said with a smile, ¡°Leviathan, the war has just begun. As the person who spent that day with you, I wish you good luck. Don¡¯t expect more than that from me. I don¡¯t want to use my sword against you.¡±

    Sword demon Asmodeus, he was once the greatest swordsman in the demon world.

    The King of Envy clenched his fists, trembling in anger. He couldn¡¯t stand it when anybody despised him. But he had to put up with it. If he made even the King of Lust his enemy when he was fighting the King of Pride, everything would be ruined.

    The King of Envy clenched his teeth. However, he couldn¡¯t help but vent out his anger.

    [You will regret it.]

    The King of Lustughed again at his warning. It wasn¡¯t his ridicule of the king, who was gripped by the sin of envy rather than oveing it. It was obviously his self-mockingugh.

    ¡°Yes, you are right, Leviathan. I will regret it just like I did after that day.¡±

    He would keep regretting it. But nobody can¡¯t put back the past. It was impossible to change again.

    The King of Lust epted his depression without suppressing it. Then he leaned over the throne. As always, he regretted what he had done in the past.

    <hr />

    ¡°Ho, Hol!¡±

    Inside a noisy bar. Yuria, who, with her chin resting, was sitting on a high table that she could barely stand on tiptoes, shouted with a sad expression as if she was about to cry at any moment. She was already crying.

    Baduk, sitting right next to her, clenched its fists and stared at the table, with its eyes bloodshot. The bones and chicken vouchers it had collected so far were on the table.

    It was the chips piled up on the table that first attracted Baduk, but now, it couldn¡¯t afford to look back at them.

    Ophelia looked down at the two beyond the table. She asked, waving her clenched fist gently.

    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you regret it? Do you know what will happen if you lose again?¡±

    Ophelia was sweet enough, but cold-hearted at the same time. Yuria¡¯s clear eyes, like ss beads, trembled without any reason.

    ¡°Oh my...¡±

    Yuria bit her lips. She wanted to run away right now. She wished all this was a nightmare, so when she woke up, she could find herself lying on a warm and cozy bed.

    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡±

    Holding her hand, Baduk barked violently. It was just barking, Yuria could understand it, which was something like this, ¡®You should not back down! Think about how much we lost! If you give up here, we don¡¯t have anything left. Don¡¯t give up! You can make it!¡¯

    ¡°I know, but....¡±

    ¡°Bark!¡±

    Baduk nodded strongly. Its eyes filled with conviction gave Yuria strength.

    ¡°Hol!¡±

    Yuria shouted, looking straight at Ophelia. Baduk also stared at Ophelia ringly.

    Ophelia rolled her eyes to the side. She moved her eyebrows a few times as if she got nervous and said again, ¡°Really? You don¡¯t want to change it?¡±

    ¡°Hol!¡±

    ¡°Bark!¡±

    Noticing her weakness, Yuria and Baduk shouted triumphantly.

    Ophelia sighed out loud. She let her arms drop as if she was disappointed.

    Then she opened her fists in front of Yuria and Baduk that were extremely tense.

    ¡°Okay, let me show you my card!¡±

    Yuria¡¯s heart froze. Baduk couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.

    No matter how many times they looked at it, there were only two dice on Ophelia¡¯s palm.

    ¡°Alright, these are all mine now, right?¡±

    Ophelia spoke cheerfully and picked up all five pebbles on the edge of the table.

    It was a gift that Yong-ho bought for Yuria after he returned from the human world.

    They were five pebbles with multiple colors. Actually, the gift was Yuria¡¯s most cherished treasure in the world that she didn¡¯t even take out even when ying with Bauk.

    Stiffening on the spot, Yuria was frozen and couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Tears flowed down her soft cheeks.

 Chapter 161 - Embrioéˆ¥æªš Legacy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 161: Embrio¡¯s Legacy (2)</h4>

    Ophelia smiled again. Then she sat down at her eye level, who was crying with a dejected expression and said, ¡°Yuria, look at me.¡±

    She faced Ophelia, but she couldn¡¯t look at her in the face because of the tears on her face.

    ¡°Oh my God! What shall I do?¡±

    Ophelia roughly wiped Yuria¡¯s face with a handkerchief. She then let her blow her nose.

    Slipping the five pebbles in her hands, Ophelia said, ¡°Let me return them to you, but this time only. I won¡¯t next time. Got it?¡±

    She spoke to Yuria sternly. Yuria couldn¡¯t even check the pebbles in her hand and kept bowing to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°Is that all you want to say?¡±

    Yuria shook her head and bowed deeply to her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Ophelia, patting Yuria¡¯s hair happily, stood up.

    At that moment, Baduk made a miserable groaning. But Ophelia was stern.

    Actually, it was Baduk that held Yuria¡¯s hand and ran to the gambling room here.

    ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you.¡±

    Baduk again groaned miserably, but Ophelia wasn¡¯t persuaded.

    Instead of stroking Baduk¡¯s head, she hit it gently.

    ¡°Go back quickly.¡±

    Looking at the bones and chicken vouchers on the table, Baduk swallowed its tears. Baduk left the table bitterly with Yuria pulling its hand hard.

    Yong-ho, who was waiting until the dust settled, let his shoulders droop and said, ¡°What did you do to them?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve taught them some lessons early on because gambling is a shortcut to the ruin of one¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want to remind you of this, but you remember who asked me to build this gambling house, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you know it¡¯s me!¡±

    Ophelia smiled refreshingly and went back to her seat. Indeed, she acted professionally like the former hostess of a tavern.

    Twenty days had passed since Yong-ho was recognized by Elune.

    Yong-ho opened a bar and a gambling house on the first floor of the House of Mammon, as rmended by Ophelia. The space was more than enough because some of the major facilities including the Demon King¡¯s room was moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    News of the war between the kings in the northern area was also delivered to the southern area. But the fighting there was too far from the south. As he nned for the first time, Yong-ho took care of things in nearby ces one by one.

    As Ophelia predicted, refugees from the west began to rush into the southern area.

    Yong-ho had no problem in epting them because there was a sharp decrease in the poption of the Free City due to repeated wars. It was also not difficult to establish a new order because the House of Mammon became incredibly stronger than before.

    Yong-ho no longer neglected the prey at his mercy. He began to retrieve them one by one.

    He sent dungeon spirits to the dungeon of the House of Abigail that Oros had refurbished before his death. He wanted to reactivate the silver mine, which was the source of the Abigail family.

    Yong-ho also cracked down on the runaway soldiers hiding in the western area.

    He crashed some of them but absorbed others to join them in the unit led by Tigrius, with Skull and Rikum reinforcing them. Now, Yong-ho thought he had a good many troops with half the Skull unit and the newly established ck Orc squadron.

    He made the decision when he bought nearly two hundred skeleton workers.

    He now aggressively used the power of evolution. By evolving the existing orc troops, he turned them into powerful heavy infantry.

    The reason Yong-ho sent Rikum to the west despite his position as the garrison captain was because he wanted to have Rikum gain evolution EXP. Yong-ho had no intention of wasting the resources of the existing dungeon spirits.

    ¡®I guess Baduk has be stronger than before by now.¡¯

    Come to think of it, Baduk went through a good many evolutions. Maybe it was stronger than he thought.

    ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡±

    ¡°Well, the eastern area.¡±

    The eastern army was strong enough to upy the northern area.

    Now was the time for them to return to their territory in the east.

    Yong-ho had no intention of striking them first. He thought it was better to realign and strengthen his troops instead. Of course, he toyed with that idea, on the assumption that the eastern army would return quietly without making any further trouble. If they showed any sign of attacking the southern area, he would choose to attack rather than defend.

    ¡°I think I have to tell our guys who went to the west toe back,¡± said Ophelia.

    He nodded. The reason he needed them back wasn¡¯t just to prepare for the attack by the eastern army. He needed Skull and Tigrius to attack the fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    ¡®The arena, too.¡¯

    At that moment, he suddenly straightened and took out a purple marble slightly smaller than his fist from his pocket. It was a long-distancemunication device he received as a reward for challenging the 15th floor of the arena.

    ¡°You¡¯re no gentleman!¡± Ophelia quipped.

    Yong-ho smiled at her and activated the device. As if to verify his gift from the arena, the device nicely connected him to his dungeon spirits even though they were far from him.

    [Tigrius of the House of Randolt is honored to see the master of the great House of Mammon.] Tigrius¡¯s voice, mixed with a bit of noise, came from the marble.

    [Strange rumors are circting in the north and west.]

    ¡°Rumor? Are you talking about other rumors than our master¡¯s defeat of Embrio?¡±

    Ophelia asked, squinting her eyes.

    Tigrius replied immediately over the marble device.

    [Well, the rumor itself is about our master and Embrio. But the problem is the substance of the rumor.]

    [There are conflicting rumors about the fighting between our master and Embrio. One of them is really true, while the other one has been distorted a lot. In particr, they are divided about the Bone Dragon.]

    What Tigrius said was somewhat strange about the Bone Dragon, Yong-ho thought.

    [It is not the Bone Dragon that Embrio mobilized. It¡¯s just a Wyvern that¡¯s a little bit huge.]

    What Tirgrius briefed him was fairly urate.

    Tigrius continued.

    [The mobilized force or the aspect of the fight they are talking about is also very different from the truth. If we only believe in the distorted rumors, the victory of the House of Mammon this time was not a ¡®miracle¡¯, but ¡®a battle that can be won sufficiently, depending on the tactics.¡¯]

    [First of all, the number of our troops was exaggerated. As for the aspect of the fight, they are specting that our master¡¯s forces were inferior to Embrio¡¯s forces numerically, but ambushed and defeated them by pure luck.]

    Anyway, the fact that Yong-ho won by surprise attack was the same. However, even with the same victory, the potential of Yong-ho and the House of Mammon could be evaluated differently since the way he won was different.

    Particrly, the way they mistook the Bone Dragon for a giant Wyvern bothered Yong-ho.

    If only dozens of troops prated Embrio¡¯s forces and won, it meant that Yong-ho¡¯sbat power was excellent.

    If there was one general who can confront hundreds of soldiers alone and the other one who leads hundreds of troops and defeats one thousand troops, which general was more threatening?

    Aside from other factors, definitely, the former was more threatening in the demon world where the superman exists.

    ¡°What is the source of the rumors?¡±

    [Those who imed they¡¯re survivors of the battle that day are responsible for the rumors.]

    [I¡¯m sorry to say this, but it seems difficult to find the specific source because all kinds of rumors are getting around now.]

    It wasn¡¯t Tigrius¡¯s fault. Rumors were supposed to be spreading like that. Once they began to spread, it was not easy to control them or find out those who spread them initially.

    For this reason, Yong-ho thought of something more fundamental than the source of the rumors. Why were these rumors getting around?

    Who would benefit from these rumors?

    Atst, Ophelia opened her mouth, ¡°Which rumors do you think are more true? You put more weight on thetter, right?¡±

    [Exactly. Right now, they are distorting the truth. It seems that Embrio¡¯s runaway soldiers are engaged in a disinformation campaign to make excuses for their defeat.]

    It was as Yong-ho expected.

    Ophelia said, ¡°Well, peoplee to believe more of what they want to believe. In fact, the fight between our master and Embrio was too big to start in the southern area. As a result, those who haven¡¯t seen the fight directly naturally tend to believe false or exaggerated episodes or rumors.¡±

    She generalized about the fighting, but this kind of generalization could not exin everything.

    She continued, ¡°But even if we take those factors into ount, the current situation is strange now. There are too many survivors of the day for this kind of false rumor to be mistaken as true. It¡¯s not easy for false rumors to rece the truth like now even if only a couple of survivors spread the rumors.¡±

    ¡°Do you think somebody is engaged in organized maniption?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s reasonable to think so.¡±

    The mastermind behind the rumors, who could exercise organizational power.

    What came to his mind immediately was kings. From amonsensical point of view, it didn¡¯t make sense for them to put lots of effort into the deserted southernnd.

    However, Yong-ho had no choice but to doubt them because he remembered Embrio¡¯s warning.

    ¡®But what kind of benefits can they take?¡¯

    Which benefit could they take from the distorted rumors about the alleged underestimated power of the House of Mammon?

    Both Ophelia and Tigrius were silent. It was clear that they had the same doubts as Yong-ho.

    When they kept silent for long, somebody cut in suddenly.

    [Master, I¡¯ve got reports from the Dungeon Meerkats.]

    [A group of unidentified wolves is approaching the entrance of the dungeon.]

    It was Lucia¡¯s report.

    Yong-ho said immediately, ¡°Tigrius, get your troops back ande back to the southern area. I¡¯ll get back to you in a few hours.¡±

    [Yes, master. I¡¯ll follow your order.]

    Hismunication with Tigrius was lost. He put the marble device into his pocket and went out of the gambling room with Ophelia. He also summoned Catalina and Eligos through Lucia.

    A flock of wolves.

    What came to his mind at the moment was just one name.

 Chapter 162 - Embrioéˆ¥æªš Legacy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 162: Embrio¡¯s Legacy (3)</h4>

    The Dungeon Meerkats, which became quite arge family by having babies, shuddered. It was because of a herd of wolves roaming about 30 meters from the dungeon entrance.

    The wolves did not act threateningly. Much bigger than ordinary wolves, they were silent. Without making any sound, they just looked at the entrance to the dungeon in the House of Mammon. They also remained silent even when the dungeon entrance was opened.

    Embrio, the Demon King of Wolves, the reason he was called that was because he was with a herd of wolves anytime, anywhere. However, Yong-ho had never seen a herd of Embrio¡¯s wolves. Even the moment Embrio was fighting Yong-ho desperately, he didn¡¯t see the wolves.

    These wolves were away from Embrio until now.

    Why weren¡¯t they in that ce on that day when Embrio was engaged in deadly fighting?

    Were they staying out of the battlefield at Embrio¡¯s order?

    Since Yong-ho was silent, his dungeon spirits didn¡¯t act recklessly. Only Catalina was ready for the fighting by raising the de of ck mana.

    It was the wolves that moved first. They were now split into two groups. A gray wolf stepped up through the gap between them.

    It was especially a bigger wolf. It was so high that it almost touched a person¡¯s chest.

    It slowly approached Yong-ho with its head slightly down, as if to show that it wasn¡¯t hostile toward him.

    Yong-ho watched it quietly. And finally, the distance between Yong-ho and the wolf was narrowed to none. Standing right in front of Yong-ho, it raised its head high to reveal the ne hidden in its fur. There was a red jewel at the end of the ck belt.

    [Jewelry for saving information.]

    [This is a storage medium into which memories or images can be inserted.]

    Lucia said it because she was right in front of the entrance.

    Yong-ho carefully reached out and unwrapped the wolf¡¯s ne.

    He held the jewel in his hand and tried to inject mana on it.

    Light was emitted from the gem. It was like a beam projector. The light gathered in the air and took the shape of a translucent humanoid like Elune that he had seen on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. It was what both Yong-ho and all of the dungeon spirits expected.

    [I am Embrio.]

    [If this video is being yed by somebody here now, it means I¡¯m already dead. And someone here killed me.]

    It was different from Elune. It was simply ying the saved video.

    Yong-ho recalled Mammon that he had encountered in the human world.

    [The one who killed me. The one I recognized as the new head of the herd.]

    [You may think I am meddling too much if I go to the trouble of leaving this data behind. But if the one who killed me was the same one I thought of, he would need this data.]

    As someone who talked about his own death, Embrio spoke too calmly.

    In fact, it was natural. Embrio never thought that this video would actually be used like this.

    The reason he made this video was because he wanted to prepare for the new head of the wolves. He just prepared it for contingencies.

    He took a deep breath and said, [I was making a deal with the King of Gluttony.]

    [ording to the deal, he would support me with reinforcements, and I would use them to unify the southern area. It was a simple and clear deal.]

    The hypothesis Yong-ho assumed the other day was correct.

    Ophelia suddenly stared at the Dungeon Meerkats that had been gathered at the entrance of the dungeon. Some of the quick-witted parents moved quickly for fear that their babies would fall on their buttocks. After taking the babies, they dug into the burrow. Some of them were running, covering their ears with their hands as if they couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    Embrio continued.

    [The King of Gluttony was nning to rule the southern area after promoting me as a puppet. And I wanted to be a new king after unifying the southern area.]

    Then he made a self-mocking smile because his n was just reckless.

    [As our intention was contradictory, the deal broke down as a disaster. Well, we used each other in a sense.]

    [The reason why the King of Gluttony went to the trouble of using me was because of other kings. As the one who killed me, you also know that the six kings are currently enjoying peace by holding each other in check. In other words, they don¡¯t want any of them to be unusually stronger.]

    There were not three, but six kings who had simr power and forces. Whatever the condition of their real abilities, that was the current situation where they were in, and they enjoyed peace through mutual check and bnce for over a hundred years.

    [If I died without unifying the southern area, it means that the King of Gluttony also failed. He would not promote any puppet right now because it¡¯s too unnatural for any strong man to appear immediately after me. Perhaps, he would leave the southern area vacant for several years.]

    [But if the one who killed me wasn¡¯t just an ordinary master in the southern area, the King of Gluttony would move, and aggressively at that.]

    [He will move not to obtain the southern area but to overthrow you who killed me.]

    The king¡¯s move was worth it because Yong-ho had more value than the entire southern area.

    Ophelia opened her mouth and blurted out, ¡°That¡¯s why they downsized the rumors about the battle between you and our master so that other kings could not notice our master¡¯s extraordinariness.¡±

    It was because the King of Gluttony had to monopolize it and hog the treasure.

    [It is unlikely for the King of Gluttony to raise up a great army. He will move in secret. Maybe he will visit your dungeon in person so that other kings won¡¯t notice that he has overthrown you.]

    That was the way the King of Gluttony did things. He never had his possessions taken away. He was always ready to dive into the mud for whatever he wanted.

    Rumors were circting in the north and west. The King of Gluttony was already on the move.

    Embrio was silent for a moment.

    After moving up and down his lips as if to try to calm down, he continued.

    [Maybe there is still some time for you to prepare.]

    [If you are not ordinary, as I think, and if you are the man who has the sin of greed that has disappeared in the demon world since that great Mammon.]

    His words were mixed with self-mock and arrogance. He smiled at his conviction that he himself would not be killed in a southern area by someone whomitted no sin. In the end, the fact that he had no greed made him mock himself.

    Embrio smiled very little. It was his first andst smile for Yong-ho.

    [It¡¯s an area of possibilities, but I probably would not have died alone. I would have made the watcher ced by the King of Gluttony my fellow traveler.]

    [The killing of the watcher will give you some time. Maybe because of the watcher¡¯s death, the King of Gluttony might not have exact information about you. Then, you can buy more time.]

    [At least three or four months after my death, or even half a year. If you¡¯re lucky, it could be years before the King of Gluttony attacks you.]

    Embrio took a deep breath. This video wasn¡¯t made just before he died. Rather, it had been made much earlier

    Embrio had thought he might be defeated. In the end, he did not turn away from the future when he could not be a king.

    So, he confessed, but he didn¡¯t reveal his innermost intentions.

    He didn¡¯t even reveal it right before he died. He didn¡¯t need to babble about the reason why he wanted to be a king or tell about his past in the video left behind in case of his death.

    Embrio, the man who wanted to be a king regained hisposure.

    Then he spoke to the old him.

    [Let me keep everything I know about the King of Gluttony in this jewel. You will find this very helpful because I have prepared it in case you will have to confront him one day.]

    Embrio didn¡¯t hate the King of Gluttony that much. Rather he liked the king. He was a man with cunning and courage that befitted his ambition. Since he had the patience enough to wait for the right time and theposure that was not easily shaken, he could be called truly an ideal monarch.

    Nheless, Embrio wanted to take the side of the one who killed him rather than the King of Gluttony, for the one who killed him would be the very one Embrio himself really wanted to be.

    Even if hemitted no sin, the one who killed him would dream of bing a king, with the southern area as his base.

    [I doubt if you will use this video actually... I think I was too much into it. Honestly, I went a bit too far because the one who killed me may not have the sin. Maybe he might be killed by a sword for no reason. If you consider the current situation in the southern area, it could really happen.]

    [But I¡¯ve already taken the video. Even if it will never be put to use forever, I think I have to wrap it up properly because this video is for the one that I will recognize as the leader.]

    Embrio refined his expression again. As he himself said, he was absorbed in it and wanted the position of the King of Greed, he put his whole heart into it.

    [If you who killed me is truly the King of Greed, if you are the one I have longed for.]

    Embrio slowly closed and opened his eyes. He made a request to the new leaderstly.

    [Be prepared. The King of Gluttony will visit you.]

    Embrio¡¯s figure was scattered in the air. Eligos, who was tense, gulped, and Catalina curled her lips. Ophelia closed her eyes tightly.

    The King of Gluttony.

    One of the six existing kings.

    He wasing.

 Chapter 163 - Iéˆ¥æª“ Yours (1)

    <h4>Chapter 163: I¡¯m Yours (1)</h4>

    Embrio was dead. He did not exist anymore.

    However, just before he died, he chose Yong-ho as the new head of the herd of wolves.

    The wolf leading the herd¡ªherd leader. The man who was responsible for the preservation of the herd.

    It wasmon for the one who defeated the head of a group to be their new head. However, considering the preservation of the herd, Embrio¡¯s choice of Yong-ho was a bit strange.

    At the time, he left behind the video, Embrio wasn¡¯t sure of his death or the existence of the King of Greed.

    But it was different right before he died. Embrio also knew that Yong-ho was the King of Greed.

    The King of Gluttony was about to mount an attack against Yong-ho. And it meant that the new head of the group would be once again faced with an extreme crisis.

    Nheless, Embrio chose Yong-ho. He entrusted the herd of wolves to the new King of Greed.

    In a way, his decision was natural. Embrio decisively characterized the King of Gluttony as an enemy in the video prepared for the next leader to seed him. He himself was thinking of fighting the King of Gluttony one day.

    The wolves dedicated their loyalty to Yong-ho, just as they did to Embrio. They didn¡¯t even howl, much less talk, but Yong-ho could feel it.

    To Yong-ho, they were apletely different kind of connection from the dungeon spirits.

    Yong-ho himself got connected with the dungeon spirits in soul. This was possible because the dungeon spirits dedicated both body and soul to Yong-ho.

    Yong-he didn¡¯t get directly connected with the herd of wolves in soul. It was like the members of the herd were connected to a mentalwork created by magic.

    Strong bond. Exchange of opinion. Sharing of senses.

    The herd of wolves was a group that had been around for hundreds of years. They were one of the several survival guides made by ancient shamans in order to survive in the demon world where thew of the jungle dominated.

    As the new leader of the herd, Yong-ho knew that fact. He could also faintly feel the moment Embrio became the herd leader.

    There were also some additional effects. His physical strength and endurance became stronger. A new sense that should be called ¡®wildness¡¯ was added to his existing senses, and the ability to regenerate his body, which he did not have before, was also created.

    Of course, it was not a deceptive force like Embrio¡¯s superhuman ability to regenerate.

    It enabled Yong-ho to heal wounds twice or three times faster. But this was enough.

    Yong-ho had a quick recovery rate thanks to his physical evolution. It was obvious that he would benefit from it during battle.

    Yong-ho gently epted the herd of wolves. By doing so, he understood Embrio more deeply. He could read the traces Embrio left behind in the herd.

    It was Yuria who most weed the wolves as new members of Yong-ho¡¯s forces. She especially liked the gray wolf with its long fur and soft hair. Actually, the wolf was No. 2 in the herd in ranking. Baduk, who was deprived of Yuria all of a sudden, stared at the gray wolf¡¯s fur with a jealous expression. Yong-ho felt he would pay special attention to that part of Baduk at its next evolution.

    Yong-ho ordered Tigrius, Skull, and Roon toe back quickly. It would not be toote for him to mention the King of Gluttony after they arrive at the House of Mammon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the King of Gluttony wille here right away. I¡¯m positive about it.¡±

    Yong-ho could feel anxiety in Ophelia¡¯s voice, who was always calm when she talked about intelligence.

    The King of Gluttony, one of the six kings who currently rule the demon world, carried gravitas befitting his name.

    Ophelia finally continued after moving up and down her lips several times.

    ¡°The war in the north will rather help us. Because of the unprecedented all-out war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy, all the other kings except the King of Sloth are showing signs of raising up their armies.¡±

    The king with the power of sin and Godly Energy was also the most powerful weapon.

    Naturally, he got the most attention. Exposing the king¡¯s whereabouts itself was also a means of intimidating others.

    The King of Fury and the King of Gluttony were exposing their location. Because of this, it was more difficult for the King of Gluttony to be away from his ce.

    ¡°The King of Gluttony won¡¯t be convinced yet that you have the sin of greed. So, he will need to verify any intelligence about your location. Embrio is right. You still have time. At least, it will take several months for the king to make the move. So, you don¡¯t have to be impatient. You¡¯ve got enough time to prepare.¡±

    Ophelia began to speak faster as she approached Yong-ho. Although she was talking to Yong-ho, at the same time, she was talking to herself. ¡®Calm down. Do not be impatient. You still have time.¡¯

    Yong-ho nodded.

    <hr />

    ¡°It looks like he¡¯s in a hurry today. He seems to have something urgent,¡± Gusion, seated in the special seat, said in a low voice. Aamon also agreed. Yong-ho, fighting the floor master on the 18th floor, was more hurried than usual.

    Yong-ho became strong very quickly. Thanks to greed and the power of evolution, he quickly increased mana and stamina, but he was basically excellent in fighting.

    He knew well how to fight. He found the shortcut to victory every time without being bound by a stereotype. Apart from that, he also had a talent for martial arts.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t as good as Aamon or Elune. However, he was extraordinary. Although it was true that Aamon taught him how to use a spear, his spearmanship already surpassed the level that any ordinary man could reach in just half a year.

    The floor master on the 18th floor was one of the previous masters of the House of Mammon who belonged to the arena. His different name is the Demon King of Shadow. He mainly used a tactic of oppressing the enemy by using his shadow like an alter ego.

    Yong-ho was fully pressing the floor master of the 18th floor. His spear covered with the green mes tore the shadow with overwhelming power.

    ¡®Yong-ho would win after his fifth attack.¡¯

    Both Gusion and Aamon thought so. Changing the way he was sitting, Gusion chewed the green grapes that Catalina brought. They were harvested from the Garden of Life.

    ¡°Did you say it is the King of Gluttony that has our little master on edge? So, it seems to have nothing to do with the betrayers on that day because gluttony was one of Mammons¡¯ sins.¡±

    Mammon had greed, gluttony, and fury among the Seven Deadly Sins.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a big ordeal for our master. But if he ovees it, he will get qualified to face the truth of that day.¡±

    [Gusion,] Aamon said in a little voice.

    Gusion didn¡¯t turn his head at Aamon¡¯s worried call. Instead, Gusion replied while looking into the air, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aamon. Too many years have passed since that day. I am not obsessed with revenge as you might think. I just want to hand down the great achievements of Mammon to our little master.¡±

    Gusion spoke with a bit of grunt. Aamon found himself empathizing with Gusion.

    Right at that moment, Yong-ho was done attacking for the fifth time.

    ¡°Finally!¡±

    After burning the floor master on the 18th floor, Yong-ho was delighted with the items from the reward box, not the victory itself. His face was very bright as if he forgot all his worries about the King of Gluttony.

 Chapter 164 - Iéˆ¥æª“ Yours (2)

    <h4>Chapter 164: I¡¯m Yours (2)</h4>

    Aamon and Gusion turned to each other then stood up at the same time.

    ¡°Well, I think I know what he will do next. He¡¯s going to summon somebody with that reward.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Kaiwan.¡±

    Unlike the one that he obtained after breaking through the 10th floor, this time, Yong-ho obtained only a one-day minor summons with which he could summon a dungeon spirit from the arena.

    But it was enough for him. A smile was all over his face.

    Staring at him quietly, Aamon asked earnestly, [Are you trying to increase your anguish?]

    Catalina opened her eyes wide, and Gusion admired.

    Making a face, Yong-ho said, ¡°Nope, not at all.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do after summoning Kaiwan? And why are you summoning her? The floor master on the 18th floor is also a former master of the House of Mammon.¡±

    Gusion asked quite sharply because Yong-ho sometimes mentioned this, ¡®Kaiwain, if I can¡¯t summon another former master when I first wanted the summons...¡¯

    [This is out of his anguish again.] Aamon was convinced.

    Gusion giggled and Catalina pouted her lips.

    Yong-ho shook his head and said while shrugging his shoulders, ¡°Well, you will know who I summon soon. See you again next time, Gusion.¡±

    Yong-ho looked around the stadium where Kaiwan and other former masters were sitting. He then headed straight for the exit. With Catalina hurriedly following Yong-ho, Aamon turned to Gusion. Aamon asked as if he was asking for consent, [I guess it must be anguish, right?]

    Gusion giggled once more. Instead of answering, he put a cigar in his mouth.

    <hr />

    As soon as Yong-ho left the arena, he didn¡¯t go far. After taking a seat in Kaiwan¡¯s lounge, he summoned through Lucia the remaining dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon.

    Eligos and Ophelia arrived in less than a few minutes. Both of them were sweaty as if they were sparring at the training ground.

    It was regrettable that Skull and Tigrius were not avable, but it was inevitable.

    Yong-ho lined the three including Catalina side by side.

    And he stood with his back two steps ahead of the three.

    ¡°Let me get started.¡±

    Yong-ho tore the summons right away. Then, his mana was concentrated in the air. Kaiwan was summoned through the process that the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon had already experienced.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to make your wishe true through me this time, right?¡±

    Standing obliquely, Kaiwan asked provocatively, but she stopped in no time because she was distracted by the familiar and nostalgic scene of her good old lounge.

    The lounge looked like the same one before she disappeared.

    She gulped at the moment. If she let her guard down here, she felt like she would cry, recalling her brother.

    It was a situation that Yong-ho didn¡¯t expect, but he had to control it.

    He grabbed her shoulder then looked straight into her eyes, which were a little bit wet.

    When she seemed to calm down a bit, he said with a straight face, ¡°Kaiwan, this is my wish.¡±

    ¡°Sure, tell me whatever it is.¡±

    ¡°I want you to be my dungeon spirit.¡±

    ¡°Good... What is it?¡±

    When she asked back, he already got down to work.

    On behalf of Yong-ho, Lucia proceeded to register her as a dungeon spirit.

    When he summoned Kaiwanst time, he noticed one difference.

    She was different when she was in the arena and outside the arena.

    To be precise, the arena¡¯s dominance over Kaiwan was different. Outside the arena, its dominance was weak, of course.

    A dungeon spirit belonged to the dungeon.

    A spirit in the arena belonged to the arena.

    If so, what would happen if a spirit in the arena was made a dungeon spirit?

    It was difficult inside the arena because the dominance of the arena was too strong.

    But what if Yong-ho weakened its dominance further by releasing tremendous mana?

    The magic field and Brigada rings on his left arm and right hand respectively lit up. Not only Yong-ho, but also all the dungeon spirits erected their own horns and released mana.

    They did so, guided by Yong-ho. And now Ophelia and Eligos knew what he was going to do.

    Yong-ho literally poured out all his mana. He released much more mana than he did when he forcibly made Smi¡ªhis dungeon spirit in the past.

    Lucia screamed.

    [All the stored mana in the dungeon has been released!]

    [Please stick it out well! Master!]

    Yong-ho was kind of a vehicle at the moment. Almost all the mana of the Mammon family, including that of Yong-ho himself and the dungeon spirits was poured into Kaiwan through his body. Atst, the arena¡¯s dominance was blocked instantly. Yong-ho and Kaiwan¡¯s souls were directly connected!

    [Master!]

    Lucia hastily stopped releasing mana.

    Catalina, Eligos, and Ophelia copsed or stepped back because of the repulsive force transmitted through their own Brigada.

    Yong-ho released his hand from Kaiwan¡¯s shoulder. He stumbled while stepping back. Then he roared in no time.

    A new power was surging inside him. It was something he experienced every time he obtained a powerful dungeon spirit.

    Kaiwan had four horns. Because of this, it did not bring about innovative change to Yong-ho with five horns. However, it was never insignificant. Yong-ho felt that his mana was upgraded once more. What he wanted was not an increase in mana alone.

    ¡®The power of distortion!¡¯

    He felt it. His greed sensed a new power in him.

    By keeping Tigrius as his dungeon spirit, Yong-ho acquired the power ofbination mana. With that power, hebined the power of life and death into one and dealt a fatal blow to Embrio.

    It was the same this time. And this was the reason why he chose Kaiwan as his dungeon spirit.

    The floor master on the 18th floor. The power of the shadow he used did not benefit Yong-ho. He could do as much by using Catalina¡¯s ck mana.

    By acquiring Kaiwan, however, he could gain the power of distortion called the absolute shield.

    Catalina, Ophelia and Eligos also began to roar. Since Yong-ho, their master, became stronger, they also experienced growth, as well. And at this moment, there was another one that was growing.

    Kaiwan wrapped her own shoulder. She screamed, sprinkling red light from her eyes.

    A fifth horn rose from the middle of her forehead. The moment she crossed the wall that had been tightly blocked for decades, Kaiwan felt she becamepletely new.

    And when it was all over, everyone in the room was gasping for breath. But they were all smiling. Yong-ho clenched his fist. His growth now had proven everything. He ¡°hijacked¡± Kaiwan from the arena, and he seeded in growing stronger, along with his dungeon spirits.

    Kaiwan smiled brightly. Indeed, she felt liberated from the arena after decades. The unpleasant senses that always dominated her soul disappeared.

    Instead, she had a new connection to Yong-ho. She was happy. She was never offended. Rather, she felt faithful satisfaction.

    Kaiwan licked her lower lip once. With joy in her ferocious eyes, she approached Yong-ho and whispered gently, ¡°My master, you¡¯re the one that I have to give all my body and soul.¡±

    ¡°Kaiwan?¡±

    He was embarrassed, but she was calm. She hugged his neck and kissed Yong-ho.

    Although it was short, her kiss was much more passionate than before.

    She withdrew her lips from his. He looked at her nkly, and sheughed mischievously as if to provoke everyone around her.

    ¡°I am now yours.¡±

    She winked at him after saying that. In terms of the nuance of her words, it looked like Yong-ho became her dungeon spirit.

    And the one watching this scene in the back nodded alone.

    Then he said in an inaudible voice, [It¡¯s the power of his anguish again.]

    Aamon smiled gently.

 Chapter 165 - Overwhelming Power (1)

    <strong>Chapter 165: Overwhelming Power (1)</strong>

    A week had passed since Kaiwan joined them as a dungeon spirit.

    She proved herselfpetent by actions, not words. Moreover, she showed herpetence not inbat but in other areas.

    ¡°Even at a nce, the dungeon has grown so big suddenly. I think I have to take care of lots of stuff in it.¡±

    In fact, she was once the master of the House of Mammon before she was a powerful spirit of the arena. She was the legendary master that transformed the House of Mammon on the verge of copse into a powerful one that other masters were afraid of.

    ordingly, her know-how about dungeon management was unrivaled, dwarfing Yong-ho. She had as many as ten years of experience in managing a dungeon.

    Moreover, she was extremely efficient. She served as the master in a harsh environment where she could not waste even small resources. Any items that would be considered trash to others were valuable resources for a great use.

    Ophelia also admired the way she took care of her work wlessly. Ophelia was also a pretty good manager, but a dungeon was different from a tavern. Obviously, the way Kaiwan managed the dungeon was more efficient.

    Yong-ho humbly epted this unexpected result. Honoring his father¡¯s advice that the president didn¡¯t have to be an expert, which his father used to tell him when he went out for chicken delivery, he had Kaiwan¡ªa de facto dungeon manager.

    In his opinion, he felt he made a good decision on it.

    Kaiwan was his dungeon spirit, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about her betrayal.

    One week passed.

    Yong-ho, who weed back Skull, Tigrius, and Rikum, who returned from the western area, held a conference in which all the key members of the Mammon family participated.

    The meeting ce was the room of the Demon King, which had been moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. On the left and right of therge table in front of the throne were the vassals of the Mammon family.

    Right next to his right side was Eligos, the butler, and Ophelia, the manager of the Free City. And next to them were Tigrius, the manager of the Randolt dungeon, and Rikum, the garrisonmander of the House of Mammon, and Burgrim, the chief of the workshop.

    Yong-ho looked to the left. Catalina and Kaiwan were seated nearest to him. With her long ears drooping, Catalina was at a loss what to do, and Kaiwan was gently hugging her as if she was so cute.

    It was a familiar scene for Yong-ho. Before he knew it, he recalled Elune and Sitri that he had seen in his memories of the House of Mammon. He smiled bitterly and rolled his eyes when he also recalled Ophelia¡¯s reminder that he was the demon king.

    Seeing Catalina and Skull next to her, he felt rxed somehow.

    He did not mention the impending threat of the King of Gluttony, the most important issue at the moment because it was something he would not forget, let alone one that he would keep in mind all the time. He felt those dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, not those under his direct control, had better not know about it.

    ¡°I think it is the most important thing to increase the dungeon¡¯s soul, namely Lucia¡¯s control, in order to take over the fourth floor, our new target.¡±

    It was Kaiwan who first presented her opinion. Normally, she talked informally to Yong-ho, but in a public ce like this, she always used honorifics.

    The fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, ¡°eight-handed Baruna¡±, which was Cancer, passed away a long time ago like Elune. Besides, she did not leave her surrogate behind like Elune.

    Because of this, Yong-ho could take her recognition for ¡°free,¡± like Scathach said, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily good for him. Since he didn¡¯t get Baruna¡¯s recognition through a legitimate process, he could make his Godly Energy near perfect, but he could not properly use her power.

    The power of ¡°eight-handed Baruna¡± was that of creation. ording to Scathach, Baruna used the power of creation to work miracles, such as creating something from almost nothing. It was the power befitting the builder of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    When a dungeon spirit to seed Baruna¡¯s position emerged someday, she would be able to revive the power of creation again, just like Skull and Catalina seeded Baphomet¡¯s death and Elune¡¯s justice respectively. Because of this, Yong-ho could put aside his lingering affection for the power of creation for now.

    The reason Kaiwan emphasized the need to take control of the 4th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was because of the facilities there.

    The fourth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was a workshop. Moreover, it was truly huge. Since it was a semi-automated factory, it was possible to mass-produce high-quality equipment as long as there were enough materials.

    ¡°The facilities on the 4th floor are amazing.¡±

    ¡°If you can use those facilities, I bet you can make weapons that are several times better than now.¡±

    ¡°It will be possible to produce traps that are more powerful than the existing ones. There are lots of blueprints left behind.¡±

    Burgrim wrote down those sentences on the board in an enthusiastic handwriting style.

    His eyes were shining as if he was very excited, but it didn¡¯tst long. Recalling the problems that engineers faced all the time, Burgrim presented his own opinion timidly.

    ¡°If you can increase the budget and the amount of essence a little more...¡±

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t answer immediately. So, he heard the opinions of the next dungeon spirit. This time, Rikum said, ¡°We need to purchase additional battle wagons and various equipment. If we can add specialized troops, such asrge-sized warrior horses for transportation, we can greatly increase our military strength.¡±

    In fact, when very powerful masters started a war, they usually deployed various kinds of dungeon spirits. For example, a Mountain Giant, which yed the role of a turret by throwing huge rocks, a giant golem that could be called a tank itself, or arge flying spirit that could carry dozens or more at a time.

    Although Yong-ho had the power of evolution, it was difficult for him to raiserge-sized spirits in a short time. This matter was a little different from training the skeletons that made up the skull unit.

    Instead of answering immediately, Yong-ho heard another dungeon spirit¡¯s opinion.

    Eligos said a little timidly, ¡°It would be nice if we can add a working golem to the silver mine in the dungeon of the Abigail family.¡±

    He used the expression ¡®it would be nice¡¯ instead of ¡®it is necessary.¡¯

    It was because he took into ount the fact that Yong-ho would need a significant budget to handle the requests that they already made.

    Yong-ho finally looked at Skull. Skull also presented its opinion with a sincere voice.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    <It¡¯s necessary to obtain essence to grow Lucia. Besides, the budget and resources to make equipment and improve dungeons were insufficient>

    Yong-ho nodded at Skull¡¯s message. Other dungeon spirits didn¡¯t make the mistake of asking him what Skull just said to him.

    Yong-ho knew he had a way to solve all these problems at once.

    Although his action n was different from the original one he had in mind, he had to change it because the situation changed.

    At first, he thought it was the best way to attack the arena and the Labyrinth of Greed, but it wasn¡¯t. Since the price for it was fascinating, the risk was also big, so it took a considerable amount of time to attack the two ces.

    Where could he confront the King of Gluttony and his soldiers?

    The location should be a dungeon. Even at the risk of damage, this time, he needed to fight in the dungeon of the House of Mammon. And Yong-ho was thinking of using not only the House of Mammon but also the Labyrinth of Greed.

    A demon king was the strongest when he fought in his own dungeon. He could use the mana of the dungeon through dungeon souls, and he could make use of the geographical advantages avable through various traps installed in the dungeon.

    So, Yong-ho needed to get ready to fight in the dungeon. To do that, he needed to refurbish the dungeon.

    There was only one way for him to get both the budget for a stronger dungeon as well as the experience of the dungeon spirits in a short time.

    Yong-ho said briefly and clearly, ¡°We¡¯re going to attack the eastern area.¡±

    **

    Stravadi, one of the two masters that divided the eastern area, imed to be a strategist.

    He was a Nagaraja with a snake¡¯s eyes and heart. Just like any Nagaraja, Stravadi was cool.

    His brave decision to divide the eastern area was motivated by his cold-heartedness.

    Through his expedition to the north, Stravadi strengthened his friendship with his rival and his most powerful ally, Sargatanas. Sargatanas was no longer a stranger to him. He was the husband of Stravadi¡¯s only daughter, and the heir to inherit everything from Stravadi one day.

    The eastern area was no longer two. It was one. Besides, he obtained a huge amount of loot in the process of upying the northern area. He also took the essence of the northern masters to his heart¡¯s content.

    Embrio died, and the western and northern areas were devastated. Agares, who ran wildly in the areas, was not seen any longer.

    But there was only one problem. It was the House of Mammon in the south.

    It was a very simple situation. If he defeated the master of the House of Mammon, there would be no enemies in the southern area. It was also possible to unify the area for the first time since that great Mammon.

    However, there was one thing that made him anxious. He could not evaluate the power of the House of Mammon properly.

    He kept an eye on the sh between Embrio and the Mammon family.

    Of course, he had secretly dispatched a spy to monitor their fighting and report back. He wanted to find out how much damage Embrio would suffer.

    However, the spy did not return. To his embarrassment, all of the spies he dispatched were entangled in the battle and lost their lives.

 Chapter 166 - Overwhelming Power (2)

    <h4>Chapter 166: Overwhelming Power (2)</h4>

    Since Stravadi did not know that the Bone Dragon¡¯s broad breath burned the spies, he had no way of knowing the exact situation, which made him very frustrated.

    After all, Stravadi was forced to put together all the intelligence and rumors avable to make an educated guess.

    Since there were many survivors of Embrio¡¯s army, it was not difficult for him to gather some information.

    However, there was also a problem here. Totally contradictory rumors were spreading among the people.

    Which rumor should he believe?

    Should he trust the ridiculous rumor, assuming the worst scenario? Or should he trust the moremonsensical and reasonable rumor that lots of people were now believing?

    ¡®Rumors about the Bone Dragon just don¡¯t make any sense.¡¯

    If Embrio had such a card, why didn¡¯t he use it in his attack of the western area?

    Embrio struggled very hard in his fight against the Western Masters¡¯ Alliance.

    He had to spend as many as several months to defeat the Western Masters¡¯ Alliance.

    Besides, he had to use the extreme military method to destroy most of the dungeons and the city in the western area.

    What would have happened if Embrio had turned to the Bone Dragon in his fight against the Western Masters¡¯ Alliance?

    If so, the situation would have beenpletely different, and the Western Masters¡¯ Alliance would have been devastated much earlier.

    And there was a decisive problem from the beginning.

    Nobody could buy monsters like the Bone Dragon just because they had money. Did Embrio buy the Bone Dragon with all the money he collected from the upied northern and western areas? From whom? At the Dungeon Market?

    To purchase a Bone Dragon there, they had to go through the auction process. Those who could purchase this kind of monster without an auction were extremely limited, and of course, Embrio was not included in that limited number.

    Considering other elements of the rumor except for the Bone Dragon, the rumors that a Wyvern appeared in Embrio¡¯s fight were more reliable.

    Stravadi watched closely the Mammon family¡¯s expedition to the western area.

    Although he was not sure of the exact situation because he got the intelligence from his moles, the number of skeleton soldiers and warriors exceeded one hundred, getting close to two hundred.

    Examining the rumors about the Bone Dragon, the forces of the House of Mammon were utterly shabby. Given that Embrio devastated the western area and that there were so many survivors of Embrio¡¯s army that the Mammon family could not acquire lots of loot even after the victory, it was also unlikely that they bought new undead monsters after the battle. There were too many undead monsters for that.

    Because of this, Stravadi estimated the strength of the House of Mammon, based on the rumors involving the Wyvern, not the Bone Dragon. As always, he made a rational judgment.

    ¡®But the guy beat Embrio.¡¯

    No matter which rumor he believed, he had to admit it.

    Embrio was a monster that smashed the Western Masters¡¯ Alliance by himself. Given that he absorbed all the essences of the defeated masters there, it was reasonable to think that Embrio had five horns.

    ¡®Let me assume that even the master of the House of Mammon has also five horns. Since he defeated Embrio, it¡¯s certain he absorbed his essence.¡¯

    Stravadi closed his eyes. He kept it in mind that the uing battle would not be abat between the masters, but a war involving the mobilization of the army.

    After all, even a five-horned master was made of bone and flesh. This meant that he could be ambushed and killed by a sword anytime.

    ¡®Let me reduce the variables. If my own forces are not enough, let me get some help outside.¡¯

    He had no enemies other than the House of Mammon. Even if he squandered all his financial resources in the eastern area, it would be okay if he won, for he would obtain the whole southern area anyway.

    Bought by a sudden optimism, Stravadi looked at the map of the battlefield.

    The troops of the House of Mammon were marching toward the east.

    <hr />

    [Hey, Yong-ho. Do you know something like najibamjo (win in the day but lose in the night)?]

    He cleared his throat when Kaiwan¡¯s voice transmitted through themunication device on his neck.

    What the heck was she talking about now? Apart from its meaning, was there such a word in the demon world?

    ¡°Me, me too! I want to do najibamjo, too!¡± Catalina also said quickly, pricking her ears at Kaiwan¡¯s voice.

    He cooled the heat on his face with a fan. Obviously, Catalina didn¡¯t know what it meant, but she was pretty much conscious of Kaiwan now. He stroked her hair and said over the device, ¡°Stop the nonsense and watch out for your surroundings well.¡±

    [Our master is watching me anyway from above. I trust you, so I hope I¡¯m in your great hands!]

    Laughing cheerfully, Kaiwan cut off themunication. It was good for him to see him cheerful, but he was embarrassed at the time because she was so different from when she was the former master.

    But this might be her real image, Yong-ho thought. If she had not be the master of a crumbling family at an early age, her eyes might have been gentle rather than ferocious like now.

    Four days after Yong-ho made the decision to storm into the eastern area, the troops of the House of Mammon led by the Skull unit were advancing smoothly toward the east.

    There were not so many troops mobilized. The main forces consisted of 250 members of the Skull unit and 100 members of the ck Orc unit. And the rest were some transport units and about two hundred other troops serving as escorts and reserves for the transportation unit. Since about half of the troops were the undead who did not need meals, the cargo of the transport unit was very lightpared to the size of the unit.

    As the number of troops mobilized was small, they had to rely on the power of themanders, so all the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were mobilized again this time.

    Eligos, who was confused about his identity as the butler or the assault leader these days, tookmand of the 1st Independent Task Force with Ophelia. Unlike its impressive name, the task force consisted of only two, namely Eligos and Ophelia.

    Skull and Rikummanded the Skull and ck Orc squadrons, respectively, while Tigrius was responsible for the transportation unit in the rear.

    Kaiwan, the leader and only member of the 2nd Independent Task Force, ran a horse beside Skull. She had served as the master for many years, but she had rarelymandedrge-scale troops, so her fighting alone like Eligos or Ophelia was more efficient.

    Smi, carrying Yong-ho and Catalina, fluttered its wings high in the sky. Since Smi wasn¡¯t simply evolved but promoted to ¡®Fire Elemental Dragon¡¯, it was quite different from before.

    First of all, it got bigger, and its wings and tail also got longer. Its head that looked like a lizard or a smander in the past was added with a hard shell, which made it look like a dragon a lot.

    But Smi was still Smi. Its handle on the back was still the same, and the way it shook its head after listening to the conversation among Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan was the same.

    The reason that Yong-ho was on Smi¡¯s back in the sky was not simply to y the role of a vanguard. It wasn¡¯t only the eastern army that he was concerned about.

    What concerned him was the minions of the King of Gluttony who attempted to manipte rumors about him in the west and north. It was highly likely that they were hiding somewhere in the east and south to watch the fight. Since he had already shown his strength in the fight against Embrio, he didn¡¯t think of being absent from the battle at all, but he had no intention of revealing all his strength fully to the enemies.

    Unlike the southern area, there were lots of huge strange rocks, mountains, and canyons in the east. Because of this, he couldn¡¯t look far away even though he was overlooking from the sky.

    ¡®But if I think the other way...¡¯

    It meant that not only the ce to fight the enemy but also the ce to hide his troops were too obvious.

    Using themunication device, Yong-ho ordered the dungeon spirits to be cautious because the shape of the strange rocks and bizarre stones in the surrounding area was unusual.

    A huge hill was blocking them in the front, and a forest and strange rocks were located on the left and right respectively. It was a terrain where hundreds or thousands of troops could easily hide if they put their mind to it.

    Smi also narrowed its eyes as if it noticed something. Kaiwan, who was riding a horse at the forefront, raised her hand and stopped Skull and the others. But Tigrius urged the transportation unit to quickly catch up with the main forces.

    The eastern army, ambushed on the hill in the front, appeared. A group of troops poured out from the forest on the left. Instead of rushing to Yong-ho¡¯s troops, they moved slowly as if to form a siege, trying to attack the transportation convoy and rear guards led by Tigrius.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t afford to count the number of the eastern army. Smi suddenly turned to the strange rocky area on the right. An earthshaking rumble overwhelmed everything.

    Yong-ho also saw it.

    A huge monster that rushed recklessly as if to destroy the strange rocky area burst into an angry cry. Then it charged straight at Yong-ho¡¯s forces.

    Stravadi, sitting on a hill with his elite soldiers, smiled in satisfaction. Everything was going well, as nned. He could make the most of the battle battlefield in his favor because the master of the Mammon family innocently marched his troops straight into the treacherous enemy terrain.

    Stravadi knew well how the master of the Mammon family fought Agares. It was a very clever and wonderful operation that the master deployed a Land Worm into the battlefield and confused Agares¡¯s forces.

 Chapter 167 - Overwhelming Power (3)

    <h4>Chapter 167: Overwhelming Power (3)</h4>

    So, Stravadi used the same strategy. He called a more heinous and terrible beast into the battlefield than the Land Worm.

    Chimera, it was a terrible monster that lived in the east since long ago. This beast, which had the body of a bear with scales on its 3 heads¡ªa lion, a griffon, and a drake. Its tail was a snake, which was huge and violent. With its shoulders nearly ten meters tall, a Chimera could easily eat even a fully grown Land Worm at one gulp. Based on the standards of the Dungeon Market, it was a monster that would be ranked 5-star.

    It was a huge task for Stravadi to wake up the Chimera sleeping soundly in its nest for this battle.

    In order for the Chimera to intrude at the right moment, he had to do some really meticulous calctions and sacrifice arge number of dungeon spirits.

    At the end of the day, he made it. All he had to do now was to wait for the oue of the Chimera¡¯s attack.

    He expected that the Chimera would destroy the House of Mammon¡¯s troopspletely. Of course, he didn¡¯t expect that the battle would be over with the Chimera¡¯s attack alone.

    The moment the Chimera was killed, he nned to advance his troops in the frontline and in the rear. Then he would siege and annihte the forces of the House of Mammon, who was severely wounded by Chimera.

    Stravadi¡¯s troops were numerically superior to Yong-ho¡¯s forces. The number of his troops in the front and in the rear was close to 2,000. By any standards, it was impossible that Stravadi would be defeated in this battle.

    The Chimera roared again. Not only Stravadi, but also Sargatanas next to himughed happily. The Chimera, which was making an earthshaking rumble, tore away Stravadi¡¯s dungeon spirit that angered it. As if it was still upset, the Chimera stared at the forces of the Mammon family stationed right in front of it.

    Excited, the Chimera kicked the ground. Stravadi clenched his fist.

    Then a huge storm of mana raged in front of them.

    It was a phenomenon that urred as tremendous mana was opened simultaneously.

    A red beast jumped up toward the Chimera that jumped into the air. The muscles of its red upper body covered with gray fur expanded as if it was bursting. Its fist, fully pulled, could be called a hammer.

    Something incredible happened.

    The red beast¡¯s fist struck the Chimera¡¯s upper body hard. Hit by that punch, the Chimera, which would weigh at least dozens of tons, was thrown down on the floor. The red beast that pulled its punch could not ovee the repulsion of his punch and bounce off into the sky. It was truly a herculean punch beyond one¡¯s imagination.

    The beast¡¯s amazing attack did not end there. A woman with gray hair ran. As soon as the Chimera hit the ground, she burst into a cheerfulughter and swung her whip sword. Like a snake that crept through the ground, her whip sword quickly wrapped around the lion-shaped Chimera¡¯s neck. When the whip sword was released again, the Chimera¡¯s flesh and blood covered the air. The Chimera¡¯s neck, which had been severed to the extent that its bones were fully exposed, drooped and wobbled.

    There was one more red beast. Much smaller and quicker than the first one, it soared into the air. Then it cut through the blood sprinkled by her whip sword. A lightning strike struck Griffon¡¯s head. Its power was also as mighty as a thunderbolt.

    One of Chimera¡¯s three heads was still intact. However, it did not dare to stand up. The red beast kicked Drake¡¯s head in session, and the woman with gray hair wielded the whip sword to tear the snake¡¯s tail to pieces.

    The Chimera couldn¡¯t devastate the main forces of the Mammon family. It didn¡¯t even approach them. With Yong-ho¡¯s main forces only ten meters away, the Chimera was almost dead and fell on the floor.

    It was impossible to imagine the beast of fear dominating the eastern area being mangled by another beast.

    Stravadi¡¯s calction proved wrong. He had to stop the operation now!

    ¡°Father-inw!¡± Sargatanas urgently shouted.

    Startled, Stravadi, who had been staring at the Chimera nkly, looked straight ahead.

    Yong-ho¡¯s main forces were rushing toward his troops stationed down the hill!

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    A ck beast that could not be called a horse anymore howled in anger. A skeleton knight with ck armor on swung a long ivory hammer made with a spear. The energy of purple death arose like mes.

    ¡°Rush! Surround them!¡± Sargatanas urgently cried.

    Stravadi shook his head. He momentarily lost his mind because of the imposing posture of the rushing undead unit.

    Reasonably, it was right to form a siege. However, rationality did not exist on this battlefield.

    Skeleton troops charged toward them like a storm. They were too fast. Normal skeletons could not move as fast as them. Moreover, the convoy at the rear was also strange. Rather than preparing for the enemies in the rear, they quickly followed Yong-ho¡¯s main unit as if they were in a race.

    It seemed that they didn¡¯t even worry from the beginning that the mix of their friendly forces would result in the great confusion of their formation.

    Stravadi again felt confused. But he soon understood that the irrational attack by the Mammon family¡¯s forces was actually based on rationality.

    The eastern army, which collided with the skeleton unit, was literally smashed. The skeleton unit¡¯sbat power was unusually high. It was not just the strength of one ck skeleton knight at the forefront. Anybody would believe it even if the knight would be called Skeleton Warrior or even Skeleton Knight¡¯s army.

    It wasn¡¯t simply because of the power of evolution. There was something that Stravadi could not imagine in the overwhelmingbat power of the Skull unit.

    Synchronization of power through the herd?

    Yong-ho paid attention to the mentalwork that Embrio¡¯s wolves formed among themselves. With the help of Tigrius and the wolves, he copied thework itself then formed a new groupwork consisting of skull troops.

    Since the skull unit had a faint ego, Yong-ho could include more than two hundred skulls in the group.

    Since Skull alone had to be responsible for almost all of the mana that maintained the group, it was worth the effort.

    First of all, Skull and its unit were in sync. The Skull unit copied some of Skull¡¯sbat functions through the mentalwork and sharedbat experiences with each other.

    The hardware itself was the same. But the software was literally revolutionized.

    Theirbat power expanded rapidly. Skeleton soldiers were almost as good as a Skeleton Warrior, and the warrior equaled the knight. The Skeleton Knight and dragon soldiers also experienced their power expanding greatly. Moreover, as they shared experiences with each other, their umtion of evolution EXP was several times faster than before.

    The Skull unit devastated the eastern army. The eastern army copsed even before they, who got around the forest, could even attack the transportation unit led by Tigrius from behind.

    As things stood now, Stravadi¡¯s siege n went nowhere. Moreover, the synchronized Skull forces showed a speedy movement that Stravadi could never imagine.

    The transportation unit led by Tigrius passed by the Skull unit. They then disrupted the formation of the eastern army with the ck Orc unit.

    The Skull unit turned. As if hundreds of them were merged into one, they changed the direction of the attack in unison. Then they made a dreadful reverse rush toward the eastern army that ran toplete the siege.

    While witnessing the crazy fighting scene, Stravadi did his job based on his reason. He realized that the red beast, a wild beast, and the gray-haired woman would soon join those crazy skeleton squads and go after the remaining eastern army.

    The eastern army was still numerically superior. Several times as many as them. But Stravadi felt his numerical advantage was meaningless. He needed to do something powerful to turn the tide.

    Sargatanas and he himself had to lead the reserve and join the fighting. The eastern mastersmanding their units on the battlefield alone were not enough to defeat Yong-ho¡¯s forces.

    His reason told Stravadi that he himself and Sargatanas were strong because they had five horns after taking the essence of all the northern masters.

    ¡°So, you can make it. You can do it!¡±

    Sargatanas shouted again. The moment he heard it, Stravadi realized one thing.

    There was one that he had to be most wary of among the Mammon family¡¯s forces.

    Nevertheless, hepletely forgot this man because of what was going on before his eyes.

    Stravadi raised his head. He saw the sky.

    And right there the green sun was zing down intensely! It zed down toward Stravadi and his reserve.

    <hr />

    It was obviously big and intense.

    The moment the green sun hit the ground, the surrounding area turned into a superheated hell.

    Based on Yong-ho¡¯s standards, the current sun was smaller and weaker than the sun of the green mes he created in the fight against Embrio. It was because the absolute value of the time he gathered mana was only about one-third of the time, although he became stronger by using Kaiwan as his dungeon spirit.

    However, this kind of factor did not have a big impact on the situation. Stravadi¡¯s reserve army was burned. Stravadi fell into confusion amidst the green mes that engulfed everything in the surrounding area. The painful screaming of the soldiers, who were burned to death, tormented him.

    Stravadi instinctively released mana to drive away the green mes threatening to devour him.

    To protect himself from the heat, he created a curtain of mana. His mana with the attribute of chill not only repelled the green mes but also calmed him down.

    Stravadi asked himself, ¡®Is it possible for him to make an ideal retreat by realigning his troops in this situation?¡¯

    ¡®If he and Sargatanas join his forces, can they turn the tide?¡¯

    As soon as he thought it was impossible, Stravadi came up with the next n rationally.

    The moment he devised it, Stravadi shouted, ¡°Sargatanas!¡±

    ¡°Yes, father-inw!¡±

 Chapter 168 - Overwhelming Power (4)

    <h4>Chapter 168: Overwhelming Power (4)</h4>

    The chill embedded in his mana broke apart the green mes and opened the way. Stravadi saw Sargatanas defending himself by releasing mana just like himself. Five horns were towering above the head of this purple-skinned giant. Given that his muscles were wriggling, it seemed that he was prepared for the fight. But Stravadi thought he should not fight. So, he reached out and grabbed Sargatanas instead of shouting at him.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to retreat.¡±

    ¡°Father-inw?!¡±

    Their eyes crossed. Sargatanas¡¯ eyes trembled greatly. He was inflexible, but not stupid. He clearly understood why his father-inw mentioned retreating.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to desert the entire eastern army on the battlefield. Only two of us will run away.¡±

    Sargatanas opened his mouth wide at his sudden proposal. Although he could not persuade Stravadi, a smooth talker and strategist, he wanted to say anything. The total number of the eastern army soldiers on this battlefield exceeded 2,000. Dump them here? It was something he could not think of. He could not follow his father-inw.

    Sargatanas stopped breathing for a moment. Stravadi looked straight at him without saying anything. There was no more time. Stravadi already began to feel the presence of the man with terrifying mana, the master of the House of Mammon, approaching him beyond the green mes.

    Sargatanas clenched his teeth. Stravadi activated his power.

    Stravadi¡¯s nickname was the Demon King of Jump.

    The two men jumped over the space and disappeared amid the green mes.

    <hr />

    Smi, trying to dive into the green mes while burning Stravadi¡¯s reserve army, suddenly fluttered its wings again. Then it instantly changed its direction and increased altitude.

    Yong-ho also felt that Stravadi and Sargatanas disappeared because Sargatanas¡¯s mana, who opened all his five horns, evaporated before his eyes.

    Yong-ho thought of several possibilities of his disappearance. He could have made a short-distance leap as Tigrius did in the past. Or he could have simply hidden his mana and gone into hiding nearby.

    ¡®I guess he has at least five horns,¡¯ Yong-ho thought.

    Sargatanas released mana very shortly. But Yong-ho was extremely good at detecting the opponent¡¯s mana. Given the size, color, and properties of the mana that arose among the green mes, it was clear that Sargatanas was a demon king with five horns.

    Just because one had the same number of horns, it did not mean that even the strength and weakness of the mana owner were the same. And the range of a mana¡¯s strength and weakness within the same number increased as the number of horns increased.

    Sargatanas¡¯s mana was a little stronger or simr to that of Kaiwan, who barely produced five horns. Given that Stravadi also had five horns, it wasn¡¯t easy for Yong-ho to deal with two demon kings with five horns.

    ¡®But.¡¯

    Given his power as the master of the current House of Mammon, he could defeat Sargatanas and Stravadi without any difficulty. It might be too hasty to judge the oue even before Yong-ho had yet to confront the two, but he thought so.

    Catalina, who was prepared to jump in the green mes and have it out with the two leaders of the eastern army, looked at Yong-ho curiously when Smi changed direction. In his right hand, he held a moonlight sword he inherited from Elune instead of the dagger he used until now.

    It was a silver sword that looked like a crescent moon.

    ¡°It looks like the two ran away. Let¡¯s wrap up the fighting first.¡±

    Yong-ho, who stroked Catalina¡¯s head, ordered Smi to turn back.

    Stravadi had hundreds of reserves, and only a few of them were struck by the green sun, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t care anymore. Now that their main forces broke up, there was only one option for these soldiers who lost theirmander.

    As Yong-ho expected, the reserve soldiers started running away instead of joining their main forces on the battlefield. They were living witnesses who would convey the overwhelming defeat of the eastern army everywhere.

    Smi fluttered its wings again. It squinted to see Bucephs striding down the ground with Skull.

    Just as Smi was promoted to ¡°Fire Elemental Dragon,¡± Bucephs was also promoted to ¡°Nightmare Lord¡±. With a mane made of green mes and a pitch-ck body, which was more than twice asrge as a normal warhorse, Bucephs was now powerful enough to dwarf the ordinary Phantom Steed, so much so that the eastern army soldiers were so scared of its ring green eyes as to drop their weapons.

    Quietly watching Bucephs fighting on the battlefield with its owner Skull, Smi nodded its head slowly. Looking at Bucephs¡¯s ring eyes, it seemed Smi was quite satisfied with its fighting posture.

    There was a massacre, not a battle, happening on the battlefield.

    If the tworge armies fought head-on, the death toll was surprisingly small, generally speaking.

    However, when the formation of any one army copsed, it was a different story. Besides, when they started fleeing with their back against the other party, the number of their deaths increased dramatically from then on. That was why the loser in many of the historically famous battles incurred an enormous number of casualties,pared to the winner. In other words, the army that lost its formation and ran away was just helpless against the opposing army¡¯s attack.

    The overwhelming destructive power of the Skull unit broke the formation of the eastern army from the front. Skull, teaming with Bucephs to sprinkle death in all directions like Baphomet, was a disaster for the eastern army.

    However, it was because of Eligos, Ophelia, and Kaiwan joining them when they decisively smashed the formation of the eastern army.

    Out of the trio, especially Kaiwan clearly knew what her role was on the battlefield.

    The general role of a general was tomand his soldiers. However, the roles of the three dungeon spirits, named as Independent Task Force, were different.

    Kaiwan considered herself an assassin, rather a sniper.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you guys to be punished!¡±

    Kaiwan¡¯s whip sword wrapped around the waist of a struggling eastern armymander.

    Even before he could resist her attack, she wielded the sword violently. He instantly fell on the ground. She swung the sword in session, making him hit the ground several times.

    She fought very splendidly. Bursting into a thin and high-pitchedughter, she drew the attention of the eastern army soldiers. Her targets were simple¡ªthe one riding a horse, the one fighting well, the one shouting, themander, and the one supporting with mana in the rear.

    In other words, she attacked only those who served as a sort ofmanders who made numerous individual soldiers move as one group. It was much more beneficial to kill a singlemander than defeating dozens of rank-and-file soldiers.

    Eligos, who made his brutal nature explode, could not control his anger precisely, but Ophelia didn¡¯t. Soon she understood Kaiwan¡¯s intentions and acted the same as she did.

    The absence of themanders soon resulted in the copse of the entire eastern army.

    Losing the will to fight, the eastern army soldiers began to run away, which soon led to the start of their massacre.

    The eastern armymander, who was thrown to the ground several times by Kaiwan, could not gather his senses. Fever came all over his body as if all of his bones were broken. He could hardly exert his power because of extreme pain.

    Kaiwan approached him and withdrew her whip sword from him. Since it became clear who was the winner of the battle, she did not kill him thoughtlessly. She tapped his cheeks, who still didn¡¯t get back to his senses.

    ¡°Let me save your life.¡±

    Smiling brightly, she straightened and looked at the sky. Then she shook her hand toward Yong-ho, who was getting on Smi.

    <hr />

    Stravadi used his power in session. If he was fully focused, he could jump up to 600 meters instantly. So, if he used it in a row, he could escape from Yong-ho as far as several kilometers in an instant.

    He used his power exactly ten times. Landing on a strange rocky area about 6km from the battlefield, he took a deep breath, gasping for breath. Depending on how he used it, he could really reveal deceptive abilities, but this space jump didn¡¯t have only an advantage all the time. Since he exhausted his mana and stamina together, excessive use of it caused a rapid loss of hisbat power.

    For this reason, Stravadi always used space leaps, based on his rational calction.

    ordingly, he didn¡¯t use his power ten times in a row impulsively.

    Sargatanas opened all five horns and quickly turned west. The battlefield was now 6 km away from him, and the strange rocks around him obstructed his vision, so he could not see the battlefield well

    ¡°Oh my God.¡±

    He sighed, almost losing his mind. It was natural that he showed such a reaction, given that he dumped in the battlefield the eastern army of two thousand soldiers, who had attacked the northern part with him.

    It was a very shocking defeat to him. The power of the House of Mammon far exceeded his expectations.

    What should he do now? Should he fight to the end or save his life by letting Yong-ho¡¯s forces upy the eastern area without any resistance?

    Sargatanas turned with a heavy heart. Then he looked at his father-inw as well his ally Stravadi, who already led him to the right way after they decided to join hands to defeat Yong-ho¡¯s forces.

    ¡°He is strong. We cannot win with the method we have taken until now,¡± Stravadi said calmly, as always. Even at this moment, Stravadi didn¡¯t stop thinking. He deduced from the battle the strength of the master of the House of Mammon and his dungeon spirits and drew one conclusion.

    ¡°Father-inw?¡±

    Stravadi nodded. With his back straight, he faced Sargatanas, who was in great confusion.

    He got his face closer to Saratanas to say something important.

    He whispered in a calm voice, ¡°Listen to me, Sargatanas.¡±

    Sargatanas gulped. He just remained silent and listened to him respectively as he did when his father-inw led his army to break through the east and devastate the northern area. Then he opened his mouth and groaned. He looked at his father-inw putting his hand on his chest.

    Sargatanas had no time to be astonished by his action. Stravadi did not tolerate his resistance at all. The moment Sargatanas raised his head again, Stravadi busted his heart with one hand to the heart of Sargatanas in one hand.

    He screamed silently. Stravadi covered his mouth with the other hand. At the same time, he released mana as well as magic power that would never fall behind him. He even nullified Sargatanas¡¯s desperate struggle, who lost his heart before he knew it.

    Even though his heart was busted, this mighty demon king didn¡¯t die immediately. He red at Stravadi with resentment and anger. He tried to squeeze his voice to say something.

    But Stravadi tightened his hand that covered his mouth.

    As always, he exined it calmly, ¡°Two of us, who are weak, can¡¯t deal with this strong man. Even if you and I join hands together, we can¡¯t defeat the House of Mammon. What we need right now is one absolutely strong man. We have to stop him with the dungeon-style fighting, not a battle like this.¡±

    Sargatanas¡¯s eyes trembled. His body stiffened, and he quickly lost the warmth of his body.

    ¡°Goodbye, Sargatanas. It¡¯s sad for me to part with you like this.¡±

    He was serious. It wasn¡¯t a lie.

    Stravadi carefullyid down the dead Sargatanas with his eyes open. After closing his eyes with the hand that covered his mouth, he sensed his dungeon spirits wereing to him. It seemed that all of them got out of the battlefield as he ordered. Everyone seemed to have left the battlefield as directed.

    Stravadi no longer talked sentimentally. He swallowed Sargatanas¡¯s essence.

 Chapter 170 - Dungeon Breakthrough (1)

    Chapter 170: Dungeon Breakthrough (1)

    It was an overwhelming victory for Yong-ho.

    The Mammon family¡¯s casualties were only about 30. On the other hand, nearly half of the eastern army soldiers lost their lives, and hundreds of those who survived were injured.

    Unlike Embrio¡¯s army, whose frontlinemanders mostly survived, themand system of the eastern army was smashed. Therefore, there was no leadership for the defeated soldiers.

    Since they werepletely shattered, they were no longer a threat.

    The battle waspletely over. However, the battlefield was still full of vitality because Yong-ho¡¯s forces were absorbed into capturing booty from the dead eastern army soldiers.

    The armaments of the eastern army soldiers, who gained wealth through their northern expedition, were quite excellent. It was clear that just recovering various armaments and armor would generate a considerable amount of money. Moreover, some of them possessed quite expensive items.

    But Yong-ho was not greedy for small things. He nned to distribute most of the items obtained from the battlefield to his rank-and-file soldiers. Actually, he had already made the announcement about it before the battle. He took the measure to raise the morale of the soldiers of the Free City who were out on an expedition at his order.

    Fluttering its wings, Sminded on the ground. Sminded in front of the Skull unit that maintained its ranks in an orderly fashion even when other soldiers were to acquire the spoils of the battle.

    Bucephs was the first to pretend to know Smi. Its face was soulful when it neighed cheerfully. It seemed to ask Smi something like, ¡®Didn¡¯t you see me fighting well? Wasn¡¯t I cool?¡¯

    Smi snorted, but only for a moment. Instead, Smi appreciated Bucephs, its arch-rival and bad friend, with a pleasant smile.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull, the Knight of Death, who could now be said to be the pride of the Mammon family, expressed due respect to Yong-ho by erecting its hammer spear. When the two hundred members of the skull unit, who had yet to break their synchronization with the end of the battle, bowed to Yong-ho in unison, they created such a spectacr scene.

    Yong-ho was really happy. He seemed to know why it took so long for the principal to make a long speech whenever he took the podium when he was in elementary school. Hundreds of skulls fixed their eyes on him. He felt a great thrill at that moment.

    Behind his back, he heard Catalina pping her ears and tail cheerfully. She was as much thrilled about the skulls¡¯ spectacr greeting as he. Indeed, the shabby little House of Mammon on the verge of copsing was the thing of the past.

    Just like Smi did, Yong-ho returned their greeting with a happy gaze. When they were done, Skullughed heartily, as usual. Skull loosened his synchronization with his members that he had maintained during the battle and sat down on the groundfortably.

    ¡®Man, they¡¯re back to their old selves!¡¯

    The two hundred skulls, who behaved themselves so politely only a minute ago, were fully rxed and began to wander around in ce. Some of them sat down on the floor like Skull or even rolled around on the floor. It seemed that it was not just theirbat skills that were delivered through the synchronization.

    Yong-ho also lightly tapped his left chest to get out of the consciousness that had been gripping him throughout the battle. At the moment, he felt a tingling pain in his chest, but he soon feltfortable.

    The heart of the Demon God.

    Mammon¡¯s legacy, which was left behind in the human world, was not an ordinary Brigada. Know-how on how to deal with greed was just redundant for him.

    The seven fragments stuck in his left chest. The heart of the Demon God was different from the Godly Energy of greed that was created through the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    It was an object that existed for only one ritual, namely bringing the owner¡¯s spirit and body closer to the Demon King.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t permanent. It was just a temporary doping. But the effect was absolute.

    When one fragment was triggered, they called it one demon. When one demon was activated, one¡¯s consciousness started working since the fragment prated deep into the heart.

    Bragada¡¯s fragment directly stimted the essence, which could be called the center of the mana, so that it could make the flow of mana stronger and faster. It forcibly opened up the potential of the body through insinuation, which would not normally be opened up, It was like overclocking aputer.

    It was also thanks to the activation of the demon that Yong-ho managed to create the green sun, although he couldn¡¯t have enough time to concentrate mana,pared with when he did during his fight against Embrio.

    There were seven fragments that made up the Demon God¡¯s heart. Naturally, the stage of consciousness existed up to seven demons.

    When the consciousness progressed one step further, it was supposed to increase the power, so it was hard to imagine how powerful it would be when all the seven demons were fully released. Perhaps, as the name suggests, Yong-ho might reach the level of the Demon God.

    Of course, it was dangerous. Even activating one demon exposed one¡¯s body to severe stress.

    Moreover, starting with the stage above four demons, the method of amplifying the power itself was not as simple as one demon. It demanded more than stimting essence with Brigada.

    The reason why Yong-ho learned about the heart of the Demon God even btedly was because he made Kaiwan his dungeon spirit.

    He came to know roughly about its usage and danger through Mammon¡¯s remaining mana left in Brigada. Probably, it seemed to be a kind of artifact that wouldn¡¯t trigger at all if the owner¡¯s mana did not reach a certain level.

    It was indeed Mammon¡¯s way of securing his surrogate, which was consistent with many experiences Yong-ho went through until now.

    After deactivating one demon, Yong-ho faced the dungeon spirits morefortably.

    ¡°The capturedmanders are here. They are at your mercy, master. You can either grill them or kill them.¡±

    Kaiwan unleashed one of the capturedmanders that she dragged to the floor, bound by her whip sword. Then Eligos and Ophelia alsoid down the easternmanders they had carried or bound.

    All of them were in bad shape. Those with one of their arms or legs broken were the least injured, while most of them were severely wounded.

    In the battles of the demon world, especially the battles among the masters of houses, there were few cases in which prisoners were released for ransom.

    The masters could grow their power only when they took the essence of their opponents.

    Moreover, the death of the masters meant a sharp decline in their dungeon defense. Because of this, it was a big advantage for the winner to capture and kill them.

    Nevertheless, there were some reasons why the master of a house was taken as a prisoner.

    First, when he was highly valuable as hostages.

    Second, when the winner wanted to make him a subordinate.

    Third, when the winner wanted to gather information from him.

    The eastern masters-cummanders taken as hostages, who fell on the ground, generally had three horns. They had four horns at most, but the level of their mana was the nascent four.

    Since there was such a gap between the level of his mana and theirs, Yong-ho would not get much benefit even if he took their essence.

    It was for the second and third reasons that the eastern masters were captured alive.

    ¡°I will set up a temporary prison and torture room right now. Please allow me to take the task of interrogating them, so they can leak everything about the eastern area. I¡¯ll force them to confess anything they know,¡± said Eligos with his eyes ring sharply this time.

    Although his whole body was stained with the blood and flesh of his enemies, he seemed to be even more muscr and powerful than before.

    Catalina narrowed her eyebrows, and Yong-ho smiled bitterly. Though he witnessed it several times, he could not get used to the way Eligos enjoyed his hobby of tormenting their enemies.

    ¡®Well, let me give him a pass since he does it only asionally.¡¯

    In fact, Eligos needed it. Since he didn¡¯t catch Stravadi and Sargatanas, the heads of the eastern army, in this battle, he had to gather all the intelligence to prepare for the next battle.

    Even Ophelia made a horrible expression at Eligos¡¯s request, but Eligos was all smiles on his face and got ready to interrogate the captured easternmanders.

    Right at that moment, somebody shouted, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to interrogate us.¡±

    One of the least injured among them opened his mouth. He was a master from the Nagaraja race that was said to have a snake¡¯s heart and tongue.

    ¡°I will tell you all. Let me tell you anything that you want to know, no matter what.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say that because he was resigned to his miserable situation. There was resentment in his voice. Eligos urgently clenched his fist.

    ¡°How dare you try to trick us?¡±

    ¡°Stravadi and Sargatanas abandoned us first! They betrayed us!¡±

    The Nagaraja master shouted quickly. The resentment in his voice was not directed against Yong-ho, but Stravadi and Sargatanas.

    He was right. Stravadi and Sargatanas did not appear while the eastern army was being annihted. The Nagaraja master knew what their disappearance meant. It meant that the two leaders of the eastern army fled after making them scapegoats on the battlefield without even fighting Yong-ho¡¯s forces.

    The Nagaraja master stared at Yong-ho desperately.

    Kaiwan, who was silent all along, stepped out to second his opinion.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like he is telling a lie. I don¡¯t think he has any reason to stay loyal to his bosses who ran away.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Moreover, this guy is from the Nagaraja race that allegedly has a snake heart. It is unlikely that he will keep his loyalty when the eastern army has copsed, and he himself was betrayed by his bosses,¡± Ophelia seconded this time

    Then she made eyes at Yong-ho slightly, suggesting she was ready to test him if her master wanted.

    Catalina didn¡¯t say anything, but given that she pped her ears and tail, she seemed to be on the same page with Kaiwan and Ophelia.

    ¡°Alright. Let me listen to your story.¡±

    Yong-ho gave him the go-ahead. The Nagaraja man let out a breath of relief, while Eligos became sullen, with his shoulders drooping.

 Chapter 171 - Dungeon Breakthrough (2)

    <h4>Chapter 171: Dungeon Breakthrough (2)</h4>

    [We¡¯re going to take over the dungeon now. Please wait a moment.]

    It sounded a bit far away, like a cell phone call with a poor signal, but it was definitely Lucia¡¯s voice.

    One day passed after Yong-ho¡¯s army defeated the main forces of the eastern army.

    Yong-ho, who kept making an inroad into the eastern area without a hitch, took over the dungeon of the Nagaraja master who had surrendered and used it as a forward base.

    The number of the eastern masters also dropped significantly amid the turbulence caused by Embrio. ording to the Nagaraja master, there were only two eastern masters under themand of Stravadi and Sargatanas.

    And the number of soldiers that the eastern army could mobilize again was about a thousand or so. Given that even if all the soldiers left in the north or scattered in various dungeons were mobilized, it would be no more than 2,000, so Yong-ho didn¡¯t have to worry about confronting the enemy with a huge army beyond his imagination.

    The intelligence that the Nagaraja master provided was better than expected. He even knew the power of Stravadi and Sargatanas.

    Stravadi¡¯s power was short-range space jump, while Sargatanas¡¯s power was strengthening of the body.

    Both were good at closebat, but Stravadi of the Nagaraja race also seemed to be good at spelling magic. In some respects, they might be tougher than Yong-ho thought.

    Yong-ho sat down on the throne engraved with a serpent¡¯s head and pondered over how to deal with the two. He drew a map of the eastern area in his mind. The current dungeon was located in the south within the eastern area. Moving a little further to the northeast, he could find Stravadi¡¯s dungeon.

    Tigrius, Rikum, and Ophelia said in unison that the next battle would be a dungeon battle, not a battle in the open field like this. Their opinion was reasonable. Actually, Yong-ho himself thought of fighting the King of Gluttony at the dungeon fight instead of a battle. It was when the master was fighting at the dungeon that he became the strongest.

    Thanks to the Dungeon Market, the concept of supplies in the demon world was different from what they used in the human world. As long as they could secure a dungeon with ess to the virtual space of the Dungeon Market and enough funds, they could deliver supplies even into the heart of the enemy camp, though ipletely.

    Yong-ho had no intention of letting Stravadi buy his time. He intended to devour the eastern area quickly like lightning.

    The current situation was different from when he defeated Agares.

    Back then he was pressed for time. He had to hurriedly take the essence of the dungeon¡¯s heart and leave the eastern area while guarding against other masters in the surrounding areas.

    But it was different this time.

    The dungeon¡¯s treasures and resources, dungeon spirits, and the essence of the heart.

    He intended to take away all of them by all means.

    Really, he would do it, just like the King of Greed!

    [Takeover of the dungeon was over.]

    [Are you going to ess the virtual space of the Dungeon Market?]

    The energy of greed arose. The greed that grew much bigger and more abundantly than before engulfed Catalina and Kaiwan, standing next to the throne. It did not stop there and spread widely.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes and essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    <hr />

    [Recognition number: 009]

    [Descendants of the man.]

    [Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the House of Mammon.]

    [Recognition has beenpleted. Wee.]

    As soon as he arrived in the all-white virtual space, the letters of light spread in front of his eyes amid a woman¡¯s hard voice.

    Since he already experienced it, he waited instead of feeling embarrassed.

    As he expected, her voice continued, [Sitree is currently taking care of her personal affairs.]

    [You can¡¯t chat with Sitri at this time.]

    [Would you like to go back? Or would you like to trade in normal mode?]

    Yong-ho agonized for a moment. Last time, he waited for Sitri while trading in normal mode.

    But he didn¡¯t have to do it again this time. It was true that his conversation with Sitri was pleasant, but he was not here to y in the virtual space. He came here to purchase supplies and various equipment for attacking the dungeon.

    ¡®It¡¯s regrettable, but I can¡¯t help it anyway.¡¯

    It seemed that the war between kings in the northern area seemed to affect the Dungeon Market more than he expected.

    ¡°Let me trade in normal mode this time. I want to buy supplies and equipment for attacking a dungeon.¡±

    [Okay. We will provide you with the relevant catalogs.]

    A white chair soared behind his back. He, seated in ce, reached for it in the air.

    Then, he came to grab two catalogs.

    ¡®What I need most, above all, is food and lighting devices for the dungeon. By the way, is it a woman?¡¯

    Feeling something all of a sudden, he looked a little further away. Since both the sky and the earth were pure white, a new being appeared in an all-white world where even he could not identify the horizon.

    Her bright blonde and ck wings made a strong contrast. Her neat and active suit reminded him of a career woman in the human world.

    Although she was at quite a distance, she was an outstanding beauty that Yong-ho could recognize at a nce. As if she was stepping down from the air, she came down but flinched momentarily. She seemed to be surprised to see him.

    ¡®No, She¡¯s a little different.¡¯

    There was no clear evidence that he could think so, but he felt that way.

    She seemed to have been surprised by the fact that there was someone in this space.

    He called a table from the floor and put the catalogs on it. Rather than rushing to act, he wanted to watch how the woman would act first.

    The woman didn¡¯t agonize for long. She pped her big wings once, and in no time, she narrowed her distance with him. When he looked at her up close, she was so kind and gentle despite her ck wings that he immediately thought she was an ¡°angel¡±.

    However, it was just her look only. Her eyes that were as soft as a gentle sheep showed she was smart. Landing in front of him, she politely bowed to him, as Sitri did.

    She introduced herself with a gentle smile.

    ¡°I am Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Yong-ho Cheon.¡±

    Yong-ho got up from his seat and returned her greeting. And there was a moment of silence.

    Both of them quickly examined each other as if they promised to do so.

    It was Samael who opened her mouth first.

    ¡°You must be the master of the House of Mammon. I have heard of your excellent military activities in the south. It is an honor for me to meet you like this.¡±

    She once again appreciated him politely. It seemed that during that short span of her greeting him with a nod, she obtained some information about him at the Dungeon Market.

    Yong-ho also seeded in recalling her name.

    ¡®Dungeon Merchant Auction House.¡¯

    She was its manager there. Yong-ho once participated in the auction with Sitri.

    Why did shee here? Why was she showing interest in him?

    In the human world, Samael could be called an executive of a world-ss multinationalpany, and a top-ranking executive overseeing business in Europe at that.

    But Samael was now looking at Yong-ho with curiosity, who was the master of the House of Mammon in the abandoned southernnd.

    Of course, his situation in the southernnd was not the same as before. He built up power enough to beparable with that of the very powerful demon kings of the demon world.

    So, even if she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, it would be hard for her to look down on him. However, there was a difference between her looking down on him and her looking at him with lots of interest and curiosity.

    Why? For what purpose?

    ¡°I came here to see Sitri, but I unexpectedly met a nobleman here. Are you usually doing business with Sitri like this?

    As if to read his mind, Samael quenched his curiosity readily. She was now showing interest in Yong-ho because of Sitri.

    Yong-ho pondered over her question, namely her question about him doing business with Sitri as usual and the way she behaved when she appeared in this space first. And he could discover why she was surprised when she knew he was in this space.

    It was never umon for Sitri to deal directly with her client.

    So, Samael wanted to know the reason why Sitri wanted to face Yong-ho in person.

    ¡°Samael.¡±

    Somebody, not Yong-ho, called her. Samael turned back to the voice naturally.

    ¡°Sitree!¡±

    Wearing a nightgown, Sitri let out a long breath. She concealed her fatigue and said to Yong-ho, ¡°Dear client, could you wait a minute? Please!¡±

    Samael looked back at Yong-ho. Instead of answering, Yong-ho responded with a nod.

    Then Sitri and Samael disappeared. And within a few seconds, Sitri appeared again.

    ¡°What about Samael?¡±

    When Yong-ho asked instinctively, Sitri frowned a bit. Then she curled her lips and approached him.

    ¡°I sent her back for now. Did she act rudely?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    When he replied, Sitri sighed again. She seemed ufortable just like she did when she was caught recalling the memories about the House of Mammon the other day.

    But shortly afterward, she made a smile again and gently pressed her chest. In the blink of an eye, she took off the nightgown and put on the dress she usually wore.

    ¡°Do you know that your pupils got big a moment ago?¡±

    Instead of answering, he cleared his throat at her mischievous question.

    Sitri made a heartyugh as usual.

    ¡°Now, what kind of deal do you want today? Let me provide a little more service than usual because I feel sorry for beingte.¡±

    She winked at him right at the moment when she mentioned ¡®a little more¡¯ then sat down on the chair that soared before her and leaned against it. Yong-ho also sat down.

    He started striking up a deal with her, as she wanted.

 Chapter 172 - Dungeon Breakthrough (4)

    <h4>Chapter 172: Dungeon Breakthrough (4)</h4>

    Yong-ho¡¯s transaction in the virtual space was over. His connection with it was also lost. Instead of opening his eyes right away, he thought of something that he put off as an afterthought.

    Samael used honorifics when speaking to Sitri. And Sitri sent back none other than Samael in a few seconds, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.

    ¡®Is Sitri also one of the five directors?¡¯

    If so, Sitri¡¯s usual joke about describing herself as a ¡°big guy¡± at the Dungeon Market was true.

    Well, it was natural if he came to think about it.

    Sitri was Mammon¡¯s lover, the King of Greed. This meant that she was one of the giant dungeon spirits that lived for over a thousand years. There was nothing wrong with her even if she was called one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.

    So, Yong-ho didn¡¯t bother much because his ties with her wouldn¡¯t change anyway even if Sitri was one of the five directors or not.

    ¡®Five directors... At least Samael doesn¡¯t know Sitri¡¯s rtionship with Mammon. And Sitri wants to hide it...¡¯

    Although there were some assumptions in his thinking like that, his conclusion was quite reasonable. He thought about one more thing.

    A master¡¯s frequent meeting with Sitri. How would it affect his deal if it was known that a master meets Sitri often?

    ¡®Am I too worried?¡¯

    Maybe it was meaningless. If something urgent really had happened, Sitri would have sent him back, not Samael.

    ¡®But.¡¯

    It was clear that he was bothered by Sitri¡¯s action. He even felt that he was attracting Sitri¡¯s unnecessary attention.

    ¡®Whatever.¡¯

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. He gently shook his head to put it out of his mind. The immediate task for him was to upy the eastern area.

    ¡°Are you back?¡±

    ¡°Did you buy a lot of cheap stuff? What about my gift?¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan asked as if they were waiting for him. Instead of replying, Yong-ho looked for Eligos and Ophelia to discuss some practical matters.

    Two dayster, Yong-ho started to attack Stravadi¡¯s dungeon.

    There were two ways to attack the dungeon.

    One of them was to just blindly dispatch a huge number of troops to neutralize the traps inside the dungeon and take over it.

    The other was to properly attack the dungeon by infiltrating the elite force.

    Most of the masters preferred the first optionpared to the second if they could afford it, even if their damage was heavy.

    Attacking a dungeon waspletely unpredictable to any attacker. On the other hand, a dungeon was the ultimate home ground for the defenders.

    It was dangerous to send an elite force to such a ce. What if the elite dungeon spirits fall into an unexpected trap and get killed? They were different from low-quality spirits that could be easily obtained with money. There was a high possibility that the elite spirits could not be obtained even with money. Moreover, if the killed spirits were put to service as dungeon spirits, they would deal a considerable blow to the dungeon master.

    For this reason, the attack on the dungeons in the demon world was often carried out in the following ways¡ªthey send arge-scale force of low quality to neutralize the defenders¡¯ traps and collect information on the inside of the dungeon. After that, an elite force could pass through the incapacitated trap zone, destroy the defenders¡¯ force, and upy the dungeon.

    Generally speaking, when attackers devised tactics, the defenders also prepared their own tactics. But the attackers changed their tactics too often, so the defenders changed the dungeons ordingly.

    As for the traps, those with a wide range of effectiveness and specialization in ughter were preferred to those with high power and uracy. And the structure of the dungeon was changed in a way that was easier to deal with arge number of attackers rather than a small one, so they could trap them all at once.

    But there was one thing that didn¡¯t change.

    What was the most annoying and difficult thing when attacking a dungeon?

    Yong-ho, who had not much experience in attacking dungeons, could easily answer that question. It was because anybody could easily answer it if they thought about the PC games they used to enjoy during their middle and high school days.

    The answer to this question was getting lost in the dungeon. In other words, the attackers keep wandering about in the same ce because they couldn¡¯t find the right way.

    Demon King Aurpasso, who was famous for making dungeons in the past, said, ¡°The best and worst dungeon is thebyrinth.¡±

    Stravadi, always reliant on rational thinking, turned his dungeon into abyrinth.

    His dungeon was huge, above all. It wasrge enough to hold three to four dungeons,pared with a typical dungeon in the southern area. Moreover, the passages inside wereplicated. They were not just a motley of crossroads. Stravadi could change its internal structure in real-time.

    Of course, due to more variability and moreplicated passages, the durability of the dungeon wall could be problematic for the dungeon owner. But Stravadi solved this problem in a very simple way. He expanded the dungeon site. If the dungeon site was wide enough to create aplex passage with walls of sufficient thickness and strength, he would not have to worry about it.

    It was only Stravadi, the designer of the dungeon, who perfectly understood the dungeon structure. The dungeon spirits knew no more than the zone assigned to them.

    Stravadi, located in the Demon King¡¯s room in the deepest part of the dungeon, believed in his dungeon, abyrinth that he built with utmost efforts. So, as always, he devised a rational and simple strategy.

    The House of Mammon was now the only enemy to Stravadi. If he defeated its master, he would achieve everything. That was why he spared no time and effort to win in this battle.

    His strategy was to reduce thebat power of the House of Mammon and wear them out. He was ready to use all his avable dungeon spirits and traps for that purpose.

    A truebyrinth didn¡¯t allow for the attackers¡¯ entry but also their exit. So, once the attackers were lured into entering the dungeon, half the battle was already over.

    Stravadi intended to lure the master of the House of Mammon and his dungeon spirits into his dungeon and kill them slowly.

    That was his n, which he had to carry out, and by all means at that!

    ¡°But how could they break through it?¡±

    Stravadi asked in a low voice. Instead of expressing anger, he gave it a serious thought.

    He tried to understand the unreasonable situation unfolding before his eyes right now.

    Stravadi¡¯s dungeon spirits, who were called the four knights of the east, also could not hide their embarrassment. What was happening in the dungeon map that the souls of the dungeon opened in the air werepletely beyond Stravadi¡¯s expectations.

    The infiltration troops of the House of Mammon were advancing straight ahead inside the dungeon. Straight, without any hesitation or wandering, they were advancing through the shortest route straight.

    Even the structural change of the dungeon itself, Stravadi¡¯s pride, was not functioning. When he changed the route by manipting the forks and part of the passage, the infiltrating force of the Mammon family changed the route ordingly.

    The four knights did not fully understand the structure of the dungeon. However, they partly knew that there were limits to structural changes. Moreover, the Mammon family¡¯s infiltrating forces found and destroyed the core structures that were subject to change.

    By doing so, they gradually reduced the room for Stravadi¡¯s changing the dungeon itself.

    Stravadi¡¯s dungeon was no longer abyrinth. It was just a simple one-way dungeon.

    Moreover, that wasn¡¯t the only problem.

    Yong-ho did not dispatch arge unit into the dungeon. He sent a rtively small number of only 40 members there. Besides, it wasn¡¯t just ordinary dungeon spirits that attacked at the forefront. Each of them was the dungeon spirit of the Mammon family with tremendous power.

    Neither the traps nor Stravadi¡¯s dungeon spirits could not stop them. The passage, which was inevitably narrow because it was abyrinth, rather empowered the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Stravadi¡¯s dungeon spirits had to confront the enemies they couldn¡¯t deal with properly. They could not make use of anything like a numerical advantage in this fight.

    Of course, to prepare for this kind of situation, there was always supposed to be a ¡°gathering ce¡± in the dungeon, along with a ¡°special force¡± specialized in destroying the enemy¡¯s elite force.

    Stravadi¡¯s special force was strong. Trained only for the purpose of fighting at the gathering ce, they could defeat any outside attackers, who were twice as strong as they were.

    But there was one problem.

    The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were strong and too strong at that. It was no exaggeration to say that they were strong enough to be called the Masters¡¯ Alliance, rather Strong Masters¡¯ Alliance.

    Stravadi¡¯sbyrinth was neutralized. The traps and dungeon spirits there were incapacitated. He could stick it out if only one of them was functioning because he had sized up the power of the House of Mammon early on. But when both of them proved useless before Yong-ho¡¯s forces, he could do nothing to defend against them. Even this time, hisbat calctions went wrong. Stravadi opened his eyes. Once again, he repressed his anger and stood up from the throne. The risk of his next strategy was high because he failed to wear down the Mammon forces, contrary to his expectations, but he had to carry it out. He had no other choice.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to destroy them one by one. Everybody, stand by in your position!¡±

    At his order, the four knights swallowed in extreme tension then hurriedly got out of the demon king¡¯s room.

    Under his n, he intended to capture each of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family then kill those powerful enough to equal the head of the masters¡¯ coalition to weaken the master of the House of Mammon while growing his own power.

    ¡®First of all, let me get rid of that gray-haired girl.¡¯

 Chapter 173 - Dungeon Breakthrough (5)

    <h4>Chapter 173: Dungeon Breakthrough (5)</h4>

    The white-haired dark elf moved too fast. Moreover, she always stayed with the head of the Mammon family as if she was his escort knight.

    The red beast and wild animal always paired to attack the enemy. As they moved in sync with each other, it was difficult to catch only one of them.

    The wizard that dismantled the traps did not go forward. Like the dark elf girl, he also did not distance himself from the master of the Mammon family.

    The Skeleton Knight was also threatening. The essence of the undead with the energy of death could not be absorbed in the usual way. So, given the priorities, it was thest one.

    In terms of elimination of the enemy, what was left now was the gray-haired girl. Apart from it, there were many more reasons to single out the girl with gray hair.

    She always took the lead in the attack. Because of the way she attacked splendidly in many ways, she often distanced herself from other dungeon spirits. Besides, her mana was powerful. If one ate it, one could expect a significant increase in horsepower.

    Stravadi once againmunicated with the souls of the dungeon.

    He looked straight ahead and activated his power.

    He jumped through space.

    ***

    ¡°Combination magic! Gust of Ice!¡±

    The fierce wind caused by Tigrius struck low on the floor. It pushed away not only the energy of dark green poison that leaked out of the wall but also froze the whole thing.

    Eligos and Ophelia ran around side by side. Although the gathering ce was quite spacious, it was a disaster for Stravadi¡¯s dungeon spirits because it was indoors. They could not escape anywhere from the beasts running wild to attack them right before their eyes.

    Yong-ho stood in the rear of the gathering area and watched his dungeon spirits fight. He was refraining himself from trying to do anything other than finding the right passage with the power of greed. He needed to save his energy to confront Stravadi and Sargatanas, who were likely to exist in the deepest part of this dungeon.

    Catalina, too, did not get into the fight for the same reason. Skull was also on standby in the rear, justmanding his unit.

    Among the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family, only three were currently actively fighting: Eligos, Ophelia, and Kaiwan. And in fact, it was difficult to say that even they were doing their best.

    ¡°Hey, make my day! Come on if you dare!¡±

    Shouting loudly, Kaiwan wielded her whip sword. The sword, which was only stretched long enough to reach the ceiling of the gathering ce, tore everything caught in its de. It was safe to say that the de was like a whirlpool.

    While the terrible massacre was going on, Stravadi¡¯s special force didn¡¯t lose their fighting spirit. Since they went through repeated brainwashing, they were never afraid of death.

    They willingly sacrificed themselves to inflict any damage to the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon

    A series of big explosions continued here and there in the gathering area. It was suicide bombing by Stravadi¡¯s special force.

    Eligos and Ophelia, who were fighting the special force in close range, hurriedly moved their hands and feet to protect themselves from the explosion. Tigrius, once again, caused a strong wind to push out the mes and heat of the explosion.

    Kaiwan was also caught in the explosion. She wasn¡¯t injured a bit because she quickly opened the barrier of distortion, but she couldn¡¯t help it when her vision was instantly blocked at the explosion.

    Kaiwan momentarily hung her sword loose to catch her breath. She waited for the dust ahead to scatter at the wind caused by Tigrius.

    Right at that moment, she breathed out long, Catalina yelled at her suddenly like lightning.

    ¡°Kaiwan!¡±

    It was because she sensed that something threatening was approaching Kaiwan.

    However, her warning rather backfired. The moment Kaiwan instinctively looked back at Catalina, her blind spot became even bigger. After all, she allowed the opponent to attack her.

    Stravadi jumped over space. At the moment Kaiwan and Catalina¡¯s eyes crossed, he alreadynded behind Kaiwan¡¯s back. As soon as he snatched her waist, he opened up his mana.

    It was a silent roar. It resonated throughout the whole gathering ce. Stravadi¡¯s harsh mana suppressed Kaiwan.

    ¡°Stravadi!¡± Yong-ho yelled.

    Catalina hit the ground. Kaiwan looked at Stravadi¡¯s arms around her waist.

    And Stravadi also looked at the point where he started. Then he activated the power of jump!

    The power of jump was not invincible. Although he could jump as long as 600 meters, he had a decisive weakness¡ªthe ce within his vision. He could only make a space jump only toward that ce.

    Catalina¡¯s moonlight sword cut through the air. Stravadi, who appeared from the exit of the gathering point, activated his power in session without dy. By changing the dungeon terrain through the soul of the dungeon, he secured his own vision while blocking the Mammon forces¡¯ vision.

    He jumped through space exactly seven times.

    When his space leap was over, Stravadi was standing at thest gathering point on the third floor in the basement. Kaiwan, who was exposed to his space leap without any consideration, felt dizzy severely.

    And he made the eighth space leap. Stravadi appeared four meters away from the ce where Kaiwan twisted and swung her whip sword. Stravadi saw Kaiwan who turned lightly and crashed on the floor ording to thew of gravity. He immediately came up with the next move.

    The souls of the dungeon injected mana into the gathering ce. Then, a powerful curse of magic was activated from the gathering ce. The four knights, who had already arrived and waited in advance, also strengthened the power of the curse by activating their own magic techniques.

    It was the most basic, and therefore the most effective curse of weakening the opponent.

    Kaiwan shuddered. Although she thought she had to open up her mana to release the curse, her mind had a way of its own. It was because the poison of Nagaraja spread all over her body. Perhaps, she was poisoned when Stravadi held her back. Moreover, Stravadi didn¡¯t put Kaiwan down anywhere. It was no exaggeration to say that the spot where she fell was a poison pool.

    Tall and skinny, Stravadi was a man like a snake. With an intelligent-looking face underneath a brownish blonde, he made a light smile for the first time since the dungeon battle began.

    All five horns protruding above his ears trembled slightly. His overwhelming mana that he increased dramatically by taking the essence of Sargatanas filled the inside of the gathering area.

    Kaiwan bit her lips. She managed to open her horns then immediately activated the power of distortion. As if a turtle was hiding in a house, she protected her entire body with a hemispherical shield of distortion. It seemed that she was determined to give up fighting and stick it out.

    Stravadi clicked his tongue and shook his head. He thought her action was truly useless.

    He felt that her action could buy her only a little time. And he could tear the weakened shield apart with his powerful mana.

    ¡°Let me devour you, b*tch.¡±

    Instead of cursing at him, Kaiwan kept concentrating. She was not sure how many times she would be able to withstand Stravadi¡¯s attack, but she needed to buy some time by all means. Stravadi drew a small sword and struck the shield of distortion with all his power from the beginning.

    Exactly three times, Kaiwan vomited blood with a painful groan because the shield of distortion that she barely maintained was broken. Nagaraja¡¯s poison injured her intestines.

    Stravadi acted rationally. He wasn¡¯t going to waste his time harassing Kaiwan needlessly.

    He trampled all over her abdomen with his shoes on. After fixing her so that she could not move, he aimed at her chest with his sword.

    At that moment, the ceiling exploded.

    The flow of mana flowing in the gathering ground was cut off. The curse was destroyed.

    The four knights screamed in horror, looking at the broken ceiling.

    Stravadi also turned around. He couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    He became irrational and shouted at the opponent in anger, ¡°What the heck happened!? How could you chase me like this!? How!?¡±

    The gathering site was supposed to block the flow of his mana from leaking outside.

    And it was impossible for Yong-ho¡¯s forces to chase him with the mana released from his dungeon spirits.

    Did he find out the passage? It was also impossible. It wasn¡¯t through the proper path that they moved from the basement on the second floor to the 3rd floor. Obviously, they could do it by reversely using Stravadi¡¯s own power to leap to a space in a strange ce.

    But how could they chase him and in such a short time at that?!

    Yong-ho looked ahead before answering. The smoke of greed, tied in only one strand, engulfed Kaiwan in the gathering ce densely. Kaiwan smiled in pain, and Yong-ho spoke a little brazenly, ¡°Well, it¡¯s because she is mine.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Stravadi asked back nkly.

    Instead of answering, Yong-ho stretched out his right hand into the air.

    Then he grabbed Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.

    He instinctively moved on to the next step. The moment the spear of mes appeared in the air, Stravadi left the ce by exercising his power. It was the right decision. The sword of a dark elf girl, not the master of the Mammon family, flew like a beam of light and pierced the air.

    Stravadi, who jumped to the end of the room at once, summoned the four knights through ritual, not words. Armed with full te armor, the four knights quickly gathered next to Stravadi and prepared for defense against her attack.

    The dark elf girl held the gray-haired girl in her arms and left the ce. And their void was instantly filled by the master of the Mammon family and his two dungeon spirits, namely the red beast and the wild animal.

    It happened in a few seconds. Stravadi tried to recover his reason. He suppressed his emotions and thought about this attack.

    There was only one answer.

    ¡°Stop the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon.¡±

    He spoke low. In fact, he made the decision from the moment he decided to have it out with the House of Mammon at the dungeon battle. Although the battle unfolded very differently from what he had intended in the first ce, he didn¡¯t care because what mattered to him was the results he had in mind.

    The dungeon was Stravadi¡¯s own territory. The souls of the dungeon informed him about the situation around it. Not all of the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family came here for the fight.

    The wizard and the skeleton knights had yet to arrive at this room. Only the red beast and the wild animal stood by the master of the House of Mammon. The dark elf girl, presumed to be his escort knight, was moving toward the wizard and the skeleton knights with the severely injured gray-haired girl.

    The situation wasn¡¯t bad for Stravadi. The souls of the dungeon issued an rm urgently. All the remaining spirits in the dungeon were about to gather here.

 Chapter 174 - Dungeon Breakthrough (6)

    <h4>Chapter 174: Dungeon Breakthrough (6)</h4>

    Besides, the red beast and wild animal were most heavily used among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Although Stravadi failed to wear them downpletely as he nned, it was beneficial to him to confirm that they were in their best shape now. With the help of the four knights, who became stronger like him, he would be able to hold the red beast and wild animal in check, even if he could not defeat them.

    ¡®It is not reasonable to defeat them in a pincer movement.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t good for him to attack them with four knights through a pincer movement. It was more efficient for him to block the red beast and the wild animal and have a one-on-one duel with the master of the Mammon family.

    Stravadi thought quickly. At his order, the four knights stared at the red beast and wild animal as if they were fully determined.

    Yong-ho, the master of the Mammon family, faced Stravadi and four knights.

    Instead of wielding Aamon, he said, ¡°You ate Sargatanas, right?¡±

    Although Yong-ho got suspicious when he first heard it from the Nagaraja master who surrendered, he was convinced that Stravadi really killed him and took his essence.

    Stravadi twisted his lips and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. Let me show you the results of it now.¡±

    He already opened five horns. However, this was not his best weapon.

    Stravadi took a step toward Yong-ho. He awakened Nagaraja¡¯s blood in his body. The snake¡¯s heart began to pound and transform Stravadi into a morebative shape. Blue serpent scales sprang on the back of his face and arms.

    Stravadi took another step. This time, the souls of the dungeon reacted to it. They instilled dungeon mana into Stravadi. But this alone couldn¡¯t increase his mana, but it was possible to recover his mana. It was like providing Stravadi with a mana recovery tank of tremendous capacity.

    Stravadi felt greatly uplifted. With the serpent¡¯s heart, he didn¡¯t have any guilt for Sargatanas¡¯ death in the first ce. All he felt was something like a sense of loss and a little anger from the fact that he killed Sargatanas, whom he loved. But now he didn¡¯t feel even such feelings.

    Why was he so obsessed with the fighting calctions? What the heck was he afraid of?

    Wasn¡¯t he perhaps the strongest master in the abandoned southern area, with such mighty power?

    Stravadi¡¯s mana filled the gathering ce again. It was mana filled with chill.

    Stravadiughed confidently. The four knights also admired his great power.

    But at that moment, Yong-ho opened up his mana fully.

    ***

    With Yong-ho¡¯s five horns soaring, his mana arose like mes, and the green mes devoured the cold energy of Stravadi that was filling the inside of the gathering ce.

    His fierce mana was like an explosion. Even without the battle of strength, it roughly crushed Stravadi¡¯s mana.

    The four knights made an embarrassed expression.

    Moreover, Yong-ho¡¯s attack was not yet over.

    Light came from the magic field on his left hand and Brigada. Two of the seven ws that made up the heart of the Demon God bit Yong-ho¡¯s heart at the same time, and it brought out stronger power than now.

    Stravadi¡¯s mana was just huge. On the other hand, Yong-ho¡¯s mana was swirling violently. It was like a strong storm.

    The moment Yong-ho stepped forward instantly, the tide was turned. His fully uplifted feelings a moment ago were shatteredpletely.

    It wasn¡¯t just the difference between the power of their mana.

    In terms of the absolute amount of mana, Yong-hogged behind Stravadi. With the advantage of the dungeon fight, Stravadi was in a much more favorable position.

    Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by Yong-ho. Unlike the four knights who were scared of the wall that suddenly appeared before their eyes, Stravadi quickly understood why. Therefore, he experienced much more fluctuations in his emotions.

    The strength of Yong-ho¡¯s mana was different from his.

    It also differed qualitatively, not quantitatively.

    Bang!

    There was an explosion. It was the sound of Yong-ho, Eligos, and Ophelia, rushing toward him with full force at the same time.

    Absorbed into thoughts, Stravadi could not react immediately. Besides, he even thought of something that he should have not at this moment.

    ¡®Can I win?¡¯

    The gap in their fighting abilities widened further. Now it was irreversible.

    Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

    Eligos and Ophelia struck the four knights hard. Eligos¡¯s fists smashed not only the wall and floor but also the knight¡¯s armor. Ophelia¡¯s attack was much more elegant but fatal at the same time. One of the knights who were overwhelmed by Yong-ho¡¯s mana was kicked in his chest. Since he couldn¡¯t even stand it, he was pushed back and collided with the wall. The noise of his sh resonated through the gathering ce.

    Stravadi leaped through space. Faced with a close call, he could avoid Yong-ho¡¯s blow by exercising his power. But that was it. Stravadi moved only to escape, not avoid his attack.

    At the same time, Aamon pierced the air. Yong-ho turned. He was guided by the experiences he gained through numerous fights. He released ck mana from his left arm and grabbed Stravadi, who just finished making a space jump. Then he threw Stravadi down on the floor even before thetter regained power to leap through space again.

    Stravadi moaned in pain from the shock transmitted from his back. No matter how powerful his mana was, he was bound by the body, after all.

    There was a brief pause. When Stravadi repressed his pain and opened his eyes, Yong-ho already finished taking the next step. Greatly expanded ck mana blurred Stravadi¡¯s vision and blocked his space jump.

    Bang!

    Aamon was riding on ck mana, and its burning spear pierced Stravadi¡¯s abdomen.

    An unbearable pain seized Stravadi. His strong Nagaraja body survived the shock, but his mental shock was still there. Stravadi acted instinctively. He exercised his power to escape the pain.

    He didn¡¯t do it after some careful thinking. Because of this, he couldn¡¯t do anything like adjusting his distance with his opponent or his location. He looked at something in the dimming darkness and threw himself into that ce.

    Stravadi felt the sense of soaring in the air and falling down at the same time. Since the burning spear disappeared, he felt like a burden was lifted, though just a little bit. Yong-ho grabbed him by the neck.

    Once again, Stravadi was bumped against the floor. Moreover, this time, his head was hit first. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes properly, and even if he did, the only thing he could see was the floor.

    Mana, magic, and power, with these three factors, Stravadi could escape the current situation. But he needed time to escape, but Yong-ho did not allow it.

    Yong-ho pierced Stravadi¡¯s waist with his left hand. A shield of distortion spread out from the hole in the side that Aamon had already pierced.

    Stravadi couldn¡¯t even scream. When Yong-ho¡¯s hand bounced from the wound like a rocket, Stravadi¡¯s belly was a mess. The wounds opened wider, and the pressed intestines were torn and crushed.

    There was no such thing as an elegant diator match. Even the close battle between the rival masters with equal mana didn¡¯t take ce.

    Yong-ho concentrated his magic on his right hand. Just as Stravadi suppressed Kaiwan¡¯s mana, he instinctively sted Stravadi¡¯s mana, who was struggling to survive.

    The gathering ce was shaken. It looked as if the whole dungeon was moaning.

    Yong-ho moved his hand again. Though the situation now was overwhelmingly favorable to him, he didn¡¯t let his guard down.

    The dungeon was still injecting mana into Stravadi. His Nagaraja body quickly rebuilt itself even though the centa of his intestines was crushed. That was why Yong-ho had to keep attacking.

    Yong-ho held Aamon short with his left hand. He then made a new hole by stabbing Stravadi¡¯s back multiple times. Stravadi struggled once again but never escaped Yong-ho¡¯s attacks. Yong-ho did the terrible thing repeatedly. After releasing Aamon in the air again, he put his left hand into the hole. Using the power of distortion, he destroyed Stravadi¡¯s body.

    His skin with scales swelled greatly. His bones pressed down by the distortion of the shield were broken. His lung was also maimed, gushing blood. Since his heart, one of the gathering points of mana, was busted, the speed of his body¡¯s restoration was also slow

    Yong-ho grabbed his right hand then put his left hand on his body that was devastated like a piece of rags after he crushed Stravadi¡¯s snakelike neck. He grabbed Aamon with his right hand for the final blow.

    Stravadi wriggled. The souls of the dungeon squeezed out mana to inject it into Stravadi, but it was all in vain. Aamon, giving off extreme heat, pierced the back of Stravadi¡¯s head and burned his head with the green mes.

    ¡°Master!¡± One of the four knights shouted.

    Struggling against Eligos and Ophelia, they felt their mana drastically dwindled. Since their owner, Stravadi, was killed, their connection was also cut off.

    Yong-ho was also convinced of Stravadi¡¯s death. Letting out a long sigh, he stopped using mana. Then he deactivated the heart of the Demon God, which was straining the spirit and body of the dungeon spirits, and took the next step.

    Stravadi died without showing his abilities properly. He didn¡¯t properly use his mighty mana, nor did he show off his swordsmanship well known among the eastern masters. He also didn¡¯t make the best use of his secret card of Nagaraja mana and the power of space leap.

    But Yong-ho was not interested in them. Since he fought and won, it was time for him to reap the results of his victory.

    Stravadi¡¯s mana, which was equal to five horns.

    It could be called thebined mana of those masters who once existed in the eastern and northern regions.

    Eligos and Ophelia turned. As they were virtually born and raised in the southern area, they instinctively realized that what would happen from now on was not simply for the winning master to absorb the essence of the defeated master.

    The abandoned southern area.

    As the name implied, it was and without an owner. It had always been divided since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed.

    It was not abandoned anymore.

    The era of a new king would finally unfold after a thousand years of a long break.

    Yong-ho expressed intense greed. He ate all the essence that Stravadi had.

    ***

    ¡°The king of the unimed territory.¡±

    A crow chirped. Watching Stravadi¡¯s dungeon, it contained information in its ck eyes.

    Then it flew away, making a big chirping noise.

    The unimednd in the south was unified finally. Although he had not yetbined all the power avable, he could unite the essence of mana.

    ¡°The king of the unimed territory,¡± Sitri said.

    She raised herself in the ck silence. Instead of digging through old memories, she witnessed what happened now.

    What would all this change bring about, timed with the war in the north?

    Sitri shook her head. She got all her inferences out of her mind. She just followed her pure feelings now. She realized she was happy about the oues of the battle.

    ¡°Mammon.¡±

    The nostalgic name warmed her heart. She smiled brightly like a girl.

    When would Yong-hoe to see her?

    She didn¡¯t hide her excitement. She gently pressed her chest and closed her eyes. She looked forward to seeing him.

 Chapter 175 - King of the Unclaimed Land 1

    <h4>Chapter 175 King of the Unimed Land 1</h4>

    The fight in the northern area was unfolding differently from what the King of Fury expected.

    The King of Fury initially thought that the fight in the north would soon escte into a great war.

    But it was not. The King of Pride attacked slowly and steadily as if the only kings in the world were himself and the King of Envy. He felt like he was engaged in a one-on-one duel with the King of Envy without the third party.

    The King of Lust, whose territory faced the borders with the territory of the King of Envy, did not move in the harem at all while the two kings were fighting each other. He did not help the King of Envy to repel the King of Pride, nor did he ambush the King of Envy who was in a head-to-head battle with the King of Pride.

    The King of Fury, who led his troops and camped on the northern borders, felt frustrated. As a king with pacifist leanings, she obviously did not want a world war. But it didn¡¯t mean that she was satisfied with the current situation.

    Although the King of Fury was often called a simplistic and ignorant warmonger, she was by no means a fool or a madman. She was just a little more naive and simple than the other kings.

    The King of Fury soon understood that the northern area was like an active volcano that didn¡¯t erupt yet, for she realized why the King of Gluttony was watching the fight as an onlooker, aside from the King of Lust. When she found out the reason, she thought it was really unpleasant.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to intervene only after they have been exhausted.¡±

    The King of Fury always thought of the best scenario. And the ¡®best¡¯ one she thought of was that the war in the north itself fizzled out at the beginning. That would be the least damaging to all.

    But other kings differed on this. That was why they regarded the King of Fury as a foolish king rather than a pacifist.

    ording to their logic, what was important was not to reduce the damage. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was the King of Pride or the King of Envy. What they wanted was to stop any king from dominantly umting any one of the three, namely essence, Godly Energy, and sin.

    The ¡®damage¡¯ unrted to this was rather an advantage to them. In other words, the damage, in this case, was that of the King of Pride and the King of Envy, not the King of Gluttony himself.

    Because of this, they didn¡¯t care even if the King of Pride overpowered the King of Envy. They would wee it with open arms if the King of Envy was unterally damaged and his force copsed.

    So, the King of Fury thought that now was not the time to intervene. There was nothing she would gain by intervening to stop the fight. It was only when their fight was almost at an end that she would decide to intervene.

    The King of Pride might have found out her intention. The most dangerous moment would be when he beheaded the King of Envy and had everything. In that case, all the other kings would certainly go after the King of Pride.

    ¡®Or if he enlists the help of the King of Envy.¡¯

    And if he seeded, there would break out a great war at that moment. It would be a war between the king, who took two Godly Energies and sin, and the other kings.

    The King of Gluttony was confident that he knew quite well about the King of Fury.

    As someone who liked to go to any battlefield, she was so straightforward and simple-minded.

    Although there were rumors that she was a warmonger, knowledgeable people knew that she had a tough time working for her people, not for her own interests.

    ¡®What bothers me is the King of Lust and the King of Violence.¡¯

    These two kings would be her primepetitors when the fight between the King of Pride and the King of Envy came to a head.

    ¡®It¡¯s going to be incredibly bloody.¡¯

    The King of Gluttony smiled in satisfaction. It was not because of the looming war.

    It was because of a letter politely delivered by the half-naked Afsaras, one of the beauties of the King of Gluttony.

    The southern unimednd was unified. However, other kings couldn¡¯t pay attention to the southernnd since they cared about the northern territory alone. They couldn¡¯t afford to care about the southernnd that had been devastated because of Embrio¡¯s war. Above all, it had been abandoned for a long time since the time of Mammon.

    There were nopetitors there, so they didn¡¯t need to fight each other.

    ¡®The only thing I have to do is to check it out oncest time.¡¯

    And if he got the result he wanted, they would see what would happen when thepetition started.

    They would witness the appearance of a great king who has acquired more than two sins for the first time since Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The King of Gluttony felt a strong appetite. He beckoned to Afsaras. She hastily rang the bell and prepared dinner for the hungry king.

    ***

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s mine.¡±

    Seated on a long sofa, Kaiwan shouted, behaving like a snub. As if she felt her message didn¡¯t get understood by the other party, she spoke again, changing the way she sat, and in the end, she burst intoughter.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine, you know. Oh my gosh! Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m Yong-ho¡¯s, Yong-ho¡¯s, Yong-ho¡¯s!¡±

    It¡¯s been one day since they smashed Stravadi. Kaiwan was excited all day long after she was detoxified from Nagaraja¡¯s poison thanks to the special remedy that Scathach had given her before she left for the fight.

    ¡°I wish everyone here had seen Yong-ho¡¯s face at that time. He was a man of perfect mes, you know. Anyway, I¡¯m Yong-ho¡¯s.¡±

    Catalina, who was sitting next to her forcibly, pursed up her lips at her repetition of the same words. She let her ears droop several times and tried to balk, though timidly.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m also Yong-ho¡¯s. Don¡¯t you know it?¡±

    At that moment, everybody was silent. Although Catalina tried to assert herself as brazenly as possible, she puckered her lips again when Kaiwan stopped smiling and stared at her. Blushing, Catalina let her ears and shoulders droop at the same time.

    Kaiwan nced at her quietly then stretched out her hand. She not only pinched Catalina¡¯s cheeks but also hugged her suddenly.

    ¡°Oh my gosh! So what, my sister? What do I do about it now? You¡¯re so cute.¡±

    As always, Catalina was at a loss about her unexpected reaction, but Kaiwan didn¡¯t care andughed a lot, pulling even her tail.

    ¡°Yes, you and I are Yong-ho¡¯s. Everything here is all his, right?¡±

    Kaiwan asked Catalina, who was struggling to get out of her arms. Watching them quietly, Smi shook its head, while lying face down. Obviously, Smi thought about something weird. Ophelia shook her head, but with a different nuance from Smi¡¯s. She really could not believe that this cheerful woman before her eyes was the former female ruler, Kaiwan, that her father Endelyon used to mention, the noble and beautiful woman who was like a thorny rose.

    Smiling apologetically at Catalina who signaled to her for help, Ophelia took her gaze from her and looked at her master who was absorbed into something.

    [Do you know you¡¯re turning up your mouth now?]

    [No way¡­ I wonder if you really think you were cool like the dungeon spirit Kaiwan said when you¡­]

    Lucia, who took control of Stravadi¡¯s dungeon, spoke in a fully assumed voice. Again, Yong-ho ignored her message lightly and disced Stravadi¡¯s dungeon information in the air by teasing his finger.

    [It¡¯s a really big andplex dungeon.]

    [It has a long history, but it seems that it has been greatly expanded and renovated recently.]

    Yong-ho nodded. As Lucia said, it was aplex dungeon that made him feel dizzy just by looking at it. Without the power of greed, he would have wandered for several days on the first floor, let alone the third floor in the basement.

    [In my personal opinion, it¡¯s a little regrettable to destroy it.]

    [There are many good facilities inside.]

    Just like the property of a family that built up wealth for a long time, Stravadi¡¯s dungeon was well built. Besides, there were several facilities such as the ¡®Advanced Training Center for the Masters¡¯, the ¡®Intermediate Magic Lab¡¯, and the ¡®Reagent Manufacturing Center¡¯ that the House of Mammon didn¡¯t have.

    The dungeon whose heart was destroyed was supposed to perish.

    The moment Yong-ho took its essence to make Lucia grow, this huge dungeon would be thrown into the fate of inevitable death.

    Because of this, Yong-ho also thought it was regrettable to take it. He really wanted to make this dungeon the forward base of the eastern branch of the House of Mammon because it was too good to bepared with the small dungeons that he had used as forward bases.

    But he had no other choice. Actually, one of the main reasons for his expedition to the eastern area was because he wanted to make Lucia grow. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t give up the essence of this dungeon, which was much more valuable than a mix of a few small and medium-sized dungeons.

    ¡®I can make Lucia grow anyway.¡¯

    When Lucia grew, he could obtain various facilities in the Labyrinth of Greed. Given that the facilities that he could newly install would also increase, it would soon be a big dungeon like this one.

    ¡®Okay, let me focus onying the firm foundation for the future dungeon now.¡¯

    The reason he bothered to upy Stravadi¡¯s dungeon was not just for viewing or reference.

    His main purpose was to collect all kinds of treasures hidden in his dungeon.

 Chapter 176 - King of the Unclaimed Land 2

    <h4>Chapter 176 King of the Unimed Land 2</h4>

    Gold and silver coins that could be called cash were not found much,pared to other goods. However, it was only a rtive evaluation. Actually, they were several times as much as the amount of cash that the House of Mammon possessed now.

    It was Stravadi¡¯s personal safe that caught the attention of Yong-ho the most among the treasures in the dungeon. If Yong-ho and Lucia had not taken control of the dungeon, they would have never known its existence itself.

    Although Yong-ho couldn¡¯t be sure what was inside it because he hadn¡¯t yet visited the dungeon, just a mere nce at the list of Stravadi¡¯s possessions astonished him.

    ¡®Are these pictures?¡¯

    Yong-ho, who did not know more than five artists in the human world, could not determine the value of the booty. Besides, paintings were one of the items that were quite difficult to convert into cash. Therefore, he turned his attention to those things that he intuitively found it easy to understand.

    A fire dragon¡¯s teeth.

    Jin¡¯s ne.

    ck Mamba¡¯s armor set.

    Chantier collection no. 116, 91, 240.

    Mandarake.

    Yong-ho was silent for a moment. And he humbly admitted that he couldn¡¯t understand their value at all. Like his father advised him, he decided to leave it to Ophelia, an expert in the field.

    When he put aside the secret safe, there appeared extravagant ces such as wine cers and enormous bathrooms. He once again expressed regret about his decision to dispose of the dungeon when he looked at its huge bathroom, but he stopped at the next ce.

    He said before he knew it, ¡°The door of space?¡±

    [It was not used for a long time. It looks like it was built more than a hundred years ago.]

    Listening to Lucia¡¯s additional exnation distractedly, Yong-ho was seated on the throne.

    The reason why he momentarily stopped at the door of space was because he recalled something suddenly.

    ¡®Come to think of it...¡¯

    ¡°Kaiwan?¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    After pondering over something, he called her immediately. He looked at the sofa, which he had ignored, then flinched for some other reason. It was because he saw Kaiwan pulling Catalina¡¯s tail with some kind of menacing look while holding her with a long face.

    Luckily, Smi¡¯s sullen face in the back helped him wake up to the reality. He slightly turned away from Catalina¡¯s desperate nce, which he thought was cute, then asked Kaiwan, ¡°Why did you stop making the door of space in the middle?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Oh, that stuff...¡±

    Currently, the door of space in the House of Mammon was not newly built by Yong-ho from start to finish. He finished it after picking up where Kaiwan had already built half of it.

    Why did Kaiwan make the door of space?

    She didn¡¯t answer right away and then puckered her lips. She then leaned against the sofa.

    Rubbing Catalinas¡¯ tail, she barely opened her mouth, ¡°I was a little lonely. I also wanted to get some help.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Because I knew about your family. What I mean is the descendants of another Mammon family who exist in the human world.¡±

    She hid her loneliness with a smile. Then she continued in a lively tone, ¡°I saw it in the record. I also heard some from the previous masters I met at the arena.¡±

    She needed help. She needed somebody she could rely on, somebody different from those trapped in the arena. She needed an ¡°elderly¡± who could help her directly. Someone who will lead her, not just her deputy.

    ¡°Well, who knows, your rtives in the human world may live well? I was thinking of getting some help from them,¡± she said jokingly.

    Because of her mention of his family in the human world, Yong-ho could also recall some funny episodes.

    ¡®I guess you would have stuffed yourself with chicken there.¡¯

    His grandfather ran a chicken restaurant. Yong-ho heard that it was the best one in his neighborhood. Fortunately, Yong-ho only thought to himself about it.

    As Yong-houghed, Kaiwan, whoughed along with him, touched Catalina¡¯s tail again.

    ¡°The reason why I suspended the construction of the door of space in the middle was simple. It took too much more resources and mana than I thought. So, I stopped the construction, thinking of resuming it sometime in the future.¡±

    ¡®Good job,¡¯ he again thought to himself.

    It took tremendous resources to construct the door of space. If the only reward she got after constructing the door so hard had been just chicken, Kaiwan would have fallen down with a fit of anger.

    Kaiwanughed again and looked at him gently.

    ¡°I suddenly have a bit of regret now. If I hadpleted the door then, I might have met you earlier...¡±

    Kaiwan didn¡¯t finish her words because she felt somewhat out of ce at the moment.

    It was as many as thirty years ago that Kaiwan served as the master of the House of Mammon. Since she had been held up in the arena during the whole period, she might feel it looked like only yesterday, but it was just a long time ago to others.

    Suddenly, Kaiwan realized there was a big age difference between them. Going by age in the human world, it would not be strange for people to call her his grandma.

    Catalina, who quickly found out why Kaiwan was now on the defensive, realized that she had a chance to strike back. She got out of Kaiwan¡¯s arms then said a bit brazenly but timidly just like her, ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m only in myte 20s and early 30s.¡±

    Nobody knew exactly how old she was, but she was around that age. If so, she was almost the same age as Yong-ho.

    ¡°Master?¡±

    The 21-year-old Yong-ho turned his eyes away from the two with an effort. Suddenly, she thought of Sitri.

    Right at that moment, Lucia changed the topic as if to save Catalina, who was tilting her head nkly, and Kaiwan, who was in confusion.

    [Master!]

    [Someone from the Dungeon Market is here.]

    [Currently, butler Eligos is going out to meet him.]

    ¡°From the Dungeon Market?¡±

    Tilting his head to the side, he looked at Ophelia.

    She shook her head right away when he nced at her quizzically as if to ask her if she bought anything.

    It wasn¡¯t Yong-ho himself who bought stuff there. Since he essed the dungeon of the Nagaraja masterst time, he had never entered the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    [Eligos directly met an employee of the Dungeon Market.]

    [He doesn¡¯t look like a courier. It¡¯s a Mare in a ck suit.]

    [He sent a letter to Eligos.]

    Speaking to him in session, Lucia created a new screen in the air. It was a video that greatly erged the outer envelope of the letter Eligos received.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t recognize the luxurious outer envelope and the seal stamped in the middle. However, he recognized the pretty, thin letters on the bottom of the outer envelope.

    ¡°Samael.¡±

    She was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, who had the fastest wings.

    It was her letter.

    ***

    Since Stravadi¡¯s dungeon structure was soplex, it took more time than expected for Eligos to return.

    Since he wanted to hand the letter to Yong-ho as soon as possible, Eligos even turned beastly and ran fanatically.

    ¡°Thanks, Eligos. You don¡¯t have to overwork yourself like this next time.¡±

    Eligos deactivated his beastly mechanism and greeted him, a bit embarrassed, because he felt he made a big fuss over it.

    He had no intention of embarrassing him at all, so he didn¡¯t say or ask him anything for fear that things might getplicated. So, he expressed gratitude to him again sincerely then headed to the sofa instead of the throne because there were a lot who wanted to know what was written in the letter.

    Kaiwan and Catalina naturally arranged a seat for him in the middle. Ophelia was already seated behind the sofa. Only Tigrius, who just returned after being summoned, was in his seat politely. Skull was also seated in the same spot but feltfortable because it was the floor he was sitting on.

    When Yong-ho sat between the two women, Ophelia politely held out a knife. It was only for the purpose of opening envelopes.

    ¡°Whew!¡±

    As he was about to open the letter, Yong-ho got a bit nervous because he felt a bit of mana inside, although the outeryer of the letter was nothing special.

    In case of an emergency, Yong-ho wrapped the envelope of the letter with mana. He could do it because of his excellent ability to control mana.

    Watching him doing so from behind, Ophelia smiled happily. There were two reasons why she did not examine the letter first this time like she did when he received a letter from Tigrius, requesting a duel.

    One of the reasons was that it was unlikely that the Dungeon Market would harm Yong-ho, and the other was her trust in him. Her owner and master of the House of Mammon was no more a green boy. He was a mighty monarch who unified the whole unimed area in the south. Finally, Yong-ho opened the envelope and took out the letter. It was a small ck paper in the form of a card that he didn¡¯t even need to open.

    ¡°Special auction by the Dungeon Market... Is this an invitation?!¡±

    While reading the golden letters on the top of the card carelessly, Kaiwan was astonished.

    Startled, she raised her upper body leaning on Yong-ho.

    ¡°Samael, thedy with the fastest wings... Oh my gosh! Do you really mean Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market?!¡±

    Surprise as much, Ophelia also made a big fuss over the invitation letter from Samael.

    Even the gentle Tigrius opened his eyes wide with his jaws dropping.

    ¡°Five directors?!¡± Eligos responded btedly.

    Catalina, who was embarrassed by the situation where everyone was astonished, pretended to be startled, too, because she didn¡¯t really know what the five directors meant.

    Fortunately, nobody noticed Catalina¡¯s awkward action because everybody fixed their eyes on the invitation in his hand.

    ¡°Inject mana in it. I think it¡¯s a video card.¡±

 Chapter 177 - King of the Unclaimed Land 3

    <h4>Chapter 177 King of the Unimed Land 3</h4>

    Kaiwan egged on Yong-ho to do it quickly. Ophelia also nodded fiercely behind her back.

    Although nobody asked him, Tigrius exined it to calm himself down.

    ¡°The five directors of the Dungeon Market are not just dungeon merchants. Each of them is the master of their house with their own dungeon. And apart from their Godly Energy and sin, their power is considered to be equal to the six kings.¡±

    The difference in power caused by their possession of sin or not was veryrge. However, they were owners of the Dungeon Market whose five directors were said to dominate the entiremerce of the demon world. Considering their additional resources, they were strong enough topete with the six kings in terms of their ¡®forces.¡¯

    Now, one of these five directors sent an invitation directly to Yong-ho.

    Thanks to Tigrius¡¯s exnation, Catalina now understood what was going on, and she got as excited as Kaiwan and Ophelia. Even Smi looked at the invitation in Yong-ho¡¯s hand with twinkling eyes.

    With everyone so tense, Yong-ho injected mana into the invitation.

    [One of the five directors of the Dungeon Market and the general manager of the auction house, Samael, who has the fastest wings, is happy to greet the master of the great House of Mammon.]

    The light emitting from the end of the invitation formed Samael¡¯s images. It was about the size of two palms put together, which seemed to be just a recorded video of her message.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an invitation to everybody. It¡¯s an invitation specially sent to you, Yong-ho!¡± Kaiwan said in excitement.

    In fact, she could not help but get thrilled. Samael, one of the five directors, directly called him the master of the great House of Mammon.

    Eligos was moved to tears after a long time. Catalina also pped her ears with overwhelming emotion. She had tears welled in her eyes.

    Ophelia understood Eligos and Catalina at this moment.

    Atst, the House of Mammon was recognized.

    The House of Mammon had be the subject of great scorn after falling over a long period of time. As a result, nobody from the House of Mammon had been invited to the banquet of the demon kings in the southern area.

    Joining them btedly, Ophelia¡¯s chest filled out. Eligos and Catalina, who had experienced hard times by themselves, had a lump in their throats, deeply moved by the invitation.

    Kaiwan broke down in tears, though a little bit. Although she couldn¡¯t make it when she was the master of the House of Mammon, she was so happy about Yong-ho¡¯s great achievement. Besides, it was her master and lover, Yong-ho, who was formally recognized.

    Samael in the video continued, [There is a special auction scheduled to be held in seven days. I hope that the master of the House of Mammon can attend the auction by all means. ]

    [We will prepare all the conveniences for your visit here. If you are willing to participate, please feel free to use the summon scroll attached to the invitation. Our staffer will go and see you.]

    After directly telling him the message, Samael gracefully showed her manners.

    Then she said goodbye with an angelic smile.

    [I look forward to seeing you again.]

    The video was over.

    Kaiwan asked right away, ¡°Did she say she was looking forward to seeing you again? Have you met her before? Also five directors?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a few days ago.¡±

    After answering her question quickly, he examined the envelope a little more closely.

    Indeed, there was a scroll of the same size as the invitation.

    At that moment, Kaiwan hugged his arm and brought her face closer to him. She didn¡¯t do it to express her affection but wanted him to tell more about his meeting with Samael instead of being distracted by something else.

    Since Catalina and other dungeon spirits agreed with her, Yong-ho put down the invitation.

    Then he puckered his lip for a moment as if to choose his words then said, ¡°Well, I met her in a virtual space by chance. She and I were waiting for Sitri at that time.¡±

    ¡°Sitri? Thatdy of the Dungeon Market?¡±

    Again this time, Kaiwan expressed a big interest.

    Catalina and Eligos, surprised, blinked their eyes.

    Yong-ho nodded and said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Sitri.¡±

    She was the dungeon merchant who helped all the previous masters of the House of Mammon before they formally inaugurated. But she usually paid little attention to any other master than Kaiwan.

    ¡°Maybe Sitri is also one of the five directors.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Sitri is also a director?¡±

    Eligos¡¯s voice trembled. With her eyes open wide, Catalina also couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Yong-ho hesitated for a moment because Eligos and Catalina looked so groggy at the moment.

    However, he decided to continue because he already opened his mouth.

    This time, he revealed something more surprising.

    ¡°And Sitri is one of the women affiliated with the House of Mammon. How should I call her properly? Should I say she is my grandma?¡±

    Eligos waspletely frozen. But Catalina sprang to her feet and shouted, ¡°That woman with red hair! The woman who always tormented Elune... Anyway, she was a witch who was one of Mammon¡¯s lovers!¡±

    Sitri also had red hair. Ophelia exined on behalf of Eligos, who lost his mind at the moment.

    ¡°I told you about it once before... Mammon had so many women. However, there were two special women among them. One was Elune, who was Mammon¡¯s escort knight, and the other was a red-haired witch whose name was unknown.¡±

    Yong-ho recalled his ancestor Kumiho or the nine-tailed fox, but he didn¡¯t mention the name.

    Kaiwan leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s why...¡±

    Perhaps, Kaiwan was thinking of her memories about Sitri. Given that Sitri called Kaiwan ¡®a nasty but cute girl,¡¯ they must have a pretty good rtionship.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s the auction house, right?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the Dungeon Market Auction House was not just a ce for auctions. Just like the regr banquets of the demon kings held in the southern area, it is a meeting ce where the demon kings, who would never see each other normally, meet and rub shoulders.¡±

    Regaining hisposure, Tigrius exined in a quiet voice.

    Ophelia also added, ¡°It¡¯s a ce for them to rx. They can avoid conflict through direct conversation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. But they were held once every few years.¡±

    Yong-ho understood why Catalina and Eligos broke into tears.

    The former master of the House of Mammon, whomitted suicide because he could not bear the shame, had been totally ignored not only by other masters but also by the Dungeon Market.

    So, it was natural that all of them were deeply moved when one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, the highest executive body, recognized the House of Mammon.

    However, it was natural that they were choked up with emotions because one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market recognized the House of Mammon. Perhaps, their sorrow buried deep in their hearts must have exploded.

    ¡°Does it mean that the Dungeon Market is not a typical marketce?¡±

    Based on the details about the Dungeon Market so far, the Dungeon Market was not obsessed with simply selling things.

    Just like a government that cared about the welfare of its people, the Dungeon Market had worked in various ways for the peace and well-being of the demon world.

    For example, they provided food at low prices or took measures of easing tensions, as Tigrius mentioned.

    ¡°If you want to sell something, you have to have someone to buy it. Maintaining a huge society called the demon world is also beneficial to the Dungeon Market because they can sell more in that environment,¡± said Ophelia.

    Her answer had a point. Without demand, there was neither supply nor profit generation.

    ¡°After all, it¡¯s money, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t we have enough money?¡±

    Yong-ho spoke carelessly, but Ophelia responded quickly, contrary to his expectation.

    ¡°Well, you are not supposed to say it since you are the King of Greed.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say it just because of her merchant spirit. Yong-ho was none other than the King of Greed.

    ¡°Money, woman, power... These are something anybody who has desire wants to pursue. No matter how much they have, they are never satisfied.¡±

    And that desire was the source of Yong-ho¡¯s power. How could the King of Greed say he had got enough money already?

    Yong-ho, who nodded on impulse, felt that Catalina and Kaiwan were pulling each of his arms firmly.

    Catalina was about to cry, with her ears drooping, and Kaiwan was staring at him ferociously after a long time. Although they looked at him differently, they seemed to see eye to eye on Ophelia¡¯s rebuke.

    ¡®Hey, stop it!¡¯

    Yong-ho cleared his throat at that moment and hastily changed the topic.

    ¡°Anyway, I think I have to decide whether to ept the invitation or not.¡±

    He then looked at the card again.

    Tigrius said, ¡°I think it is a great opportunity for you to broaden your knowledge. Although there was an all-out war going on in the north, I think powerful guys from the demon world will gather at the auction house because they offer special auctions this time.¡±

    ¡®You bet.¡¯

    Yong-ho recalled the time when he and Sitri attended the auction house.

    It was a good experience. Since he was exposed to a wider world back then, he could reach a higher level. Without his growth at that time, he would not have made what he is today.¡±

    Yong-ho himself did not exist.

    ¡®Moreover, I got Brigada at that time.¡¯

    There was no one against him obtaining another good item this time. Rather, better auction items might be waiting for him.

    ¡°Okay, the only thing I have to do now is to get things done before I attend the auction house.¡±

    In the eastern area, there were still some dungeons of Sargatanas and small and medium-sized dungeons. Yong-ho could own them easily if he decided to.

    Even if there were good auction items, he would not be able to buy them without money.

    So, it was time for him to collect all the money avable to participate in the auction house.

    His eyes shone with greed, and Aamon, watching silently, was relieved.

    His greed was still strong.

 Chapter 178 - King of the Unclaimed Land (4)

    <h4>Chapter 178: King of the Unimed Land (4)</h4>

    Exactly a week after he received the invitation, Yong-ho took over the dungeons of Stravadi and Sargatanas then stood at the entrance to the dungeon of the Nagaraja master. Kaiwan and Catalina, fully dressed up, stood on his left and right side while the rest of his dungeon spirits saw him off, standing at the entrance.

    The Dungeon Market kept their time, as always. Over the sky where the sunset began to set, a flying wagon of the Dungeon Market appeared.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Catalina, who unwittingly gave an exmation of surprise, pped her ears and tail because the flying wagon of the Dungeon Market was so beautiful.

    It was a white streamlined carriage resembling a shining moonlight, but what drew her interest, in particr, was the six Pegasus pulling the carriage. She felt like it was even holy thanks to the bright moonlight behind the carriage stepping down from the sky.

    The carriage safelynded on the ground. Sitting on the coach box was an incubus well dressed in a neat suit. Half the subordinates of Samael with the fastest wings were Mares, and the other half were Harpies. Those in charge of external affairs were mostly Mares among them.

    The incubus, who jumped gently from the coach box, expressed due manners to Yong-ho by deeply bowing then opened the carriage door. There was a familiar face inside the almond-like t oval carriage.

    ¡°Dear client, it seems you have a thicker skin now. Never did I think you would have a big shot like mee over here like this.¡±

    Wearing an alluring red evening dress, Sitri spoke quite sharply. But she had a smile in her eyes and lips.

    Yong-ho also smiled at her and replied slyly, ¡°Thank you for your help, Sitri.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re wee because you are my dear client. By the way, you have a cool cheek. Don¡¯t look innocent. I liked you better when you were more fresh and cute.¡±

    Yong-ho had nothing to say this time other than smiling bitterly.

    Even Tigrius and Eligos, who knew how to be politically correct, didn¡¯t me her rudeness. It wasn¡¯t because she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. She was once Mammon¡¯s lover, the great King of Greed. In some respects, she was doting on him as if he was her grandson, so they couldn¡¯t me her.

    ¡°Uh... Sitri?¡±

    Kaiwan, who was standing next to Yong-ho, carefully called Sitri.

    Although Kaiwan didn¡¯t bat an eyelid typically, she was nervous this time, with her eyes trembling already. It was because she was worried that Sitri might not wee her.

    Sitri saw her. Then she opened her eyes wide and opened her arms in no time.

    She said kindly, ¡°Oh, cute client, it¡¯s been a long time. Can I hug you?¡±

    Kaiwan couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She jumped into the wagon even before she was done greeting her. Then she hugged Sitri suddenly.

    ¡°Sitri!¡±

    ¡°You are still acting like a spoiled child.¡±

    Sitri stroked Kaiwan¡¯s head and back over and over again, who was held in her arms like a child. Although all the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were watching her, Kaiwan wept, rubbing her cheeks against Sitri¡¯s chest.

    Sitri was like an older sister and mother to Kaiwan as a child who had been earnestly looking for an ¡°adult¡± she could follow. Moreover, she met Sitri today after several decades.

    Sitri hugged her tightly as if it was inevitable then nced at Yong-ho, signaling to him to get into the carriage quickly.

    ¡°Okay, let me leave now. See you back at the house.¡±

    Yong-ho was going to return to the House of Mammon right from the auction house.

    Since he got all therge dungeons in the eastern area and cashed out all the extraordinary items at the Dungeon Market, he had no reason to stay there anymore. It was important for him to develop the dungeon of the Mammon family before confronting the King of Gluttony.

    ¡°I hope you have a pleasant journey.¡±

    Tigrius spoke on behalf of the dungeon spirits while Eligos and Ophelia saw off Yong-ho with a smile.

    Fluffy cushions were arranged in an oval shape inside the carriage. Since Sitri and Kaiwan were sitting right across the door, Yong-ho sat with Catalina on the left side of the door.

    Kaiwan wore a ck evening dress that highlighted her white skin so much that she could be even said to look pale, and Catalina wore a white evening dress as if she wanted to be in contrast with Kaiwan in costume color.

    As soon as the carriage door closed, Sitri said, ¡°Let me tell you this for caution¡¯s sake. Don¡¯t leave me at this auction. Avoid using the power of greed as much as possible. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I hope I¡¯m in your good hands.¡±

    Yong-ho answered cheerfully. It was natural he did so because she was right here after epting his request.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Samael invited you with bad intentions. She¡¯s too sincere for that.¡±

    He was very satisfied with Samael¡¯s invitation itself. He was also pleased that Samael, one of the five directors, officially recognized the House of Mammon.

    However, Yong-ho did not let his guard down. Normally, he would have epted the invitation, but the situation was different now.

    ¡®The King of Gluttony will visit you.¡¯

    This was the warning from Embrio.

    The special auction organized by the Dungeon Market was attended by lots of influential figures in the demon world. It was very unlikely that the king woulde to this asion directly, but it was possible that the king¡¯s close aide would attend.

    Yong-ho did not want to expose himself to them.

    He thought that Samael had two reasons for calling him.

    One of the reasons was that she invited him with pure motivations. The House of Mammon was no longer a copsing small family. It was an unrivaled powerful family that they could equate anyparable family with, let alone an adversary, in the southern area.

    Yong-ho might be conceited about this, but even Sitri agreed on this point.

    And the other reason Samael called him was because of Sitri, as he thought.

    ¡°I think she did it out of curiosity. She might have been curious because Samael, who was always stuck in her house, showed interest in a man. For example, she might think like this, ¡®What¡¯s so special about this man that this big shot of our Dungeon Market has to deal with?¡¯ That¡¯s my guess.¡±

    Yong-ho smiled bitterly, and Kaiwan, still held tightly in Sitri¡¯s arms, wouldn¡¯t move.

    At that moment, he felt a sense of floating and speed at the same time. The six Pegasus pulling the carriage began to speed up ferociously.

    ¡°Oh my God! Make sure all of you wear this on your arms because you have to hide the power of Brigada.¡±

    Sitri pulled out three silver bracelets from her cleavage and gave them to the three. It was a in bracelet with the same shape as one on Sitri¡¯s arm.

    Brigada, also called ¡°God¡¯s Metal,¡± was special. However, it was only when it came into the hands of the ¡®king¡¯ and his dependents that its special power was in motion.

    If anyone wore essories made with Brigada, it was most likely that he was a king or his dependent. Brigada itself is a fairly hard and light metal, so it wasmon to make spears without knowing it was Brigada, but it was very rare to make jewelry with it.

    Wearing Brigada essories was like wearing metal trousers.

    So, Yong-ho needed to hide his Brigada first in order to conceal the fact that he was the King of Greed. At first, he thought about not wearing a Brigada at all, but it was unreasonable because of the ¡®heart of the Demon God¡¯. Unlike the ring, the heart of the Demon God was not something that could be worn or taken out freely.

    ¡°If you wear this bracelet, Brigada¡¯s performance will be weakened. So, be sure to unfasten the bracelet when necessary. Got it?¡±

    Yong-ho and Catalina wore the bracelets with a nod.

    Kaiwan asked, ¡°How about you, Sitri?¡±

    ¡°It will make me look weird if I don¡¯t wear it when you guys are wearing it, right?¡±

    With a chuckle, Sitri pinched Kaiwan on the cheek. At first nce, it was like an older sister, and her sister was ying friendly.

    ¡®If I did so, she would be definitely mad at me,¡¯ Catalina thought.

    In fact, Kaiwan liked to pinch her cheeks and touch her tail or ears, but when she tried to do the same, Kaiwan always reacted sharply. But now she just smiled shyly when Sitri touched her. She was like a cat asking for a little more petting.

    Sitri said again, ¡°This auction is a little bit bigger than the auction you participated in the other day. In addition to the official auction organized by Samael, we have also prepared exhibition-style free auctions.¡±

    ¡°Exhibition-style?¡± Catalina asked, pping her ears.

    Sitri responded kindly as always, ¡°To put it more directly, I would say it¡¯s like a market. We put several items in the auction house at the same time and sell them. If you find an item you want to purchase, you can bid higher than the maximum price of the item at that time. It is an auction style that allows the person bidding the highest price within the deadline to take the item. If you don¡¯t want to wait until the bidding ends, you can buy the item at the seller¡¯s price directly.¡±

    The flying wagon jumped into space. Just like the cat carriage did the other day, this one also narrowed a huge distance at once.

    ¡°Here are the masks I prepared.¡±

    After peeking out the window for a moment, Sitri opened the box that was located between the cushions. Before handing them out, Sitri put on a lioness mask on her head.

    Yong-ho received a male lion mask with a mane while Catalina and Kaiwan received a dog and cat mask, respectively. Somehow, the three masks befitted them very well.

    ¡°As you already know, since you visited herest time, there are many ways to identify the person even if you cover your face with a mask. Please keep that in mind.¡±

    After giving them a gentle reminder, She buried her body deep in the cushion as if she had nothing to say anymore.

    Yong-ho looked out the window of the carriage. Like he didst time, he had a panoramic view of the gorgeous auction house in his eyes.

 Chapter 179 - King of the Unclaimed Land (5)

    <strong>Chapter 179: King of the Unimed Land (5)</strong>

    This time, Yong-ho entered the auction house proudly unlike thest time when he had to sneak in through the back door.

    He confidently entered the main door and felt a little joy while wearing the male lion¡¯s mask.

    He felt different from what he did before.

    The violent mana that swirled randomly like a blind sword was still the same. It was still swirling roughly inside the auction house.

    But he didn¡¯t feel that it was burdensome anymore. He could ignore it naturally as if he was facing a breeze.

    It wasn¡¯t just because Yong-ho understood his own mana better than before.

    The reason was simple. His mana became strong.

    He was different from the time when he had to look up at the dark sky.

    This time, Yong-ho himself was in the sky. He could look down, and he didn¡¯t feel the sky above his head just far away.

    Even now, after having absorbed Stravadi¡¯s mana, he had only five horns.

    Actually, they were close to six. In other words, he reached a stage where he had to realize a new wall that he should ovee.

    Catalina, who obtained five horns after Kaiwan, felt the same way as Yong-ho. She felt a little joy in herfort.

    ¡°When this auction starts, it is highly likely that Samael will greet you directly. Until then, feel free to enjoy the free auction.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s whispering tickled Yong-ho¡¯s ears. He flinched unwittingly then quickly nodded and moved to the free auction house. Catalina and Kaiwan followed him closely.

    The free auction house reminded him of an exhibition, as Sitri said. It looked like an exhibition with all kinds of items lined up along the wall.

    [Devil Nails]

    [Anyone who bled, hit by a devil¡¯s nails, is cursed by a powerful devil.]

    [Anyone with a demon curse suffers from a demon¡¯s mental attack.]

    [Not only your concentration, but also your overall physical ability decreases, and the effect varies, depending on the strength and weakness of your mental power. If you are both mentally and physically exhausted, you might be killed at once.]

    [Additionally, it¡¯s highly likely that it will cause fear in the other person.]

    [In order to maintain the devil¡¯s curse, you must constantly supply mana.]

    Kaiwan¡¯s eyes red when she was looking at a red dagger. It was very peculiar because not only its handle but also its de was very red.

    ¡°How about this? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s going to be quite useful?¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Yong-ho, who was looking at the area next to only two cells from the devil¡¯s nails, responded awkwardly. When Kaiwan turned around, there was an elf spirit with a slim body for sale. Given that the elf had a chain around his neck, it looked like he was a ve from another world.

    Kaiwan narrowed her eyes wide with a long face while Yong-ho began to eagerly examine the devil¡¯s nails.

    Meanwhile, Catalina, pping her ears and tail together, was staring intently at one of the rings.

    [Dead spirit ring]

    [It uses a nearby corpse to create a skeleton-type undead.]

    [However, skeletons created in this way are destroyed as soon as mana is not supplied anymore.]

    [If there is enough mana supplied, it is also possible to make corpses automatically undead within the range.]

    Catalina recalled a smiling Skull in her mind. Wouldn¡¯t it be very effective if Skull went to the battlefield with this ring?

    ¡°It looks okay, but... it seems that its mana efficiency is bad. Why don¡¯t you get a necromancer-based familiar spirit?¡±

    Catalina checked the bidding prices. The bidding price was not high as if its efficiency was not good enough like Sitri said.

    ¡°Necromancer?¡±

    Yong-ho, who put the devil¡¯s nails down, also intervened. Certainly, considering the recent battle he had, he felt it would be nice to have a necromancer because there were enormous corpses everywhere each time he was done with the battle.

    Of course, it was quite inhumane from an ethical point of view. However, he could not deny that it was an attractive item. The synergy effect whenbined with the power of evolution seemed to be enormous.

    As the proverb said, ¡®Strike the iron while it¡¯s hot,¡¯ Yong-ho looked around to see if there was a Necromancer familiar for sale.

    Right at that moment, a surprisingly sweet scent tickled his nose.

    Not only Yong-ho, but Kaiwan and Catalina also turned their heads instinctively as if they also smelled the scent.

    The source of the smell was a sales item across from the elf spirit. There was arge pot and a small teacup there. Sitri said, pointing to the purple drink in the teacup ¡°It¡¯s Soma. It is a soft drink with a slight hallucination effect. Since the scent is particrly good, it seems to be a really high-quality product.¡±

    Kaiwan swallowed, while Catalina pped her ears violently. It looked as if she wanted to drink both of them but could not dare to ask her.

    At that moment, a woman wearing an ugly and terrifying red ghost mask elbowed her way through the clients and came to Yong-ho. The woman who checked the Soma quickly wrote the bidding price.

    Because of her ghost mask, Yong-ho could see her face, but given her figure and charming air, she was obviously a great beauty. She was wearing a colorful red suit that suited the ghost mask, but unlike her long and loose sleeves, her lower body was almost naked. Her white legs tied with a thong underneath the short skirt that revealed her thighs clearly were attractive with beautiful curves.

    Yong-ho looked at the woman. It was not because he was attracted by her stunning beauty.

    His heart was pounding, and his breathing became rough before he knew it.

    Obviously, he felt it before. This time, the way his heart trembled was different from when he first ran into Catalina and Kaiwan.

    ¡®The man wearing a ghost mask?¡¯

    Someone came to his mind suddenly. He was a giant man who met her eyes the other day when she visited the auction house. ¡®No, it¡¯s not that my heart is pounding.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t get it right back then partly because he was at a distance from the other party, and it was partly because he felt it on impulse back then. But he could understand it clearly now because he obtained the heart of the Demon God. He could distinguish it because he had experienced his heart throbbing when he met his lover several times.

    It was greed. Greed was the source of his excitement.

    Then why was his heart throbbing? Because he wants to have her? Because of his sexual desire?

    Right at that moment, he got goosebumps. And the woman turned around as if on cue.

    They looked at each other, wearing their masks. The woman, who faced him, frowned as if something was strange, and he stopped being nervous with an effort.

    Instead of avoiding her eyes right away, he stared at her for a little while.

    Her rainbow-colored eyes were shining like stars. They had an air of dignity and intensity that overwhelmed him.

    He caught his breath. He just acted like someone who identally met her eyes. He smiled awkwardly inside the mask then nodded at her lightly like an English gentleman in a movie he had seen one day. Then he turned around and walked on naturally.

    Sitri hugged his arm. She egged on him to see the next auction items quickly. As if she read his intentions, Sitri led him away from that woman.

    Catalina and Kaiwan also acted tactfully. As Yong-ho¡¯s familiar spirits, they did not make the mistake of looking back. While moving away from that woman, Catalina¡¯s tail became a little stiff, but Kaiwan managed it well. Catalina flinched when Kaiwan grabbed her tail tightly in a surprise, and thanks to her quick-witted action, it looked like they were ying pranks on each other like close friends.

    The distance between Yong-ho and the woman increased further. The auction crowds filled the ce they left.

    Even after Yong-ho¡¯s party left and the auction was going on here and there, the woman was standing still in ce as if fixated on it. She stared at him for a while, then tilted her head only after hepletely disappeared. Then she bit her lips out of frustration.

    ¡°What the hell is it?¡±

    She didn¡¯t murmur it to herself. Actually, she was talking to a woman with a bear mask who caught up with her btedly. With a strong build and lots of muscles, she was big enough to fit in the bear mask. She also looked at the direction the woman was gazing at. There was nothing special over there, so she tilted her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±

    The woman did not answer right away but just closed her lips once. Then, crossing her arms, she said, standing a bit stiffly, ¡°It¡¯s definitely my first time seeing that man. But why was my heart throbbing as soon as I made eye contact with him? My breathing was also rough.¡±

    At her serious question, this woman with a strong build blinked her eyes.

    Then she expressed her opinion mixed with embarrassment and expectations.

    ¡°Because you fell in love with him at first sight?¡±

    ¡°No way. How can I love him only by looking at his eyes on the mask?¡±

    ¡°You must have checked out his figure, let alone his impression, right?¡±

    She puckered her lips again at this strong woman¡¯s response.

    Obviously, she liked his build quite a lot. She was also happy about his height.

    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. And he was a weird guy. Even when he made eye contact with me, he wasn¡¯t agitated at all. Rather, he nodded at me in aposed manner. He must have smiled even inside the mask.¡±

    ¡°Have you stared at him with your jewellike piercing eyes?¡±

    Asking the question, this strong woman got embarrassed.

    Then the other woman apologetically replied as if to make excuses, ¡°Well, I did before I knew it. I just looked at him. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it looks like you were clearly attracted to him. There are few men who remained calm even after encountering my master.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes were the eyes of a king. Because of this, anybody without extraordinary courage and boldness didn¡¯t dare to encounter her.

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you might have taken a liking to him.¡±

    The strong woman asked with more interest this time.

 Chapter 180 - King of the Unclaimed Land (6)

    <strong>Chapter 180: King of the Unimed Land (6)</strong>

    ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯

    The woman shook her head again, getting such a possibility out of her mind. It was because of her toying with the idea of loving a man just didn¡¯t make any sense in reality.

    Of course, she felt several times that her heart pounded when she met other kings. But it was when she was in battle, and in a fierce battle with other kings at that. If her heart had not pounded in such a situation, she would have looked very weird.

    Her fury back then was roaring itself. It synced with other sins and roared against other sins.

    But it was different now. She felt something she couldn¡¯t exin. The only thing she could express at the moment was that she felt something intense the moment she encountered him.

    ¡°Oh my... Did I really fall for him at first sight?¡¯

    At that moment, the woman blushed in embarrassment, and her attendant and faithful friend, Yacha woman grinned inside her bear mask. She visited the auction house with her master suffering from ever-growing depression for a change, so her surprising response after meeting a masked man was an unexpected pleasure.

    ¡°If you see him again, you will find out if you are really hooked on him. If your heart is pounding again, I think you must love him. Right?¡±

    The auction just started. So, she still had lots of time to hang around before the official auction began.

    She again looked at the direction where Yong-ho disappeared. This woman called Dhritarashtra, King of Fury, nodded slowly and tapped her chest once for no special reason.

    <hr />

    ¡®She must be the owner of the sin.¡¯

    Yong-ho was convinced. He couldn¡¯t even think of any other possibilities.

    One of the six kings visited the Dungeon Market auction house. If so, who was it? Which sin belonged to this woman who ran into Yong-ho?

    ¡°You¡¯re okay now.¡±

    He suddenly regained his sense of reality upon hearing Sitri¡¯s words. He found himself already out of the crowded free auction house. He was in a secret room where he once stopped by when he had first visited the auction house.

    Catalina and Kaiwan first took off their masks, perhaps because they were freed from the embarrassment and tension beyond their understanding. Yong-ho also took off the male lion¡¯s mask and buried himself on the sofa.

    Sitri said again, ¡°Probably, she is the King of Fury.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan were startled. On the other hand, Sitribed her hair casually after taking off her mask. She sat on the sofa across him and said, ¡°As I said first, the only thing that you can cover with a mask is your face. There are many factors with which you can identify the other party.¡±

    He just listened to her instead of expressing his opinion.

    Sitri listed the reasons one by one and counted on her fingers.

    ¡°First of all, the gender of that masked person was a woman. Besides, her medium height, white skin and slim figure, dark blue hair, and a sweet vor characteristic of Gandharva.¡±

    Gandharva was a race with an overwhelming number of men,pared with women. There were not so many Gandharva women even in the vast demon world ,who had the status high enough to ess the auction house.

    The King of Fury revealed herself directly in numerous battlefields, and as a result, there were lots of things identified about her look. Everything Sitri just mentioned coincided with the King of Fury¡¯s look.

    ¡°And the decisive evidence that she was the King of Fury was your hunch. You seemed very surprised to meet her.¡±

    Sitri then pointed to the silver bracelet. The bracelet that hid the power of Brigada also had the effect of sharing status information among its wearers.

    Yong-ho covered his face with both hands.

    Then he said in a much calmer voice, ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t just a resonance between sins.¡±

    Although he didn¡¯t have any specific evidence of it, he was convinced of it. As she said, it could be called his hunch. Sitri did not disagree with him.

    Rather, she nodded and said, ¡°Because you have that woman¡¯s legacy.¡±

    The heart of the Demon God.

    The legacy Mammon, the King of Greed, left behind in the human world.

    At that moment, Yong-ho raised his head suddenly and replied immediately, ¡°Greed, fury, gluttony.¡±

    They were the sins that Mammon possessed in the past.

    Yong-ho felt he could understand it now. It wasn¡¯t just something like resonance.

    The heart of the Demon God that he had was a replica of the one owned by Mammon, the King of Greed, in the past. However, that did not mean it had low quality. Since it was a perfect replica, it shared the memory of the original owner.

    The heart of the Demon God did not forget the sin of Fury. He missed the sin he had once cherished.

    ¡°It is less likely that the King of Fury recognized me.¡±

    Yong-ho made a conclusion like that before he knew it. Although he himself had the heart of the Demon God, the King of Fury did not. She had never harbored any other sin than fury.

    ¡°Probably. But... she must have been strongly impressed by you. I mean her heart must have throbbed when she saw you.¡±

    Yong-ho also understood it. It wasn¡¯t just because of the fact that he made eye contact with the King of Fury. He had a simr experience.

    ¡®A man in a ghost mask.¡¯

    He was farther away from that man than when he faced the King of Fury. His power of greed was also much weaker than now.

    However, Yong-ho knew that his feelings then and now were fundamentally the same. His greed that united with the Demon God¡¯s heart made him convinced of it.

    Then, who was the man in the ghost mask?

    Which Sin did he have?

    What Sitri said about it helped Yong-ho find out the clue. Besides the mask, there were many clues about the masked man.

    For example, the tips given by Embrio. Yong-ho already knew all the tips.

    He came up with an answer naturally. There was only one possibility of his identity.

    ¡°The King of Gluttony.¡±

    Yong-ho had an adversary in front of him now. He had already met the king.

    <hr />

    ¡°Then I will close the deal today.¡±

    Samaelughed softly. The King of Gluttony, who was facing her with a desk in between, nodded with a satisfied expression and said, ¡°It was a good deal, too, this time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for visiting us, as always.¡±

    She exchanged pleasantries with him. She had made several secret deals with the King of Gluttony, but that was it. Their interaction could never be called a special rtionship.

    His deal with Samael wasn¡¯t a perfect secret deal. The five directors of the Dungeon Market knew what and how Samael traded with the King of Gluttony.

    Samael simply yed the role of a terminal. This transaction was between the Dungeon Market and the King of Gluttony, not between Samael as an individual and the King of Gluttony.

    Other kings also made secret deals with the Dungeon Market. And any information about their transaction was also shared by other directors during their meeting.

    ¡°The auction house is still booming. It seems that many people participated this time,¡± said the King of Gluttony.

    His words were only perfunctory, but given their unusual position in the demon world, their conversation carried some significance.

    Samael replied with an angelic expression, ¡°Because the war in the north is not the end of the world.¡±

    Depending on who interpreted her words, it had various implications.

    The King of Gluttonyughed heartily and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the main auction.¡±

    ¡°See you then.¡±

    The King of Gluttony wore the ghost mask and stood up. Samael got up from her seat and saw him off in person.

    Both of them didn¡¯t say any further after parting there. They didn¡¯t reveal their innermost thoughts to each other.

    When the door of the secret room was closed, Samael let her back wings droop.

    Her face-to-face dealing with the King of Gluttony always exhausted her. As if to show off the fact that he was a king, he showed his desire without hesitation.

    ¡®Does he want to be the king of the unimednd? Is it what he hides in his fiery desires?¡¯

    It was hidden in the King of Gluttony¡¯s craving for her, namely his incredible gluttony. Normally, she would not have noticed it because she was blinded by other intense desires, but today she knew it.

    Samael was sincere like Sitri said. She did a lot of research on the Mammon family. And she discovered that rumors in the south, to be precise, about the fight between the Mammon family and Embrio, the King of Wolves, were artificially twisted.

    The unimednd in the south was the realm of Sitri, the highest among the five directors.

    So, Samael didn¡¯t think about it deliberately.

    But now the situation had changed.

    The unimednd was virtually unified. Moreover, the method of unification was very violent.

    It was not a one-sided unification. The warlords who rose up the army in various ces attacked each other as if they were ying a tournament. As a result, the deserted southernnd became more deste, but on the contrary, there were some things that became stronger.

    The demon king was supposed to grow big when he took the essence of someone equal to or stronger than himself.

    It was not efficient for him to take the essence of someone weaker than himself.

    The tournament-style fight that took ce in various ces brought about the effective concentration of essence. If someone had unified the south unterally, he would have preserved the dungeons and their masters, but he would not have achieved the concentration of such a huge power like now.

    The king of the unimednd.

    Why did the King of Gluttony covet him? Did he simply wanted the essence of the unimednd? Or was there anything else that Samael herself didn¡¯t know yet?

    What if things happened as Samael spected?

    Samael stopped thinking. Trimming her tired wings, she left the secret room.

    It was time for her to face the king of the unimednd.

    The King of Fury stepped forward, looking around. Maybe because of the Yacha woman chattering beside her, she felt her heart beginning to pound again even when she could not find the man with a lion mask.

    He walked leisurely. However, contrary to his slow movement, his sin of gluttony was in full active mode. He constantly expressed hunger.

    The main auction time was approaching.

    Kings and other influential figures began to gather in one ce.

    Another king started to move among them.

 Chapter 181 - Extraordinary event (1)

    <strong>Chapter 181: Extraordinary event (1)</strong>

    Yong-ho¡¯s decision was as fast and simple, as always.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Catalina pricked her ears. Kaiwan regrettably put down the catalog of the free auction house she was reading earnestly, but she did not object because he was right.

    The resonance between the sins was confirmed. Moreover, the King of Fury was staying in the auction house.

    It was highly likely that the King of Fury did not recognize that Yong-ho was the King of Greed. However, it was just a probability. If the king ran into him again, he might think differently this time.

    ¡®The King of Gluttony.¡¯

    It was the King of Gluttony that Yong-ho had to avoid more than the King of Fury.

    The King of Gluttony had already participated in the auction, wearing a ghost mask. Even at this moment, it was highly likely that the king might be rummaging through the catalog somewhere in the auction house.

    ¡°We gained a lot here, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s correct, but...¡±

    Pouting her lips, Kaiwan pulled Catalina¡¯s tail, who was sitting next to her. Flinching a bit, Catalina hurriedly nced at Yong-ho for help, but he ignored it, pretending not to have noticed it because he found her frowning cutely rather than trying to check Kaiwan¡¯s mood.

    Although Yong-ho¡¯s party didn¡¯t buy anything at the auction house, they gained a lot like Yong-ho said.

    Yong-ho learned about the resonance between the sins and recognized the feelings of the King of Fury and the King of Gluttony. Now he could recognize the two anytime, anywhere.

    Yong-ho also confirmed the growth of his power. He could roughly size up his ce in the demon world.

    ¡®Well, Kaiwan had an opportunity to meet Sitri here...¡¯

    Nodding at once, he looked toward Sitri without hesitation.

    Well at ease, Sitri said, ¡°Are you going to leave right away?¡±

    ¡°No, I may encounter them on the way to the carriage. Let me leave when the main auction ends.¡±

    It was obvious that he would be noticed if he left in the middle of the auction.

    Sitri smiled softly as if she liked his answer.

    ¡°What a good judgment befitting my dear client! Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    After pausing for a moment, she got up from her seat and approached Kaiwan and Catalina.

    ¡°Cute client, do you have any item you really want to have?¡±

    ¡°Sitri?¡± Kaiwan asked in confusion. It wasn¡¯t because of her question. It was because she could infer a certain fact from her question.

    Sitri sat next to Kaiwan and pointed at herself elegantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here at the auction house. I can meet and talk with Samael. As you know, I¡¯m a big shot of this Dungeon Market.¡±

    Sitri was not from the Mammon family. So, she had no reason to go back with them. Even if she stayed here and encountered the king, she would have no problem at all.

    ¡°Oh, of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m going to give you a free gift. I¡¯m going to get it back from my dear client. Of course, you don¡¯t have to pay for my service.¡±

    Sitri again drew their attention to the auction items. Kaiwan and Catalina looked at Yong-ho before responding right away.

    Yong-ho approved with a nod, ¡°Choose it one by one.¡±

    Kaiwan yelled in delight quietly and opened the catalog. Then she pointed to one item.

    ¡°Okay, let me choose this one.¡±

    It was the devil¡¯s nails that she had been fidgeting with at the free auction house.

    Slightly narrowing her eyes, Sitri said, ¡°Hmm, you have to get close to the other person and even hurt him with this, but the more demanding the conditions are, the stronger the curse bes. Sounds like a good choice.¡±

    ¡°You agree, right?¡±

    As if she was happy about Sitri siding with her, Kaiwan was so excited. Catalina, who was waiting for her turn nervously, also opened the catalog.

    ¡°I want this one.¡±

    It was a pendant in the shape of a ghost face. It was impressive because it was gray like a piece of ster.

    ¡°It¡¯s an item that strengthens the attributes of darkness. I think this is also a very good thing for our escort knight girl, but...¡±

    She blurred at the end of her words, then turned her eyes at Yong-ho. With her shoulders drooping, she said, as if to me him a bit, ¡°Dear client, I just wonder what the hell you did to these beautifuldies because they wanted onlybat tools like this. As you know there are lots of beautiful essories here, too.¡±

    Kaiwan just grinned at that, while Catalina signaled to Sitri with her eyes that he didn¡¯t do anything wrong to her.

    Instead of making any excuses, Yong-ho read her thoughts and said duly, ¡°Sitri, can I have one, too?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. Please answer me.¡±

    A little smile was on her face. He spoke without opening the catalog like Catalina or Kaiwan.

    Not all items for auction here were disyed in the catalog.

    ¡°I would like to obtain a wizard-based familiar spirit capable of necromancing.¡±

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t you want an elf spirit?¡±

    ¡°Sitri!¡±

    Sitriughed heartily again. She replied by burying his back on the sofa, ¡°Hmm, great. If you can¡¯t get one at this auction, I¡¯ll rmend one from the Dungeon Market catalog. Maybe you like the undead series, right? Like Lich.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes as long as I have the funds.¡±

    Thebination of Death Knight and Lich, which he had been longing for for a long time.

    Even if it was impossible, the necromancer was useful in many ways. It was a familiar spirit that was worth obtaining even with more money than expected.

    At that moment, there rang a soft bell. Sitri wriggled her charming eyebrows at the sound echoing from quite a distance.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for the main auction to start. Shall we move now?¡±

    Sitri reached out to Yong-ho without getting up. Then Kaiwan pulled Catalina¡¯s tail to make her sit down again, who was about to get up casually, then looked at Yong-ho like Sitri did.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    For peace in the family, Yong-ho did not escort anybody, and Sitri burst intoughter.

    <hr />

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible he went back already...¡±

    Although the soft ringing of the bell was beautiful, she didn¡¯t feel that way.

    Yacha woman Kirtimuka, who was the right-hand woman and friend of Dhritarashtra, King of Fury, looked around again sharply. She could not find the man with a lion mask anywhere in the auction house.

    ¡°No problem, Kirtimuka. I just ran into him by chance anyway.¡±

    ¡°But you still...¡±

    Kirtimuka bit her lower lip and looked down at her master, King of Fury.

    Although she couldn¡¯t see her master¡¯s expression because of that ugly ghost mask, obviously she must have been quite disappointed. Just a few minutes ago, she looked around more earnestly than Kirtimuka.

    Kirtimuka felt really regrettable about it. Of course, she didn¡¯t really expect anything from the masked man. Although Kirtimuka teased her by saying she fell in love with him at first sight, it was just nonsense in the first ce.

    What Kirtimuka wished was just her master¡¯s slight deviation from her daily routines. She just wanted her master to get clear of the mess for a moment because she was overly concerned about everything due to her thoughtful and warm-hearted personality. In other words, all she wanted was just a little happening that could make her master reminisce over it with a smile.

    Finally, even the bell stopped ringing. Shortly afterward, the main auction began.

    Those who were talking to each other in the dark auction house stopped talking to each other and fixed their eyes on the stage.

    ¡°Let me get out for some fresh air. If they auction Soma or Amrita, you must buy it.¡±

    The King of Fury acted exactly the opposite. After telling her attendant not to follow her, the king left the auction house.

    ¡®No, he is not here, either.¡¯

    She rolled her eyes again on her way out, but she could not see him.

    The King of Fury pouted her lips. It seemed that she was unconsciously expecting to meet him again a lot.

    ¡®Well, he made me feel better anyway.¡¯

    She didn¡¯t murmur it just tofort herself. When she came out to the balcony and breathed in the cold night air, she felt like that before she knew it.

    When did she think of a man like this for thest time? Wasn¡¯t it the first time since she admired the magnificent figure of the King of Fury when she first saw him as a child?

    The more she thought about it, the funnier she felt about her own behavior before the start of this auction. She could not understand why she was disappointed not to see him again.

    The King of Fury took off her mask. It was the rule to use a mask in the auction house, but since everyone entered the auction house to participate in the main auction anyway, she didn¡¯t have to worry.

    Her white, soft cheeks protected under the mask were exposed to the cold night air. She felt even refreshed because of the cold sensation on her skin.

    When she returned after the auction was over, she would be faced with an extreme confrontation. She had to bide her time, watching closely how the battle in the north unfolds or how the King of Gluttony acted. It was something she really hated. She wished they just started a war.

    ¡®Oh, no, what am I thinking now? Take it easy, Dhritarashtra. You can¡¯t kill so many innocent people just to satisfy your frustration.¡¯

    Rebuking herself like that, she got theplicated thoughts out of her mind and looked up at the night sky. Her heart was pounding.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

 Chapter 182 - Extraordinary event (2)

    <strong>Chapter 182: Extraordinary event (2)</strong>

    She blinked her eyes. At that moment, a flying wagon pulled by six Pegasus horses soared into the sky. It was fully reflected in the King of Fury¡¯s eyes.

    It wasn¡¯t like the king of flight slightly passing over the balcony. She was at some distance from the carriage, but this woman, the king of Gandharva and the King of Fury, was possessed of extraordinary physical skills. She looked at the carriage and noticed the face of the person looking out the wagon window. She made eye contact with him.

    It was a very brief moment.

    His greenish-ck eyes, ck hair, and well-defined features.

    The Pegasus flew up, and the flying carriage quickly faded away. Naturally, the man¡¯s face was also out of her sight.

    And again a few seconds passed.

    The King of Fury raised her hand and pressed her chest hard. Her heart was still pounding, though not as hard as she first saw him.

    Startled by her own reaction, she was embarrassed. Even before she knew it, she said clearly, ¡°Oh my... Did I really fall for him?¡±

    At that moment, her cheeks blushed quickly. At the same time, there was a loud noise from behind her back.

    ¡°Master! Master!¡±

    ¡°Is it Kirtimuka?¡±

    Wearing the mask again hurriedly, the King of Fury, turned back. Kirtimuka took off her mask, contrary to the King of Fury. She said with a rigid expression, ¡°By Heavens!¡±

    <hr />

    It was when only the first item was listed for sale after the main auction began.

    However, the King of Gluttony left the auction house. The King of Gluttony was chewing the bones of the small devil Imp that delivered him urgent news.

    Still, he could not suppress his anger. Although he was patient enough normally, there was something like thest straw for him. Once he got upset, he could not calm down easily.

    The beauties of the King of Gluttony shuddered for fear that they would be eaten, too. Eating man was by no means taboo to the King of Gluttony.

    As soon as he arrived in front of the huge wagon that could be called a moving pce, the Afsaras moved quickly. They hurriedly moved the food stocked in the wagon to the table.

    The King of Gluttony devoured the food ravenously. He even chewed the tes and twisted the neck of one of the poor Afsaras in the end. The rest of Afsaras struggled to refrain from screaming. Even with trembling hands, they carried food more hurriedly. They were grateful that the woman who just breathed with them a moment ago was not eaten alive. It was so miserable.

    ¡®The king of the unimednd.¡¯

    The fruit was ripe. The fruit that absorbed various nutrients must be truly sweet.

    If the fruit was truly greed, it couldn¡¯t be better. Even if it wasn¡¯t greed, it was worth eating if it was the king of the unimednd.

    So, the King of Gluttony thought about the harvest.

    Once his schedule at the auction house was over, he was going to prepare to attack the southernnd.

    But everything was messed up now.

    It wasn¡¯t because of the king of the unimednd. If the king had taken measures to protect himself, the King of Fury would not have been as angry as he was now.

    The king of the unimednd in the south was the one he hated most as well as a pain in the neck.

    The King of Gluttony broke the long silence. He deployed the troops to the borders with the southernnd.

    The king who didn¡¯t possess the sin.

    Nevertheless, he was a monster that seeded the throne of a king.

    And he was the most powerful dragon in the demon world.

    The King of Violence.

    Finally, he moved. He messed with the King of Gluttony¡¯s upation n.

    <hr />

    Since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed, those kings who ruled the demon world had always had their own names after the sins¡ªpride, envy, lust, gluttony, fury, and sloth.

    They could not avoid getting away from such names because none of them who didn¡¯t possess the sin could obtain the power and forces strong enough to be called a king.

    It was an old unwritten rule. It was a sacrosanct fact that nobody could dare to ignore.

    However, there was a man who denied that fact totally.

    He didn¡¯t possess the sin. But his strength wasparable to those kings with the sin.

    His forces were more than enough for him to build a kingdom on his own.

    He was the owner with thergest build in the demon world as well as the most powerful mana in the demon world.

    The kings were pleased with his presence. The King of Envy dered that his very existence was a sphemy against the kings. Other kings expressed sympathy for his deration.

    The demon world was a ce where thew of the jungle ruled.

    Power meant justice in the demon world.

    Finally, one of the kings rose up in revolt. He started a war to punish this man who was called a king even though he didn¡¯t possess a sin.

    The former King of Gluttony.

    Also known as the King of Flies, he attacked the territory of a nameless king with a legion of several millions of locusts. Their attack was so overwhelming that it seemed to destroy the whole demon world. Not only the kings but also various lords of the demon world expected Beelzebub¡¯s victory.

    But the results betrayed everyone¡¯s expectations. Beelzebub was ridiculously defeated.

    The army of colored dragons that ruled the sky and the earth destroyed the army of gluttony made up of locusts.

    Beelzebub was killed by the nameless king. Thanks to the mana he released as ast desperate resort, he didn¡¯t lose the sin of gluttony and Godly Energy to this nameless king, but that was it.

    The news about Beelzebub¡¯s defeat shook the entire demonic world. Given that the man who didn¡¯t possess the sin defeated those kings with the sins soundly, it was only natural that the whole demon world was shocked. It was an extremely extraordinary event that the demon world had never experienced during the past thousands of years.

    By now, the whole demon world had no choice but to recognize the victor. It was only secondary for the kings with the sins who didn¡¯t like him to approve of his existence.

    The nameless king got a name of his own.

    There was only one name suitable for him, who smashed the King of Gluttony and his army with overwhelming power.

    The King of Violence.

    The demon world called him so, and other kings eventually recognized his existence.

    And that happened more than two hundred years ago.

    For more than two hundred years since then, the King of Violence had remained silent.

    He never left hisnd. Even when he defeated Beelzebub and his army, he did not cross the borders.

    A new King of Gluttony and the King of Fury emerged. The King of Pride also seeded his predecessor. Even during this turbulent period, the King of Violence alone stood tall like a mountain.

    At that time, the King of Gluttony thought that when the fighting in the north reached its peak, the King of Violence would also be his rival. To him, the King of Violence was only a variable. Even the King of Gluttony, who was the wariest among the six kings of the King of Violence, did not think thetter would intervene in the war among the other kings.

    But the King of Violence moved, contrary to their expectations.

    He ordered the army of colorful dragons to advance as if to scorn at their evaluation and guesswork.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t start a war. The legion of dragons was still within the territory of the violent king. He only deployed his troops at the borders with the territory of the King of Gluttony.

    But even that was a big threat to the King of Gluttony, who had never seen such a gathering of his troops along the border in thest two hundred years.

    Upon hearing Kirtimuka¡¯s report, the King of Fury blinked her big eyes. Though momentarily, she wondered whether Kirtimuka, her faithful friend and loyal subordinate, made a reckless joke. Her report was so shocking to the King of Fury.

    ¡°Did you say the King of Violence really moved his troops?¡±

    She asked again to confirm it. Kirtimuka nodded fervently.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. A legion of dragons gathered on the border with the territory of the King of Gluttony. Oh my god... it really makes you feel the goosebumps to hear the news about their gathering.¡±

    Kirtimuka shuddered then approached the King of Fury a little closer and activated the golden bracelet on her arm. Then a small image unfolded in the air above the bracelet. It was a scene of her troops patrolling the borders.

    Dozens of dragons covered the sky and the ground. Thousands or tens of thousands of monsters under the control of the dragons were with them, so their menacing posture was terrifying.

    The King of Fury took a deep breath. Even though she knew that the legion of dragons was heading for the King of Gluttony, a cold sweat broke out on her back.

    ¡°Master, the King of Violence is our ally, right?¡±

 Chapter 183 - Extraordinary event (3)

    <strong>Chapter 183: Extraordinary event (3)</strong>

    Even Kirtimuka, a valiant Yacha warrior, could not hide her fear.

    The King of Fury nodded slowly and even tolerated her question, which was even somewhat rude, for even the king felt scared, though for a moment.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We have a secret alliance with uncle. There will never be any asion for us, gods of arms, to fight the legion of dragons.¡±

    The king not only reassured Kirtimuka but also herself about it. She took a deep breath to calm down.

    ¡®It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be alright because we have an alliance with the king. Actually, uncle helped me several times.¡¯

    The rtionship between the King of Fury and the King of Violence was so good that other kings could not imagine it. That was why the King of Fury called thetter ¡®uncle¡¯ openly.

    To the King of Fury, the King of Violence was an adult whom she could trust and follow. He was an adviser who helped her make the right decision all the time.

    The King of Fury bit her lips once. Because of the King of Violence¡¯s reluctance to fight, she had never talked with him about politics or military affairs. Most of the advice the King of Fury himself sought from him was limited to her personal matters.

    Nheless, the King of Fury regarded him as an ally. She believed that he would definitelye to her rescue whenever she was involved in a war with other kings.

    To be honest, the King of Fury had some grievances against him. How did he not inform her in advance about such arge-scale military action?

    ¡®No, that could not be true.¡¯

    Probably the King of Violence had some reason for that, she thought. Maybe even at this moment, an envoy sent by the King of Violence was running toward her own pce.

    Besides, it was a national agenda of grave importance.

    Even now, it was necessary for the King of Fury to build a proper alliance with him based on their awkward friendship.

    The King of Fury tapped her on the cheek lightly. Then she focused on her immediate task.

    The King of Violence had a bad rtionship with the King of Gluttony. However, their rtionship was rather one-sided.

    The King of Gluttony hated the King of Violence. The rtionship between the two kings was usually bad in the first ce, but the former showed extreme hostility to thetter.

    There were several rumors about their rtionship. Some said they had a bad rtionship because of Beelzebub, the former King of Gluttony. Others said the King of Gluttony didn¡¯t like the King of Violence because thetter didn¡¯t possess a sin. Some also cited the inherent inferiority that the King of Gluttony felt toward the King of Violence as the main cause of their bad ties.

    The King of Gluttony was originally a Preta, the lowest level demon. But he was well known as a self-made king who persistently climbed to his current position through the power of the sin.

    On the other hand, the King of Violence was powerful from his birth because he was born as a dragon, and a red dragon at that, always cited as the strongest race in the demon world.

    Of course, the King of Gluttony was born with a sin when he was born, so he was the same as the King of Violence in terms of their special birth. Nheless, there was a difference. For the Preta, the lowest level demon, the sin was like a pearl ne on the neck of a pig. Nobody could even imagine how much the King of Gluttony suffered before climbing to the position of a king.

    ¡®By the way, I thought the King of Violence was in a sleeping mode now.¡¯

    It was the real reason why the King of Violence remained silent even in the midst of the turbulent war in the north. Thanks to this, the King of Fury met the King of Violence in recent years.

    ¡°Good. I won¡¯t solve the problem by just agonizing over it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    The King of Fury again put on the ghost mask. He just did it ceremonially rather than just for any reason. As if to reassure Kirtimuka, she stretched out her hand and tapped her shoulderrger than hers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back too. I think I have to send an envoy to uncle. Just in case, I¡¯m going to see him.¡±

    No matter what the King of Gluttony was doing at the moment, he would be desperately struggling. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t going to act recklessly, but the King of Violence already showed he could be unpredictable. Nobody knew whether the King of Gluttony would act recklessly.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get ready to go back right away.¡±

    Kirtimuka, who finally felt reassured by her trustworthy master¡¯s action, spoke with a nod.

    She hurriedly showed due manners to her master then left the balcony to gather the servants, who were scattered throughout the auction house, and prepare a wagon.

    The King of Fury, who was about to follow Kirtimuka, stopped. She stepped back and turned around for a moment.

    ¡°Yeah,ter, not now.¡±

    Even if it was true that her heart pounded when she saw the masked man, now wasn¡¯t the time for her to dwell on him.

    Since she saw his face, that was enough for now. If it was meant to be, she would see him again. The King of Fury turned back again. Not as an innocent virgin, but as the king of a country, she stepped forward.

    <hr />

    When the King of Fury pulled herself together, Yong-ho was in agony.

    ¡®Did she find out my identity?¡¯

    He made eye contact with the King of Fury. Although he was at a distance from her, he was sure she did.

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    It was when the main auction started that he saw her. So, there was no particr reason for the King of Fury to appear on the balcony where she could see the flying carriage clearly.

    Of course, there was something like ¡°coincidence¡± that could be the reason in any situation, but there was a fat chance she came out to the balcony by chance.

    If the King of Fury was looking for him and as a result saw him for the second time, it was possible in the worst scenario that she might have found out that he was the King of Greed.

    ¡®No, I hope not.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t just his mere optimism. He could feel it when his eyes met hers, though very briefly.

    Embarrassment. Surprise. Heart beating fast.

    ¡®Dang it. Did shepletely figure out my identity?¡¯

    If she was also confused and surprised to know that Yong-ho was the King of Greed, all the puzzles would be put together to solve all the unanswered questions.

    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s unlikely she has recognized me.¡¯

    Above all, the King of Fury did not have the heart of the Demon God. Besides, she encountered him at a longer distance than when he faced her in the past. So, it was unlikely that she might have noticed his identity. Even if she had noticed him, the King of Fury would not have sat idle, just looking at him nkly in such a situation.

    ¡®Anyway, my visit this time paid off because I saw the bare face of the King of Fury.¡¯

    She was a fresh and beautiful girl whose nickname ¡®fury¡¯ didn¡¯t suit her at all.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes and once again thought of her face.

    And there were two people watching Yong-ho at that moment.

    ¡°Oh my... He is now thinking of another woman, right?¡±

    Kaiwan, watching him coldly, whispered. Catalina quickly nodded.

    Catalina, who had a good night vision like a dark elf, also saw the King of Fury standing on the balcony. However, since the King of Fury took off the ghost mask and Catalina saw her only momentarily, she just thought the woman was a pure beauty rather than the King of Fury. Kaiwan frowned when Catalina whispered about what she had seen. It was because she didn¡¯t like Catalina¡¯s description of the king as a fresh beauty with dark blue hair.

    Kaiwan again said to Catalina, ¡°Let me try to be seductive and enchanting to him, so you should try to be innocent and pure. Got it?¡±

    Hearing their conversation, Smi would have shaken its head, asking them what the sh*t they were talking about, but it was Catalina who listened to her seriously.

    Opening her eyes wide again, Catalina whispered something again.

    Kaiwan snorted at it by saying, ¡°What? You¡¯re far from sexy. Dang it! You must be a mixed subus.¡±

    Catalina, whose eyes grew blurry for a moment, grinned, pping her ears and tail.

    Kaiwan said again, ¡°Anyway, the point is you shouldn¡¯t make him attracted to another woman, Got it?¡±

    Catalina nodded fervently. Then she looked at Yong-ho sharply like Kaiwan did.

    <hr />

    The sky of the demon world was ck. However, even that darkness could notpletely cover the posture of the giants positioned under the pouring starlight.

    Dragons, perfect beings as one.

    Dragons were positioned there as a group. As a legion of dragons, they watched thend of the King of Gluttony.

    The King of Violence was not with his dragon army. He was stuck deep in the Dragon Rare area, west of the demon world, as usual.

    But he stayed alert. Armed with the Godly Energy of the King of Greed, he saw the fragments of his imperfect memories. So, he roughly figured out what had happened to Mammon, the King of Greed, a long time ago.

    Unknown stories. Concealed facts.

    It was a thing of the past. Maybe it was just no more than an amusing thing of the past that had nothing to do with the present and the future, something that he should forget as a legend.

    The King of Violence did not open his eyes. However, his alert consciousness had him raise his head and look to the south.

    He felt it instinctively. Godly Energy, with which the King of Greed once dominated the battlefield, told him something.

    The sin that had not appeared for over a thousand years. The seventh king who disappeared.

    His greed has returned. He was now in the southern area.

 Chapter 184 - Kingéˆ¥æªš Qualification (1)

    <h4>Chapter 184: King¡¯s Qualification (1)</h4>

    Two days after Yong-ho returned from the auction house urgently, the eastern expeditionary force, headed by Skull and its units, returned to the House of Mammon in the afternoon.

    ¡°Are you back?¡±

    ¡°Sure. How did it go?¡±

    Yong-ho and Ophelia giggled while exchanging greetings to each other. They could feel rxed for now because the news about the King of Violence¡¯s advance into the south didn¡¯t reach them yet.

    Ophelia gathered intelligence much better than when she worked as the hostess of a tavern, but she didn¡¯t do it well enough to immediately find out what was going on outside the southern area.

    After weing Ophelia and other dungeon spirits back, Yong-ho got to the point even without having them take a break from their long journey. He talked about what happened at the auction house while they were moving various essences collected from the eastern area to the heart room where Lucia was located.

    ¡°Really? You met the King of Fury?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, to be precise, I didn¡¯t meet her. I just made eye contact with her. I don¡¯t think she noticed that I am the King of Greed.¡±

    Ophelia didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, she kept her mouth shut for some time, as if she was lost in thought, then asked, making eye contact with him, ¡°How did you feel about the King of Fury? What do you think she felt about you?¡±

    ¡°Well, not bad. I only saw her face only briefly...¡±

    Burring at the end of his words, he recalled the King of Fury. Her rainbow-colored eyes and fresh face came to his mind.

    At that moment, he turned his eyes and saw Catalina walking side by side next to him.

    In no time, he said to Ophelia again, ¡°Well, I felt like she was like Catalina. I¡¯m not sure what she thought of me. She didn¡¯t know I was the King of Greed in the first ce, and I didn¡¯t talk with her in the auction house anyway.¡±

    Catalina blinked and pped her ears at his reply as if she didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. On the other hand, Kaiwan narrowed her eyes as if she understood it.

    Ophelia grinned and said, ¡°If so, I think my analysis is correct.¡±

    Catalina became more puzzled now. Obviously, she was the main topic of their conversation, but she felt like she alone couldn¡¯t make head or tail of what was going on.

    Ophelia said, ¡°Someday, it will be known throughout the demon realm that the King of Greed has returned to the House of Mammon. It means the opening of the era of the six kings. When that day arrives, the King of Fury is the strongest candidate to be your ally.¡±

    There were as many as seven kings in the demon world. With seven kings and their territories, it was natural that they formed a temporary alliance of their own because it was impossible for any king to confront other kings as a group.

    Yong-ho, who recalled the Three Kingdoms game, asked Ophelia again, ¡°Isn¡¯t it good enough to be close to the King of Fury?¡±

    Ophelia replied immediately, ¡°Although the King of Fury is known as the warmonger, she is exactly the opposite, if my analysis is correct. She doesn¡¯t enjoy fighting. She only goes out to fight for the peace and well-being of her own people because it¡¯s the fastest way to end a war.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean she is a pacifist?¡±

    ¡°Sort of. What she wants is not to seize the hegemony of the demon world, but to bring peace and prosperity to her people. Besides, she is sharing the borders with all the other six kings. She even has a border stretching into our southern area. Nowadays, there is a big turbulence in the northern area, so I think she needs an ally badly these days.¡±

    Ophelia spoke so fast that Yong-ho and the others found it hard to follow her, but she hit the nail on the head. Reviewing her point in his mind quickly, Yong-ho nodded. Then he said in a low voice, recalling the King of Fury¡¯s face, ¡°I wish I could be on her side. I don¡¯t want to fight her for some reason.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kaiwan asked, cutting in timely.

    Like she didst night, her eyes were ring sharply. Catalina gently pulled his hand as if to imitate Kaiwan¡¯s action.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Right at that moment, they reached the entrance to the heart room of the dungeon.

    Skull shouted loud as if to help Yong-ho and opened the door.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    [The day I have been earnestly waiting for has finallye!]

    [Pounding, pounding! Pit-a-pat!]

    [Please give me essence quickly! I feel dizzy!]

    As soon as Yong-ho entered the heart room of the dungeon, Lucia shouted, making a big fuss.

    Since they were also in the heart room of the dungeon, the dungeon spirits could hear Lucia¡¯s voice.

    Kaiwan whispered, shaking her head, ¡°Isn¡¯t it right for you to follow your master when you choose words or speak in the heart room of the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Tigrius replied seriously, and Ophelia grinned quietly. Yong-ho, who suddenly got embarrassed for no reason, cleared his throat.

    But Lucia was still cheerful. She shouted cheerfully without caring about Yong-ho¡¯s embarrassment.

    [I¡¯ve not eaten anything for the past several days, waiting for today!]

    After all, Yong-ho also burst intoughter. After receiving the essence from Eligos, he approached the heart of the dungeon. As if to reflect Lucia¡¯s mood, he pushed the essence into the wriggling heart of the dungeon.

    ¡°Be sure to chew it.¡±

    [Of course, I will!]

    [Yum-yum...Oops! So delicious!]

    Lucia didn¡¯t exim artificially. Obviously, she admired it sincerely.

    Lucia was not the only heart of the dungeon. It was good to say that the heart room of the dungeon was Lucia herself.

    The dungeon spirits felt unusual energy. It was as if the whole room was wriggling.

    [Please keep supplying it to me! Please!]

    Lucia shouted. But her voice was a bit weird. Her voice trembled in ecstasy as if she had drugs.

    At that moment, Yong-ho paused for a moment and looked back because he wasn¡¯t sure if it would be okay to keep injecting essence.

    At that moment, Tigrius shouted, ¡°Now is a good chance. Don¡¯t stop! The efficiency rate of essence absorption has been doubled. It¡¯s a very rare urrence, so don¡¯t miss it!¡±

    Yong-ho, who thought of the double EXP of online games, immediately began to act. He injected various essences into the heart of the dungeon at high speed.

    [Oh! So good!]

    [Wow!]

    Even though he was so embarrassed because of Lucia¡¯s shouting in ecstasy, Yong-ho did not stop it. Finally, when the essences harvested from the eastern area ran out, a bright light was pouring out from the heart of the dungeon.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    The brilliant light never hurt their eyes. Yuria, who followed Yong-ho with Baduk, innocently admired the scene with her eyes twinkling brightly.

    It was beautiful. It was a splendor reminiscent of the morning sunrise.

    Then the light disappeared. A hush descended over Yong-ho and the others.

    ¡°Lucia?¡±

    [The dungeon has gone up by three levels.]

    [I have taken control of the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. I will immediately start taking control of the 4th floor.]

    [As the dungeon has leveled up, you can install new facilities.]

    [Intermediate bathhouse / advanced training ground / advanced workshop / advanced water and sewage facility / sleeping room / recovery room / mine with improved mining efficiency / refinery / cultivation room / arena, etc, can be installed.]

    [As the control of the dungeon increases, it is possible to manage and understand the dungeon more carefully.]

    [Found new veins]

    [One silver vein and one gold vein. Both are located on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    [Currently, I¡¯m taking control of the 4th floor.]

    [When the control of the 4th floor ispleted, you can use the equipment manufacturing facility of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    [Wow!]

    [I feel the best right now!]

    Lucia, who gushed like a machine gun, kept eximing in joy as if she was enjoying the lingering pleasure.

    Just as absorbing the essence was the highest pleasure for the master, the heart of the dungeon also felt the extreme pleasure in the absorption of the essence.

    After enjoying the lingering pleasure for some time, Lucia suddenly realized a strange fact.

    Yong-ho and all of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were ncing at her nkly.

    Right at that moment, Yuria, who had been watching her behind Skull, walked out.

    She said, presenting the beautiful colored pebbles, her precious treasure, ¡°Do you like ying with pebbles?¡±

    Lucia blinked, and she soon realized that she blinked her eyes. Through the dungeon¡¯s perceptual abilities, she recognized herself and the heart of the dungeon that changed its shape.

    A girl with blue hair in a white dress was standing there. Since arge silver cable attached to her back was plugged into the floor, she couldn¡¯t move far, but it was obvious that she was a humanoid anyway.

    Lucia tried closing and opening her hands. She also moved her fingers then jumped from her seat.

    [Oh oh! I can y with pebbles!]

    [Of course, I like it! From now on, I¡¯ll love it very much!]

 Chapter 185 - Kingéˆ¥æªš Qualification (2)

    <h4>Chapter 185: King¡¯s Qualification (2)</h4>

    Lucia hugged Yuria suddenly, which Yuria liked, with her eyes glittering. She could not help but burst intoughter because she met friends her age for the first time at the dungeon of the House of Mammon. In fact, both of them were only a year apart.

    Everyoneughed warmly at them, but Baduk felt jealous about Yuria, who was so happy with Lucia.

    Lucia¡¯s rapid growth resulted in more workloads of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon.

    Skull and its unit were dispatched to the construction site of a new facility. Farming, which was virtually suspended during their eastern expedition, was also urgent, so some members of the Skull unit headed to the Garden of Life. Under themand of the dragon soldiers, who were reborn as veteran farmers, the Skull unit newbies held sickles and hoes.

    Eligos and Ophelia were also busy. They needed a manager to take care of developing the new silver veins and other veins. Ophelia had to even design the water and sewage facilities.

    Flushed with excitement, Burgrim started to inspect the facilities on the 4th floor. The orc cksmiths, who had been reassigned as Burgrim¡¯s disciples and direct subordinates, trembled at the joy of seeing the uing new facilities while feeling terrible at working through the night.

    Yong-ho also had a job to do.

    Fully prepared, he headed for the arena with Catalina and Kaiwan.

    24th floor of the arena.

    Behind Yong-ho¡¯s backy Troll Mountain King, whose head was about a dozen meters high. The blue-skinned guy¡¯s body was covered with various ores, so despite being naked, it boasted of his powerful defensive power as if he was wearing iron armor.

    Because of this, Yong-ho cracked the neck of the guy, which must be soft.

    It wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to cut it because its neck was also big just like his body.

    Mountain King wasn¡¯t just a giant with high defensive power. Like a troll, the guy had a tremendous ability to regenerate, and it was raising parasites capable of casting attribute magic.

    Since it was not enough to cut the neck once, Yong-ho went into the body of the Mountain King and burned all its internal organs. Thanks to the shield of distortion, Yong-ho could stop its attribute magic and gastric juice, but the gas in its stomach was a problem. Barely avoiding being suffocated, he took a deep breath several times.

    ¡°Man, I almost died.¡±

    The arena changed, starting with the 20th floor. Of course, one thing never changed, namely the appearance of a stronger floor master every time he took over a floor.

    But the penalty in case of defeat and the emergence of the floor master were significantly different from those below the 20th floor.

    First, the penalty became heavier. It wasn¡¯t just the penalties that required the challenger to be a spirit of the arena in case of defeat. In the event of defeat, there was a penalty that required the loss of a dungeon spirit as well as half of the loser¡¯s mana.

    And the lineup of the floor masters became more colorful. Up to the 19th floor, floor masters almost as tall as humanoid or humans appeared, but from then on, not only giants these days, but also monsters reminiscent of dragons appeared. Previous masters of the Mammon family also appeared more frequently.

    ¡®Well, the process is difficult, but the rewards are better.¡¯

    Yong-ho absorbed Mammon¡¯s mana. He didn¡¯t feel like his mana was growing rapidly like before, but it definitely worked. Every time he absorbed one, he felt like his mana became pure.

    His mana, which rapidly increased through the absorption of the essence, was as good as rags.

    Although he devoured it with the power of greed, he didn¡¯t digest it properly.

    But Mammon¡¯s mana solved this problem. Each time Yong-ho got mana, it closed the gap between different essences and filled the gap.

    The clear rewards of the 24th floor was an elixir that restored all abnormal conditions and restored stamina and mana. There was golden water in a very small ss bottle, like a medicine for an eye bottle.

    ¡°Damn it. It rips me off, man. I never expected getting an elixir on the 24th floor.¡±

    Gusion mumbled with a happy look. Yong-ho carefully kept the elixir in his pocket then hurried to the special seats where Gusion, Aamon, Catalina, and Kaiwan were waiting.

    ¡°So, the King of Gluttony is going after you. And I feel like the countdown has begun.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded softly. Catalina and Kaiwan, who was next to him, were warming up to challenge the arena.

    Gusion gently patted his chin and said, grinning suddenly, ¡°You said when you faced the King of Fury, your power of anguish grew stronger, right?¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan rolled their eyes at the same time. Yong-ho quickly looked at the weapons that the two were holding. He did it almost instinctively.

    Gusion continued with a heartyugh, ¡°Just kidding, man. Oh my God! It¡¯s amazing to find my dear Kaiwan has changed like this. You, too, escort knight.¡±

    Kaiwan turned her head, a bit sullen as if she was embarrassed, and Catalina pouted her lips.

    Aamon said, [Our little master¡¯s power of anguish has be stronger.]

    [I want to tell you it¡¯s a joke, but that¡¯s true.]

    Catalina and Kaiwan looked at Aamon sharply again.

    Yong-ho looked at Aamon, feeling betrayed, but Aamon was silent.

    Gusion quickly stood up and changed the topic, smiling slyly.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just good! I told you already that the guy who guarded the 5th floor was Sagittarius, right? I mean our inflexible knight Asclepius.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you did. So what?¡±

    Yong-ho hurriedly responded to Gusion. Gusion winked at him slightly, and said, ¡°The 5th floor is his armory. It¡¯s a perfect ce for him to confront his enemy.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡®Gusion! You must be a trickster!¡¯

    Yong-ho, who hid himself behind the wall, cursed at him. Even at this moment, dozens of arrows of light kept striking the walls ruthlessly and prated the passages between the walls.

    There was something special about the arrows, let alone the arrowhead and arrow shafts.

    The arrows, literally flying like light, exploded every time they collided with the wall.

    The noise of the explosion was so big that Yong-ho could hardly hear anything.

    So, he once again cursed and recalled what Gusion told him.

    ¡°Sagittarius Asclepius, the knight of the sun. He¡¯s a proud and honorable guy like his name suggests, though he is a bit too brusque. If he runs into you, he might express due manners to you like a noble knight.¡±

    Actually, Asclepius was the opposite. When he ran into Yong-ho¡¯s party, he reacted very shortly. All of a sudden, he fired arrows of light.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Yong-ho!¡±

    ¡°Block it!¡±

    Several voices rang at the same time. It was because the arrows, which had only been flying straight ahead, started to ¡°turn¡± the moment they passed the wall.

    Yong-ho hurriedly stretched out his hands and created a shield of distortion. Catalina, who was right behind him, looked over the shield at Kaiwan on the opposite wall. Like Yong-ho, Kaiwan also protected Eligos and Ophelia by opening a shield of distortion.

    Kaaaaaakang!

    The arrows of light hitting the shields of distortion exploded in session. Regardless of Yong-ho and Kaiwan¡¯s efforts, the shields of distortion shook wildly.

    Yong-ho reinforced his mana and signaled to Kaiwan. Like his familiar spirit, Kaiwan immediately read his intention and nodded. Both of them signaled to each other with their eyes then hit the ground at the same time.

    It was a passage three meters wide. Yong-ho and Kaiwan created a barrier together. It would have been impossible if their rtionship was just routine, but it was also possible to mix their power because both of them had a tight bond as a master and his familiar spirit.

    Therge and thick shields of distortion stopped the arrows of light more smoothly.

    Yong-ho saw Centauros sitting in the middle of arge room beyond his blurred vision.

    Once again, Gusion¡¯s words came to his mind.

    ¡°I might specte this, but don¡¯t worry if he runs wild. If you obtain the fresh green armor from Mammon¡¯s armory, you can negate most of his arrow attacks.¡±

    ¡®Well, I think that must be the fresh green armor.¡¯

    The lower body of Centauros was a nice ck horse, and its upper body was a knight in green armor.

    The green armor seemed to be made of tree trunks and leaves. Thin stalks were ced all over the armor, like vines on the wall, and wide-grown leaves were stuck on its shoulders and chest.

    What Gusion told Yong-ho proved all wrong. Asclepius, the knight of the sun, was insane, and the green armor that could negate his attack covered his body.

    It wasn¡¯t possible for Yong-ho to talk with Asclepius now. Moreover, Asclepius didn¡¯t seem to stop being a mere threat to him. Like Baphomet on the second floor did, he tried to kill Yong-ho¡¯s party.

    Swallowing, Yong-ho rolled his eyes. Because of the explosions caused by the arrows of light, his eyes were blurred, but he could easily see several corpses scattered throughout the floor. Most of them were probably the past dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Maybe one of them might be a previous master of the Mammon family.

    It was the moment for Yong-ho to make a decision.

 Chapter 186 - Kingéˆ¥æªš Qualification (3)

    <h4>Chapter 186: King¡¯s Qualification (3)</h4>

    Clenching his teeth, Yong-ho looked to the left and right with ring eyes. Then, he conveyed his intentions to his dungeon spirits.

    ¡°Kill him! I¡¯m going to give up Asclepius. Kill him who became a madman!¡±

    Yong-ho grabbed the air with his right hand. Stretching down Aamon that arose from the mes, he stared at Asclepius over the shield. He counted the numbers deep down. He moved his hands with Kaiwan at the same time and deactivated the shields of distortion. Then he pierced in the air with Aamon repeatedly.

    There arose a strong wave of green mes. It was not for the purpose of killing him. He nned to block Asclepius¡¯s vision with the green mes even for a moment, so his dungeon spirits could rush toward him. He could carry out such a n because the green mes of greed could identify Yong-ho.

    The raging green mes quickly engulfed him like a beast. Eligos and Ophelia also awakened their beast nature. Kaiwan and Catalina threw themselves into the mes without any fear.

    And at that moment, the waves of the green mes were split in two. They were scattered into two groups but perfectly united as one as if heaven and earth were separated.

    Right at that moment, Yong-ho saw Asclepius splitting the green mes with the sword of the sun. He was a maniac, but at the same time, he was one of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon.

    The next moment waspressed then another moment came. Asclepius¡¯s horse hoofs hit the ground hard. While holding the sword of the sun in his left hand loose, he took the giant spear in his right hand at the same time. Then he charged into the lingering green mes!

    It was a tremendousnce charging. Asclepius¡¯s giant spear, which reached the highest speed when he moved only three steps, aimed at Yong-ho¡¯s chest.

    However, Yong-ho wasn¡¯t an easy target. It was because the moment he noticed Asclepius rushing toward him, he also started moving.

    His giant spear pierced the air. Yong-ho and Kaiwan flew on the left and right sides, not just content with merely avoiding his attack. Kaiwan twisted her body and swung her whip sword. The moment Yong-ho stepped on the ground, he twisted his body hard. Then he fired the green mes with Aamon loaded with centrifugal force, aiming at Asclepius¡¯s exposed back.

    Kaiwan¡¯s whip sword coiled around Asclepius¡¯s right arm. The green mes engulfed Asclepius. Then Kaiwan floated into the air. It was Kaiwan who caught him, but it was Asclepius¡¯s herculean force that turned her upside down.

    Kaiwan did not lose her whip sword. Yong-ho also did not attack Asclepius, who twisted after hitting the ground. It wasn¡¯t just Yong-ho and Kaiwan who were here.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull riding Bucephs struck him with a hammer all of a sudden. Asclepius hurriedly lifted the shield on his left arm to block the hammer, but he could hardly stop it in the first ce. Not only Asclepius¡¯s left arm but also his whole body was pushed back. Seizing the moment, Kaiwan regained her bnce. Instead of being thrown on the floor, she climbed behind Asclepius¡¯s back and let go of her whip sword without any regret. Then, she pulled out the devil¡¯s nail from the back of his waist, which Sitri obtained for her, and stabbed it between Asclepius¡¯s armor. Then she twisted the nail inside it.

    ¡°Kuuuuuuak!¡±

    Asclepius screamed in pain for the first time. He ran around violently and lifted the crossbow attached to his right hand. But nobody allowed for his next attack. Skull swung the hammer again, and Eligos and Ophelia also charged at him at the same time. Catalina also drew a moonlight sword and ran fast, keeping low as if she was stuck to the ground.

    Their attack synced with each other perfectly. When Skull¡¯s hammer pushed Asclepius back again, Kaiwan stooped low on his armor and pierced between the armor with the devil¡¯s nail. Ophelia¡¯s sharp horn broke Asclepius¡¯s right hind leg, while Catalina¡¯s moonlight sword cut his left leg. Eligos punched his fist toward Asclepius¡¯s back, who was losing his bnce and copsing. His punch that passed over Kaiwan¡¯s head, whoy t, showed off its terrifying destructive power.

    This time, Asclepius moaned silently. He was thrown toward the wall like a marite that waspletely broken. At that moment, Kaiwan, with her eyes closed tightly, created a wall of distortion between herself and Asclepius then blew herself away. The hand of the ck giant, created by Catalina, grasped her floating in the air.

    Asclepius, flying nearly ten meters above ground, collided with the wall. The ceiling and floor shook.

    Eligos, who just blew a strong punch, let down his arms with a rough breathing. Skull turned around and red at the wall where Asclepius collided, and Catalina hastily let Kaiwan down on the floor.

    Yong-ho took a step. Asclepius¡¯s look was revealed as the dust disappeared. Centauros, with both legs broken, was pulling a big bow, sitting halfway down on the floor. Although his body was mangled by Eligos¡¯s attack and Kaiwan¡¯s devil curse, his arm that pulled the bow did not shake.

    Asclepius was a knight of the sun. However, the sun did not exist in the deep dungeon. His various divine powers, which were activated only under the sun, could not exert power.

    But he was still Mammon¡¯s knight. Even at this moment when he was dying as a madman, he was pulling the bow without any trembling, which testified that he really was Mammon¡¯s knight.

    Aamon whispered something to Yong-ho. Aamon did not beg Yong-ho to save Asclepius, formerly his faithful friend.

    Aamon knew that Asclepius could not be saved anymore. The faithful knight of the sun should have died that day with the king who was his sun. The king¡¯s considerations for saving his life rather ruined his life now.

    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon. Catching his breath, he focused on the flow of mana.

    His dungeon spirits respected his intentions and stepped back.

    Asclepius let go of the bow and shot a golden arrow as bright as the sun.

    Yong-ho hit the ground. He read the flow of his mana. The moment the arrow left the bow, Yong-ho predicted the path of the arrow and ran without hesitation.

    An arrow brushed against Yong-ho¡¯s cheek. The tip of Aamon¡¯s spear pierced his green armor and then his chest.

    Yong-ho did not create the green mes. Asclepius¡¯s heart, pierced by the spear, had been already broken since ancient times.

    Asclepius felt Aamon and sensed Yong-ho¡¯s greed beyond him.

    His lips were wide open. For the first time since he met Yong-ho, he began to speak.

    He said in a squeezed voice, ¡°You have saved the demon world... my... king.¡±

    That was it. Asclepius couldn¡¯t say anymore. The knight who lost his master and lived like a shell for a thousand years finally died.

    A new light came from the magic field on Yong-ho¡¯s left arm. It was a brilliant orange symbolizing ¡°honor¡±, the power of Asclepius.

    Asclepius¡¯s body copsed like ashes. Yong-ho saw the images of Asclepius transmitted at thest minute.

    The king climbed the stairs alone. No one could follow him. They just had to say goodbye to him for good, who they had always followed.

    Asclepius was in despair. He cried at the fact that his king died and that the king no longer existed in this world. Contrary to the king¡¯s intention, he died slowly in self-destruction for a thousand years.

    Yong-ho¡¯s images of him disappeared. However, other memories emerged in his mind one after another.

    Gusion called Mammon¡¯s name, crying bitter tears. Scathach also cried, next to him.

    Sitri said goodbye to Mammon while hugging Elune.

    Mammon chose to die alone to save everyone.

    Mammon was climbing the stairs.

    When the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon saw the king for thest time, they only saw his back as he climbed the stairs.

    What was there at the end of the stairs Mammon climbed?

    Why was thest fight involving Mammon and his 12 Spirits not known to the demon world?

    ¡®My king who saved the demon world!¡¯

    [Just because he possessed the sin and wonder, can he be called a king?]

    It was Aamon¡¯s voice, not Asclepius¡¯s, that came outst.

    Yong-ho looked down at Aamon. However, Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, still refused to answer. It became a ray of me and hid itself.

    Yong-ho did not pressure Aamon. There were things that he could find out without doing so.

    Mammon saved the demon world, but that was it. His action did not affect the present.

    That was why Aamon and other dungeon spirits hid what had happened to Mammon from Yong-ho. After all, there was nothing that would harm Yong-ho himself.

    Yong-ho thought to himself that he would wait, waiting for the time Gusion mentioned to him.

    And he thought it wasing quite soon. It felt that way.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    He heard Skull¡¯s voice above his head. It wasughing loud, as always. Just by looking at it, Yong-ho felt like he got a load off his chest.

    He quietly looked down at Asclepius¡¯s relics, the sun sword, the green armor, the unknown crossbow, and the big archery. After a brief silence on the faithful knight, like Gusion said, he turned around.

    He saw his dungeon spirits. Heughed out loud on purpose.

    Then he pped loudly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and collect the booty as much as we can.¡±

    Skull chuckled again. Catalina fluttered her tail, and Kaiwan nodded happily.

    Eligos and Ophelia opened the door of the armory. Tigrius, who did nothing in the fight against Asclepius, lighted the dark armory with a magic light.

    Lucia said, [I will start taking control of the arsenal.]

    Mammon¡¯s armory was now taken control of by a new master.

 Chapter 187 - Encounter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 187: Encounter (1)</h4>

    The core of the dungeon was its master.

    So, when the master died, the soul of the dungeon also died. The dungeon, where the dungeon¡¯s soul died, could not perform its various functions. Even if the dungeon itself survived, it dried up before long because the supply of mana was cut off.

    Therefore, in dungeon battles, it was as important to defend the master to protect the heart of the dungeon.

    It was for this reason that the master¡¯s room was usually near the heart of the dungeon.

    The master was supposed to be protected in thorough defense against any outside attack.

    However, ironically, the master, who was protected like that, was often the strongest power of the dungeon. It meant that the master often had to hide the most powerful weapons without ever using them.

    When applied to a chess game, the master was like a mix of king and queen. Although he was the strongest horse that could crisscross the enemy line, he would lose the game when his horse died. In a way, it was like a double-edged sword.

    The king was no exception.

    The ¡®country¡¯ ruled by each king could be called a huge dungeon, a collection of dozens of dungeons.

    The king was the country¡¯s most powerful force. Compared to modern warfare, the king could bepared to a tactical nuclear weapon.

    Therefore, the movement of the kings was important. Depending on where the king was located, the situation of the war could be affected.

    In some cases, the king hid himself thoroughly like the King of Lust, and in other cases, he kept his enemies in check by engaging in the fight actively, like the King of Fury.

    The King of Gluttony used to prefer the King of Lust¡¯s method to that of the King of Fury.

    But this time, he had no choice but to follow that of the King of Fury because the military force of the dragon legion dispatched by the King of Violence was so powerful.

    The King of Gluttony, who redeployed to the southern border about half of the troops deployed on the border with the territory of the King of Envy, exposed himself.

    The King of Gluttony¡¯s troops led by giant beasts caused fear among lots of people just by advancing to the frontline. The people of the King of Gluttony, who were rmed by the army of dragons that had suddenly approached them, regained a sense of stability amid fear. They even praised the King of Gluttony, saying he was the strongest king.

    However, the King of Gluttony, leading the army, was not satisfied because the size of the dragon corps was so huge beyond imagination.

    Flying monsters such as Wyverns and Drakes, whichprised most of the dragon corps, were not a problem to him. Although they numbered thousands, he didn¡¯t feel like they were a big threat.

    What mattered to him most was the dragons. There were too many dragons.

    Even one dragon could bring disaster on the battlefield, but there were dozens of dragons. There were five or six ancient dragons that were fully grown and had entered the mature stage of their power.

    Faced with dragons like this, it was natural that the King of Gluttony was on edge. Of course, he had numerous minions including all kinds of monsters.

    It was not because he was afraid of the dragon corps deployed at the border. What was most disturbing to him, and what angered him the most was that he could not find the whereabouts of the King of Violence.

    Shortly after the legion of dragons began marching, Dragon Rare, the King of Violence¡¯snd, literally became an absolute fortress. Without the King of Gluttony himself going there in person or sending his elite troops, any general reconnaissance force could not approach there to detect his exact location.

    Where was the King of Violence now after he sent the legion of dragons? Was he still stuck in his Dragon Rare? Or was he enjoying staying in the polymorph state, called the dragon¡¯s proprietary patent?

    Hiding the king¡¯s location was as much a powerful strategy as revealing his location. It was very annoying to face an enormous enemy in a situation where they did not know when and where the enemy would appear, and a very devastating force at that.

    Even his appetite could not soothe the anger of the King of Gluttony. Even if he ate an awful lot of delicious foods, and even if he had sex with lots of beauties including Apsaras, he could not calm down his annoyance.

    Why did the King of Violence move now?

    Where the hell was he now?

    The King of Gluttony felt a new appetite in rage.

    The southern area. Thend he thought he couldy his hand on anytime if he reached out.

    But the King of Gluttony suppressed his desire. He had a little more patience.

    Now that the King of Violence was posing a threat to him, he could not move into the south recklessly. Now was the time for him to wait patiently. He needed to watch the situation a little more.

    ¡®The King of Violence.¡¯

    The King of Gluttony gnawed his teeth. He stared at the south, looking forward to the day when he would bite the King of Violence¡¯s heart.

    <hr />

    The King of Fury looked to the south. However, the direction he gazed at was somewhat different from that of the King of Gluttony. She looked to the southwest, the territory of the King of Violence.

    ¡°I wonder what the hell my uncle is thinking now.¡±

    The King of Fury, dressed in white, twisted her dark blue hair with her fingers. Contrary to what she expected at the auction house, there was no envoy or letter from the King of Violence. Like the King of Gluttony, the King of Fury could not know what the King of Violence felt inside.

    Kirtimuka kept gulping, who insisted on wearing the armor of the Yacha after returning from the auction house. With a tense look, she whispered to the King of Fury, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the legion of dragons under the control of the King of Violence make a surprise attack on us?¡±

    In fact, most of the Yachas and Asuras, who were in charge ofbat among the king¡¯s people, had been deployed on the northern and eastern borders. In this situation, if the dragon corps located in the south marched, the King of Fury would helplessly copse.

    It was the most terrible scenario for the King of Fury and her people.

    But the King of Fury shook her head violently.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he will. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Rather, you should be prepared for the possibility that the King of Gluttony will attack us.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t just ranting like a child now. She believed in her own insight. The King of Violence was still her ally.

    Kirtimuka held her tongue at her resolute response. It was because she knew the King of Fury¡¯s stubbornness, but she trusted the king absolutely.

    Kirtimuka turned the topic.

    ¡°I am still worried because the battle in the north is not over yet.¡±

    The King of Fury sighed. The war in the north was still dominated by the King of Pride.

    If the war went on like this, the King of Gluttony would be faced with a situation that she didn¡¯t want.

    Just thinking about the fight in the north made her annoyed. Whichever side won, it was clear that there would be a bigger war in session.

    The northern area was now a big-time bomb.

    As the face of the King of Fury clouded quickly, Kirtimuka realized her mistake. She urgently tried to appease the king withforting words.

    ¡°I think our Kvinkas, scouting all over the ce, will bring you good news.¡±

    ¡°That would be great, but...¡±

    It was like she kissed and stabbed at the same time, but the King of Fury didn¡¯t care. Looking to the south a little more, she fidgeted with her hands habitually.

    Kirtimuka asked, ¡°By the way, Master. What have you been drawing for some time?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Kirtimuka nced at her hand, and she looked down at her own hand. She had a pencil in her right hand and a sheet of paper on her thigh. She was drawing something carelessly, and now there was a pretty good portrait in front of her eyes.

    The King of Fury was embarrassed.

    ¡°Uh, huh?¡±

    The Gandharva race stood out in art as a whole. As the chief Gandarva, her painting skills were outstanding. Even though she drew it roughly, the portrait had a photographic precision.

    Approaching her already, Kirtimuka looked down at the painting.

    ¡°It looks handsome. It¡¯s a male face, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes. He is...¡±

    The King of Fury blurred awkwardly. Kirtimuka narrowed her eyes at her awkwardness, and soon she noticed that the King of Fury was mentally wandering around, looking for a ce to go. Kirtimuka thought for a moment then she got startled.

    ¡°Oops! Is this the guy you met at the auction house? Then, is this an imaginary portrait? Oh my God... I didn¡¯t know you fell in love with him so deeply. Did you imagine your face just by looking at one of his eyes? Are you in deep love with him?¡±

    ¡°This is not an imaginary portrait. I saw him directly.¡±

    The King of Fury replied hurriedly then blushed before she knew it.

    Kirtimuka asked again, ¡°Are you talking about his bare face without the mask?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Of course, I saw him only briefly.¡±

    The King of Fury regained herposure. Fanning off the heat on her face with her hand, she said, ¡°Anyway, stop talking nonsense. I just drew his portrait to kill time.¡±

    However, Kirtimuka was still narrowing her eyes. Then she picked up the portrait. She examined it and said in a very serious voice, ¡°The fact that he participated in the special auction means that he has a strong force of his own. Or at least his own ability is excellent. It would be nice if he was not in the control of another king... Maybe he will be a great help to you, master.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

 Chapter 188 - Encounter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 188: Encounter (2)</h4>

    The King of Fury pricked her ears a bit as if she was lured by what Kirtimuka just said.

    Kirtimukaughed again at her response. Even if she lined up handsome Devana Gandharva guys in the field, her master never showed any interest in them. Given her track record like this, Kirtimuka never expected her master would show interest in a man. But her master was different this time.

    Right at that moment, a strong breeze blew through therge open window. Translucent white fabrics fluttered violently, and Kirtimuka had to close her eyes tightly, though briefly.

    But the King of Fury was different. She jumped up and greeted another friend of hers.

    ¡°Gardimundi

    Appearing through the window was Garura-Gardimundi in red scale armor. With red feathers, wings, and bird-like feet, she traveled around the world and served as the King of Fury¡¯s eyes and ears, apart from Kvinkas.

    Gardimundi happily waved her hand at the King of Fury, who weed him so friendly and jumped from the window frame and approached her.

    Kirtimuka screamed angrily, ¡°You¡¯re so rude! How many times did I tell you toe through the main gate to see our master?¡±

    She scolded Gardimundi severely like a Yacha woman. But she just ignored Kirtimuka¡¯s anger as if she got used to it. Obviously, the two growled at each other like cats and dogs. After all, the King of Fury quickly opened her arms to mediate between the two.

    Gardimundi knelt to pay respect to her and blinked. Even though she didn¡¯t express due manners, she again stood up suddenly.

    ¡°Gosh, you wretched girl!¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t he the master of the Mammon family?¡±

    Kirtimuka¡¯s cursing and Gardimundi¡¯s voice were mixed. Quickly taking the portrait from Kirtimuka¡¯s hand, Gardimundi nodded in session.

    ¡°It looks like the man in the portrait was pretty much beautified, as if painted by a woman enchanted with a man... But I think he is definitely the master of the Mammon family. Where did you get this?¡±

    She asked the King of Fury.

    ¡°Master of the Mammon family?¡±

    ¡°Tell me about him a little more. Do you know this man?¡±

    This time, the voices of the King of Fury and Kirtimuka were mixed.

    Gardimundi shrugged and said, ¡°Sure, I know him. He¡¯s one of the targets I went out for reconnaissance this time.¡±

    The King of Fury opened her eyes wide. Kirtimuka began to get nervous. Both were aware of the House of Mammon. But she needed to double-check.

    Gardimundi wriggled her eyebrows several times as if she felt strange about their reaction. She then said in an exaggerated tone as if she was an actor, ¡°Yong-ho Cheon. The current master of the House of Mammon. He is a brave man who was not just content with rebuilding the ruined House of Mammon but has unified the unimednd in the south.¡±

    <hr />

    [Wow. Good!]

    [Weapons are overflowing here. ]

    [I think not only Skull¡¯s unit members but also the ck orc squadron members can arm themselves with these weapons.]

    Lucia, who took control of the armory, spoke cheerfully.

    The inside of the armory was very simple. Arge room with a high ceiling was filled with cabs, and various weapons were stacked up inside the cabs. Yong-ho felt as if he entered a big supermarket.

    Kaiwan, the descendant of the Mammon family like Yong-ho, puffed out her chest broadly.

    Then she said with a bit of conceit and pride, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder this ce is amazing because the eight-handed Baruna¡¯s creations are stored here.¡±

    At that moment, Yong-houghed, recalling Kaiwan¡¯s armory. He gently closed and opened his eyes once to look at the mana inside the armory.

    It was so dazzling. Among the weapons that filled the armory, there really wasn¡¯t any single item that wasn¡¯t cast with spells.

    Tigrius, the most knowledgeable about magic among Yong-ho¡¯s party, picked up a sword nearby. He gently pulled it out of the sheath. He looked at the de and said, ¡°It seems that most of them seem to have been put in the magic of sharpening or material enhancement. If they are armed with these weapons, thebat power of the Skull unit will be terrifying.¡±

    In fact, the Skull unit surpassed normal skeletons with the power of synchronization alone. So, if all of them were armed with magical weapons, they could be a formidable force that was a match for a hundred.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    With a heartyugh, Skull raised his hand and pointed to the inside of the armory. At a nce, it was a ce where special items, not typical items, were on disy.

    ¡®Armor. I need armor.¡¯

    In fact, theposition of the current dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon was quite asymmetric because most of them were ¡°warriors¡±, who were good at close-rangebat only.

    Comparing it with online games, it was a crude mix with no long-range dealers like a wizard or archer in the party, let alone a healer.

    Of course, Yong-ho himself or Kaiwan could attack the enemy at a distance with the green mes or a whip sword. There was also Tigrius, a wizard, even though there was only one. But it was not enough. Given that he was fighting with his dungeon spirits usually, he needed to find more long-range dealers and wizards for a more efficient party formation.

    ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t improvise the dungeon spirits because of that.¡¯

    So, Yong-ho wanted armor. Since he could not make up for the insufficient spirits immediately, he had to find a way to utilize the existing forces as efficiently as possible.

    From his perspective, Yong-ho thought that he and his dungeon spirits had sufficient attack power. But their defensive power was weak, so much so that it was just so poor. Since there was no healer he could use at the front line, reinforcing the defensive power was more desperate.

    ¡°A dragon leotard?¡±

    The first thing that caught Yong-ho¡¯s eyes was the red leather armor worn on a mannequin without limbs.

    In fact, it was armor in name only. It was so thin as to be called tights. He felt like it was even a swimsuit because it was an all-in-one with no limbs.

    However, it was armor stored in Mammon¡¯s armory. Its mana was unusual when Yong-ho felt it.

    Kaiwan, standing by Yong-ho, looked at the namete on the mannequin¡¯s neck and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s made of dragon leather, although it is for women. It looks like it suits me or Catalina. I don¡¯t think it will interfere with my movement. Who are you going to give it, Yong-ho?¡±

    Catalina pricked her ears at her seductive voice.

    Yong-ho replied with a smile, ¡°There is one more suit over there. Both of you can wear it.¡±

    Kaiwan frowned as she got the wrong answer from him, while Catalina was happy, pping her tail.

    Eligos raised his voice, ¡°Oh! I found something suitable for you, master!¡±

    Not only Yong-ho, but everyone in the armory turned to Eligos.

    Eligos, looking very pleased, pointed to the armor in front of him.

    All of them without exception gave an exmation of surprise. The glittering light that seemed to have melted the moonlight caught their attention.

    Metallic dragon armor.

    It was an armor made of silver dragon scales and leather, very rare among dragons.

    [I think you have a discerning eye, Eligos, as the butler of the great House of Mammon!]

    [It is the item that ranks the highest among the equipment registered in the armory.]

    [Materials are none other than silver dragon leather, scales, and bones! Besides, Brigada and various precious metals were added.]

    [The producer is ¡®eight-handed Baruna¡¯, as expected.]

    While listening to Lucia¡¯s exnation, Yong-ho¡¯s eyes glittered. It was awesome, so much so that he recognized its value without her exnation. In this arsenal, there was no object that released more high-quality mana than the silver dragon armor in front of them.

    The silver dragon armor was worn on a mannequin like a dragon leotard. However, unlike the dragon¡¯s leotard, it had both arms and legs. There was no exposure of the bare skin because it had silver armor on the ck tights.

    Tigrius said, ¡°Most of these types of armor have detachable magic. When you activate the magic with the starting word, the armor is automatically dismantled and then wrapped around the owner¡¯s body and reunited.¡±

    ¡°Like Iron Man?¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Tigrius narrowed his eyebrows at his question.

    Yong-ho giggled. Lucia spoke on behalf of Tigrius.

    [Since you have taken control of the armory, you are the owner of all weapons here.]

    [If you find out the starting word, you will be able to install it immediately.]

    ¡°It is written here. Starting word.¡±

    As if she listened to Lucia, Kaiwan opened the namete attached to the neck of the mannequin and showed it to Yong-ho. Under the simple and clear name, Silver Dragon Armor, there was various information in fine characters, such as type number, material, etc.

    ¡°It¡¯s so simple that I have to enter it againter.¡±

    Looking at his bitter smile, Kaiwan egged on him to wear the armor.

    Standing next to her, Catalina¡¯s eyes also twinkled.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Even Skull urged him now.

    After all, Yong-ho couldn¡¯t wait any longer. After passing the namete to Eligos, he took a big breath. He said shyly, ¡°Wear me.¡±

    At first, it was a simple voice. However, some meaning arose from that voice.

    Yong-ho, who could see the flow of mana with his eyes, could directly observe the extraordinary happenings on the silver dragon armor.

    His heart was beating. The dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon nervously looked at the silver dragon armor and Yong-ho hopping on the mannequin.

    Right at that moment, they heard a strange noise.

    Paaaat!

    The clothes that Yong-ho wore were shattered into pieces with the noise. To be precise, his clothes were torn and scattered in the air.

    Yong-ho was embarrassed when he felt suddenly cold, and the dungeon spirits were even more embarrassed. It was only a second or so, but he became nakedpletely.

    Shortly afterward, mana was released violently in session. The new ck mana that entwined his whole body quickly became tights that stuck to his body. It was like the mannequin was wearing it.

    Only then did the silver dragon armor start to move. The silver dragon armor that was shattered into dozens of pieces quickly flew from the mannequin onto his body. Then they began to be reunited as he expected.

    Click, click. A pleasant metallic sound was heard in session.

    Yong-ho straightened his back and soon felt a pleasant sense of bondage when the silver dragon armor tightened his body.

    ¡°Whew!¡±

 Chapter 189 - Encounter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 189: Encounter (3)</h4>

    At that moment, he let out a breath before he knew it. The silver dragon armor covered his entire body, except for the left arm armed with a magic field and his head.

    It was such a spectacle, but the dungeon spirits were still confused and embarrassed.

    Ophelia, who made eye contact with Yong-ho, gave a pleasant exmation briefly then held up her thumb with an awkward smile. He decided not to think about what she meant.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Tigrius, who first came to his senses, spoke. Kaiwan giggled, and Catalina pped her ears, blushing.

    Yong-ho focused on the armor. It was surprisingly light. He felt as if he was not wearing anything.

    ¡®Well, I feel like I¡¯m wearing underwear.¡¯

    He moved his body one by one, starting with his fingers. Since he became a demon king, he had gained considerable herculean power. But it seemed that he could now exert several times as much power as that.

    ¡®Is it a power armor rather than a simple armor?¡¯

    Reinforced armored suit.

    It was an equipment that not only protected the wearer, but it also reinforced his various abilities.

    In fact, there was nothing new because most of the magic armor reinforced the wearer¡¯s abilities with magic.

    Yong-ho was surprised again when he tapped his chest hard because he didn¡¯t feel any shock. So, he knocked it a little harder, but he felt the same.

    ¡°Silver dragon armor disperses and absorbs the impact at the same time.¡±

    Tigrius uncharacteristically exined in an excited voice.

    As someone who lived as a master for a long time, Tigrius had never actually seen a dragon armor, though he saw it in the old document. Seeing its performance before his eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but admire it.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Yong-ho again moved his body back and forth. He was surprised for the third time because he felt something weird all of a sudden.

    ¡°Tail?¡±

    The big, thick tail down from the ce where the tailbone was located shook lightly. It was an artificial tail made by attaching dozens of small pieces of metal in a row.

    Yong-ho tried moving his tail. As it was missing in a human body, Yong-ho might find it hard to move it, but surprisingly, he got used to it quickly. This time he moved it hard. Given that it carried his power, it seemed that he could use it as an offensive weapon.

    When Yong-ho waved his tail, it was Catalina who was the most thrilled and happy. She also pped her tail excessively.

    ¡°By the way, it suddenly came to my mind.¡±

    While he was absorbed into demonstrating the functions of his silver dragon armor in front of the dungeon spirits, Yong-ho drew their attention. Turning to them, he asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I invite the dragons¡¯ grudge if I go around, wearing equipment made of dragons like this? I¡¯m not really scared of their grudge, of course.¡±

    A dragon wasn¡¯t just a monster. It was a tribe with intelligence.

    Just as ordinary people have an instinctive aversion to tools made of human bones, dragons would most likely feel the same when humans were wearing tools made of dragons. Maybe Yong-ho might invite their unexpected grudge.

    ¡®The King of Violence was also called the Dragon Lord.¡¯

    Of course, as he said at first, he wasn¡¯t really scared. It just came to his mind.

    Tigrius and Ophelia looked at each other, and as if by an unspoken agreement, Ophelia opened her mouth, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about such a problem. Dragons areplete giants by themselves. They don¡¯t care about even their little babies where or how they live once their hatchling days are over. And their life and death after that are their own, not anybody else.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty dreary.¡±

    Ophelia shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°In a way, it can also be called ¡®respect¡¯ of their own lives. But that doesn¡¯t mean they are just cold-hearted. Although it is rarer than other races, dragons are also aware of their own race. Dragons usually react to the appalling scene that they can¡¯t bear to see with their eyes open.¡±

    ¡°The reason why equipment is made with dragon bones, leather, and scales is because they are the best materials. Even the dragons don¡¯t feel appalled at this kind of thing that Ophelia mentioned,¡± Tigrius said, picking up where Ophelia left.

    Yong-ho once again looked at the silver dragon armor.

    ¡°Is this in that best equipment category?¡±

    That was true. It was the best armor in anybody¡¯s eyes. Nobody could make a mockery of this armor. ording to Ophelia and Tigrius¡¯s exnation, even the King of Violence would not show any reaction to Yong-ho¡¯s silver dragon armor.

    [Overall, you¡¯re right. But when ites to the story about the armor, it¡¯s a bit different.]

    A voice flowed from the red bracelet on Yong-ho¡¯s right arm, another form of Aamon.

    Thanks to his continued strength, Aamon was able to talk to him to some extent outside the arena.

    Naturally, they turned their eyes at Yong-ho.

    Aamon whispered.

    [Young master! The silver dragon armor you are wearing is made of the bones and leather of the silver dragon Ernasaga, the dragon rod of the day.]

    ¡°Oh oh.¡±

    Yong-ho gave out an exmation automatically. Although he thought it was unusual, he never knew the armor was made of the Dragon Lord¡¯s bones and leather.

    Kaiwan pped her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen it in a storybook. The fight between Mammon and the silver dragon!¡±

    ¡°I know it, too. It was a tremendous showdown where the heaven and earth shook!¡±

    Catalina chimed in. The story of Mammon and his 12 Spirits was a legend in the demon world. All the other dungeon spirits nodded as if they also heard the story.

    [Yes, that¡¯s right. It was a fight thatsted for three days and nights.]

    Yong-ho could naturally imagine the battle between the giant silver dragon and Mammon. It seemed that his dungeon spirits also imagined the same thing. Kaiwan even gulped.

    [After that battle, Mammon fought almost all of the remaining members of the Silver Dragon family. That¡¯s why the Silver Dragon n was virtually extinct.]

    ¡°Was it the revenge of the Silver Dragon n who lost their master?¡±

    [No, that¡¯s not true. As the young master¡¯s dungeon spirit exined, dragons seldom get even with the enemy, even if their leader is killed.]

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Why did the Silver Dragon n attack Mammon? Why did they fight until their n was annihted?

    Aamon didn¡¯t answer right away. Somehow, he felt like he was hesitating for a moment then he whispered, [Mammon made bags and essories from part of Ernasaga¡¯s leather and presented them to Elune and Sitri.]

    [Maybe there are a few left in Elune¡¯s room on the bottom floor. Sitri might still be keeping them even now.]

    Yong-ho blinked so did Kaiwan and Catalina. Ophelia and Eligos looked at each other.

    Tigrius cleared his throat and said, ¡°Hmmm. Silver Dragons were a race of honor.¡±

    Tigrius came up with a fantastic exnation.

    [Mammon also knew the cause btedly and regretted it greatly.]

    ¡°I see...¡±

    Yong-ho suddenly felt sorry about the silver dragon armor.

    He cleared his throat like Tigrius did then changed the topic again.

    He allowed the dungeon spirits to freely choose the equipment they liked.

    ¡®Shall I give the fresh green armor to Rikum? I think it would be better for Catalina to use the sun sword with her moonlight sword.¡¯

    Yong-ho took a step back and watched them search for their items.

    After some time, Aamon, who had been silent, called Yong-ho again.

    [Young master.]

    [If you upy the next floor, you will have half of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    [You have already owned half the arena.]

    In a way, Aamon didn¡¯t have to remind Yong-ho about it.

    However, there must be a reason why Aamon brought it up in this ce, not in the arena, by consuming a lot of mana.

    [It seems that the day when I will call you master, and thus reveal the truths of the past that you want to know, is not far off.]

    ¡°Aamon.¡±

    Yong-ho felt Aamon¡¯s smile.

    Then Aamon whispered, [The owners of the 6th floor have the exact power that you need. If you make good use of their power, you will be able to rise to a higher level with your current power.]

    ¡°Owners?¡±

    [There are two owners on the 6th floor.]

    [Gemini, Yuho and Yuan of yin and yang.]

    [Their strength is ¡®harmony.¡¯]

    <hr />

    ¡°Please tell me a little more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more to tell you. I just observed him. And I just gathered rumors getting around in the tavern.¡±

    Gardimundi shrugged and rubbed her red hair. Kirtimuka didn¡¯t like her rude behavior but forgave her for now. She quickly turned to the King of Fury and said, ¡°Although it was despised because it was an abandonednd, you can never ignore the vast size of the unimednd in the south. But this man has unified the wholend there. If we can have a ¡®good rtionship¡¯ with him, he will surely be of great help to our people.¡±

    The King of Fury curled her lips and responded, ¡°Good rtionship?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Good rtionship! Isn¡¯t it good for you because he is not under any king now? I think we had better hurry up to have him on our side.¡±

    Kirtimuka got his face closer to the King of Fury and said, ¡°It seems he has a great character, given that he not only recovered the bodies of the killed in the battle but alsopensated their bereaved families. I feel like he is going to be a great king.¡±

    The King of Fury nodded on impulse but sincerely. It was no exaggeration to say that she was the only king who cared about the welfare of the killed soldiers¡¯ bereaved families. Then there appeared another man!

    ¡°Even though the House of Mammon copsed, he is the master of the prestigious Mammon family with a long history and tradition, so I think he is in the same league as you. Of course, the House of Mammon has been resurrected now.¡±

    Having said that, Kirtimuka winked at her. The King of Fury, who already read her mind well, quickly pushed her aside and said, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk nonsense anymore!¡±

    Contrary to her rebuke, her cheeks were burning red. Besides, her earlobes were also red, and her mouth was strangely turned up with a smile.

    Kirtimukaughed openly, even though she fell on her buttocks. Once again, the King of Fury squeezed her lips and looked at the portrait of the master of the Mammon family she painted.

    Watching her quietly, Gardimundi thought, ¡®Let me hide the rumor that he is a womanizer. Its credibility is low anyway.¡¯

    The King of Fury raised the portrait and smiled shyly before she knew it.

    <hr />

    The King of Violence raised his head.

    He wasn¡¯t mentally alert now. His body, which would reach hundreds of meters in length, moved directly in decades. The giant dragon¡¯s eyelids shook off the weight of years. One person was reflected in his golden eyes, which caused fear in those who looked at them.

    After raising his head, the King of Violence raised himself up. He looked down at the visitor from high above. Although he invited this visitor, he didn¡¯t expect the visitor would appear.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    His small and low voice was amplified. The breathing of the Dragon Lord, who inherited the fantastic vein, became magic itself. The room where the King of Violence stayed was filled with the great king¡¯s mana.

    The visitor looked up. With his ck robes letting down, the visitor looked straight at the King of Violence. The visitor acted proudly. Even though he faced one of the six kings who ruled the demon realm, he showed no fear or embarrassment.

    The King of Violence made eye contact with the visitor. With respect, he called the visitor¡¯s name.

    ¡°King of Sloth.¡±

    Their eyes crossed once again.

 Chapter 190 - Rude Awakening (1)

    <h4>Chapter 190: Rude Awakening (1)</h4>

    The news about the King of Violence¡¯s military provocations reached the House of Mamon.

    Yong-ho and Ophelia decided to take it as good luck. Faced with the real threat of the King of Violence right now, it was very unlikely that the King of Gluttony would attack the southern area.

    Instead of being in a hurry and impatient, Yong-ho set into motion his action n one by one.

    He moved the entire living facilities on the first floor to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. The original ce of the facilities was filled with the dungeon defense facilities.

    He also moved the heart room where Lucia was located to the fifth floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. Although he felt sorry for Yuria, who just made friends with Lucia, who was also very disappointed, it was inevitable. The heart of the dungeon had to be kept in the safest ce.

    It took some time for him to move the dungeon facilities and establish a new defense facility. In the meantime, he carried out the evolution of the dungeon spirits that he had postponed.

    The Skull unit, which brought a lot of achievements in its eastern expedition, had many members eligible for promotion. Thanks to their synchronization, its skeleton soldiers and skeleton warriors carried out excellent performance as skeleton warriors and skeleton knights respectively, so the Skull unit¡¯sbat power greatly improved through several promotions of its members.

    In the case of general dungeons, when the dungeon grew and brought in stronger dungeon spirits, the existing spirits were usually abandoned because most of them were much weaker than their new counterparts.

    However, thanks to the power of evolution, no dungeon spirit at the House of Mammon was abandoned, for they also grew together with the dungeon.

    After evolving the goblin rangers to the point that they had little traces of goblins except for their green skin, Yong-ho stretched himself. Although he evolved hundreds of dungeon spirits until now, he had some other work to do.

    ¡°How about taking a break without overworking yourself¡±

    Kaiwan sat on the armrest of his chair and put her hand on Yong-ho¡¯s shoulder.

    He felt he was working too much like Kaiwan said, but he couldn¡¯t dy again.

    He said, gently pushing her away, ¡°Because time is gold.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you think so...¡±

    Unexpectedly, she gave up easily then stood beside other dungeon spirits. They were lined up, facing his chair.

    ¡°Everyone can get a promotion except for Skull.¡±

    Their promotion was overdue because all of them got promoted a long time ago.

    Regrettably, it was impossible to evolve Skull throughbination magic. It was because Sitri couldn¡¯t find a suitable Necromancer Undead.

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    Skullughed loud as if it didn¡¯t matter. In fact, Yong-ho felt he didn¡¯t need to hurry because he evolved Skull into a Dragon Bone Knight only recently.

    ¡°Let me do something about Catalina first.¡±

    When Yong-ho called, Catalina, who was standing next to Skull, came along. Her current position was Shadow Mystress. Yong-ho promoted her to Shadow Queen by activating the power of evolution.

    On the surface, Catalina, who was standing at the ce where the radiant green light disappeared, did not change significantly. However, Yong-ho, who could see her and her mana directly, felt a marked difference. And there was somebody who noticed a subtle difference, too.

    ¡°Well, I wonder if that¡¯s what Yong-ho prefers. I hope he can change me like her.¡±

    Since she noticed that Yong-ho could change one¡¯s appearance with the power of evolution as he wished, Kaiwan cracked jokes like that whenever she had a chance. Eligos, who was the next one after Catalina, approached him anxiously while Ophelia giggled. So, she only moved her lips to convey her intention to Yong-ho silently.

    ¡°Well, yes. That way.¡±

    When Yong-ho responded naturally, Eligos flinched.

    He looked back and asked, ¡°Promotion... I¡¯m getting promoted, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll get you one.¡±

    With Eligos being tense and anxious, Yong-ho promoted Eligos by activating the power of evolution. Now promoted from Red Demon Tyrant to Red Demon Genocide, he had a hairy chest and wild look.

    Ophelia was happy about the oue of her promotion. She was promoted from Red Demon Breaker to Red Demon Champion, and Tigrius was promoted from Wizard to Warlock.

    Kaiwan, who went through evolution after bing Yong-ho¡¯s familiar spirit, got a promotion for the first time, so she was rather uncharacteristically nervous and tense this time.

    Yong-ho, who felt the urge to tease her, put his palms on her cheeks. Then even before Kaiwan could begin toin, he activated the power of evolution.

    Her hair when she got promoted from Sword Queen to Sword Empress turned a little more like a me. Sheughed after checking herself as a whole.

    ¡°Oh gosh! How can I get this stic surgery without any side effects? I think I am blessed with a man.¡±

    Yong-ho turned away from her with an effort then pondered over whether to evolve Skull. Since they repeatedly went through evolution and promotion, the dungeon spirits¡¯ EXP umtion slowed down a lot. Since Sitri said she would get him Necromancer Undead within a few days, it might be better for him to postpone their evolution.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    As if it read Yong-ho¡¯s agony, Skull shouted, showing both palms. It seemed Skull wanted Yong-ho to dy evolving him.

    ¡°Okay, take a good break today, everyone. We¡¯re going to start attacking the 6th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed right away tomorrow morning.¡±

    Yong-ho made the announcement, and each of the dungeon spirits moved to their room.

    Instead of standing up right away, Yong-ho sat on the chair and looked at Aamon, ced in the form of a bracelet on his right arm. He recalled what Aamon said right after the attack on the fifth floor.

    <hr />

    ¡°They¡¯re really terrifying.¡±

    The dungeon monsters that upied the 6th floor were notparable to those on the 4th or 5th floor. Not only the white-haired gori-shaped monster Lesser Demons that eat Ogres, but also Cyclops, the one-eyed giant, and Stragos, the prince of the ghouls who were notparable with ordinary ghouls, came out in droves.

    However, when Kaiwan said it was terrifying, she didn¡¯t refer to the dungeon monsters. She was talking about the Skull unit ughtering the dungeon monsters after they synchronized with Skull.

    As Yong-ho expected, the Skull unit, armed with magical equipment on the 5th floor, really boasted of their tremendousbat power. They were no different from the unit with hundreds of Skeleton Knights.

    Given that they had the attribute of the tireless undead, they had abat power strong enough to beat thousands or even tens of thousands of Skeleton Warriors.

    On the 6th floor, there were various living spaces as well as a prison and a torture room. Although Eligos strongly expressed his desire of touring the ce, he couldn¡¯t because of Ophelia who hadplete control over him. Eligos knew when to restrain himself.

    With Eligos feeling frustrated, they examined the whole 6th floor for a while. Finally, Yong-ho¡¯s party reached Yuhoyuan¡¯s room next to the passage leading to the 7th floor.

    Since the Skull unit was in charge of the battle to take over the 6th-floor attack, Yong-ho and his dungeon spirits did not waste their physical strength at all. Skull and Eligos, at the order of Yong-ho, who signaled to them with his eyes, opened arge steel door.

    Gemini Yuho and Yuan of yin and yang.

    There was little record about the duo, in particr, among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Aamon said the two were already dead, just like Elune and Baruna. However, Aamon also said that the duo might have left behind their surrogates with a high probability.

    The room, which looked about ten meters wide and twenty meters long, was full of toys.

    Unlike other rooms so far, this room itself was equipped with a bed and other furniture as if it were a living space.

    Yong-ho first stepped into the room. Then, a soft light appeared on the chair at the end of the room. A pile of light that closely resembled what he saw in Elune¡¯s room in the past became united and formed a human shape. It was a boy and a girl sitting side by side.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    The boy, who looked a little over ten years old, was dressed in ck. His hair was grey, and his eyes were blue.

    The girl sitting next to the boy was dressed in white. Contrastingly, her hair was ck and her eyes were red.

    Both were a boy and a girl who were pretty like dolls.

    The boy and the girl opened their mouths before Yong-ho could even say anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time anybody hase to this room with Aamon.¡±

    The duo continued, ¡°You even have Godly Energy!.¡±

    Not all of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon challenged their masters with battle-rted tests.

    The boy and the girl beckoned to Yong-ho toe closer.

    When he and his dungeon spirits approached them close enough, they continued, ¡°I don¡¯t think you need a cumbersome test¡±

    ¡°If you can handle the power of harmony properly, you have already passed the test.¡±

    The way they spoke to Yong-ho was far from childish. Both of them seemed exhausted.

    What was left in this ce was the same replica of those that existed in Elune¡¯s room.

    Yuho and Yuan beckoned to Yong-ho again and asked them to stand in front of them.

    Yong-ho stood in front of Yuho and Yuan, and the two looked up at him.

    For the first time, they made a childish smile.

    ¡°You look like the master.¡±

    Yuho and Yuan raised their hands at the same time and touched his Godly Energy, then transferred their power to him naturally.

    The power of Yuhoyuan was harmony.

    Aamon once told Yong-ho that it was particrly important, unlike the typical power.

    The moment he epted the power of harmony, Yong-ho knew it.

    He seemed to know what he had to do with this power, and why Yuho and Yuan said that dealing with the power of harmony itself would be a test.

    Yong-ho exercised the power of harmony. His power was not limited locally, but he let it engulf himself. He used it for everything he had.

    It was a vast power that made him feel dazzled. He felt dizzy.

    In the meantime, he maximized his senses then he found some familiar energies in no time.

 Chapter 191 - Rude Awakening (2)

    <h4>Chapter 191: Rude Awakening (2)</h4>

    The power of harmony.

    Yong-ho used it harmoniously. It smoothly connected forces that had been somewhat disorderly connected until now. What was really affected was the power of the dungeon spirits, in particr.

    A space that could ept the dungeon spirits.

    Each domain of the dungeon spirits in it was in harmony with each other. The gap was filled, and the space they upied was reduced. The area that had been expanded when Stravadi, the loser of the eastern area was defeated, had more space now.

    Now he could say that was enough. If he exerted the power of harmony once again, he would be able to get it easily.

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t tell how much time passed. It seemed like a few hours or only a few seconds.

    Yong-ho turned. Instead of looking at the dungeon spirits, he raised his hand. Then he held the magic spear of the red lotus in his hand.

    ¡°Aamon.¡±

    [Yes, my master.]

    He didn¡¯t need to ask or reply anymore. He ordered Aamon to be his familiar spirit.

    Aamon epted his will. One of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, Aamon, finally epted a new master.

    And Aamon¡¯s change began.

    A bright red me arose from the magic spear of the red lotus. Five horns sprout on Yong-ho¡¯s head. He released mana, roaring wildly.

    Even the dungeon spirits experienced a marked change that they had never felt before.

    They felt a flood of enormous mana.

    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.

    The leader of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon!

    Yong-ho reached the extreme limit at once. And he finally jumped over it. A new sixth horn sprouted on his head.

    Aamon¡¯s mes did not stop. The mes of the red lotus soon turned into green mes, which filled the room, and surged through the dungeon spirits.

    Catalina and Kaiwan¡¯s mana grew dramatically. A fifth horn sprouted on the heads of Eligos, Ophelia, and Tigrius, and a magnificent dragon¡¯s power arose from Skull¡¯s body.

    Yuho and Yuan smiled in the green mes. Looking at Yong-ho¡¯s back, Yuho and Yuan recalled Mammon, the King of Greed, whom they trusted and followed.

    ¡°Finally, you, the King of Greed, havee back!¡±

    Yuho and Yuan turned into light then disappeared. And at that moment, an enormous mana sprang from Yong-ho again.

    <hr />

    The King of Fury looked at the letter she wrote in person. One side of the desk was full of letters that she stopped writing and crumpled.

    ¡°Good. This looks just right.¡±

    It was good for her to push Kirtimuka out of her room, who was making a fuss over her letter.

    In the letter, she politely proposed to have friendly exchanges.

    ¡®He might be embarrassed if I ask him for a meeting suddenly.¡¯

    The King of Fury herself would also be embarrassed in that case.

    Nodding in satisfaction, she sealed the letter. Then she called Kirtimuka, who was earnestly waiting outside the door.

    <hr />

    Yuria handed out food to the Dungeon Meerkats. She was depressed because her new friend Lucia moved to a distant ce, but she tried to avoid looking depressed. After all, she had Baduk nearby, and Dungeon Meerkats acting cute to her like this. She rather felt sorry for Lucia who moved to a remote ce where she didn¡¯t have any friends.

    Noticing she was in a bad mood, the Dungeon Meerkats acted more cute than usual.

    She burst intoughter loudly as the baby meerkats climbed over her neck and tickled her.

    Eventually, she forgot to give them food and began to y with them, rolling over the floor.

    Suddenly, the adult meerkats raised themselves upright. Not just one or two, but almost all of them did. The baby meerkats who were ying on her body also straightened and stared at the sky.

    ¡°Bark, bark!¡±

    Baduk also pointed to the sky in confusion. Yuria quickly raised herself, and looked up at the sky, holding the baby meerkats in her arms.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Something was flying through the sky from afar.

    A huge beast with the head of a bird, a beast, and a demon.

    They were the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces.

    <hr />

    ¡®The King of Violence has never left his Dragon Rare.¡¯

    It was thest message left by Tamkuruku, the king¡¯s eighth familiar spirit, about three hours ago.

    The King of Gluttony recognized Tamkuruku¡¯s demise because about all hismunication line with Tamkuruku was cut off about ten minutes after he received the message.

    He was the king¡¯s loyal minion man who directly infiltrated the King of Violence¡¯s innermost hideout ce and obtained the precious intelligence about the king¡¯s whereabouts.

    Even though he knew it was a mission that actually cost his life, Tamkuruku left withoutining at all, and he finallypleted the mission.

    While mourning Tamkuruku¡¯s death, the King of Gluttony cursed the King of Violence that caused the situation as it was now.

    The death of familiar spirits was a big blow both physically and mentally to the master. However, it meant something different to the King of Gluttony.

    Each of the Seven Deadly Sins had various characteristics of its own. Just like ¡®greed¡¯ allowed the king to have more familiar spirits than ordinary demon kings. The ¡®gluttony¡¯ possessed by the King of Gluttony could ¡®digest¡¯ whatever came in his mouth. The same was true of his increased abilities with the addition of more spirits.

    Assuming that the rtive value of the lost mana was 100 when the general master lost his familiar spirits, the King of Gluttony lost only 20 to 30 mana, which was much less than that.

    As one of many abilities the King of Gluttony had, that was why he could consume or change his familiar spirits more drastically than other kings.

    Nheless, Tamkuruku was still his spirit. The king couldn¡¯t help but feel so sad about his loss.

    The King of Gluttony pondered over the King of Violence.

    The King of Violence was currently staying at his own Dragon Rare.

    The dragon corps under hismand were on standby at the borders.

    The King of Fury was only caring about the north and the east, as if to imply that he was aligned with the King of Violence in one way or another.

    There was a war still going on in the north.

    ¡®Now is the chance!¡¯

    The King of Gluttony made the decision. He no longer thought of dragging on pointlessly.

    There were abundant harvests in the southern area. It was time to harvest the ripe fruits.

    The King of Gluttony thought of Ten Warriors among his elite force. Consisting of eight familiar spirits and two general spirits, each of them was strong enough to be called a single-man corps.

    ¡®Embrio was apetent guy who could be ranked at least in the middle out of the Ten Warriors.¡¯

    Of course, Embrio had never revealed his genuine abilities. Granted his power reached the highest when he died, nobody thought he could be ranked more than the upper middle.

    In fact, even his upper-middle rank among Ten Warriors showed he had a mighty power.

    There were not many with five horns ranked in the upper middle status in the vast demon world.

    The king of the unimednd in the south defeated Embrio with such tremendous power.

    Since he also absorbed the essence of Stravadi, the loser of the eastern area, it was no exaggeration to say that he could be ranked in the top group of Ten Warriors.

    After he was done calcting the gains and losses of his war, the King of Gluttony fidgeted with his fingers then summoned the Ten Warriors.

    <hr />

    Summoner Sabnak, the leader of the Ten Warriors, faithfully fulfilled themand of his master.

    As a wizard from the alien world who crashnded in the demon world hundreds of years ago, he was reborn as a demon by choosing to be a mummy Lich with powerful mana.

    He was the strongest and the longest living among the familiar spirits that the King of Gluttony had taken until now.

    Although he became a mummy, he still had a hooked nose, his pride. Wearing a priest¡¯s suit adorned with gold and standing with a cane shaped like a snake, he stared at the ground.

    Seven of the ten were ced on the back of Trigon, a beast with the heads of a bird, a beast, and a demon. It was only Sabnak¡¯s own calction, but given the average of theirbined power, it wasparable to six Embrios gathered in one ce.

    Moreover, among the seven was not only the summoner himself but also the elder Lich, Bfrost. It meant that he could summon hundreds of spirits anytime, anywhere.

    Given the size of their power, the Ten Warriors were toorge to be sent to upy a dungeon. However, their master, the King of Gluttony, was not satisfied. He was thorough in his n, as always.

    Bfrost had a scroll with which they could install the door of space leap. Due to the nature of the dungeon, which naturally blocked the flow of mana from the outside, it would take several minutes or more to create a proper space door, but that was not a problem.

    The King of Gluttony ordered them to install the door of space immediately when they felt that it was beyond their power. In that case, he said he would help them out directly.

    The king¡¯s order was always absolute. Moreover, it was his gravest order in recent years. To be honest, Sabnak was nervous. Since he always highly valued Embrio, Sabnk was warier of the master of the House of Mammon.

    However, that was the situation when they started moving into the south.

    While they left their master¡¯snd and flew to the borders of the south, they changed their mind.

    It was never easy to use magical power to catch a summoner moving at super-speed or to hinder his flying itself. It was natural that the typical master could not defend himself.

    However, their opponent was the king of the unimednd in the south. It was disappointing that they didn¡¯t have any means to detect their flying at super speed, let alone any magic field that could stop their flying at super speed.

    They saw the Dungeon Meerkats hurriedly struggling to run away on the ground. Some were staring at them, while others hurriedly went into hiding.

    This meant that the southern people only recognized their invasion through the most basic dungeon defense system.

 Chapter 192 - Rude Awakening (3)

    <h4>Chapter 192: Rude Awakening (3)</h4>

    They saw a weird monster in the shape of a dog head carrying a girl on its shoulder and jumping into the dungeon in a hurry, but they didn¡¯t care much. Anyway, the dungeon would be smashed away today.

    Trigonnded on the ground.

    The Dungeon Meerkats alerted the House of Mammon immediately.

    Rikum, the garrisonmander in charge of the dungeon defense, ordered the ck Orc squadron to arm themselves immediately. The orcs, who were on a contingency standby, grabbed their weapons and ran toward their defense position.

    Assistant butler Jun ran into the hallway tomand the evacuation of nonbat dungeon spirits. John, Ron, and Jon, the remaining three of the Goblin Rangers, escorted Jun.

    It happened less than a minute after the rm went off.

    The moment when the Trigonnded in front of the dungeon of the House of Mammon, a new voice echoed in the minds of the Mamon family spirits.

    [As of now, all the members of the House of Mammon enter a special defense posture.]

    [All dungeon spirits, please follow the direction. ]

    [Let me remind you of the message again.]

    [As of now, all the members of the House of Mammon enter a special defensive posture.]

    It was Lucia¡¯s order.

    Most dungeon spirits only had fragmentary information about their special defense posture. However, garrison leader Rikum and assistant butler Jun were different. There was clearly a sense of strong tension on their faces.

    Special defensive posture meant virtually abandoning most of the defense facilities on the first floor.

    They could not defend the enemy only with the forces on the first floor.

    And there was virtually nothing they could do except to buy their time.

    A special defensive posture was triggered only in such circumstances.

    Rikum immediately corrected his order given to the ck Orc Squadron.

    He ordered not only the troops who had already departed for their defensive positions but also the orcs who were in a defensive posture to retreat. Their gathering ce after withdrawing was not the first floor, but the final gathering ce located on the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Jun tried to ovee his fear.

    Rikum clenched his fists, getting intensely tense.

    The current master of the House of Mammon was the owner of the southernnd.

    There was no enemy within the southern area that could make the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon so nervous and tense like this.

    It meant that the enemies who appeared now were from outside.

    And there was only one among the outside attackers that could mount a sudden attack against the south.

    Rikum gnashed his teeth. He got the ominous delusion out of his mind. He hit the ground only to follow his master¡¯s order.

    <hr />

    Coming inside the dungeon hurriedly, with Yuria on its back, Baduk was aghast at the loudly ringing rms. Moreover, a girl¡¯s constant voice confused Baduk even more.

    ¡®What the heck is a special defense posture?¡¯

    Obviously, Baduk heard something like it before but couldn¡¯t recall it well. Back then, Baduk only remembered the taste of the chicken it had shared with Yuria. The seasoning was so delicious.

    However, Yuria was a little different. When entering the dungeon first, she lost her mind like Baduk because of the big fuss over the rm, but she got more nervous because of the baby Dungeon Meerkat that she held in her arms. The girl¡¯s voice ringing in her head made a difference.

    Yuria blinked. But she wasn¡¯t sure if she was right, so she frowned.

    Right at that moment, she heard a voice once again as if to quench her curiosity.

    [Yuria?]

    [Can you hear me?]

    ¡°Lucia!¡±

    Yuria was now convinced. Forgetting the fear of the three-headed beast, Yuria shouted at Lucia happily. Startled by Yuria¡¯s sudden movement, Baduk barely managed to keep bnce. A baby Dungeon Meerkat stood tall on the head of Baduk and looked everywhere.

    Lucia shouted repeatedly.

    [Just run ahead! Go straight and then downstairs along the ramp you¡¯re seeing! You know sister Scathach¡¯s garden, right?]

    ¡°Yeah¡±

    Yuria nodded vigorously. After calming down Baduk that was struggling impatiently, she pointed her finger in the direction Lucia gave her. Baduk, who immediately read her mind, responded, ¡°Bark! Bark!¡±

    [Run!]

    ¡°Alright! Run, Baduk!¡±

    Yuria beckoned to Baduk again. Once it became clear what it had to do, Baduk was not confused anymore. Then Baduk began to run at a tremendous speed as if to show off its evolution achievements.

    Several minutester, when Yuria and Baduk just entered the ramp, the door of the House of Mammon opened. The Ten Warriors stepped into the dungeon.

    <hr />

    Sabnak raised his head. He stared at the ceiling lights still shining even though the enemy stormed into the dungeon.

    The lighting wasn¡¯t just turned on at the entrance room. It continued along the corridor.

    Sabnak could understand somehow that their defense against the enemy prating through the air was poor. But he could not help but express doubts about the fact that they didn¡¯t block the lights, the most basic of the dungeon defense readiness.

    It wasn¡¯t something he could simply ignore as theck of their basic defensive posture. He couldn¡¯t persuade himself that the man who managed the dungeon of the master so poorly had defeated Embrio. If so, this kind of shabby defense must have been deliberately put in ce.

    ¡®Is this a trap?¡¯

    The lighting that continued through the dark corridor was also a signboard, such as ¡®Come this way¡¯, or ¡®Follow our guidance¡¯.

    Some of the Ten Warriors were impatient while others were prudent. Elder Lich Bfrost, who was on the prudent side, showed his intentions with his red eyes. What he meant was that they needed to summon the troops from now on even if they consumed some mana.

    Sabnak agreed. Lich, in the shape of a mummy, summoned three groups of demons by using the three rings on his fingers as a medium.

    Each of them was a demon trained in attacking dungeons only.

    Hellhounds were useful for finding the way and tracking down enemies.

    Demon Deu, a spirit-type giant, was useful for destroying traps.

    The Cannibal ghost, Bug Bear, had strong magic resistance and regeneration power.

    Since each group led at least ten members, they filled the corridor in no time.

    Bfrost, who watched them quietly, took out the bone meals from his pocket and sprinkled them on the floor. Skeleton Warriors were summoned from each bone piece. As a result, dozens of Skeleton Warriors were put together immediately. Since they were summoned through bone fragments, they were disposable objects that would disappear when their time limit ran out, but Bfrost could consume them without feeling any burden.

    After confirming the powerful Bone Golems standing up among the Skeleton Warriors, Sabnak advanced the troops again, headed by Hellhound.

    The straight passage continued longer than expected. There were only a few corners, but there weren¡¯t even threadbare traps or scouts along the way.

    Since their defense posture was so poor, Sabnak rather felt tense and nervous this time. Moreover, the lighting above his head continued to get on his nerves.

    Hellhound, who he installed as the scout, barked loudly and made him turn to it.

    Sabnak noticed a forked passage. One was a side road and the other was a downward ramp. As if to temp them, the lighting was only on the ramp side.

    The Ten Warriors exchanged their gazes with each other. Then, they looked at their leader for direction. Sabnak nodded. As a matter of fact, he was getting so impatient right now. Sabnak released his power, hoping that all these deceptions by the House of Mammon were not just its master¡¯s bluffing.

    Five horns strong enough to be equal to almost six horns.

    Following Sabnak, the other six also released their mana in session. Even the weakest had five horns. Indeed, they were too powerful to be sent to upy just one dungeon.

    It took some time for the summoners to regain theirposure, amazed by the menacing posture of the Ten Warriors who showed their strength in session.

    Hellhounds, who recovered quickly as they were the farthest from the dungeon spirits, took the lead this time and headed for the ramp. Then the undead army that Bfrost summoned followed them.

    How long had it been since they started going down the ramp?

    When they went down the ramp only a couple of minutes, something unusual urred.

    Instead of the blurry lights pouring from the ck ceiling, a bright, brilliant sunlight rained down on them.

    That wasn¡¯t all. A fresh wind blew over them. There was a rich breadbasket in front of them.

    Well-ripen golden rice nts were swaying in the wind like waves. On one hand, the fragrant scent of fruits was carried along with the wind.

    It was a beautiful and heartwarming scene, but the only thing that the army of the King of Gluttony led by Sabnak could feel now as they felt totally out of ce and bizarre.

    Hellhounds hesitantly stepped into the rice fields. Like a necromancer, Bfrost, who deeply pressed the pitch-ck robe over his eyes, summoned the Skeleton Warriors in session as if he was anxious.

    The Skeleton Warriors he summoned already numbered over 300. No matter how disposable they were, summoning them required consuming lots of mana materials, but Bfrost kept feeling that they were not enough for an unknown reason.

    Even though the troops led by Sabnak were close to 400, they didn¡¯t feel the vast rice paddies were not crowded at all. It was such a vast area.

    Sabnak had seen numerous dungeons as the King of Gluttony¡¯s right-hand man, but it was his first time seeing this kind of dungeon. He couldn¡¯t even imagine that he could see the sky and the sun, let alone feeling the fresh breeze inside the dungeon.

    But the troops of the House of Mammon didn¡¯t yet appear.

    Sabnak prepared a new summoning technique. Bfrost moved the door scroll of space with his left hand so that he could use it at any time.

 Chapter 193 - Rude Awakening (4)

    <strong>Chapter 193: Rude Awakening (4)</strong>

    At that very moment, when one of Hellhounds at the forefront reached thekeside in the middle of the garden, there came out the energy of life from everywhere. It was such an enormous power of life that Sabnak and Bfrost, the undead monsters that belonged to death, almost lost their mind momentarily.

    When they came to their senses, the scenery was changed a little. A beautiful woman was standing in the middle of the emptyke. With blue, aquatic hair, she greeted them with a bright smile.

    ¡°Wee to the Garden of the King of Greed.¡±

    She just greeted them shortly, but it was enough to confuse them.

    The Ten Warriors were the King of Gluttony¡¯s right-hand men, so they were aware of the potential abilities that the king of the southern unimednd might have.

    The woman with blue water-colored hair was radiating the enormous power of life.

    She mentioned the King of Greed a moment ago.

    At the moment, there was something that came to their mind. Pitch-ck Arc Demon Siemens, one of them, screamed.

    ¡°She is Scathach, the Immortal Witch! She is also one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits!¡±

    That was nonsense. All the 12 Spirits were dead with Mammon. It¡¯s already been over a thousand years since they disappeared along with Mammon and the Labyrinth of Greed into the dustbin of history!

    But Sabnak could not immediately deny Siemens. Although he wanted to shout at him to shut up, he didn¡¯t. Rather he found himself agreeing with Siemens. Feeling eerie, he looked back at the woman.

    The woman with blue hair was still smiling. However, the meaning of her smile was different from before.

    ¡°It¡¯s rude for you to call ady¡¯s name recklessly like that, you small fry.¡±

    She fidgeted with her hand. The Garden of Life obeyed its gardener¡¯s order. Dozens of giant trees that sprang up at once blocked the ramp located behind the Ten Warriors.

    Sabnak cut his fingers in order to perform his best summoning skills. Bfrost lifted the scroll to open the door of space. The rest of them also prepared for the fight.

    Their response was perfect. But the House of Mammon¡¯s forces didn¡¯t sit idle.

    A violet darkness arose through the energy of life in the garden. It was death. The nasty smell of death was spreading like poison.

    But something strange happened. Life and death, diametrically opposed to each other, did not cancel each other. Rather, they began to care for each other. An unimaginable miracle distracted Sabnak and Bfrost even for a moment.

    In the middle of their gaze stood a skeleton knight like an incarnation of death. Riding on a pitch-ck beast, he released the power of death. Like a dragon peer, it made even the Skeleton Warriors, who were already in the realm of death, tremble with fear.

    One after another, death lined up. Hundreds of skeleton corps suddenly appeared and besieged the forces of the King of Gluttony. Then they rushed toward the king¡¯s forces as if not to give them any time to counterattack.

    It was a scene reminiscent of the waves breaking down the sandcastle. Despite the fact that they were the same skeleton army, Bfrost¡¯s undead army could not withstand their attack at all. It was not a fight, but a one-sided massacre.

    As if he was struggling desperately, Sabnak barely activated his summoning skills. A huge dark red monster was summoned above his head. It was an eight-legged spider monster, Ongoliant.

    Bfrost, who came to his senses thanks to the briefck of mana created by the appearance of the beast, hurriedly tore the scroll. Then he concentrated his consciousness again because the flow of mana interfering with the magic of the door of space was stronger than expected.

    One of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, Scathach, appeared.

    The Skeleton Knight and the undead army that sprinkled the energy of death were unusually strong and courageous.

    However, seven out of the Ten Warriors were gathered here. Each of them had more than five horns. So, Bfrost thought he could concentrate hard enough even for a few minutes toplete the door of space.

    But it was his mistake.

    The moment he tried to start concentrating again, he had to raise his head. He turned his eyes automatically at the storm of strong mana that urred not far away as if it was exploding.

    Each of them was powerful enough to match the Ten Warriors!

    It wasn¡¯t just Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits alone. That was why they were shocked all the more.

    A red beast and a wild animal. Two red demonsprising a male and female pair.

    Two dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, who were known well even before they fought Embrio.

    A dark elfdy knight with pure white hair, who was an escort knight for the defense of the master of the Mammon family from the very beginning. Normally, she was supposed to be the weakest spirit of them.

    Tigrius Randolt, a shabby master in the southern area, and the resistancemander of the House of Mammon.

    Except for the unknown woman with gray hair, everyone was already familiar with the Ten Warriors. And their strength was already clearly quantified and recorded in the King of Gluttony¡¯s intelligence diary.

    But, as if to make fun of it, they released a tremendous mana. The Ten Warriors could not believe it. It was incredible. This was impossible. No matter how strong the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon became along with their master, it was unreasonable for them to grow this fast.

    In this case, there was only one possibility.

    They must have hidden their mana.

    The House of Mammon deceived the whole demon world thoroughly.

    ¡°Bfrost! Concentrate!¡±

    Sabnak shouted. The Ten Warriors rolled their eyes and stared at the dungeon spirits of the Mammon House who began to rush toward them fiercely.

    Bfrost considered Sabnak¡¯s point right. It was not the time for them to be in awe. So, it was urgent to open the door of space, so their master could join them.

    Surely, the growth of the House of Mammon was amazing. However, they were the Ten Warriors. Even if Mammon¡¯s dungeon spirits were strong, they were no match. Moreover, Sabnak was on their side.

    So, the Ten Warriors felt relieved. As long as Bfrost himselfpleted the door of space, the current situation would soon be reversed.

    But it was their misjudgment again this time.

    The battle had already begun. It was an urgent situation in which the undead army that Bfrost himself summoned and those summoned by Sabnak were being ughtered helplessly.

    Nevertheless, they had to pay particr attention to someone from the House of Mammon.

    The man standing next to the woman with blue hair. The man to whom the Immortal Witch Scathach, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, bowed politely.

    He reached out into the air then grabbed the spear of mes burning with the mes of the red lotus.

    The Demon King of mes, that was the nickname of the master of the House of Mammon until now.

    Now they knew who he was.

    If they were shocked to confirm the existence of Scathach, this time, their shock was rather close to despair.

    Aamon, the spear of the red lotus.

    How could Aamon burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea with one swing?

    Aamon was the leader of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    If this man controlled Aamon, there was only one thing they could think of.

    As to confirm Bfrost¡¯s bleak inference, a massive whirlpool of mana was raging.

    [My master!]

    Aamon¡¯s low voice echoed throughout the Garden of Life.

    Without even thinking aboutpleting the door of space, Bfrost let down his hands.

    His master, the King of Gluttony,pletely missed one fact.

    The one in front of him was not simply a rookie born with the power of greed.

    He was already aplete man and a new king, who had inherited the previous master¡¯s status.

    Scathach was right. There was only one word to describe the man in front of him.

    Bfrost sighed out one word, ¡°King of Greed...¡±

    The battle continued. The waves of the green mes covered the Garden of Life.

    <hr />

    The King of Gluttony, who was standing at the entrance to the fortress-type dungeon on the border and watching the army of the King of Violence, turned. Hiding his impatience, he stepped forward while pretending to be calm as much as possible.

    Afsaras, bound by shackles and unable to leave the king, trembled with fear. Fortunately for them, the King of Gluttony didn¡¯t express raging anger like he did at thest auction house. Instead of killing and eating them, he ordered them to go back.

    Afsaras hurried back, grateful for their sheer luck this time. However, some of them already feared that the current situation might lead to their greater misfortune.

    Left alone in the heart of the dungeon, the King of Gluttony held his breath. Again, he let out a long breath and concentrated his consciousness. He repeatedly confirmed the incredible fact through the heart of the dungeon.

    [All of your connections with your subordinate spirits have been cut off.]

    He tried to reach out to them several times but failed repeatedly.

    The King of Gluttony closed his eyes. Then he clutched his heart that seemed to be vacant instantly. He howled like a beast.

 Chapter 194 - Bold Decision (1)

    <h4>Chapter 194: Bold Decision (1)</h4>

    The traces of fierce battle disappeared one by one.

    It was as if they turned time back.

    The burnt wheat field swayed with the waves of golden wheat again. The cracked and huge terrain was restored, and the wind smelling blood regained its clearness. The water in theke was the same. It was as clear and blue as before without any redness.

    It was the giant trees thatpletely blocked the ramp that had been destroyed, but not restored. These were broken, and even what was left behind disappeared into the ground again. This process was also natural, considering the aspect of returning the Garden of Life to its ¡°original condition¡±.

    The Garden of Life had beenpletely restored, even its atmosphere, let alone its appearance.

    The wind was cool under the blue sky surrounding the artificial sun.

    However, it was only the Garden of Life itself that returned to its original condition before the fierce battle.

    Smashed members of the Skull unit littered the Garden of Life here and there. All the undead corps of Bifrost, which the Skull unit first confronted, fell and became nutrients of the Garden of Life, but it was clear that the Skull unit members also incurred considerable damage.

    Especially, the undead that could not be healed with the power of life was fatal. Because of this, there were quite a few skulls that perished forever during the battle this time.

    It was the King of Gluttony¡¯s subordinate spirits and the terrifying monster Ongoliant that damaged the Skull unit whosebat power was well known in the demon world.

    Yong-ho, who sprawled to the ground, caught his breath several times. He was bothered by the body of the dead Ongoliant thaty on the ground as if staring at him. He could not afford to clean it up.

    It was literally a fierce battle. The King of Gluttony¡¯s subordinate spirits were never weak.

    It was certainly true that Yong-ho himself and the subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon continued to grow rapidly. Their mana was almost equal to that of the Ten Warriors, who Sabnak preferred to call like that.

    However, there was a clear difference between their years of experience.

    In martial arts, it was very important how to manipte one¡¯s body perfectly.

    What did it take to master that control?

    First of all, it was important to know one¡¯s own body properly. For example, one needed to know how long one¡¯s arms were, or how strong one was physically.

    The same was true of mana.

    It was only the so-called geniuses who hadplete control over the sudden increase in their power.

    ¡®I think I¡¯m a genius in some way.¡¯

    Murmuring to himself jokingly, Yong-ho raised his upper body. Fortunately, there were a lot with goodbat sense among the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family. Most of the time they would make good use of their power that grew rapidly.

    The Ten Warriors were all killed. On the other hand, none of the subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon were dead or seriously injured.

    Even though the battle was fierce, it wasn¡¯t Yong-ho¡¯s own power that brought about this outstanding victory.

    ¡®The Garden of Life.¡¯

    It was the ce that Yong-ho had been pondering over since he was first warned by Embrio about the King of Gluttony.

    Where would he fight if he were attacked by the forces of the King of Gluttony?

    The only ce he could think of was the Garden of Life.

    Since then, he has secured several more floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, but he stuck with his original n.

    It was not just the Garden of Life that Scathach¡¯s power of life restored. Scathach healed the subordinate spirits in real-time, who were injured in the battle.

    ¡®She¡¯s got the indefinite power to heal.¡¯

    It must have been a hellish battleground from the standpoint of the Ten Warriors.

    Their enemies were recovered from their wounds and weakened physical strength in real-time. Moreover, it was not just one or two of them but everyone.

    Yong-ho, who had fought Embrio with super-regeneration power, knew well how much it could stress out the opponents. Although the Garden of Life¡¯s rate of recovering the wounded was not as speedy as Embrio who had super-speed regeneration power, the Ten Warriors must have been more than shocked.

    After catching his breath once again, Yong-ho stood up, making a sound that looked like groaning or grunting. When he stood up, he now saw what he had not seen before because of his eye level.

    While everyone was exhausted, Skull, who survived in one piece, ordered its surviving members to gather the bodies of the Ten Warriors in one ce. Several Skeleton Warriors were seen carrying Opelia and Eligos, who were half-fainted, to Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skullughed as if it was telling Yong-ho not to worry about the post-battle cleanup. Even though Skull received little help from Scathach because of its undead attributes, Skull ended the battle with the Ten Warriors without any major injuries

    Maybe Skull was a realbat genius.

    ¡°Dragon bones are really good!¡±

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skullughed when Yong-ho cracked a joke then refocused on managing its unit members. Yong-ho stood in front of the corpses of the Ten Warriors collected by the skulls.

    To be honest, there was not much to eat.

    When it came to absorbing essence, it was usually inefficient for Yong-ho to take it unless the opponent was equal to or stronger than him.

    The average strength of the Ten Warriors was about five horns.

    In fact, it was a tremendous power, but it was still weaker than Yong-ho himself.

    Moreover, the subordinate spirits like them were big after they died.

    ¡®Their essence has weakened.¡¯

    It wasmon for the subordinate spirits to be disconnected from their master the moment they died.

    Their disconnection was not only fatal to their master. Rather, it was more fatal to their master in most cases.

    At the moment they died, the Ten Warriors lost the power of the King of Gluttony.

    Their essence would still have been helpful to the old Yong-ho, but as he was reborn as the King of Greed as the owner of Aamon, it didn¡¯t help him much.

    ¡®Moreover, half of them are undead anyway.¡¯

    As many as seven of them were undead. At this point, he was wondering if the King of Gluttony was an undead lover, but he thought it was usible if the King of Gluttony was rational and thoughtful.

    ¡®He did it intentionally.¡¯

    Essences with the attributes of death were generally difficult to absorb. Reckless absorption more often brought harm than benefits.

    It was evident that the King of Gluttony considered the scenario where his subordinate spirits were defeated by the enemy. Yong-ho felt the king was determined not to do anything that was beneficial to the enemy.

    ¡®But...¡¯

    But Yong-ho was not one of the typical masters in the demon world.

    He was the King of Greed. He was greedy, and he didn¡¯t waste anything heid his hand on.

    When he opened his hands, he got greedy. He extracted the essence from the bodies of six of the Ten Warriors. The pile of light that emerged with different colors began to get entangled and rotated, and soon, they became onerge ball of light and got sucked into his palms.

    His whole body shook for an instant, but only once. He clenched his fist hard thenpletely swallowed their essencepletely.

    His ¡®possessiveness,¡¯ which could be called the true nature of greed, made even their essence with the attributes of death his own. He put together their essences to make them bigger and more valuable.

    He then took a deep breath.

    He felt that his mana grew more than before. Considering that the growth of one¡¯s mana was very difficult, starting with the sixth horn, he achieved a lot by taking their essence.

    ¡®Is it because of the Ten Warriors rather than their essence?¡¯

    The targets of his absorption had lots of things in their essence, including their experience.

    But he didn¡¯t think about it anymore. He looked aside and watched the body of Bfrost, a Lich in the shape of a skeleton.

    ¡®That gives me a headache.¡¯

    As soon as he saw Bfrost first, he thought it would be a good idea to make him the target of thebination evolution for Skull.

    However, he ran into several problems when he tried to implement it.

    The first problem was that Bfrost¡¯s ego was strong.

    Until now, Yong-ho had carefully selected the spirits for the material of synthetic evolution in order to preserve Skull¡¯s ego whenever he evolved him. So, he chose only those that had no ego. Even if they had very little ego, he attempted Skull¡¯s synthetic evolution only after he removed their remaining ego with the help of Ophelia¡¯s mana.

 Chapter 195 - Bold Decision (2)

    <h4>Chapter 195: Bold Decision (2)</h4>

    However, Bfrost was different from the materials of synthetic evolution Yong-ho had used up to now. He was a powerful Lich, so he had a proper self-consciousness.

    Moreover, in order to inflict enough damage to the king of food addiction, Yong-ho had to kill all of the Ten Warriors, for the master was weakened when his subordinate spirits were killed.

    Yong-ho was not sure, but probably, the King of Gluttony suffered a significant loss from this battle.

    But there was a problem here. In fact, Yong-ho had never done a synthetic evolution with a ¡°dead spirit.¡¯

    He once again looked down at Bfrost¡¯s body.

    It was funny to use the expression ¡®dead¡¯ for this undead who had already died, but Bfrost died anyway.

    Because of this, Yong-ho didn¡¯t have to worry about his first headache, namely Bfrost¡¯s strong ego. It was gone forever.

    Yong-ho also thought that the King of Gluttony must have been weakened as a result of the defeat, which naturally addressed his concern about it.

    ¡®Shall I try it?¡¯

    As Yong-ho¡¯s mana became stronger, his power of evolution also became stronger.

    As things stood now, he felt he could bring about synthetic evolution by using the materials of the dead spirits.

    [It¡¯s possible, my master.]

    ¡°Aamon?¡±

    Aamon, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke out. Somehow he spoke in an emotional tone.

    Aamon was smiling happily, perhaps because he used his power properly after a long time, or he had some other reason.

    Aamon continued, [Although you can use it just once for each spirit, you can have synthetic evolution of the dead spirits and magic equipment with the power of evolution.]

    Yong-ho blinked his eyes nkly. Although he was surprised at the new potential of the synthetic evolution that Aamon mentioned, he had some other reason when he blinked.

    ¡°No way!¡±

    [That¡¯s true, my master.]

    [The great King of Greed, Mammon, also had the power of evolution.]

    It was something Aamon had never told him before. However, Yong-ho did not regret it. Rather, he noticed the fact that Aamon finally started revealing about Mammon.

    Yong-ho recalled what Aamon told him recently. Aamon said he was almost fully qualified to hear the truth about Mammon.

    [You don¡¯t have to be too impatient, master.]

    [Although you might have hoped for it, the King of Gluttony might probably be in extreme confusion by now because he didn¡¯t know anything about the situation of the battle when his subordinate spirits were all killed.]

    [The King of Gluttony won¡¯t be able to find out if his spirits were killed in action or if they were squeezed to death. And that kind of uncertainty will certainly grow into a monster in his head. Its existence itself will suppress him. ]

    [I rmend you take a good rest right now.]

    [Your injuries are minor, but you have used mana enough to be equal to six horns. I think you need stability right now.]

    [Skull will also wait until you recover.]

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    As if on cue, Skull shouted then carried Bfrost¡¯s body on its shoulder, roaring withughter.

    Yong-ho nodded. He turned without regret and headed to Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    ***

    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Awesome! Terrific!¡±

    As soon as Yong-ho entered Scathach¡¯s mansion, he received a hero¡¯s wee.

    Baduk was very excited, a little Dungeon Meerkat was mewing on its back, and Yuria was the most excited among them.

    Watching Yuria and Baduk shaking their hands and feet violently, turning red in excitement, and the little strange but cute baby meerkat, he raised his head.

    Then he asked a blue-haired beauty who was sprawling in a chair, exhausted.

    ¡°Have you shown them all your fighting skills?¡±

    ¡°Hey, did you expect me to help you when I was struggling to fight them with all my might? You¡¯re so mean, my little master! Even Mammon didn¡¯t do this to me.¡±

    Scathach spoke in a whiny tone, shedding crocodile tears. As she liked to y a prank on him, he didn¡¯t think her weird now, but she didn¡¯t seem to pretend illness. Actually, her arms and legs were trembling while she was talking to him.

    The woman that appeared on theke was actually a replica of her that she created with magic. The real Scathach, sitting on her chair even before the battle began, was absorbed into pouring out the power of life on the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon until now.

    Suddenly feeling sorry for her, he just licked his lips, at a loss about what to say.

    Right at that moment, Yuria pped her arms and legs again and raised her voice.

    ¡°Cool! Cool! You¡¯re awesome! I was impressed by this one, in particr!¡±

    When Yong-ho turned his eyes at her, Yuria took a deep breath. After taking a few steps back, she pointed in the air with an air of conceit and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m the King Of Greed!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Meowing! Meowing!¡±

    Baduk and the nameless baby Dungeon Meerkat shouted as if to respond.

    Yuria made a serious expression, but she was cute.

    But her imitation made him embarrassed momentarily. When did he shout like that?

    [You really said that!]

    As always, Aamon¡¯s correction weighed on his conscience.

    When Yuria was about to tease him again, Kaiwan, who suddenly appeared, hugged his right arm and said, ¡°You¡¯re awesome. It¡¯s really cool!¡±

    Then Catalina also appeared right after her and hugged his left arm, chiming in, ¡°I also think so.¡±

    Actually, both of them were the least injured in this battle. Yong-ho alternately looked at Kaiwan and Catalina then turned his eyes at Scathach who was still sprawling on the sofa, exhausted. On both sides of her chair Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius were asleep with their heads sticking out of the blue water that helped heal their wounds.

    Yong-ho slightly moved his arms held by Kaiwan and Catalina and turned toward Kaiwan.

    ¡°Kaiwan, can you please take Yuria upstairs? When you go there, check the status of other dungeon spirits, too.¡±

    When he pointed at her, Kaiwan moved her eyebrows once and smiled. Stretching out her hand, he grabbed Catalina¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Catalina, go with me.¡±

    Taken aback by his sudden suggestion, Catalina quickly looked at him as if to see his help. Although Catalina struggled to get out of her domineering attitude in the name of her superior status, she could not.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked Kaiwan because I knew she would do it like this. Go together. Send my regards to Rikum, too. He must be concerned about me.¡±

    Kaiwan giggled at that while Catalina let her ears and tail droop helplessly.

    When Yuria and herpanions, Kaiwan and Catalina, who were making a big fuss over his victory in excitement, went out, Scathach¡¯s mansion became quiet again.

    Yong-ho approached her, and she fidgeted with her difficult middle finger with an effort and made a new blue water spring from the floor.

    ¡°Take a good rest, young master. I¡¯m going to hit the sack after making the bed for you.¡±

    Yong-ho gently dismantled the silver dragon armor and put himself in the blue water.

    Scathach said again, ¡°You are not yet my official master yet. You are just my young master. Do you still remember your promise to me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re talking about Gusion, let me bring him here sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±

    Scathach corrected the way she sat.

    Yong-ho saidstly before he closed his eyes.

    ¡°Well, I want to thank you for what you have done today.¡±

    ¡°You are wee. Anytime you like it, just give me an order.¡±

    He felt good about her cheerful response, so he closed his eyes pleasantly.

    And how many minutes passed?

    After watching him sleep for a minute, she smiled before she knew it and whispered, ¡°Have a good night, Master.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    At that moment, Yong-ho opened his eyes slightly. Looking at her face, it seemed that she was pretending not to have noticed his question.

    When she was caught by him unexpectedly, Scathach rested her chin on her hand.

    Then, she said slyly like Gusion used to do, ¡°You¡¯re my master.¡±

    ***

    Time passed fairly to everyone everywhere.

    That was the same when Yong-ho and his party at the House of Mammon began to take a break after their battle with the Ten Warriors.

    There was something passing the sky over the southern area very rapidly.

    With red hair and wings, it was the fastest among the Garura n.

    It was none other than Gardimundi, the faithful friend and servant of the King of Fury.

    Kirtimuka¡¯sment about Gardimundi was always concise.

    ¡®She is frivolous, promiscuous, and too cocky.¡¯

    Although it was far from favorable, Gardimundi was not dissatisfied with Kirtimuka¡¯sment, for what she said was true.

    However, it was also true that Gardimundi was both an excellent scout and a messenger.

    She was one of the only four subordinate spirits of the King of Fury and was the one that could fly fastest and farthest among the Garura n.

 Chapter 196 - Bold Decision (3)

    <h4>Chapter 196: Bold Decision (3)</h4>

    Just as Kirtimuka urately assessed Gardimundi¡¯s personality, she also properly evaluated her abilities. Therefore, whenever she met Gardimundi, she did not make any radical arguments, such as relieving her of her position or removing her from the list of the king¡¯s subordinate spirits, even though sheined a lot about her behavior.

    ¡®Maybe she might just be soft.¡¯

    Recalling Kirtimuka¡¯s face all of a sudden, Gardimundi giggled, flying in the air.

    As always, Gardimundi was flying alone. It was such a long distance from the pce of the King of Fury to Enkatro Pagnium, the farthest tip of the ce where the House of Mammon was located, but it was no problem for Gardimundi at all, who had the ¡°wings of a roc¡±. It was just a few hours of flying distance to her.

    ¡®Huh? What happened?¡¯

    Just like the one flying in the sky proudly, Gardimundi also possessed a very good vision.

    The Dungeon Meerkats of the House of Mammon uncharacteristically making a great fuss was reflected in her discerning green eyes.

    ¡®Did anybody arrive back home?¡¯

    Gardimundi narrowed his eyes to check if there were any signs of outsiders¡¯ intrusion. There was definitely nobody who could dare attack the House of Mammon that unified the whole unimednd in the south, but there was nothing like an ¡°absolute¡± exception in everything.

    Although Gardimundi had extraordinary discernment, she could notice nothing except for the traces of arge creature¡¯snding.

    Instead ofnding right away, Gardimundi hovered in the air and agonized a bit. Since her own visit would be the ¡°first exchange¡± between the King of Fury and the master of the House of Mammon, she had to be careful.

    ¡®Dang it, I don¡¯t know. Let mend anyway. It looks like the Dungeon Meerkats seem to have seen me anyway.¡¯

    Kirtimuka¡¯s observation of her was once again verified.

    Gardimundi, scratching the back of her head as if she was annoyed,nded on the ground. Then she opened Sarasvati¡¯s pocket and pulled a g that was dozens of timesrger than the pocket.

    The g with the coat of arms of the King of Fury, Dritarastra, was really huge. The length of the gpole alone was over 5 meters long, and the g mixed with ck and green seemed to berge enough to cover lots of people.

    Whenbined, the gpole and g weighed more than a few hundred kilograms, but Gardimundi put the g on the ground with one hand, as if it was a light stick. After inhaling as much as her chest with the red scale armor went up and down, she shouted in a confident and loud voice.

    ¡°As the messenger of Her Majesty Dritarastra, the King of Fury, I, Gardimundi of the Garura n, would like to ask to meet the master of the Mammon family!¡±

    Of course, she didn¡¯t get their reply to her request. Instead of shouting again, Gardimundi quietly waited for the Mammon family¡¯s response, despite Kirtimuka¡¯sments.

    Since she was right in front of the dungeon entrance, not only the Dungeon Meerkats but also the dungeon¡¯s souls must have seen her. Especially, she mentioned the name of the ¡°King of Fury¡±, not anyone else, so if she waited a little more, they would respond, she expected.

    Gardimundi¡¯s expectation wasn¡¯t wrong again.

    Within a few minutes, the entrance door of the dungeon opened. It was four men and women with green skin and a group of a dozen wolves that appeared before her.

    Gardimundi immediately knew that she was familiar with some of the wolves. They looked like the wolves that Embrio used tomand.

    ¡®What kind of n do they belong to anyway?¡¯

    Gardimundi¡¯s green eyes now turned to a man and woman with green skin among the wolves, and the only woman at that.

    The woman neatly dressed in a white shirt and a ck suit made it difficult for Gardimundi to guess. With her dark straight hair swaying, she was beautiful. Her ears were pointed as if they were those of a goblin or an orc, and her skin was green, the same as that of the goblin and orc ns.

    She was not an orc because she had no tusks peculiar to the orc n. Besides, she was too slim for an orc.

    ¡®She is not a goblin, either.¡¯

    Several ns came to her mind, but she could not determine which it was. And it was the same for the other three among them.

    They were all different from each other except for the fact that their ears were pointed, their skin was green, and they were all humanoid. The one on the wagon¡¯s coach box was big enough to beparable to an orc, and the tall guy standing behind the woman was thin and long like an elf. Again, the person standing next to her was just ordinary, but since he stood between the two, he seemed very weird.

    Gardimundi stopped thinking further. After storing all their images in her mind like an excellent scout, she moved on.

    Just as Gardimundi first expected, the woman in a ck suit came out on behalf of the group.

    ¡°This is Jun, the assistant butler of the House of Mammon. My master said that he epted your request to see him. Please get on the carriage.¡±

    A couple of men standing right behind Jun, the woman in ck, opened the carriage door. Even without entering it, Gardimundi easily found out that it was a wagon without a single window. That was themon practice when they epted an outside guest into a dungeon.

    ¡°I appreciate your master¡¯s considerations.¡±

    Gardimundi replied with a cool smile then took down the g of the King of Fury and put it again in Sarasvati¡¯s pocket. While she was doing it, the rest of the group, except for Jun, were impressed by her adroit skills like magic with their mouths open.

    ¡®How naive they are!¡¯

    Gardimundi, smiling again, climbed right onto the carriage. She felt quite cozy inside, but as expected, it was a stuffy space without any window. Given the wall was also quite thick, it seemed that the carriage was sound-proof.

    After Gardimundi sat down, Jun, the assistant butler, and the two men standing behind him climbed into the carriage together.

    ¡®Oh, they¡¯re doing better than I thought.¡¯

    Shortly after the carriage started, Gardimundi felt her sense of direction was wrong. The mana that she released naturally also hovered around the wagon but couldn¡¯t spread beyond it. It was because of the special magic field emitted by a group of wolves that now belonged to Yong-ho. The reason why the herd of wolves appeared with the wagon was not because they were dispatched to escort Jun and the four Goblin Rangers, but because their presence made it impossible for the guest to grasp what was happening outside the wagon like now.

    The carriage moved slowly to match the walking speed of the wolves. Since the House of Mammon expanded its defense area itself, it would take considerable time to lead Gardimundi to its residential area, which in turn, allowed Yong-ho to ponder over the purpose of her visit.

    ¡°Why did shee here?¡± Kaiwan asked as if she was unhappy about the messenger.

    Ophelia, who woke up hurriedly, opined, ¡°Given that she came here alone without leading an envoy, she looked like a secret envoy. In other words, she might have wanted to hide her secret visit here from other kings.¡±

    Obviously, what she said made sense.

    ¡°Hummmmmm¡±

    What she said made sense. Tigrius also agreed with her.

    ¡°Probably, she is here to ask for an alliance with us. The House of Mammon is now the proud hegemon of the southern unimed area. Although we haven¡¯t yet united all the powers in the south, probably we look like a very attractive candidate for the alliance from the King of Fury¡¯s point of view.¡±

    ¡°The King of Fury is a pretty good alliance candidate for our Mammon family because she is currently fighting the King of Gluttony,¡± said Ophelia with a smile.

    This was a situation that reconfirmed the fact that the enemy of one¡¯s enemy was one¡¯s ally.

    But at that moment, Scathach, who was just watching them, raised her hand.

    ¡°By the way, is there any possibility that this messenger will make any attempt to assassinate our master?¡±

    It seemed Scathach was on edge because of the attack by the King of Gluttony, but such a possibility could not be ruled out in reality.

    But Ophelia said, shaking her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think the King of Fury will bother to make such an attempt. Besides, she is different from the King of Gluttony. And...¡±

    After a brief pause, she concluded with a prideful look, ¡°Especially, our current master doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    It was the King of Greed who made the King of Gluttony¡¯s seven spirits tremble with fear. Although Garura, who identified herself as Gardimundi, seemed to be a woman of unusual abilities, it was just unthinkable for her to do anything harmful to Yong-ho.

 Chapter 197 - Bold Decision (4)

    <h4>Chapter 197: Bold Decision (4)</h4>

    Of course, Ophelia did not say thatcently because she simply trusted Yong-ho¡¯s unrivaled power. Yong-ho had Aamon, who could be said to be part of him, and when he was going to see Gardimundi, Catalina and Kaiwan would be apanying him in the reception room. In other words, Ophelia didn¡¯t want to create a situation where Yong-ho would meet Gardimundi without any preparation.

    ¡°Even if the King of Fury really asks for an alliance with us, there is something for us to think about. In other words, we have to find out what kind of alliance she wants,¡± said Tigrius, who changed the main topic back to the matter of alliance.

    ¡°Looking at the objective indicators alone, the power of the King of Fury is overwhelmingly superior to the House of Mammon. So, she might not want an equal alliance, but something like a tributary.¡±

    It was an assumption that made them frown. But the possibility was still there. It could be found only in a fairy tale that the stronger country offered an equal alliance to the weaker country. The reality was much more severe and heartless.

    Tigrius continued, ¡°Currently, the House of Mammon has already begun an invisible war with the King of Gluttony. I think it¡¯s important to know whether the King of Fury is aware of that.¡±

    Yong-ho, who closed his eyes for a moment, sorted out his thoughts and asked, ¡°What is the worst situation?¡±

    ¡°It is when you be the enemy of the King of Fury,¡± Ophelia replied immediately.

    Yong-ho nodded and said, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Let me listen to what the messenger has to say first before going further.¡±

    Yong-ho stood up from his seat after devising his own response in his mind.

    Then he asked Eligos, who was about to get up as if he suddenly hit upon something.

    ¡°By the way, where are you taking me now? To the Demon King¡¯s room on the first floor?¡±

    He asked because it was unreasonable for Eligos to escort the messenger to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, not the House of Mammon.

    Tigrius replied quickly, ¡°Usually, an outsider like her is led to a ce like a reception room.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have such a ce here.¡±

    Tigrius looked back at Eligos as if to double-check with him.

    Put on the spot at the moment, Eligos hurriedly bowed to Yong-ho and said, ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t know if we would need a reception room so quickly because we have enemies around us.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not ming you now... So, where are you taking me now?¡±

    Before answering immediately, Eligos made eye contact with Ophelia, who made an embarrassed expression like him, then awkwardly said, ¡°It¡¯s a VIP room at the gambling hall.¡±

    ***

    The Ten Warriors, the royal bodyguards of the King of Gluttony, consisted of eight subordinate spirits and two general spirits.

    Abigor and Amdusias, who was watching the King of Envy¡¯s war with the King of Pride while leading their troops from the northern area, hurriedly lept to a space after being summoned by the King of Gluttony. Since they passed through the facilities that the King of Gluttony had previously installed in his estate, they could actually cross the entire territory of the King of Gluttony in less than an hour.

    Since they were summoned so urgently, Abigor, the devil with the head of a leopard, and Amdusias, with the head of a pure white unicorn, were quite embarrassed. They were even more perplexed because they already knew that the Ten Warriors except for them had already been summoned.

    When they noticed that an Afsaras were more scared than usual, they felt that something big enough to anger the king happened.

    The closer they got to the reception room where the king was waiting for them, the more anxious and worried they became for no reason. However, Abigor and Amdusias were faithful enough to be included in the Ten Warriors. Paying more attention to the event that angered the king than the king¡¯s anger itself, they hurried to the reception room.

    ¡°I, Abigor, am honored to see Your Excellency.¡±

    ¡°I, Amdusias, am honored to see Your Excellency.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was sitting at the end of the spacious room decorated with translucent fabrics with ceilings, walls, and floors. He was almost naked as if he just had sex, and there were several half-naked or naked Afsaras lying all over the room.

    The King of Gluttony threw one Afsaras on the floor who was groaning as if she was about to die and gestured to Abigor and Amdusias.

    ¡°Come closer.¡±

    The king¡¯s order was absolute. Suppressing a sense of uneasiness, Abigor and Amdusias approached the king. The king poured liquor into the cups for the two in person.

    As soon as they gulped it down, the king said, ¡°Abigor, Amdusias. I¡¯m going to make you my subordinate spirits from now on.¡±

    He made a bombshell announcement.

    Abigor and Amdusias couldn¡¯t open their mouths in amazement mixed with various meanings.

    The number of his subordinate spirits was limited. Nheless, the king just announced that they would make the two his subordinate spirits.

    Was there a ¡°vacancy¡± now? If so, what happened?

    Although they had doubts, they were full of joy at the same time.

    How long have they earnestly coveted this position?

    Even though they were not his subordinate spirits, they rose to the status of the Ten Warriors.

    It was clear that if they could be his subordinate spirits and directly share the power of the king, they would be able to reach a much higher level than now in terms of power.

    But the King of Gluttony didn¡¯t give Abigor and Amdusias time to think about it.

    As soon as he was done talking, the king put his big hands on the shoulders of the two to perform the ceremony.

    It took just one minute or so at most.

    Abigor and Amdusias felt they were rebornpletely anew. They roared in great joy and pleasure and felt thrilled by the mighty mana that soared inside their body.

    The King of Gluttony¡¯s voice was heard again in the ears of the two who were indulged in spiritual ecstasy.

    The king said calmly, ¡°I haven¡¯t given you all yet. There is a little more I can give you. Close your eyes and try to rx. Subdue your mana.¡±

    Abigor and Amdusias immediately followed the king. They closed their eyes and suppressed their soaring mana. It took almost ten minutes or more for them to do it because they were just done reinforcing mana as a result of their transformation into his subordinate spirits.

    And finally, they managed to subdue all their mana.

    Abigor and Amdusias became calm and waited for the king¡¯s next words.

    The King of Gluttony withdrew his hands from their shoulders then touched their chests.

    The king tore the hearts of the two and pulled out their hearts immediately.

    It happened so quickly. The moment they felt the pain, the king was done already.

    ¡°Oh, your Excellency...¡±

    Abigor barely managed to open his mouth. Amdusias copsed, vomiting blood.

    Instead of looking at the two, the king stared at their beating hearts in his hands.

    He began to eat them full of essence entirely. Then he activated the power of ¡®gluttony.¡¯

    He still felt he wascking.

    Although the mana he gained by eating the two after making them his subordinate spirits was greater than that of those who died, the king felt he was stillcking in mana. The loss of his eight subordinate spirits in session was so devastating to him.

    The King of Gluttony stretched out his hands. Then he chewed Abigor and Amdusias alive, who were still breathing because of their strong vitality. His newly aroused ¡°gluttony¡± strengthened him by drawing every little power from what he had already eaten.

    The King of Gluttony now lost all of the Ten Warriors.

    The King of Violence and the King of Fury were still healthy and active. And the war in the north would be finished within a few months, no matter how long it would take.

    It was a precarious situation. After sitting idle and passing time like this, there would unfold a situation in which the King of Gluttony himself would be eaten as the ¡°weakest¡± king, to his embarrassment.

    He had to avoid it by all means. So, he made the decision while crushing Amdusias¡¯s bones.

    Although they tended to forget it easily, overwhelmed by the Seven Deadly Sins, each king had his own power as a demon king.

    With his current ¡°power¡± as the King of Gluttony, there was still a possibility for him to turn the tide. So, he had to recover even a little more power if he could.

    Although he hardly used his power after bing one of the six kings, it didn¡¯t mean that his power was weakened or disappeared. He believed that the power that had sustained him from the time he was an insignificant demon would give him a chance to overtake again.

    Therefore, the King of Gluttony did not hesitate. That was why he restored his strength by killing the remaining two of the Ten Warriors who barely survived until now.

    He continued to eat his loyal servants.

 Chapter 198 - The Flow of Fighting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 198: The Flow of Fighting (1)</h4>

    The five directors of Dungeon Market had different areas to take care of.

    It was the ¡°strongest power,¡± Orobas, among them who was in charge of the territory of the King of Pride, north of the demon world.

    Because of this, if the King of Pride wanted to make a secret deal with the Dungeon Market, just as the King of Gluttony made a secret deal with Samael, thedy with the ¡°fastest wing,¡± who is in charge of the east of the demon world, he had to face none other than the manager of the north, Orobas.

    But the one that the King of Pride was facing now was apletely different person.

    It was in arge, spacious room, but only two were facing each other now.

    As always, the King of Pride was dressed in white. The one sitting across from him wore colorful robes and boasted of his gorgeous look befitting his robes.

    His seven horns standing tall like his pride caught the king¡¯s eye first. His head shaped like a rooster¡¯s with cockb and his two legs made of a snake with different poisons also evoked a strange and mysterious feeling.

    He was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, namely Abrasax, the ¡°strongest mana holder.¡±

    He was originally in charge of the west side of the demon world. The King of Fury and the King of Violence were supposed to be his clients.

    ¡°You were doing great. Congrattions!¡±

    The most important thing in the demon world, which could be called a world where the strong preyed upon the weak, was the strength or weakness of one¡¯s mana. At least, Abrasax thought so.

    Abrasax¡¯s nickname, ¡°the strongest mana holder,¡± was not a fake or exaggeration. He was truly the ¡°strongest mana holder¡± that the Dungeon Market boasted of. There was nobodyparable to him in terms of pure mana among the five directors who stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

    This man with such a tremendous power talked politely to the other man.

    He never used honorifguage when he was dealing with anybody who was weaker than himself. He used honorifics only when dealing with someone who was at least on par with him.

    The King of Pride was well aware of this. That was why he felt happy when Abrasax greeted him even briefly.

    ¡°The King of Envy is just a hysterical old man. In fact, what really matters is what happens next,¡± the king said.

    He was talking about what to do after defeating the King of Envy, or to be precise, what would happen right before he defeated the king.

    ¡°Unfortunately, it seems difficult for me to help you openly at this point, sir.¡±

    Abrasax, who had a rooster-shaped head, had nothing like facial expressions on his face. The only thing that could tell his feelings was his two eyes under his seven horns shaped like a crown.

    The King of Pride didn¡¯t bother to look into his eyes.

    As before, he responded leisurely, ¡°I don¡¯t care because the Dungeon Market is like that in the first ce. It has been like that since it was first made.¡±

    He twisted his voice at the end, suggesting he was very displeased at the moment.

    Not knowing whether he noticed a subtle change in the king¡¯s voice, Abrasax asked with a surprised look, ¡°Do you know the beginning of the Dungeon Market? Oops! Sorry about my stupid question. If there is one ce in this demon world that is older than this Dungeon Market, it is the royal family of the King of Pride.¡±

    The king was not sure if he really made a mistake or if he deliberately tried to promote the ¡°royal family of the King of Pride.¡±

    But the King of Pride didn¡¯t feel better. Just thinking about the start of the Dungeon Market or merely recalling the reason why the founder of the Dungeon Market established it made him even more displeased.

    In fact, even the five directors of the Dungeon Market did not know about its founder, let alone why he established the Dungeon Market.

    The founder was arrogance itself. And it was just absurd to know that the product of his arrogance had been continuing through thousands of years until this moment.

    ¡®The King of Greed.¡¯

    The man who doesn¡¯t exist anymore, who had never shown himself for a thousand years.

    Therefore, the title ¡°King of Greed¡± was used for only one person in the demon world.

    It was impossible to think of anyone else.

    The King of Pride tried to subdue his displeasure. After reading his intentions, Abrasax began to talk about the deal earnestly.

    A secret deal was struck between one of the six kings and one of the five directors.

    And the deal was a little more special than any other secret deal.

    <hr />

    ¡®It¡¯s very unusual.¡¯

    Gardimundi, who was led by Jun, the assistant butler, to a rather luxurious room, sat down and looked around.

    No matter how often she looked at the room, it was far from a typical reception room. When it came to the reception room of a demon king, it was supposed to have a wonderful royal throne, vassals of the king standing on his left and right, and a wonderful red carpet leading from the king¡¯s chair.

    But this room was different. First of all, it was small, and there were a sofa and a table. The sofa resembling a semicircle as if to hug a shiny table was soft andfortable, but very suspicious. She felt like she was in a high-ss bar room.

    ¡®Furthermore...¡¯

    Gardimundi rolled her eyes again. She fixed her eyes at the venttion at the corner of the wall made of red and colorful wallpaper. She saw four glowing eyes through thettice-patterned lid of the t and long venttion openings. One pair of them belonged to a little girl and the other pair was those of a baby dungeon meerkat.

    They didn¡¯t seem like a watcher. She felt like they were rather little kids who came out secretly out of curiosity.

    ¡®Is she the master¡¯s daughter? Maybe not.¡¯

    Gardimundi looked straight again, feeling ratherplicated. Fortunately, she heard the voice of Jun, the assistant butler at that moment.

    ¡°Our master has arrived!¡±

    The very door where Gardimundi entered was opened. Gardimundi once again had doubts about the authenticity of the reception room, but she hastily got it out of her mind. Now it was more important for her to wee the master of the Mammon family.

    Gardimundi quickly got up from her seat and turned to the door. When she made eye contact with him naturally, she greeted him politely by putting her hands together.

    ¡°Gardimundi of the Garura n, the messenger of Her Majesty the King of Fury, is honored to greet the master of the House of Mammon.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. You must be tired from your long journey here. Thanks foring. Make yourself at home.¡±

    At the moment, Yong-ho was torn between using honorifguage and talking informally, but he chose thetter to be on the safe side. As if she didn¡¯t expect his honorifics, Gardimundi looked slightly surprised but sat down with a smile.

    Then Yong-ho sat in a one-person chair across from Gardimundi. Catalina, Kaiwan, and Ophelia, who followed him, stood behind his back.

    ¡®Was the rumor true that he was a womanizer?¡¯

    She once heard rumors that he was apanied by several women all the time. She felt the rumors might be true.

    ¡®Hummm... His sexual preference is unique.¡¯

    A dark elf with a sober expression, a sharp-looking beauty with gray hair, and a red demon woman who looks pretty mature.

    Gardimundi noticed that she was bothered by the gaze of the woman with gray hair, in particr. In a situation like this, Gardimundi would have taken issue with it and pick a fight, but she didn¡¯t. She was in the House of Mammon, and above all, she came here as the envoy of the King of Fury.

    After ignoring her sharp gaze, she got up again and presented the gift she had brought.

    ¡°It¡¯s Amrita that the King of Fury made herself.¡±

    She didn¡¯t have to exin further because it was obviously a gift of friendship.

    Ophelia received a golden box containing Amrita dly on behalf of Yong-ho.

    It seemed that they were going to have a sessful talk.

    ¡°The King of Fury wants to build a good rtionship with the Mammon family. I think her message in this letter is better than my voluminous words. She has written it in person.¡±

    Here was a letter the king wrote herself, in addition to the precious liquor she made in person. Ophelia smiled more happily, unlike Kaiwan whose facial expressions became a little more ferocious. After handing over the golden box containing Amrita to Catalina, Ophelia walked again to the front and epted the letter. After checking it out briefly, she gave it to Yong-ho.

    He took a big breath because the scent leaking out of the letter was really pleasant, as if to confirm the widespread rumors that Gandharva was a n with a good smell. He even felt his heart was pounding for no reason.

    He opened the envelope and took out the letter. Her soft, gentle handwriting that befitted her fresh and nice look caught his eyes.

    It took about a dozen seconds for him to read the letter.

    While everybody was waiting for his reply in a tense moment, Yong-ho folded the letter and asked Gardimundi, ¡°Can you wait for a moment until I write a reply?¡±

    ¡°Sure, please. I¡¯m going to wait dly.¡±

    ¡°Then excuse me for a moment.¡±

 Chapter 199 - The Flow of Fighting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 199: The Flow of Fighting (2)</h4>

    He stood up from his seat and left the VIP room of the gambling house slowly.

    A VIP lounge located not far from the gambling VIP room.

    Kaiwan shook her head with the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon gathering there.

    She said, ¡°This is exactly what I expected! There was something special when they made eye contact with each other that day!¡±

    Yong-ho wanted to ask about the reason why there was a VIP gambling room and restroom when there was no reception room, but now was not the time for him to dwell on it. After ignoring Kaiwan¡¯s reaction, he convened an emergency meeting with his aides.

    In the letter, the King of Fury expressed her wishes rather directly.

    In summary, the gist of the letter was as follows.

    <I want to make friends with the House of Mammon. Shall we start exchanges step by step, starting with small things?>

    Ophelia said, ¡°It is obvious that she is a kind person, contrary to the rumors that she is a warmonger.¡±

    This time, Tigrius expressed his opinion.

    ¡°Looking at the letter, she is polite, and she is not making any unequal demands. I¡¯m a bit bothered by theck of details of her demands, but her proposal to start exchanges sounds very good.¡±

    Alliance with the King of Fury was what the House of Mammon wanted, too.

    The current situation was different from when Yong-ho had to fight the enemies everywhere in the southern area. He needed more allies now because he rose to the same position as the six kings in the demon world.

    In fact, he was also quite excited because it was the first time somebody made a ¡°proposal for a military alliance¡± to him after he became the master of the House of Mammon.

    So, he asked, recalling the King of Fury¡¯s face, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s okay if I just write I wee the king¡¯s proposal?¡±

    Since he received her handwritten letter, it was polite for him to deliver his own letter, as well.

    Ophelia replied, ¡°It would be nice to let the King of Fury know that our war with the King of Gluttony has actually begun... I think it¡¯s too early to tell her now.¡±

    Tigrius added, ¡°The King of Gluttony lost almost all of his subordinate spirits because of the battle today. Since he suffered such big damage, he won¡¯t be able to do anything about the Hosue of Mammon for some time. We have enough time to build a good friendship with the King of Fury.¡± Yong-ho nodded and said unwittingly, ¡°How fortunate! It looks like the King of Fury will be our ally, not an enemy.¡±

    Now that Yong-ho started confronting the King of Gluttony, he had to avoid making a new enemy. However, another king, who happened to stand up against the King of Gluttony, reached out to him first. This was a situation where God helped Yong-ho.

    ¡°By the way, master, shouldn¡¯t we prepare some gift for the King of Fury?¡±

    Catalina asked, looking down at the golden box in her arms. Like the letter, the box also smelled extremely fragrant.

    As if she was right, Ophelia immediately chimed in, ¡°Her gift, Amrita, is not an ordinary gift. It is an expensive item, also called the elixir of immortality. Moreover, if Gandarva¡¯s chieftain, King of Fury, has made it herself, its value is really tremendous.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    He was happy to receive a great gift, but the problem was that he had to send an equivalent gift to her. If he sent a gift with much less value than hers, it could negatively affect the King of Fury¡¯s good intentions, who proposed starting exchanges.

    Ophelia said again with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to select some of the good stuff from Stravadi¡¯s collection. From the King of Fury¡¯s viewpoint, the House of Mammon is a prestigious family that has just restored their past glory, so if you can only show your sincerity in a gift, it will do.¡±

    In other words, the King of Fury would not expect any expensive giftmensurate with hers. At that moment, however, Catalina raised her hand somewhat timidly and said, ¡°Uh... How about sending her some chicken, along with the gift?¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Yong-ho blinked, not knowing what she was talking about, but other spirits reacted differently.

    Eligos said first, ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea. Chicken is also a special product of our Mammon family.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute. Special product?¡±

    When was it established as a special product?

    Tigrius agreed with Eligos and said, ¡°If we use the magic of conservation, it won¡¯t take much time to send the chicken to the King of Fury. If you tell her you fried the chicken in person, I think it¡¯s a very good gift because it carries your respect for her.¡±

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it an open exchange between kings?¡± asked Ophelia, giggling loudly.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a secret exchange this time because the King of Fury doesn¡¯t know yet that our master is the King of Greed. It also means our intention that we want to start exchanges step by step as she wanted. So, I also agree with Eli Brother¡¯s opinion. I think it would be nice to include some chicken in the gift.¡±

    Seeing them agreeing with her opinion, Catalina pped her ears and tail, feeling proud.

    Kaiwan tapped Yong-ho, who was confused at the moment.

    ¡°Be proud. Your chicken is the best.¡±

    ¡°Skull Skull,¡± yelled Skull as if to agree.

    After all, Yong-ho epted their suggestion and wore an apron to fry chickens.

    <hr />

    ¡°I think he is the best candidate as a groom,¡± Kirtimuka said with a confident expression.

    Gardimundi, sitting on the other side, shook her head while eating chicken legs in both hands.

    ¡°Gosh! I think you were lured by some delicious food. If not, howe you are trying to entice our king to get married to that guy? Yum, yum. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going too far?¡±

    Kirtimuka wanted to shout to her to eat the chicken in her mouth first before talking, but she narrowed her eyes because she was bothered by something.

    Looking at the chicken bones piled up in front of Gardimundi, she said, ¡°Is it okay for a chicken to eat chicken?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not chicken, it¡¯s chicken powder! I know you like to eat pork, you bitch!¡±

    Gardimundi snapped sharply, but Kirtimukaughed it off because she was satisfied with the fact that she made Gardimundi provocative, who was rxed andposed.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s my overall evaluation of him. I¡¯m not a person lured by delicious food.¡±

    Having said it seriously, Kirtimuka turned her eyes at the King of Fury.

    There were four colored boxes in front of her, and each of them contained fried chicken that she had never seen before.

    Kirtimuka raised her finger when the King of Fury picked up what was called soy chicken.

    ¡°First of all, he is not under the control of any king.¡±

    Tasting the savory soy sauce chicken, the King of Fury shrugged her shoulders slightly.

    In no time, she looked at the seasoned chicken.

    ¡°Second, he is a man.¡±

    The seasoned chicken tasted sour. In particr, chicken skin with plenty of seasoning was fantastic. The crispy and oily taste of the skin stimted her appetite.

    ¡°Third, he is the king of the southern unimednd, not anywhere else. Geographically, it¡¯s good to make him our ally.¡±

    When the King of Fury¡¯s gaze turned to Padak in the third box, Kirtimuka drew a picture with light in the air. After drawing the entire map of the demon world immediately, she made a lump with a new color.

    ¡°If our secret alliance with the King of Violence works properly, we can confront the north by joining hands with him in the whole southernnd. And that¡¯s not the only geographic advantage.¡±

    The King of Fury put some radish among the chicken in her mouth. The radish, cut into just the right size to eat, took away the greasy taste in her mouth. Besides, its crunchy texture was so good.

    Feeling satisfied, Gardimundi presented something called Coke to her.

    Kirtimuka kept talking alone while the two were absorbed into enjoying the fried chicken and drinking Coke.

    ¡°I heard that there are not many people in the southern area, given its vast area. Besides, the poption there has decreased because of the current sh there.¡±

    In other words, the situation in the south was a sharp contrast with that in thend of the King of Fury.

    The territory ruled by the King of Fury had lots of mountains, so there was not muchnd for the people to live. Besides, there were many countries sharing borders with it, so there urred small disputes constantly. As a result, the poption density was too high in the ind area where people could live stably.

    ¡°If our talks with the master of the House of Mammon goes very well and build a good rtionship with them, we may be able to move some of our people to the south. Although the southern area is a bit barren, people still live there, so it would be nice for our people to live there,¡± she said.

    Moreover, the southernnd was much safer.

    Kirtimuka still had doubts about the King of Violence, but if the King of Violence could really be trusted as an ally, like the King of Fury said, the situation would bepletely different from now.

 Chapter 200 - The Flow of Fighting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 200: The Flow of Fighting (3)</h4>

    The southern area shared its border with the territories of the three kings¡ªthe King of Violence, the King of Fury, and the King of Gluttony.

    If two of them were the King of Fury¡¯s allies, the only king left out was the King of Gluttony.

    Since there was only one hostile border and the King of Gluttony had to confront the other three, it was only natural that the King of Fury would see a greater stable area than now.

    ¡°The southern area was and that none of the kings was supposed to upy. But if somebody joins hands with the king of the southernnd quickly, other kings won¡¯t dare to do anything.¡±

    This was in line with what the King of Gluttony had thought of initially. But he differed on the method of using the southern area.

    The King of Gluttony intended to set up a puppet king and rule the southern area from behind the scenes, but Kirtimuka wanted the King of Fury to obtain the whole southernnd through a marriage alliance.

    ¡°Fourth, since he is an outsider, he doesn¡¯t have any interests in our eight-race people. In other words, there is no chance he can cause any political conflict here.¡±

    As the name suggests, ¡®eight-race people¡¯ consisted of eight different ns.

    They were the Deva, Dragon, Garura, Gandharva, Yacha, Asura, Kvinka, Maharaga.

    With the ns as many as eight in one country, there were constant quarrels.

    Their fighting did not escte because of bigger enemies surrounding them. But there were some ns pitted against each other, such as Dragon vs Garura, and Kvinka vs Maharaga.

    That was one of the reasons why the King of Fury did not choose her groom until now.

    If the King of Fury, the head of Gandharva n and the king of the eight ns, chose a man from any particr n as her groom, it was highly likely that her selection itself would disrupt the stable order within the eight ns.

    So, she had to choose her groom from the outside, but she could not find the right candidate until now because those who were qualified to be her groom were under the control of another king without any exception.

    She continued, ¡°Fifth, he has a good personality. If he can make a delicious dish as a gift like this, he must be a fine character. Are you listening to me now?¡±

    Kirtimuka narrowed her eyes. The King of Fury, who was enjoying original fried chicken with relish after dipping it in salt, nodded quickly, startled by her question.

    ¡°Of course, I am. I was listening,¡± she hurriedly replied.

    The red seasoning on her left finger belied her reply, but Kirtimuka approached her a little closer instead of questioning her further.

    Then she said in a strong tone, ¡°Then, do you agree with me?¡±

    The King of Fury was about to nod on impulse, while Gardimundi, watching her reaction quietly, clicked her tongue. She struck Kirtimuka in the back of the head with her hand full of chicken oil,

    ¡°Hey, Gardimundi!¡±

    She shouted angrily, which was terrible enough to reveal her nature as a Yacha woman. However, Gardimundi took it leisurely and gave her a chicken leg.

    Even the enraged Yacha woman relented, enchanted again with the fantastic taste of the fried chicken that she just received before she knew it.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re pretty much impatient, but don¡¯t rush it too much,¡± said Gardimundi.

    With a grumpy expression, Kirtimuka ate the chicken leg.

    Gardimundi grinned at her then put her ass close to the King of Fury.

    She asked in a gentle voice, ¡°What do you think of him? Do you like him?¡±

    ¡°I really like it. Especially, I love this seasoned chicken... Good... Hmm.¡±

    Blushing a bit after she knew she gave the wrong answer, the King of Fury tried to hide her embarrassment by clearing her throat.

    After catching her breath once, she said calmly, ¡°Since the current situation in the border area is not unusual, we can¡¯t stay rxed forever. I think it is necessary to properly build an alliance with the House of Mammon in the southern area. If we can build a coalition with the King of Violence and the master of the House of Mammon, we can not only effectively pressure the King of Gluttony, but also keep the king of the northern area at bay.¡±

    She didn¡¯t yet know the fact that Yong-ho literally had smashed the Ten Warriors, who could be called the core of the King of Gluottony¡¯s forces.

    If she had known it, even Kirtimuka would have wanted an alliance with the House of Mammon more.

    After listening to the King of Fury seriously, Gardimundi nodded as if she expected it.

    Then she took her face closer to the King of Fury and said, ¡°Then I have a clever scheme.¡±

    ¡°Clever scheme?¡±

    A bit anxious, the King of Fury asked back, pulling her body slightly back.

    Gardimundi said, getting closer to her more even after the King of Fury stepped back, ¡°Yes, it is. Why don¡¯t you propose to meet him? Whether you want an alliance or more than that, you need to meet the master of the Mammon family anyway.¡±

    The King of Fury could not respond readily.

    Gardimundi put her face much closer to her and said, ¡°Yes, you meet him.¡±

    Normally, the King of Fury would have ignored her words, calling her crazy, but for some reason, the king rolled her eyes shyly before nodding quietly.

    A bright smile was on Kirtimuka¡¯s face, and Gardimundi was satisfied.

    She suddenly stood up and said, ¡°Tomorrow, I will visit the House of Mammon again to convey your message. Please give me your handwritten letter... Oh, no, please make a video.¡±

    ¡°Video?¡±

    ¡°Yes, video.¡±

    The King of Fury blinked then gulped before she knew it.

    <hr />

    ¡°Chicken and peace.¡±

    [Everyone seems to be happy.]

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were floating in the blue water prepared by Scathach at her mansion.

    He was rather tired at the chicken party held to celebrate the war victory right after seeing off Gardimundi, but he felt fully satisfied with the results.

    ¡®I think I have to go back home soon and bring some more ingredients, especially Coke.¡¯

    He closed his eyes, thinking of his trip back to the human world.

    He wanted to have a good and sound sleep right away, but he couldn¡¯t, for he had to devise some n to deal with the new proposal from the King of Fury.

    ¡°The key is how the King of Gluttony moves forward,¡± said Ophelia, who was in the blue water like Eligos.

    ¡°The Ten Warriors he lost this time were not only his subordinate spirits but also generals who led their own army. Although there are still many powerful demon kings under hismand, it¡¯s certain that his main force has been weakened considerably.¡±

    That was what Tigrius had already pointed out. However, the situation now was somewhat different from when he mentioned it first, for an envoy sent by the King of Fury visited the House of Mammon.

    ¡°The King of Gluttony is now engaged in a war of nerves with the forces of the two kings, the King of Violence and the King of Fury, at the borders. It is very likely that the King of Gluttony was trying to hide the fact that his Ten Warrior group was annihted because the current crisis facing him is a golden chance for the other two kings.¡±

    ¡°Then, would it be better to leak the tips about this to the King of Fury?¡± Yong-ho asked.

    The fact that the House of Mammon defeated the Ten Warriors was significant in various ways. It could reveal the power of the Mammon family to the King of Fury, but at the same time, it had the symbolic meaning in that he gave the King of Fury a ¡®gift¡¯ with sensitive intelligence about the King of Gluttony.

    Generally, both sides should be roughly equal in power for a strong alliance. In other words, a unteral alliance with one dependent on the other would notst long.

    Tigrius, who was silent, answered Yong-ho¡¯s question, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea. The more aggressive the King of Fury bes, the more difficult it will be for the King of Food to pay attention to us. In the meantime, we will be able to gain more time.¡±

    Time.

    As it was important to everybody, time was especially a valuable resource to the House of Mammon.

    Being strong in a short time was only possible for a beginner. So, it wasmon for those who had already reached a certain level to go through ups and downs while growing stronger.

    However, there was still enough room for growth on the part of the Mammon family. Yong-ho had yet to upy half the Labyrinth of Greed, and there were many floors for him to challenge in the arena.

    Crucially, Yong-ho had the power of evolution.

    He could gain more evolution EXP through hard struggles. Having gained considerable EXP during their fight with the Ten Warriors, he could use the power of evolution once again if all of his subordinate spirits strived a little more effort in the arena.

    Mammon, the King of Greed, also had the power of evolution.

    And Yong-ho understood why the 12 Spirits of Mammon could be so strong.

    It was because of the power of evolution. That power led their power to the highest level.

    ¡°Come to think of it, even synthetic evolution couldbine other items, right?¡±

    As if he suddenly remembered it, Yong-ho asked, looking at his right arm.

    Aamon answered immediately.

 Chapter 201 - The Flow of Fighting (4)

    <h4>Chapter 201: The Flow of Fighting (4)</h4>

    [Yes, my master.]

    [But like I said before, you can use it only once per spirit. Please consider it carefully.]

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Yong-ho alternately looked at Catalina and Kaiwan, who were in the blue water like him.

    Catalina just pped her ears, but Kaiwan strongly signaled to him that he should not take any item blindly. It seemed that Kaiwan wanted him to bring at least a dragon heart.

    ¡°Okay, let me give you my guideline.¡±

    All the eyes of his subordinate spirits were fixed on him. The same was true of Scathach, who was seated on a chair and was eating chicken alone.

    He said, ¡°Tomorrow let me meet Sitri first. I need to pick up something I asked her for, and I also have to get her advice about the current situation. Next, let¡¯s challenge the arena together.¡±

    He had to find out the magic circle and materials necessary to install a magic field to detect or interfere with flying magic. In order to defend the entire southernnd, he had to block the threat of the King of Gluttony first, so not only Yong-ho himself, but also his subordinate spirits needed to be much stronger than now.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long day today. Let¡¯s go and take some good rest.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    ¡°Have a good rest.¡±

    They said good night to each other.

    Yong-ho also closed his eyes, determined to get a deep sleep this time.

    <hr />

    The King of Gluttony constantly wanted food. At the same time, he kept pondering over a couple of questions.

    How would the master of the House of Mammon think about him? Objectively, how would he himself move?

    His answer was to stay put, waiting for a good chance.

    That was the best option to keep what he already possessed.

    But he was not supposed to do it. If he kept being on the defensive in a chaotic situation like this, it was certain that he would be consumed by bigger turbulence and turmoils in theing days.

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    The King of Gluttony withdrew his power he had activated as a test. He turned inside a huge empty space.

    He noticed his royal bodyguards consisting of Death Knights and vampires. He also faced the Bone Dragons behind them.

    It was time for him to take the risk, just like he had always done so since he was a Preta, the lowest demon. Now he had to bet everything to gain more power.

    The King of Gluttony turned back. Looking to the south, he felt the power of Godly Energy.

    He controlled the power of sin and the power of energy surging in his body.

    The next day.

    It was time for him to go hunting once again.

    Thanks to Scathach¡¯s blue water, Yong-ho did not fall asleep for a long time even though he was exhausted.

    He stroked Catalina¡¯s head, who was still having trouble getting up early in the morning. He then left Scathach¡¯s mansion after kissing Kaiwan¡¯s cheek lightly, who was half asleep.

    He noticed the skull unit doing farming even early in the morning. Skull was also digging potatoes with a hoe in its hand. He wondered if Skull was not a knightmander or a famous warrior but an excellent farmer in its previous life.

    Looking at Skull waving at him, he was lost in idle thought for a moment. Then he headed to the demon king¡¯s room after leaving the Garden of Life.

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    Yuria, who was cleaning the room early in the morning, bowed to him politely. Baduk, who was mopping the floor, thought her greeting was natural, but it seemed to be quite strange to the baby dungeon meerkat on Yuria¡¯s head.

    In any case, all three were the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, who were cute to Yong-ho, so he didn¡¯t care. He briefly thought about buying a dungeon hamster.

    He returned Yuria¡¯s greetings by stroking her head and sat on the throne.

    The throne also saw some different changes from when he saw it first. The stone throne, which was just rusty, had some pretty good pieces attached to it, as well as a cushion on the back to make him feelfortable.

    While gently rubbing the smooth throne handle, Yong-ho called Lucia.

    Then he essed the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    ¡°My dear client, I love you very much, but I can¡¯t love you if you visit me so early like this.¡±

    Sitri was almost buried in a huge cushion that was hard to tell if it was a bed or a sofa.

    She was wearing a see-through negligee he had seen before, and a cute sleeping cap that did not match the negligee showing her maturity.

    Embarrassed at the scene, Yong-ho smiled awkwardly, trying to avoid seeing her eyes.

    ¡°Uh... Is it too early?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You know, a beautiful woman is a sleepyhead.¡±

    Taking off her sleeping cap, Sitri fidgeted with her fingers in session.

    A purple nightgown that appeared in the blink of an eye wrapped her negligee.

    Therge cushion that she was buried in also turned into a nice chair.

    She quickly did a light makeup then faced him proudly.

    Since he was trying not to spy on her quick change, he now said with a more rxed expression, ¡°I want to discuss something with you.¡±

    Yong-ho knew early on that Sitri was Mammon¡¯s lover. But only recently did he begin to ask for her help shamelessly like this. In fact, it was the first time he did so at the auction house recently.

    Sitri narrowed her eyebrows a little as if she wanted to point it out, too, but she quickly smiled gently. She said, leaning against the back of her chair, ¡°Hmm, it seems like you ask for my help too openly, but that is also your charm. So, say what you want this time.¡±

    He took a breath. He then listed the gist of what happened yesterday.

    Making Aamon his subordinate spirit.

    Destroying the Ten Warriors of the King of Gluttony.

    The King of Fury¡¯s request for exchanges.

    After listening to each of what he said, Sitri bit her lower lip instead of answering right away.

    She nodded several times and finally opened her mouth.

    ¡°It seems the situation is pretty much urgent.¡±

    In fact, she also expected that the King of Gluttony would start a war. Perhaps, the sudden movement of the forces of the King of Violence must have provoked him. What she didn¡¯t expect was rather the King of Fury¡¯s action. Little did she think that the King of Fury warmed to the master of the House of Mammon so suddenly.

    ¡®Is it because of her encounter with him at the auction house?¡¯

    Sitriughed bitterly because she recalled some memories naturally. It pleased her just to recall it, but at the same time, it made her heartbroken.

    She opened her mouth again. She buried memories in her heart and faced the present.

    She said to the new King of Greed, ¡°If you make an alliance with the King of Fury, I think it¡¯s an ideal one because she has a pretty good rtionship with the King of Violence.¡±

    As for that point, Yong-ho was guessing like her to some extent, for the King of Violence and the King of Fury didn¡¯t show any sign of hostility toward each other even when they moved their troops toward the King of Gluttony.

    What Yong-ho needed was a basis for confirming his guesswork, so Sitri¡¯s words deepened his conviction.

    Like Sitri said, if he built a good rtionship with the King of Fury, he could have arge coalition covering the entire southern area of the demon world.

    Sitri shook her head, watching him somewhat excited. She said with a sigh, ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t have to imitate the bad side of the King of Fury, though.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Sitri?¡±

    Sitri knew much better about the King of Fury than him. No matter what others said about her, she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market ¡°from the time it was founded.¡± Even though she was living in near seclusion, she boasted of her considerable intelligence capabilities.

    What if their meeting at the auction house was really the start of this kind of exchange?

    Sitri, who sighed again, let her shoulders droop.

    ¡°Well, let me take care of your concern anyway since you are the King of Greed. Let me stop my services for you here. Shall we talk about our deal now.¡±

    She fidgeted with her fingers with a smile then arge catalog appeared in the air.

    He could figure out what Sitri would say. As he expected, Sitri said, opening the catalog wide,

    ¡°You recently asked me for an undead type spirit that could do necromancing, right? I found a suitable one for you.¡±

    Yong-ho turned his eyes at the picture of one spirit in the catalog.

    <hr />

    ¡°Be extremely careful, so you don¡¯t make the same mistakes. Of course, the images of our king in the video will overwhelm him, but don¡¯t forget that any of your behavior directly affects our king¡¯s honor.¡±

    Kirtimuka gave Gardimundi a sharp reminder with a serious expression, but as always, she briefly smiled then let her warning in one ear and out the other.

    Just as she did when writing the letter in person, the King of Fury seemed tired after attempting to shoot the best images of her look in the video several times.

 Chapter 202 - The Flow of Fighting (5)

    <h4>Chapter 202: The Flow of Fighting (5)</h4>

    But she said, with a bright smile, ¡°I hope I¡¯m in your good hands. If we form an alliance with him, our people will be able to live more safely. Besides, we will be able to ovee the uing fighting in the north with less damage.¡±

    ¡°I just hope that you can make your private wishese true, too.¡±

    When Gardimundi said it, the King of Fury blushed, but she didn¡¯t get angry.

    As if she liked the king¡¯s shy response again, Gardimundi giggled at her.

    Actually, she was not sure if she could have a good personal rtionship with the master of the House of Mammon, but she hoped she could hit it off with him well.

    ¡°Then, as a faithful friend and loyal servant of Her Majesty Dritarastra, I, Gardimundi of the Garura n, will leave for the southern area to carry out your order.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye for now!¡±

    The King of Fury hugged Gardimundi gently. Gardimundi winked at Kirtimuka, who was grumbling quietly over there then turned around. Without any hesitation, she jumped down to the ground from the balcony of the king¡¯s room.

    Right at that moment, a strong wind blew.

    Spreading her red wings widely, Gardimundi headed to the south.

    <hr />

    The King of Gluttony left his pce at dawn.

    Flying through the red sky of the demon world, he reminisced about his past.

    He went through tough days. Being born as a Preta, the weakest demon in the demon world, where the strong preyed on the weak, was like being born with the fate of disappearing as somebody else¡¯s meal or ything.

    But the King of Gluttony stood up on his own feet. He ate the same Pretas to increase his power and rose to the throne of the king step by step at the end of the day.

    He didn¡¯t reminisce about his past because he wanted to indulge in anything like sentimentalism. Actually, he wanted to recall his own identity that he had forgotten since he became the king.

    If the Ten Warriors had been alive, they might have stopped him from advancing into the south.

    He was pretty sure they would.

    He was faced with too much danger. The forces of the King of Fury and the King of Violence were showing threatening movement. The power of the House of Mammon in the south was almost unknown.

    That was why he had to move. There were limits to what he could obtain without taking risks.

    If he had only chosen afortable path, he would never have climbed to his present status.

    The King of Gluttonynded on the ground. As a result of high-speed flying magic, his body got heated up.

    He took a deep breath. He saw the entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon and the dungeon meerkats hanging around there.

    The King of Gluttony opened his hands. Then he made the undead army that he had prepared for his fight with the six kings descend on the ground.

    A barrage of raids day after day really shook the House of Mammon.

    Lucia immediately cut off the connection between Yong-ho and the virtual space of the Dungeon Market. Instead, she showed Yong-ho how the King of Gluttony was destroying the entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon.

    The King of Gluttony did not appear alone. There were dozens of death knights beside him. There were also five mighty vampire lords, also called No Life King.

    To talk about each of these spirits, they were inferior to the Ten Warriors, but it was important to know that the King of Gluttony was among them.

    Now, Yong-ho had two options.

    One was to lure them into the Garden of Life before he fought them just like he did when he fought the Ten Warriors. The other was to weaken their power by using the House of Mammon a bit.

    Both options had strengths and weaknesses. Yong-ho did not have time topare the two for long.

    He suddenly stood up from the throne. He didn¡¯t need to summon all the dungeon spirits because all of them were gathered in Scathach¡¯s mansion. He tried hard to calm down.

    The surprise attack by the King of Gluttony obviously caught him off guard, but this ce was his own dungeon.

    So, he had to avoid useless sacrifices. However, it was also reckless for him to deal with the King of Gluttony, one of the six kings, casually as if nothing happened.

    Yong-ho made the decision. He opened his mouth to issue an order.

    However, the moment he arrived at the Garden of Life and faced his subordinate spirits with an embarrassed and urgent expression, he heard Lucia¡¯s warning.

    [The ground is being destroyed!]

    [The boundary between the first floor of the House of Mammon and the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed has been destroyed!]

    What Lucia reported was only her description of what¡¯s going on before her eyes.

    The ceiling of the Garden of Life copsed.

    The King of Gluttony, who went straight ahead without any hesitation, destroyed exactly one location. It was the very point where the ramp through which Yong-ho had lured the Ten Warriors into the Garden of Life was located.

    Arge hole was broken through the ceiling of the Garden of Life. Now, Yong-ho¡¯s two options were gone, and he had only one choice.

    Death knights and vampire lords came down through the ceiling. Surprisingly, the undead army stood up beside them. They were the forces of death summoned by the vampire lords.

    The King of Gluttony took a deep breath among them. It looked as if he was absorbing all the smells around him.

    The King of Gluttony¡¯s sense of smell.

    If Greed led its owner to what he wanted to possess, Gluttony led its owner to what he wanted to eat.

    Yong-ho¡¯s heart was beating. The King of Gluttony¡¯s heart was pounding wildly.

    ¡°Indeed, he is the same guy,¡± said the king.

    The moment he saw Yong-ho from a distance, he was convinced. He understood why he was distracted by a strange young guy at the auction house on that day.

    There was a brief silence. It was like the calm before the storm.

    One or two seconds passed.

    Both of them now started to move against each other. The undead army of the King of Gluttony showed themselves first, while the Skull unit also rose up, holding their own weapons. The subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon quickly revealed their power.

    The storm of mana was raging from all over. Yong-ho also summoned the silver dragon armor, staring at the King of Gluttony.

    A silver armor wrapped around Yong-ho¡¯s body. At that moment, the King of Gluttony hit the ground. He jumped out of the undead army as an individual then rushed to him.

    The Garden of Life was vast. However, it was only an indoor space. The king was fast. He was never dull. With just one leap, he crossed more than half of the Garden of Life in the blink of an eye.

    Catalina and Kaiwan hit the ground at the same time. Skull ordered the Skull unit to prevent the undead forces. Ophelia and Eligos immediately aroused their wildness and followed Catalina and Kaiwan.

    The situation was favorable to Yong-ho. If the king revealed himself, it would only be easier for Yong-ho¡¯s forces to siege him from all directions.

    Skull and Tigrius nned to stop the undead forces. Catalina and Kaiwan threw themselves into the space between Yong-ho and the king. The silver dragon armorpletely wrapped Yong-ho. Scathach hastily released the power of life to the Garden of Life as much as she could.

    Right at that moment, the king made a second leap. The moment he hit the ground, he saw Catalina and Kaiwan but ignored them. He didn¡¯t even attack them. He just focused on Yong-ho. He only thought of getting closer to Yong-ho, as if he was not afraid of the siege.

    Six horns sprouted above the head of the king. His mana that opened up in an instant was as good as a bomb. The explosion of mana enveloped Catalina and Kaiwan. Besides, even Ophelia and Eligos had to stop for a moment.

    The King of Gluttony looked at Yong-ho. For a moment, he forgot about ¡®Gluttony¡¯ that resonated with ¡®Greed.¡¯ He didn¡¯t even think about the Godly Energy in his hand that was craving for a new sin. It was the power that he obtained after bing the master of his house, which was also the driving force that helped him rise to his current position.

    He was also known as Brunani, the Demon King of Vignce.

    The King of Gluttony activated his power, opening a new world.

    Only heaven and earth existed there.

    There was nothing like the Garden of Life, the Undead Legion, and the mighty storm of mana surging from all directions.

    Yong-ho instinctively felt that his connection with Lucia was cut off. He couldn¡¯t feel her presence like he did when he entered the arena.

    It wasn¡¯t just Lucia. He couldn¡¯t feel the presence of Catalina and Kaiwan. The mana that he always received from his subordinate spirits through Brigada was also cut off.

    When he suddenly felt isted, Yong-ho looked far away. At the end of his gaze stood the King of Gluttony.

    ¡°I call this ce a hunting ground or a dining table.¡±

    The king shouted leisurely. His Godly Energy, responding to the enormous mana emanating from his six horns, formed its shape like the ws of a beast.

    ¡°My power. Only a hunter and his prey exist here. Only those who eat and those who are eaten exist here. And it is never deactivated until one eats or kills the other.¡±

 Chapter 203 - The Flow of Fighting (6)

    <h4>Chapter 203: The Flow of Fighting (6)</h4>

    Because of this power, he could grow without an army. He could hide himself until he himself gained enough strength.

    Only two people existed in this world. So, even if the King of Gluttony was inside Yong-ho¡¯s dungeon, it didn¡¯t matter. There was no support from the dungeon, nor the help of the dungeon spirits. There was only the battle for power in this dog-eat-dog world.

    The reason why the King of Gluttony brought the undead army with him was not because he wanted to overwhelm the House of Mammon. He just needed them until he could get close enough to the master of the House of Mammon to activate his power.

    The King of Gluttony so easily seeded in activating his power that he forgot his impatience. Indeed, he felt cozy in the hunting ground after a long time. The impatience that gued him now turned into a sense of expectation.

    ¡°You have grown up, and you really look inviting now, King of Greed.¡±

    It was worth the wait. He felt he was right when he gave Yong-ho enough time to grow up.

    Although harvesting time was distorted by the King of Violence, it was still a satisfactory harvest.

    Since he activated his power, it didn¡¯t matter how Yong-ho killed the Ten Warriors. In thisnd where Yong-ho could not get the support of the dungeon as well as his subordinate spirits, there was no way for him to overpower the King of Gluttony.

    ¡°Let me eat you, King of Greed.¡±

    The King of Gluttony already began to drool profusely, as if to reveal his nature as a devil.

    The king released mana, while he kept gulping down.

    Yong-ho saw the king activating his power, drooling. It was obviously terrifying mana.

    Indeed, it befitted him as the king.

    Yes, he was a king, and his power befitted him in such a position.

    Yong-ho stretched out his hands. Grabbing in the air, he got the magic spear of the red lotus.

    It was something that could be united with Yong-ho, so he could stay with Yong-ho despite the king¡¯s enormous power.

    As one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits and the one who witnessed the power of the ¡®real king,¡¯ Aamon made the request to Yong-ho.

    [Show it to me, my master. You, great King of Greed!]

    The King of Gluttony flinched at the moment he heard a strange voice that was not supposed to be heard here. However, he had no time to respond. A huge mana that could shake off such thoughts instantly exploded in front of his eyes.

    Yong-ho¡¯s six horns, which could beparable to the king¡¯s, radiated a tremendous mana.

    He didn¡¯t waste the time he gained when the king was embarrassed. While holding Aamon, he held his right fist to the chest. Then, he activated the heart of the Demon God, Mammon¡¯s legacy, to fill the gap of power between him and the king.

    It was exactly as the king said.

    Yong-ho could not get Lucia¡¯s support nor could he mobilize the mana of his subordinate spirits except for Aamon. He could not even get Scathach¡¯s help.

    But Yong-ho didn¡¯t need them because the King of Gluttony was also alone now.

    Both of them were kings with the power of sin.

    The ws of the Demon God¡¯s heart got into Yong-ho¡¯s chest. Each time they got into it, it increased Yong-ho¡¯s power more than before.

    A total of four ws were triggered. That was the maximum that Yong-ho now could handle.

    A hunting ground or dining table.

    It was a ce where one of the two must die before getting out.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t respond to the king¡¯s description of this ce. Instead, he rushed toward him violently. He became the one and only hunter chasing his prey here.

    There was something like a flow in the fighting.

    And the flow could ovee any gap created by objective indicators of strength.

    The King of Gluttony was strong.

    His mana was obviously superior to Yong-ho¡¯s. His body, which evolved several times through ¡°predation,¡± another power of Gluttony, was hard, fast, and strong.

    Based on the objective indicators alone, he was stronger than Yong-ho.

    But that factor alone did not point to ¡®absolute¡¯. It wasn¡¯t just the numerical supremacy that determined the oue of a fight.

    Yong-ho had a talent for fighting. The moment he rushed toward him forcefully, he already noticed the gap. And he understood that in order to ovee this unfavorable situation, he had to control the flow.

    Although there was a gap between their mana, they had the same number of horns anyway. Yong-ho could make good use of his attack before the King of Gluttony. Moreover, the heart of the Demon God filled the gap between Yong-ho and the king even for a short time.

    To control the flow, Yong-ho had to disperse the king¡¯s fighting energy. He had to take the pre-emptive strike against the king to take the initiative.

    Yong-ho held his breath. The moment he hit the ground, he changed into a silver bullet and crossed the space.

    The king was panicked. It confused him that Yong-ho turned into the hunter, revealing his teeth and ws, targeting him now instead of being a prey.

    He sized up Yong-ho through Embrio. He found the cause of Yong-ho¡¯s rapid growth in the sin of Greed. But he didn¡¯t know enough about Yong-ho. He didn¡¯t even imagine anything like the Labyrinth of Greed or Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    And such a gap in intelligence made a decisive difference.

    Right now, Yong-ho was a very powerful creature that exceeded the king¡¯s expectations.

    Objectively speaking, Yong-ho was still weaker than the king, so it took time for the king to fully ept the new fact about Yong-ho.

    It wasn¡¯t that long. It was very short.

    It was imperative that Yong-ho shouldn¡¯t miss that moment.

    In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two disappeared. At the same time, the violent green mes spewed out of Aamon and covered the surroundings.

    The king instinctively closed his eyes. Yong-ho took another step.

    Checking out the king¡¯s lower body, he rushed low and fast to attack it.

    The king was a right-hander. He had Godly Energy on his right hand, and he enjoyed fighting rather than magic.

    Embrio¡¯s tips about the King of Gluttony were fragmentary. But when they were put together, Yong-ho could find the gap.

    The king generated mana to drive out the green mes. Then he opened his eyes urgently to look for Yong-ho. However, Yong-ho was in the middle of the green mes. Yong-ho¡¯s energy was everywhere, and the dazzling green mes disturbed the king¡¯s vision momentarily.

    Theg time was only a second or so.

    And that one second made a difference. The moment Aamon exploded, the king screamed in pain. The ultra-high temperature spear with the green mes prated the king¡¯s waist.

    It was a powerful blow. However, Yong-ho let go of Aamon instead of twisting it.

    He immediately deactivated Aamon and lowered his posture as if he was almost lying on the floor.

    The king¡¯s long and big arm prated the space where Yong-ho was a moment ago.

    Tremendous wind pressure tore the space. The king rotated his whole body and struck him with his right fist.

    It was a lightning strike. But Yong-ho threw himself to the left to avoid it. He focused on the king¡¯s Godly Energy that caused something like a small earthquake after tearing apart the ground. It was like the head of a beast. Burning red, it wrapped around the king¡¯s right arm just like Yong-ho¡¯s magic field.

    Yong-ho rolled his eyes again. The king also saw him.

    Aamon shouted at Yong-ho, [Defend!]

    The space was torn. The head of the red beast that came out from Yong-ho¡¯s left side opened its mouth. Yong-ho immediately raised his left arm. A shield of distortion released from Kaiwan¡¯s ring blocked the beast¡¯s head by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    Yong-ho felt hot. As if he was hit by a truck, Yong-ho was pushed back. The shield of distortion was quickly crushed and swallowed up by the king¡¯s Godly Energy.

    Yong-ho discovered that the king¡¯s Godly Energy didn¡¯t break the ground only. Part of it leaped into space. Only the invisible part of it struck Yong-ho from the side.

    The king withdrew his fist. There was no more embarrassment on his face. Thisnd was his hunting ground, after all. It was a dining table where he ate so many people!

    The king attacked Yong-ho again. The mana emanating from his six horns overwhelmed the surrounding area.

    It wasn¡¯t just a fight between the two. The sh between the invisible mana of the two was also a variable that influenced the victory and defeat of their fighting. If this ce had not been the boundary of the King of Gluttony, the surrounding area would have been destroyed just by the collision of their mana.

    Yong-ho stopped breathing once again. He then rushed face to face toward the king, who was also charging at him. Faced with the king, he released the mana that he sharpened hard.

    Their mana collided primarily. With the surrounding area reverberating hard, the king stretched out his fist. Yong-ho lowered his posture. He remembered Gusion¡¯s teaching at that moment. Instead of releasing mana again, he used it internally. The moment he was convinced of the trajectory of the king throwing a punch, he exploded mana inside.

    Yong-ho¡¯s movement elerated. Ignoring the king¡¯s punches, he got closer to the king. Then he jumped vertically without missing the distortion of the mana he felt on the right.

    Bang!

 Chapter 204 - The Flow of Fighting (7)

    <h4>Chapter 204: The Flow of Fighting (7)</h4>

    The king¡¯s punch that broke the space on Yong-ho¡¯s right hit the air. There was frustration on his face. Yong-ho rotated his body in the air. Instead of obsessing with the attack using Aamon, he used what he had learned from Ophelia. A powerful horn mixed with his spin kick struck the king¡¯s head!

    The king stumbled for a moment. The huge power released from Yong-ho¡¯s six horns was beyond imagination. Dozens of his cogwheel-like teeth, which were exposed because of his nature as a Preta, were shattered to pieces at once.

    Now was the chance for Yong-ho. As soon as hended on the ground, Yong-ho stopped breathing again. Instead of grabbing Aamon, he attacked the king¡¯s thick stomach with a prating strike, but it was foolish for him to target it because it was stronger than iron.

    However, Yong-ho¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t that simple. The moment he was attacked, the king twisted his body, moaning in pain because his intestines were literally mangled.

    The prating strike.

    It was Embrio¡¯s secret weapon intended to inject mana directly into the enemy¡¯s body.

    Embrio¡¯s legacy was not just his tips about the King of Gluttony.

    He also reserved everything about him for the new leader of the herd of wolves.

    The King of Gluttony staggered even more. Without any hesitation, Yong-ho stretched out his left hand for a hard blow. As if he was punching up, he poured out mana while attacking his belly.

    The king¡¯s giant body went up suddenly, though briefly. The mana Yong-ho injected into his body again raged violently. When Yong-ho¡¯s mana shed with the magic field that the king released for defense caused even more disturbance.

    Yong-ho tried to get cold. He had to end this fight in the same way he fought Stravadi.

    No matter how much money one had or how strong mana one had, it was over if one died before using it because one didn¡¯t know how to use it properly. So, it was best to finish the fight before the opponent used his maximum power.

    The king, who went up momentarily, flopped down because he couldn¡¯tnd properly. His mouth was already filled with blood, and his eyes were full of pain and anger.

    Yong-ho also bled through his lips. It looked like the side effects of the Devil God¡¯s energy began to affect him.

    They began to be impatient. However, their impatience was different.

    The king swung his hands to attack Yong-ho at random, but Yong-ho calmly avoided it.

    The moment he checked the king¡¯s waist, the target of his attack, Yong-ho once again pierced his chest. Then, he stabbed the king¡¯s wounded part with the prating strike for the third andst time.

    He made a terrible scream. At the same time, tremendous mana radiated from his body. It was a violent and cruel vortex of mana that ripped apart everything around him. It was powerful enough to tear any ordinary opponent.

    But Yong-ho was on par with the king. He immediately destroyed the mana the king radiated at random.

    His heart hurt. His hands and feet trembled even for a moment. There was not much time left to keep the energy of the Devil God. He clenched his teeth and stared at the king then he blinked unwittingly. What came down from above was the king¡¯s head, not his fist.

    There was a terrifying noise when his teeth interlocked. And his mouth, which became more than twice asrge as it was before, swallowed the air. Yong-ho, who stepped back by quickly hitting the ground, realized that there was no more discernment in the king¡¯s eyes.

    Bang!

    The King of Gluttony lept again. As if he didn¡¯t know how to punch, he opened his mouth again. He was not a beast or a Preta, not a king.

    His attack was simple and straightforward. But it was much harder for Yong-ho to avoid it. The mana released from his body was also different from it in the beginning. There was his determination to eat Yong-ho in it.

    The king threw himself in the air, but Yong-ho, clenching his teeth, attacked him from the front. Although the king fully released the power of Gluttony, Yong-ho confronted it with the mana of Greed that he sharpened as much as possible. Then he got close to the king who bit the air once again. But at that moment, the king activated the power of Godly Energy.

    The Godly Energy, which appeared after jumping into space, bit Yong-ho¡¯s left shoulder. Dozens of teeth dislodged his bones and flesh at once, and the grip that he could never escape ripped apart his shoulders.

    It was a terrible pain. He felt like he would pass out from the shock. Yong-ho¡¯s left arm, which lost its shoulder, rolled on the floor. The king, who swallowed part of Yong-ho¡¯s body through the Godly Energy, smiled in satisfaction. It wasn¡¯t just bones and flesh that the king ate. Not only Yong-ho¡¯s mana but also part of his soul was eaten away.

    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He quickly released mana to close the wounded area. He then almost threw his body. As if not to miss him, the king also poked his mouth to him.

    His mouth, his gluttony, and a lump of gluttony.

    The moment he faced the king face to face, Yong-ho made a decision. Instead of avoiding the king¡¯s mouth getting closer to him, Yong-ho faced it bravely. Then he punched it with a roaring sound.

    Yong-ho rammed his right fist into his mouth. The king¡¯s gluttony did not hesitate to take it.

    He tightened his chin to swallow Yong-ho¡¯s entire right arm as well as his right fist.

    Right before the king¡¯s cogwheel-like teeth interlocked themselves, Yong-ho grabbed the magic spear of the red lotus once again. The green mes of the red lotus red up inside the king¡¯s mouth.

    Bang!

    The spear¡¯s de pierced the roof of the king¡¯s mouth, and the spear broke through into his throat. The king felt terrible pain. But his gluttony did not stop. The king tried to eat Yong-ho as well as Aamon together.

    However, Yong-ho also did not tolerate it. He concentrated all the remaining mana from the Demon¡¯s God on his right arm where Aamon was located.

    Then, Yong-ho ordered Aamon as the King of Greed.

    ¡°Grow big!¡±

    Aamon followed his order. Aamon seemed to change several times. Both the spear¡¯s de and the spear were made several timesrger than the original.

    The violently swirling green mes swallowed up the mana of gluttony. The spear de pierced the pte of food hunger and destroyed it. Because of the spear that surged from the bottom, the king¡¯s head was mangled. Besides, the spear didn¡¯t stop at crushing his throat, but it crushed his intestines that had been already mangled by Yong-ho¡¯s prating strike.

    The king couldn¡¯t shut his mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to activate his Godly Energy. His hands and feet trembled, so did Yong-ho. Ignoring the pain of his heart, Yong-ho triggered the fifth w and the fifth mana!

    Aamon got back to its original size. Yong-ho grabbed Aamon tightly. Then he released fierce green mes into the king¡¯s broken head.

    Although the king¡¯s Godly Energy tried hard to sustain its owner¡¯s life, it was toote.

    The sin of Gluttony itself burned away amid the green mes that became united with Greed.

    The enormous mana released from the king¡¯s six horns were useless. Now that the king¡¯s body was destroyed, his mana, which could be called the incarnation of Gluttony, was just hovering in the air.

    Yong-ho let out a breath. He pulled out his hand after pushing Aamon into the king¡¯s body. He stared at the king¡¯s body supported by Aamon that was plugged into the ground after getting out of it. It was hard. Even though Yong-ho was exposed to the king¡¯s attack with teeth only once, his life was at stake. He had fever all over his body like a fireball.

    However, Yong-ho did not budge a bit. He still had something to do.

    His greed guided him. He found out the origin of the king¡¯s gluttony.

    Yong-ho deactivated the heart of the Demon God. As soon as the five toenails stuck deep in his chest came out, Yong-ho felt a sense of pain and liberation at the same time.

    He stumbled. He reached out his right hand toward his heart as well as the essence of the king. By triggering Greed, the embodiment of possessiveness, he took the power of Gluttony!

    The sin of Gluttony and the sin of Greed collided head-on. The enormous mana of the King of Gluttony came in like a tide into his heart, opened by the excessive use of the Demon God¡¯s heart.

    ¡®Gluttony¡¯ struggled. ¡®Greed¡¯ swallowed up Gluttony. Just like they did in the past, Greed forcibly subdued Gluttony and pushed it into the heart of the demon king.

    The Seven Deadly Sins, they were the fragments of the soul of the Demon God or its seven fragments.

    Yong-ho roared, feeling so much pleasure beyond description.

    Cracks covered the sky and the earth.

    The dining table copsed.

    The King of Gluttony¡¯s firm determination copsed over Yong-ho¡¯s head, who took the sin of Gluttony.

 Chapter 205 - Greed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 205: Greed (1)</h4>

    The world of the King of Gluttony copsed. As the false world that existed in the gap between the boundaries of the demon world copsed, a real world emerged.

    It was the Garden of Life full of the power of life released by Scathach.

    But Yong-ho could not recognize it. He cried in ecstasy.

    Greed never missed the essence of the King of Gluttony. Greed tried to devour itpletely.

    Yong-ho¡¯s heart responded to it. His heart, which was on the verge of being broken because of God¡¯s heart, maintained its shape by epting the mana of the King of Gluttony.

    Absorbing essence was most efficient when absorbing that of someone who was stronger than one¡¯s self. The King of Gluttony¡¯s mana was enormous. It was a huge mass that surpassed what Yong-ho could take, like it was when he epted Agares¡¯s power.

    The power of evolution opened its eyes and evolved itself on behalf of Yong-ho, who lost his mind while absorbing the king¡¯s essence.

    Yong-ho broke the bowl. Using the overflowing mana, he made a new bowl.

    It would be good to say hepletely changed for the better through evolution. This time, his body was made more efficient and powerful than before.

    The number of his horns was still the same¡ªsix horns. But they were never the same before and after hisplete changeover. His body was now closer to his mana. The number of passages that controlled his mana was rather down. The loosely connected springs merged into one to form a huge river. There was a dazzling green sh.

    Since Yong-ho¡¯s body waspletely reborn, the loss of his shoulders didn¡¯t matter. A lump of his mana became bones. Muscles and blood vessels were connected in a row, and on top of that, unblemished skin was added.

    A huge amount of mana was released in the process. And, a collision of intense forceparable to this external fierceness took ce inside his body.

    It was the desperate resistance of gluttony.

    Although Gluttony already lost its owner and got swallowed by Greed, it did not give in meekly.

    Rather, it tried to eat away greed from the inside. Thest malice left by the King of Gluttony turned into a terrible curse with gluttony.

    The power of evolution could not help greed. Yong-ho¡¯splete change itself was already causing a terrifying torrent of mana.

    Greed and Gluttony ate each other. It seemed that the Demon God¡¯s heart containing both sins would explode any time soon. Yong-ho¡¯s heart screamed silently amid the two sins¡¯peting rivalry.

    And there was someone who approached him. Not one, but many.

    Catalina screamed, hugging his shoulders. Five horns that sprouted on her head were vibrating violently, releasing mana.

    Catalina stepped forward with mixed feelings of joy and pain. Kaiwan also forcibly opened her eyes, opening up her five horns. She saw the Godly Energy of Greed that got out of Yong-ho¡¯s severed arms and began to shine alone.

    Skull grabbed the Godly Energy. Ophelia and Eligos screamed, holding each other¡¯s chest. Tigrius activated the power of synthetic evolution.

    Aamon red up alone in the air. The green mes of the red lotus looked at its owner, radiating a violent green light. Aamon gathered all the will of his subordinate spirits.

    The Godly Energy of Greed shined.

    Yong-ho, who was floating in the whirlwind of not only his own change but also the confrontation between Greed and Gluttony, felt all of his subordinate spirits now. At the same time, he perceived the power of Yuho Yuan, who were raising their voices from the Godly Energy of Greed and the power of harmony.

    Greed possessed everything that the King of Gluttony built up and devoured.

    Yong-ho, who gathered all the power of his subordinate spirits, trampled down the king¡¯s desperate resistance and his malice.

    Gluttony gave off itsst malice. However, the tide was turned already.

    The sin of Gluttony, kneeling before greed, took its ce in the Demon God¡¯s heart.

    The dazzling green light fizzled out. Yong-ho¡¯s body, which was floating, propelled by mana, fell to the ground, and the pain and joy that swept through his subordinate spirits subsided.

    The silver dragon armor that was wrapped around Yong-ho¡¯s body was dismantled and scattered.

    Afterpleting the second changeover, Yong-ho closed his eyes in supreme pleasure.

    Then he fell, losing consciousness.

    Catalina and Kaiwan staggeringly approached him. Skull sat down on the floor, holding the Godly Energy of Greed in his hand.

    Aamon finally turned to Scathach¡¯s mansion. Scathach, who could not leave the mansion, stood while looking at Yong-ho with a regrettable expression.

    Two of the Seven Deadly Sins gathered.

    The House of Mammon regained one of the seven Godly Energies, ¡°Godly Energy of Fury.¡±

    Aamon suddenly thought of Mammon when hest saw the king climbing the stairs alone.

    It was the thing of the past. It was never going to be repeated again.

    Aamon himself would make sure it would not happen again.

    The mes of red lotus arose from Aamon. Then it disappeared into a handful of mes to return to the new King of Greed.

    ***

    Gardimundi could not believe her eyes. Even though she closed and opened her eyes again and again, the scene before her eyes did not change.

    The entrance to the dungeon of the House of Mammon was gone.

    It wasn¡¯t just a simple copse. The entrance itself disappeared as if it was swallowed by a giant monster at a gulp.

    Gardimundi hurriedly rolled her eyes. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t long before she could find the dungeon meerkats of the House of Mammon. They were sticking out their heads through a hole in the cut section as if they were hidden in the nest deep inside the dungeon.

    It wasn¡¯t the safety of the dungeon meerkats that Gardimundi was worried about. She was worried about the inevitable situation where she would have to run away, deserting them.

    The House of Mammon was attacked. If so, who was the attacker? There was almost none in the southernnd who could dare to attack the House of Mammon.

    If so, was it attacked by an ¡®outsider¡¯?

    Gardimundi bit her lips. She made a decision. Erecting her five horns, she began to glide by adjusting her wings. She soonnded on the ground to check the condition of the House of Mammon.

    The dungeon meerkats saw her. So, if the soul of the dungeon was still alive and could deal with the outsider who appeared at the entrance of the dungeon, he or she was supposed to respond.

    Gardimundi grabbed a steel spear instead of a huge g symbolizing the King of Fury.

    Holding it gently, she stared at the dungeon.

    Then she quietly counted deep down. She decided to wait five minutes. When there was no response even after five minutes, she was going to storm into the dungeon.

    When it came to the ¡®outsider,¡¯ there were only two¡ªthe King of Violence and the King of Gluttony. It was very unlikely that it was the King of Lust since the King of Lust was in a distant ce, or the King of Pride and the King of Envy, who were now engaged in fighting with each other, would pick a fight with the House of Mammon at the southern tip of the demon world.

    Even if it was an attack by the King of Violence or the King of Gluttony, Gardimundi should have double-checked it. It was her duty as the scout serving as the King of Fury¡¯s eyes and ears.

    Extremely tense, she felt the time that had passed so fast. Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

    Strongly determined, Gardimundi took the first step. At the same time, she aimed at the front with a steel spear.

    ¡°I¡¯m Eligos, the butler of the Mammon family. Wee.¡±

    When she was about to storm into the dungeon, she was stopped by a red beast who greeted her calmly. The beast¡¯s upper body was revealed as if he was just done making a changeover, but his steel-like muscles made her feel he was not naked at all.

    Gardimundi let out a sigh of relief briefly. His face and voice matched with the butler she had met the other day.

    ¡°I¡¯m Gardimundi of the Garura n. I¡¯vee here with a letter from Her Majesty the King of Fury. Was something bad happening here?¡±

    When she asked him directly, Eligos smiled gently. Then he responded in a soft but firm tone.

    ¡°Something bad happened, but it was taken care of. By the way, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t ept a precious guest like you right now.¡±

    After all, he declined her visit this time. But she put it bluntly once again.

    ¡°If you need my help, please let me know. I will try to help you as best as I can.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. Please forgive me for not epting you who havee a long way.¡±

    Eligos clearly expressed his intention again.

    After all, Gardimundi gave up looking inside the dungeon. She felt it better to step back and take time than prodding him impatiently.

    After putting down her iron spear, Gardimundi also withdrew her horns. She opened Sarasvati¡¯s pocket on her waist and took out a letter and a small box.

    ¡°It¡¯s a letter from Her Majesty the King of Fury, and her return present for your master¡¯s specialty.¡±

    Gardimundi presented the letter and the box with both hands, and Eligos, after hesitating briefly, approached her and epted them.

    In some ways, Eligos¡¯s action was just normal, but Gardimundi narrowed her eyes because she sensed something unusual. A true scout like her was not just content with observing what she saw. It was important for her to discern the person she was dealing with, let alone objects around her.

    In her eyes, Eligos changed, and he changed a lot overnight at that.

    She could not know specifically how he changed because he had just done changing his power, but it was certain that he became ¡°stronger¡± than before.

 Chapter 206 - Greed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 206: Greed (2)</h4>

    Gardimundi took a step back. As if she was wearing a mask, she said cheerfully without showing any doubts, ¡°On my way, I saw a city in the north. I¡¯ll stay there for some time, so let me know when you get the message for me. I¡¯m going to say hello to the master of the House of Mammon and receive his reply.¡±

    Obviously, she suggested that she would not go back empty-handed.

    Eligos liked this straightforward messenger.

    ¡°I will contact you as soon as possible. The tavern located in the western part of the city is owned by the House of Mammon, so I hope you can stay therefortably.¡±

    Gardimuni was already aware that not only the pub but the whole city was owned by the House of Mammon.

    She asked to share hands with Eligos. Gently sping his big, hard hand, she stepped back with a smile and said, ¡°I will wait for your reply then.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to seeing you again.¡±

    Gardimundi spread her wings. Holding back the urge to look beyond Eligos into the inside of the dungeon, she flew away. She pped her wings toward the Free City.

    Sitri said, ¡°The reason why the King of Fury is favorable to the House of Mammon is so simple.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t because if she united with the Mammon family, she could create a great coalition of the southern region. It wasn¡¯t even because she was scared of the potential of the House of Mammon that united the whole southern unimednds.

    ¡°The House of Mammon is not under the control of any king.¡±

    There was some significant meaning in it.

    To examine it further, it was very clear why the King of Fury showed favor, not hostility, to the House of Mammon.

    ¡°The master of the Mammon family is not a king, so he is lower than me, the King of Fury in hierarchy.¡±

    ¡°He is not a man that I have topete for Godly Energy and Seven Deadly Sins. That¡¯s why I can feel rxed. I can trust him.¡±

    It was difficult to believe in somebody else who was stronger than one¡¯s self in the demon world where the strong preyed on the weak. Besides, if the opponent was a king, it would be more difficult to trust him, for such a king might have a motive to kill her and take her Sin.

    ¡°That¡¯s the most important thing for you to keep in mind when you build a rtionship with the King of Fury.¡±

    Should he reveal his Greed or hide it?

    Should he face her as a king or as the descendant of the prestigious family who unified the unimednds in the south?

    Yong-ho opened his eyes and woke up.

    ***

    He felt cozy andfortable. He wanted to close his eyes again and fall asleep right now.

    If he hadn¡¯t heard the voice right before his eyes, he would have fallen asleep again.

    ¡°Young master! Are you alright? Can you hear me? How many are these?¡±

    Obviously, the other party spoke with a lot of concern, but her voice was clear.

    Yong-ho looked at the beauty of blue, water-colored hair, who approached him up close.

    He instinctively recognized somebody waving her two fingers hard before his eyes. He then opened his mouth, ¡°Scathach?¡±

    ¡°Can you count how many this is?¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re alright!¡±

    Scathach hugged Yong-ho all of a sudden. Since he was in the blue water at the moment, she fell into the water with a ssh when she hugged him, but she didn¡¯t seem to care at all.

    He felt she was cozy and soft like the blue water. Before he knew it, he closed his eyes then hugged her face to face. But this time, it didn¡¯tst long. Scathachughed after pushing him out as fast as when she hugged him.

    ¡°Because some other people are waiting for their turn now.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Scathach stepped back and got out of the blue water. As soon as she got out of his vision, some others came up close.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Yong-ho!¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan on both sides hugged him at the same time. He hugged them all at once this time, too. Catalina rubbed her head against his shoulder, pping her ears, and Kaiwan kept kissing his cheeks.

    ¡°How do you feel? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling any side effects?¡±

    Kaiwan and Catalina askedpetitively. Since he got confused at the moment, he paused a moment before replying. They looked at him earnestly with their eyes shining.

    He withdrew his hand that wrapped her waist and put it on his chest. He could feel his heart pounding hard.

    And he felt one more thing, something he couldn¡¯t feel in the past.

    ¡°The Sin of Gluttony,¡± he murmured quietly and closed his eyes.

    He then focused his consciousness and got convinced.

    ¡°It¡¯s inside my body. I don¡¯t think I can use it like Greed right now... It¡¯s definitely mine now.¡±

    Obviously, Gluttony was located in one corner of the Demon God¡¯s heart, which was now almost united with his.

    Unlike Greed, it did not obey Yong-ho meekly, but it was not holding any hostility or malice.

    It was obvious that over time he could make use of it like Greed.

    ¡°Oh, oh!¡±

    Admiring Yong-ho¡¯s condition, Catalina pped her ears, looking at his chest. Her tail also fluttered in the blue water.

    Kaiwan was as excited as Catalina. She screamed, tapping his chest loudly.

    ¡°You know what? You¡¯re the first to have two Sins in your body since Mammon!¡±

    She spoke confidently, looking at him proudly and respectfully.

    He also couldn¡¯t hide his smile. He looked a little silly butughed happily.

    He defeated the King of Gluttony. He won and survived. And he became the first king who obtained more than two Sins since Mammon.

    Yong-ho squeezed his fist lightly. After taking a deep breath, he looked back at himself.

    ¡°I feel my weight is so light. Is this the result of my absorption of the king¡¯s essence?¡±

    Obviously, he felt different from it when he was in blue water a moment ago.

    He really felt much lighter. He felt as if his body was like a feather.

    He traced his memory and soon realized that he had already felt something like this before.

    ¡°The power of evolution.¡±

    He felt the same when he defeated Agares and took his essence. He had to do something to absorb his essence, who was much stronger than himself.

    The power of evolution reconstructed his body, making it more powerful and efficient.

    [Your physical ability has improved a lot!]

    [Your look has also changed slightly.]

    [Of course, you¡¯re much more attractive than before!]

    As if she was patient enough to keep silent until now, Lucia spoke in a bright voice, atst.

    When he heard from Lucia that even his look changed, Yong-ho touched his body here and there. He knew his body more than anybody else, so he immediately noticed how it changed.

    First, he grew a little taller. His skin was smooth and soft like a baby¡¯s. And his body that used to be hard became strong like steel.

    And there was one more change in his appearance.

    ¡°Oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh.¡±

    Admiring his changeover once again, he was very satisfied.

    Kaiwan and Catalina, who were looking at him nkly, soon gazed at where Yong-ho was looking at, and blushed almost at the same time.

    Kaiwan turned up one corner of her mouth slightly, while Catalina pped her ears excitedly.

    Aamon, who remained silent, whispered, [The power of your anguish is increasing.]

    This time, Lucia cleared her throat.

    [Hmmmm. By the way, master. I¡¯ve got some important news.]

    [The King of Fury has sent you another letter.]

    Perhaps, since they were inside Scathach¡¯s mansion or perhaps, since Lucia became stronger than before, Catalina and Kaiwan could also hear Lucia¡¯s voice.

    Catalina said, quickly looking for something on her waist, ¡°Here you are!¡±

    While Catalina was looking for the letter, Yong-ho asked Kaiwan, ¡°How much time had passed after I fell?¡±

    ¡°A full day. This time, that same Garura girl brought this letter. Now she is waiting for your reply at the tavern in the Free City. We¡¯re in a grave situation right now, so we can¡¯t ept her into the dungeon this time.¡±

    He pinched Kaiwan¡¯s cheek a bit because she seemed to ask for his praise of her action.

    ¡°Good job!¡±

    ¡°Here you are.¡±

    Catalina handed him the letter right at that moment. He stroked her hair once more then opened the seal on the envelope. Right before opening it, he narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°I can feel her mana here.¡±

    Kaiwan said, ¡°I think it contains her video magic.¡±

    Nodding at her exnation, he opened the letter. Indeed, like Kaiwan said, a pile of light gathered in the air just above the letter and formed a certain shape. It was her face, the King of Fury, who he met at the Dungeon Market¡¯s special auction house.

    [Test, test.]

    [Can I talk over here?]

    In the video, the King of Fury spoke, blinking her big eyes. Then, another woman¡¯s voice was heard very quietly from a little distance.

    [You already started recording.]

    Startled, the King of Fury blinked her eyes again and immediately cleared her throat.

    Then she changed her posture and looked straight ahead.

    [Hmm hmm.]

    [It¡¯s nice to greet you in a video like this, master of the House of Mammon!]

    [I am the King of Fury, the chief of the Gandharva n. My name is Dritarastra, the head of the eight-n people.]

    ¡°Well, I guess she is trying to act cute to Yong-ho. Besides, she seems to be conceited a bit.¡±

    Kaiwan spoke quietly while Catalina focused on the video, feeling a bit out of ce.

 Chapter 207 - Greed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 207: Greed (3)</h4>

    Yong-ho looked at her, feeling fresh about her using honorifics, unlike her sharp-looking face.

    The King of Fury continued, [I received your reply and special products through Gardimundi of the Garura n, my faithful friend and right-hand man.]

    [I am very happy that you are also thinking of making a friendly rtionship with our people.]

    With a gentle smile, the King of Fury stopped talking for a moment.

    As if hesitating, she curled up her lips several times and finally opened her mouth.

    [It may be a little bit early, but why don¡¯t we meet and talk about the exchanges between our people and the House of Mammon?]

    [The future of the demon world is uncertain due to the ongoing war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy in the northern area. Even the belligerent King of Gluttony seems to be ready to start a war anytime.]

    [I think we will be able to ovee this turbulence wisely if our people and the House of Mammon join hands together.]

    The voice of the King of Fury had a strong appeal. After she continued to talk firmly, she took her breath once then rxed a bit. She resumed talking with a gentle look and voice, [As I said, you might think it a bit early that we meet face to face.]

    [So, just feel free to do so if you feel ufortable about my proposal.]

    [I look forward to your frank reply.]

    [PS: I really enjoyed the fried chicken you sent me. Thank you.]

    Her postscript was not her own voice, but a message of light. But Yong-ho seemed to hear her voice in it.

    He folded the letter.

    At that moment, Kaiwan and Catalina were lost in thought respectively, instead of responding recklessly. His reply to the King of Fury¡¯s offer was a major issue that could determine the future of the House of Mammon.

    He closed his eyes for a moment and recalled his conversation with Sitri.

    She said something at the time. She mentioned one decision that she said was the most important.

    ¡®You already have the answer from the beginning.¡¯

    He needed to hide his status as the King of Greed from her.

    He also needed to hide the fact that he took the essence of the King of Gluttony.

    The King of Fury¡¯s goodwill to Yong-ho was based on the fact that ¡°Yong-ho is not a king.¡±

    So, he didn¡¯t need to break a friendly rtionship by revealing it.

    For the same reason, he didn¡¯t have to reveal that he defeated the King of Gluttony.

    What would happen if the King of Fury found out that he not only obtained the sin of Greed but also the sin of Gluttony? What if other kings found it out, too?

    There was a historical precedent to it. There was a precedent in which all the other kings joined hands to destroy Mammon who obtained as many as three out of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    So, it was the best option to hide it from the King of Fury.

    Yong-ho could meet her in his capacity as the master of the House of Mammon, not as the King of Greed.

    After making up his mind, Yong-ho opened his eyes again. Then Lucia, who was checking his condition, opened her mouth.

    [By the way, master.]

    [The space for securing your subordinate spirits also increased significantly. Probably, you can make one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits your own subordinate spirit.]

    What she said was a bit irrelevant to his main topic, but he could not ignore her.

    He raised his head instinctively and looked at Scathach.

    She shook her head and said, ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s premature. You remember you made the promise to me, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I do.¡±

    What she presented to him as the condition for passing her test was the liberation and subjugation of Gusion. So, securing Gusion was more urgent to Yong-ho than Scathach.

    ¡°And this is my rmendation to you as the healer of the Mammon family. Just take a journey back home sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Home? Are you talking about my hometown in the human world?¡±

    She nodded at his question again. Approaching the blue water where Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan were soaked, she said, ¡°Right. I think you should because your body has gone through aplete changeover this time, the Demon God¡¯s heart, too. So, I think you had better go back to the human world once more and take some fresh air.¡±

    Although she replied to his question, Yong-ho got even more curious.

    He tilted his head and asked, ¡°I know what you mean. But why did you mention the Demon God¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°Well, Master Mammonpleted the heart of the Demon God in the human world, not the demon world. As a result, many of the ingredients of the Demon God¡¯s heart are mixed with that of a human being.¡±

    Blinking again, Yong-ho looked at himself. He felt fresh about the heart of the Demon God made of Brigada.

    Kaiwan quickly hugged his arm and said, ¡°I want toe with you, too. I also want to say hello to your father.¡±

    ¡°Me, too,¡± said Catalina, who also hugged his other arm earnestly not to be outdone by her.

    He momentarily imagined his father encountering Kaiwan and Catalina at the same time.

    What would his father say to him?

    He just giggled when he imagined it. He shook his head and withdrew his arms from them, gently saying, ¡°Let¡¯s solve the important problem first.¡±

    In fact, the King of Fury¡¯s messenger was waiting for his reply in the Free City.

    So, he had to take care of that matter first.

    ¡°Lucia, gather all the dungeon spirits in the conference room.¡±

    [Okay, Master.]

    [I¡¯ll summon your subordinate spirits, garrison captain Rikum, and workshop chief Burgrim in the conference room on the first floor.]

    [It will take some time to gather them all in one ce, so please take your time.]

    Yong-ho nodded. Then he asked Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach a bit btedly, ¡°Are all our people alright?¡±

    When the King of Gluttony raided the Garden of Life, he was not alone. At a nce, there were dozens of Death Knights and more than five vampire lords surrounding him.

    After defeating the King of Gluttony, he was so absent-minded that he could not afford to pay attention to them. Even his subordinate spirits didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened, except for Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach.

    At his asking, the three looked at each other and soon giggled.

    Then they nodded at the same time.

    ***

    There were several small rooms attached to the left and right of the Demon King¡¯s room, which had been moved to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    On the right were Yong-ho¡¯s room as well as that of Kaiwan and Catalina, respectively, while a conference room and Yong-ho¡¯s private office were on the left.

    When Yong-ho arrived at the conference room with Kaiwan and Catalina, all the spirits needed for the meeting were already gathered. Starting with Yuria, who was carrying teacups with Baduk, they bowed to Yong-ho politely.

    ¡°We¡¯re so happy to see you safe and in good health.¡±

    Eligos greeted him on behalf of the others. He patted Eligos¡¯s shoulder, which seemed to have be even stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you guys are all safe. Let¡¯s sit down first.¡±

    Yong-ho sat at the top of a long rectangr table. On his right side were Catalina, Eligos, Tigrius, and Rikum, while Kaiwan, Ophelia, Skull, and Burgrim were on his left.

    Rikim and Burgrim were the only ones who were not his subordinate spirits.

    Of course, Yuria and Baduk, who sat next to the teacup sets in the corner, and the nameless meerkat were not, either.

    ¡°As you see, I am alright. Since I absorbed the essence of the King of Gluttony, my mana has be more powerful now. I haven¡¯t actually opened it up, but my mana is probably equal to that of the King of Gluttony.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just the king¡¯s essence that Yong-ho took. His Greed ate even the king¡¯s memory.

    Of course, he did notpletely absorb all the king¡¯s memories because almost all of them sank deep in the sea of his subconsciousness. However, he could remember several of them. Birudaka, the king¡¯s name, was one of those memories.

    Yong-ho activated the heart of the Demon God in order to defeat the King of Gluttony.

    But now he had the same mana as that of the king even without using the Demon God¡¯s heart, which showed the explosive growth of his mana.

    ¡®Of course, I benefited more from my body¡¯splete changeover.¡¯

    Yong-ho, who had learned the use of mana from Red Demon Gusion, realized that the amount of mana that he could instantly concentrate was more important than the total amount of simple mana at least during the fighting.

    As a result of his body¡¯s changeover, the speed of mana cirction was much faster than before. Now he could concentrate more than a third of his full mana on his fist during the short span of time he threw a punch.

    Yong-ho¡¯s growth meant the growth of the House of Mammon as a whole.

    Kaiwan said with a subtle smile, ¡°Thanks to your growth, your subordinate spirits have also be stronger. Now, all the spirits have five horns on average. I¡¯m on the verge of getting six horns. I feel like I¡¯ve reached the maximum. Oh, of course, Aamon is an exception.¡±

    She turned her eyes at Yong-ho¡¯s wrist. Then, the mes of the red lotus red up in the air.

    [I also got stronger. Although I¡¯m not as strong as I was during my prime days, I think the day will soone when I can fully restore my power.]

 Chapter 208 - Greed (4)

    <h4>Chapter 208: Greed (4)</h4>

    When Mammon died, the power of the 12 Spirits belonging to him was also weakened.

    Yong-ho realized Mammon¡¯s power once again. Given that Aamon¡¯s power was still powerful, he must have been much more powerful during his prime days. What about Mammon who had Aamon as his subordinate spirit?

    It was beyond imagination.

    Yong-ho felt like he was seeing another sky beyond the sky. But he didn¡¯t feel unpleasant at all. Rather, he felt he had a glimpse of a goal that he had to achieve.

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s get down to business. The first agenda or question is this one. What happened to the undead army that the King of Gluttony brought with him?¡±

    Actually, he asked Kaiwan, Catalina, and Scathach about this, but they didn¡¯t reply, saying they would like to talk about it at the meeting. Of course, Catalina was going to reply anyway, but Kaiwan stopped her.

    Ophelia said, ¡°They disappeared right after you disappeared with the King of Gluttony. ording to Scathach, it seemed that they were summoned back.¡±

    ¡°Summoned back?¡±

    Tigrius, who is in charge of the magic of the Mammon family, exined, ¡°Yes. Some high-ranking summoners often keep ¡®special summoners¡¯ in a separate subspace. In other words, they are used only when necessary. Likewise, they are summoned back right away when they are not needed.¡±

    ¡°I think the King of Gluttony seems to have stormed into the dungeon to fight you in a duel. As a result, the moment he got inside the dungeon and faced you alone, he seemed to summon back the undead army to reduce the useless consumption of his mana.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, there remained the misceneous undead troops summoned by the vampire lords. Of course, the Skull unit destroyed them allter,¡± said Ophelia, as if to make up for Tirgrius¡¯s exnation.

    Finally, when Yong-ho looked at Skull, heughed as always and shouted, ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Obviously, he was very proud of his unit¡¯s achievement.

    With the atmosphere getting warmer, Aamon said, [Our master has obtained Gluttony now, along with the King of Gluttony¡¯s essence.]

    [Greed is the power of possession¡­ Even if it¡¯s impossible right now, if our master can better handle Gluttony, it¡¯s highly likely that he can ess the ¡°subspace¡± created by the King of Gluttony.]

    [Because all the things the king possessed now fell in the hands of Greed.]

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded quietly. It was not because he agreed with Aamon, but because he felt he could do it. Perhaps it was because of his memories of the King of Gluttony that were in the realm of his unconsciousness.

    Over ten death knights and five vampire lords. That wasn¡¯t all.

    The memory of the King of Gluttony told Yong-ho that bone dragons were also located in the subspace.

    They were the elite troops kept by the King of Gluttony in preparation for his fight against the six other kings.

    Already, they alone could be called an army corps. As a result of Yong-ho¡¯s victory, they now belonged to the House of Mammon. Although Yong-ho could not use them right now, he could use them as a secret weapon that nobody expected at all.

    All the dungeon spirits didn¡¯t hide their joy when they heard Aamon¡¯s exnation.

    Yong-ho wondered how they would react when he told them that bone dragons were also preserved in the subspace.

    ¡®Let me hold onto their pleasure untilter.¡¯

    He still had lots of other agenda to discuss with them. So, he could tell them about the bone dragons after he could take control of the subspace of the King of Gluttony.

    He signaled to Catalina with a nce, and she put the red gauntlet on the table, which she carefully carried.

    At a nce, the magical machine looked very unusual.

    Yong-ho said, ¡°This is one of the fragments of the Demon God¡¯s flesh, but at the same time was the ¡®Godly Energy of Fury¡¯ possessed by the King of Gluttony.¡±

    Everyone in the conference room looked at it tensely. Watching it before their eyes, they realized once again that Yong-ho really defeated the king.

    Ophelia, who was checking his mood for a moment, asked, looking at the mes of the red lotus, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask you, but why did the King of Gluttony possess the ¡®Godly Energy of Fury¡¯?¡±

    Other subordinate spirits turned to Aamon as if they were curious about that.

    When Yong-ho turned his eyes, full of curiosity, the mes of the red lotus red up more intensely.

    Aamon whispered to everyone, [In the past, Mammon, the great King of Greed, acquired three Sins and four Godly Energies.]

    [The three Sins were Greed, Fury, and Gluttony, respectively.]

    [The four Godly Energies were greed, Fury, Gluttony, and Lust, respectively.]

    They were also aware of this.

    Aamon continued, [After Mammon died, all three Sins and four Godly Energies were dispersed everywhere.]

    [The Godly Energy of Lust was in the hands of the King of Lust. However, Greed, Fury, and Gluttony wandered around in the demon world without finding their true owner.]

    The three Godly Energies changed hands several times over a thousand years.

    At the time, all of them were possessed by different kings, but they didn¡¯t find their proper owner.

    [Probably, that¡¯s why the King of Gluttony had the Godly Energy of Fury. That¡¯s perhaps the case with the King of Violence. Perhaps, the King of Pride and the King of Envy might have different Godly Energies that didn¡¯t match their own Sins.]

    ¡°Is the match of Sin with Godly Energy important?¡±

    When Yong-ho asked it, the mes of the red lotus arose again.

    Aamon said firmly, [Yes, it¡¯s important.]

    [It¡¯s only when it faces the Sin that matches with it when Godly Energies shows its real power.]

    Yong-ho looked at the Godly Energy again. Come to think of it, the Godly Energy possessed by the King of Gluttony did not y any efficient role. Of course, his attack by leaping through space was powerful, but it wasn¡¯t that effective, given the enormous potential of Godly Energy that totaled only seven in the demon world.

    ording to Aamon¡¯s exnation, the Godly Energy of Fury could only disy its true power when it was in the hands of the King of Fury.

    So, Yong-ho thought about it the other way. As long as he possessed the Godly Energy of Fury, the King of Fury would not be able to use her power perfectly.

    As a matter of fact, Yong-ho was building a fairly positive rtionship with the King of Fury. But it didn¡¯t mean that she was his perfect ally. It was regrettable that he could not get the ¡®real Godly Energy of Greed¡¯ by fighting the King of Gluttony, but he was lucky enough to have obtained the Godly Energy of Fury.

    After sorting out hisplicated thoughts by nodding, he brought to himself the attention of his subordinate spirits at the meeting. Then he brought out the next topic.

    ¡°I think I had better hide the fact that I defeated the King of Gluttony. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I agree. For all the world, the King of Gluttony mounted a surprise attack against us. So, I think the king¡¯s allies might regard the current situation as ¡°the king¡¯s sudden disappearance,¡± said Ophelia.

    This time, Tigrius opined, ¡°There is a high possibility that the king¡¯s allies will hide his death, for it is clear that the King of Fury or the King of Violence will move once it¡¯s known that the king has disappeared. Unless the king¡¯s allies show any suspicious movement, I don¡¯t think we have to go to the trouble of drawing other kings¡¯ attention by revealing that we defeated the King of Gluttony.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Substance is more important than what¡¯s on the surface. It¡¯s more likely that they will suspect the King of Violence, not our master,¡± Kaiwan said provocatively.

    When Yong-ho looked at him, Rikum, who was listening silently, replied with a tense expression, ¡°I agree.¡±

    In fact, everybody at the meeting was on the same page on this issue.

    So, Yong-ho switched the topic again.

    ¡°As all of you agree on that, let me talk about the King of Fury. Everyone, watch this video. Catalina?¡±

    When he called her, she quickly drew out a letter and opened it. A video of the King of Fury appeared on the table in the conference room, and Yuria, who was watching from her seat in the corner, looked at the king, with her eyes glistening at her fresh and beautiful appearance.

    When the video ended, Yong-ho spoke again, ¡°As you can see, the King of Fury is asking to meet me in person. I¡¯m thinking of meeting her. Of course, I¡¯m going to hide the fact that I defeated the King of Gluttony, as well as the fact that I am the King of Greed.¡±

    Tigrius and Eligos were satisfied with his statement.

    ¡°That¡¯s a wise judgment.¡±

    ¡°I think the King of Fury¡¯s goodwill to you is based on the fact that the House of Mammon is not ¡®a royal family.¡¯ So, I think it¡¯s the best option for you to make the most of her ignorance. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s not a big problem morally because you have not deceived her anyway,¡± Ophelia added mischievously. What she wanted to say was Yong-ho had never lied to her deliberately.

    [I rmend that when you meet the King of Fury, you don¡¯t carry the Godly Energy of Fury.]

    ¡°Absolutely, because there might be synchronization between them.¡±

    Yong-ho, who epted Aamon¡¯s advice, asked Ophelia again, ¡°Was her name Gardimundi? How is the messenger of the King of Fury doing now?¡±

 Chapter 209 - Greed (5)

    <h4>Chapter 209: Greed (5)</h4>

    ¡°She¡¯s doing alright at the tavern. Yesterday, she went around the Free City all day long, and today, she is just gambling all day.¡±

    Yong-ho briefly recalled her image. She was a bright, cheerful-looking beauty with red hair and wings. He didn¡¯t think she would look sad just because she lost some money at the gambling house.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s okay to meet the Queen of Fury unless there is any big trouble. What about the date?¡±

    ¡°I think it would be better for the king to choose the date. Instead, we can choose a meeting ce. I think somewhere in the north or west would be nice.¡±

    As always, Ophelia presented a good solution.

    Eligos, who somehow nodded with a satisfied expression, said, ¡°Looking at her, requesting for a summit, meeting with you, it looks like she has high expectations for our alliance.¡±

    In fact, the Queen of Fury herself, not anyone else, woulde to the ce to meet Yong-ho face to face. So, Yong-ho could not treat this meeting lightly.

    Right at that moment, Catalina, who was rolling her eyes at the heated discussion, raised her hand timidly and said, ¡°By the way...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    When Yong-ho turned around, Catalina curled her lips once. After checking Kaiwan¡¯s look, she asked, waving her tail gently, ¡°I wonder if this is a trap. I mean just like the King of Gluttony ambushed our master all of a sudden.¡±

    Yong-ho thought someone would raise some doubts about her question but no one did.

    Catalina checked his face nervously as if she felt she asked a silly question, but Yong-ho reached out and stroked her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. But it¡¯s unlikely because she doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m the King of Greed. Even if it¡¯s a trap... Well, I can deal with her duly in that case.¡±

    Yong-ho was no longer weak as he was in the past.

    He was a strong man who was on par with the six kings who ruled the demon world.

    If the Queen of Fury did a trick on him, he would definitely smash her.

    Her proposal for a summit meeting was risky not only for Yong-ho but also for her.

    When they were done discussing the important agendas, Eligos, Rikum, and Burgrim began to report about some pending issues respectively.

    Eligos and Rikum briefed them about the general dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon, its dungeon, and the Free City, while Burgrim talked about various equipment and dungeon restoration. Burgrim reported about the status of the restoration on the ckboard.

    ¡°Silver Dragon Armor is under its own repair right now. The destroyed dungeon entrance is currently undergoing restoration. I think it will be possible to recoverpletely in two days.¡±

    After sipping a new tea brought by Yuria, Yong-ho moved his neck gently. It was about time for him to wrap up the meeting thatsted almost an hour.

    ¡°Okay, this is myst agenda.¡±

    The word st¡¯ made them tense a bit. Yong-ho, who waited for his subordinate spirits to pay attention to him, said after taking turns to look at Catalina and Kaiwan, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit my hometown again.¡±

    ¡°It seems like your visit is very timely because it is very likely that a terrible confusion wille again sometimeter,¡± Ophelia said.

    The King of Gluttony was dead.

    Like Ophelia or Tigrius predicted, they could not keep the secret forever even if the king¡¯s allies tried to hide it.

    The death of the king with great power could soon lead to the copse of his entire forces.

    Didn¡¯t the House of Mammon copse in an instant after the death of Mammon, the King of Greed?

    Moreover, because of the war in the north, the six kings were nervous wrecks.

    The sudden absence of the King of Gluttony could be the starting point for the disruption of the bnce of power that had been maintained in the demon world.

    So, if Yong-ho had to visit his hometown in the human world, now was the right time like Ophelia said.

    He could meet the Queen of Fury a few dayster, and it was unlikely that the death of the King of Gluttony would be revealed during that time. It was impossible that the war in the north could end suddenly.

    Yong-ho¡¯s n to attack the north on the asion of his absence was attractive at first nce, but it was not realistic. Although the king and his right-hand men were killed, the powerful forces who used to be under the king¡¯smand were still alive. It was absurd for him to start attacking the north with a small number of troops when he decided to hide the fact that the king was killed.

    What the House of Mammon currently needed was time, as always.

    Yong-ho had to take control of the whole unimed areas in the southpletely.

    He had to increase troops and hurry up the attack against the Labyrinth of Greed and the arena.

    He also needed to secure a means of transport that could move his troops to a long distance speedily like the Queen of Fury or the King of Gluttony.

    So, his alliance with the Queen of Fury would make him gain ¡®time¡¯ until he secured all of those things.

    If the Queen of Fury¡¯s decisive reason for showing goodwill to Yong-ho is because ¡°the House of Mammon is a royal family,¡± ¡®time¡¯ was the decisive reason for Yong-ho.

    It wasn¡¯t because Yong-ho coveted the Queen of Fury as the incarnation of anguish, like Aamon cracked a joke about it. It was motivated by his calctions that he responded to her goodwill with his goodwill.

    ¡®Of course, it is true that I hate to fight her, if possible.¡¯

    However, it was just his own personal feeling. If the time came when he had to draw a sword for the Mammon family and its dungeon spirits, he thought he would do it without hesitation.

    When they began to talk about his visit to the human world, Lucia, who checked the status of the dungeon, quickly spoke, [There is one day left before the reuse hour of the space door expires.]

    [It¡¯s really the right time for your visit.]

    It was never easy to travel to the human world through the door of space. Not only did it consume a lot of mana, but it also took a considerable amount of time to reuse it. It was like a long cool time in games.

    Now, the reuse time was running out at the right moment. It was as if an invisible force was pushing Yong-ho to travel to the human world.

    ¡°Are you going to start right away?¡± Asked Eligos.

    Yong-ho tapped on the table with his fingers for a moment as if he was organizing his thoughts then said, ¡°Since there is a day left as Lucia said, I think I had better get things squared away first before traveling.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much time for him to spare. It was unlikely that the Queen of Fury would suddenly make any provocations, but in any case, Yong-ho had to respond immediately if something happened. The King of Gluttony¡¯s allies might not be able to conceal the king¡¯s absence well, as expected.

    Like before, it would be two or three days during which he could visit the human world. It was difficult for him to stay there more than that period. Even those two or three days were not short. Ophelia smiled with a mixture of regret and wistfulness, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it if Scathach insists on it. Please take a good rest when you go there.¡±

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t going to travel to the human world for pleasure. Following Scathach¡¯s advice, the healer of the House of Mammon, he was going there for healing purposes. So, it would be wrong for his subordinate spirit to oppose his visit.

    Catalina smiled warmly as she thought of going back to the human world. Kaiwan seemed excited, too.

    And there was one more who got excited about his uing visit to the human world.

    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.]

    [This is not the sound of my heart pounding.]

    [It¡¯s someone else¡¯s.]

    Lucia spoke small enough to be heard by Yong-ho alone, and he could find the owner of the heartbeat sound. He burst intoughter unwittingly.

    Yuria was standing in the corner, with her eyes twinkling. Although she didn¡¯t know it in detail, she could figure out roughly what they were talking about.

    Yong-ho was supposed to travel back to the human world.

    Thest time he returned from the human world, he brought a surprisingly delicious chicken and Coke. Moreover, he brought her the best treasure¡ª beautiful colored pebbles.

    Looking at her twinkling eyes, Yong-ho understood that her acting cute was her survival strategy. He waved his hand to Yuria gently and stroked her head.

    ¡°Let me bring you a present.¡±

    A bright smile was on her face. He pinched her cheek lightly before he knew it and looked over her shoulder. Then he said to Baduk who was impatient, too, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to bring you one, too.¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Meowing! Meowing!¡±

    As if he pointed at them, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat were also excited.

    Bowing to him, Yuria returned to her seat with Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat.

    She kept smiling even at the thought of his gift.

    He again looked at his subordinate spirits.

    As the meeting was almost at an end, Eligos said, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you have a meal first, Master?¡±

    ¡°Great! You¡¯re my best butler.¡±

    Actually, he didn¡¯t eat anything all day.

    He got up and headed for the restaurant in a pleasant mood.

 Chapter 210 - Greed (6)

    <h4>Chapter 210: Greed (6)</h4>

    The first thing Yong-ho did after eating was essing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market because his conversation with Sitri was cut off because of the King of Gluttony¡¯s intrusion.

    ¡®I wonder if she was worried about me a lot.¡¯

    For some reason, however, he felt she wasn¡¯t. He felt like she would wee him with a rxed expression, as always.

    ¡®You have defeated the King of Gluttony.¡¯

    Yong-ho felt strangely excited at what he achieved by himself, namely getting rid of one of the six kings who coveted Yong-ho¡¯s Greed.

    He slowly opened his eyes and faced a totally white world.

    As always, Sitri was standing there. Wearing a dark purple dress that revealed her shoulders under the white sky, she was standing there to face him.

    Somehow she looked different this time. Yong-ho couldn¡¯t open his mouth thoughtlessly, and Sitri only looked at him.

    Awkwardness made him feel time pass very slowly.

    After all, Sitri stepped forward, and he looked at her. Now, there was only one step of distance between Yong-ho and Sitri.

    ¡°My dear client.¡±

    ¡°Sitri?¡±

    She was tall for a woman but much smaller than Yong-ho, who grew up by going through a double changeover. Because of this, she looked up at Yong-ho. She asked in a voice filled with warmth, ¡°Can I just hug you once?¡±

    ¡°Sure, anytime,¡± he replied in embarrassment.

    Sitri slowly closed her eyes. Then she took one step further and hugged him tightly.

    She was warm. She was smaller than him, but he felt like he was held in her arms.

    ¡°The King of Greed.¡±

    She whispered. There was some sadness in her voice, which was hard to describe.

    He knew what the strange feelings he felt were. He felt different from when he held Catalina or Kaiwan. Scathach came to his mind at that moment. Obviously, he felt something like her warmth, who hugged him like a mother.

    He closed his eyes and hugged her, too. Again, time passed slowly this time, and Sitri pushed him away gently.

    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s only a moment, but I could recall him.¡±

    She was moved to tears. Then she took one step back and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re different from him, though. You look like him a lot, but you¡¯re my client, anyway.¡±

    He knew who she was talking about. That was why he felt some more sadness in her voice.

    Sitri stepped back a few more steps. Yong-ho, at a loss about what to say first, opened his mouth finally, ¡°Well... I defeated that King of Gluttony.¡±

    When he said that, Sitri blinked without replying. He felt a bit awkward, so he blushed.

    Come to think of it, he felt like he was asking for her praise of what he had done. He recalled the time when he got perfect scores in a test at the school as a boy.

    Sitri kept blinking without a word. When he got even his earlobes red, embarrassed, she burst intoughter and said, ¡°Dear client, do you know how cute you are right now?¡±

    Actually, Sitri knew it the moment she realized that he had defeated the King of Gluttony.

    He cleared his throat in embarrassment, and Sitri didn¡¯t bother him.

    ¡°Let me tell you this...¡±

    There were already cozy and fluffy chairs arranged behind them. Sitri, with her back buried deep against the back of the chair, waited until he sat down. She then said, ¡°Dear client, do you remember what I said shortly after I saw you first? I told you to be wary of those who valued pure blood.¡±

    At that moment, he tilted his head, not knowing what she was talking about, but he could soon remember what she meant. When he nodded, she said again, ¡°As you may know, this demon world is a mess. There are not only those born in the demon world but also a lot of people from the alien world like you, my dear customer.¡±

    When she fidgeted with her fingers, there was a picture of light drawn in the air. A round circle symbolized the demon world, and the small people in the circle and the new people following the big arrow outside the circle represented the demonic natives and the aliens, respectively. ¡°Purists are those who im that only pure demons are masters of the demon world. They have a radical idea that everyone whoes from the alien world should be enved.¡±

    Their idea could also be called a kind of fascism. Simr thoughts were found in the human world where Yong-ho used to live.

    ¡°Are there so many here from the alien world?¡±

    ¡°A lot. Right now, the people of the Queen of Fury, the eight-ns, are from the alien world. So is the King of Gluttony.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was a Preta, the lowest demon who came to the demon world with the eight-n people. That was why he chose the Afsaras, who had a deep connection with the eight-n people, as his pleasure girls.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s been quite a while since the eight-n people came from the alien world. It¡¯s already been a few hundred years since they came. However, from the perspective of the purists in the demon world, they are no more than an inferior race to be enved.¡±

    When Sitri moved her fingers again, a simplified dragon shape was drawn in the air.

    ¡°The dragons, belonging to the n of the King of Violence, are also from the alien world. Of course, there are also some dragons from the demon world. They are called the demon dragon race. Anyway, it¡¯s a situation where the stone that just rolled in takes out the embedded stone, but that¡¯s the current situation. In fact, dragons came down here so long ago that they are hard to be called an alien race.¡±

    The dragon¡¯s shape changed to a map of the demonic world this time.

    Sitri said, adding a new line in the middle, ¡°There are more powerful purists in the north. The King of Pride and the King of Envy are the typical purists. In particr, the King of Envy is also notorious for not recognizing anybody as a king, except for the King of Pride, the King of Lust, and the King of Sloth. They were all born in the demon world like him.¡±

    Just under the line drawn by Sitri was the territory of the Queen of Fury.

    Sitri pointed to that area and said, ¡°The eight-n people were originally enved in the north for a long time. It wasn¡¯t until the Queen of Fury appeared that they started enjoying a stable life. It¡¯s natural that the Queen of Fury was called the ¡°King of Defender.¡±

    The light was scattered. Sitri looked at Yong-ho instead of the empty space.

    ¡°No one can be sure of how the situation of the demon world will be in the future. However, if the Queen of Fury gets what she wants, there is a high possibility that there will be a confrontation between the north and the south. And the core of that confrontation is the fight between the purists and the outsiders.¡±

    ¡°In that respect, it¡¯s essential to form a southern alliance front.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible when the King of Pride sessfully upies the north.¡±

    Sitri crossed her legs in reverse. She usually helped him indirectly, but it¡¯s very rare that she took the initiative to tell him about things in detail like this voluntarily. The fact that he defeated the King of Gluttony might have moved her for some reason.

    ¡°Let me draw your attention to this.¡±

    Again, an entire map of the demonic world drawn in the air. But this time, different emblems were embedded in each area. He soon realized that each emblem represented the six kings who ruled the demon world.

    The emblem representing the King of Gluttony among them disappeared. Sitri bit her lower lip slightly and said, ¡°A country created by a king is strong and organized beyondparison with the southern area. Probably, the King of Gluttony¡¯s subordinates can hide the secret about their boss¡¯s death for some time, but not forever. Once the secret is revealed, thend of the King of Gluttony will turn into a battlefield. And it¡¯s my personal wish, but I hope that you can y a big role in such a situation. You still have some time to strengthen your forces.¡±

    There were clearly expectations for him in her gaze. He did not want to betray her expectation.

    ¡°Let me stop talking about this difficult topic. Oh, our conversationst time was cut off when I told you I obtained the gift you asked me for, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well, let me conclude it this time. Please choose one.¡±

    She snapped her fingers at the same time. Then two catalogs appeared in the air. Each contained a magic device and dungeon spirits.

    ¡°The magic sword with the secret of necromancing and a lich specializing in necromancing.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you which one you want to choose.¡±

    The two catalogs that automatically opened turned to him.

    ***

    Yong-ho returned.

    Sitri was left alone in the whole white space.

    ¡°The King of Greed.¡±

    Sitri closed her eyes. Her bright smile with which she saw him off turned into sadness.

    Hundreds of years ago there were five kings during Mammon, the great King of Greed¡¯s days.

    King of Greed.

    King of Pride.

    Queen of Sloth.

    King of Lust.

    King of Envy.

    At thest minute, the King of Pride, the King of Lust, and the King of Envy betrayed the King of Greed. The Queen of Sloth did not actively betray him like the other three kings, but that was it.

    ¡°The King of Greed.¡±

    He was different from Mammon back then. Now it was the thing of the past.

    Sitri closed her eyes. On the day Mammon died in her arms, she remembered what the great King of Greed told her.

    The white world turned ck. Darkness enveloped Sitri.

 Chapter 211 - Glorious Return (1)

    <h4>Chapter 211: Glorious Return (1)</h4>

    It¡¯s the 25th floor of the arena.

    Yukrasion, the 9th master of the House of Mammon as well as the floor master of the 25th floor, turned to the special seat, sweating buckets, where Gusion was seated, sweating.

    Gusion shook his head when she earnestly indicated she would like to surrender.

    In the arena, a cruel testing ce, there was no option like ¡®I want to surrender even without trying to fight at all.¡¯

    Yukrasion, who was about to cry, looked straight ahead. She felt like a terrifying and menacing mana was squeezing her body tightly.

    Yukrasion took pride in her own strength. She had five horns, and herbat skills were advanced far enough because she practiced long enough in the arena.

    However, she never thought that she would be able to beat this ¡°monster¡± challenger in front of her now.

    ¡®Hey, this... It¡¯s against the rules!¡¯

    The challenger wasn¡¯t as strong as now until he sessfully challenged up to the 24th floor. He had a soft spot as a human being because he almost died from suffocation.

    Challenger Yong-ho released his full power in front of Yukrasion. He wanted to test how strong his power became after taking the essence of the King of Gluttony.

    Enormous mana soared from his six towering horns. Their presence itself resonated with the whole area around him.

    Yong-ho¡¯s mana, represented by the green mes, did not contain only Greed. It had the power of Gluttony, though a bit now, and Yong-ho¡¯s determination to ¡°eat,¡± which could be called Gluttony itself, caused instinctive fear in those who encountered him.

    Yukrasion resembled Kaiwan. Since Yukrasion was Kaiwan¡¯s ancestor, it was correct to say thetter resembled the former.

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t veryfortable because the beauty with rich gray hair was trembling with a sad expression. However, he had no intention of relenting.

    ¡°Let me end this fighting with just one blow!¡±

    When he shouted mercifully, she clenched her teeth and released mana. Facing her, though, he lifted Aamon in his right hand and concentrated mana at once.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Yukrasion rushed, screaming like crazy, but Yong-ho swung Aamon. As he promised, he punched her down with just a single blow.

    ¡°What a cruel guy!¡± Cried Gusion.

    ¡°But her pain must have been very short.¡±

    When Yong-ho replied casually, Gusion narrowed his eyes further. Then, he added, pretending to be startled, ¡°What a scary guy!¡±

    Herst screaming was sadness itself. It was so sad that Yong-ho got worried for a moment whether death in the arena would actually lead to actual death.

    Despite that, Yong-ho was calm andposed. Maybe he might react differently, but he was a thoroughbatant during battle.

    ¡®That¡¯s why I like him.¡¯

    Murmuring to himself, Gusion smiled, as if his criticism of Yong-ho until a moment ago was fake.

    Kaiwan hugged Yong-ho¡¯s arm tightly and said, ¡°Yukrasion has a good personality. So, you will be fine.¡±

    It seemed Kaiwan¡¯s words were out of ce, but Yong-ho nodded because Yukrasion didn¡¯t look like a bad person.

    When they began to talk less and less, the mes of the red lotus arose. Aamon, who was with Yong-ho even during battle unlike he was before, asked Gusion gently, [What do you think about our master¡¯s power¡¯s growth, Gusion?]

    Now, Aamon changed the way he called Yong-ho. His title was now ¡®master,¡¯ not ¡®young master¡¯ like before.

    Gusion, who went to the trouble of differentiating between ¡®young master¡¯ and ¡®master,¡¯ didn¡¯t miss his title change, of course.

    Instead of looking at Yong-ho up and down, Gusion smiled and looked at his eyes, which were normally emitting a green light. Gusion admitted it, too.

    ¡°You have definitely gotten stronger. Much stronger!¡±

    To simply talk about the strength of mana, Yong-ho was the strongest among those who visited the arena for thest one thousand years.

    And Gusion knew that it was not just his mana that saw a dramatic growth. Yong-ho was as hard as steel that went through repeated quenching. Not only in the arena but also in other ces, he experienced deadly fighting again and again.

    Victory in fighting was not determined simply by one¡¯s mana and physical strength. Fighting spirit and fighting skills, bold judgment, and flexible thinking affected one¡¯s victory and defeat greatly.

    The Yong-ho in front of Yukrasion was very good at fighting. Besides, he had lots of fighting experiences through numerous deadly fighting.

    For the first time since bing the owner of the arena, Gusion began to have expectations for Yong-ho.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. Come up quickly. I am on the 39th floor,¡± said Gusion.

    For the first time, Gusion informed the challenger of his specific location in the arena.

    ¡®Yeah, because I trust him and I have expectations for him.¡¯

    Gusion was convinced that Yong-ho would definitely ovee all the difficulties that would stand before him on the 39th floor one day.

    Yong-ho nodded when he looked at Gusion¡¯s intense eyes.

    He said with a cheerful expression, ¡°Not now. Let me go back to my hometown first. Oh, I¡¯ve got Scathach¡¯s letter for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Although Gusion was perplexed because he didn¡¯t challenge the next floor, Yong-ho quickly turned. Kaiwan, who was holding his arm, said, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a present.¡±

    ¡°See you next time.¡±

    Catalina also turned, waving her tail gently.

    Finally, Aamon spoke, [See you next time, man.]

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t need to be escorted by the man with a beast mask. He walked out of the arena with big strides.

    Gusion, looking at the spot nkly where Yong-ho and his party left, turned his eyes at Scathach¡¯s letter. He nodded when he read her message that she wanted to meet him soon, not just saying, ¡®I miss you.¡¯

    Gusion again looked toward the passage through which Yong-ho went out.

    He smiled gently, which didn¡¯t befit his image normally.

    ***

    Gardimundi soared into the sky. She held a letter from the master of the House of Mammon in her arms, and some gifts in Sarasvati¡¯s pocket on her waist. Of course, among the gifts were the special product, fried chicken.

    The master himself visited the Free City. His visit was very unusual, which was a strong indication that he, too, treated Gardimundi, the messenger of the Queen of Fury, with respect.

    However, Gardimundi thought about it in another aspect.

    Why did he visit the Free City directly without calling her to his ce?

    Of course, some of the masters did not want to expose their dungeons to outsiders, so they handled all their diplomatic affairs at the dungeon entrance.

    However, the House of Mammon once admitted Gardimundi into the dungeon recently.

    So, it didn¡¯t make any sense that they didn¡¯t want to let her enter the dungeon this time.

    ¡®Is it because the entrance to the dungeon was destroyed?¡¯

    The House of Mammon was attacked. The entrance to the dungeon, which was built so strongly as to resist any attack, was destroyed entirely, so the attack must have been very devastating.

    The master of the House of Mammon told her that the alien people attacked them by intruding into the twisted door of space.

    Was it really true?

    If he lied, why did he make up such a lie?

    The farthest area of Mammon¡¯s dungeon, namely Enkatro Pagnium, was notorious for the unstable flow of mana. It was not easy to find the traces of twisting because the flow of mana was strong there in the first ce.

    ¡®Well, the Mammon people are friendly to us anyway.¡¯

    Rationally speaking, it was natural that Yong-ho weed her because his alliance with the Queen of Fury would be beneficial to him anyway.

    ¡®He got stronger.¡¯

    The master of the House of Mammon never opened his horns in front of Gardimundi. But she could feel something different about him between now and then. He was stronger than when she met himst time. And it was the same with the women on his left and right.

    Perhaps, it was the attack that made them stronger.

    ¡®Given the oue of the attack, though...¡¯

    Unlike Kirtimuka, who was making a big fuss over the possible alliance in excitement, in fact, Gardimundi initially did not take seriously the ¡°marriage¡± of her master Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury. It was because she didn¡¯t think the master of the House of Mammon was the right candidate to be her king.

    But she changed her perception of the Mammon master. It didn¡¯t matter that the House of Mammon was weak.

    The master of the House of Mammon and his subordinate spirits were strong. Of course, he was not powerful enough, but she felt he could stand before her master proudly.

    Finding the bridegroom candidate among the eight-n people was not beneficial to the king.

    So, her alliance with a powerful outside force would be of great help to her people.

    Gardimundi loved and cherished the Queen of Fury very much. But she was a king. Her marriage was not something about her own matter as a king, but something she had to take into ount for the interests of her people.

    Gardimundi pped her wings a little faster. She flew fast through the sky of the demon world with her red wings, which was called the fastest among the Garura n.

    Exactly one day had passed since Yong-ho woke up. All of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon gathered in the room where the door of the space was located.

    [This time, you have consumed the mana of not two, but three among us.]

    [Fortunately, you did not use the mana stored in the dungeon when you fought the King of Gluttony.]

    [Of course, if youe back after your visit, it looks like even the stored mana will be running out.]

 Chapter 212 - Glorious Return (2)

    <h4>Chapter 212: Glorious Return (2)</h4>

    Yong-ho fought the king in a ce where any outside help was blocked from the beginning. Because of this, the reserved mana in the dungeon was more than enough despite a series of big battles in session, which turned out to be better for the House of Mammon.

    Yong-ho, standing at the door of space with Kaiwan and Catalina, looked back.

    He made eye contact with Skull first, who stood out most among the dungeon spirits.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull was still in the shape of a Dragon Bone Knight.

    He said with a bitter smile, ¡°Let me make the decision after Ie back.¡±

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    A magic sword containing the secret of necromancing and a lich specializing in necromancing.

    Yong-ho eventually chose both and paid for them. This took the House of Mammon into deficit again, but he didn¡¯t feel any regret about it. Skull always showed more returns on his investment than expected. The real wealth of the House of Mammon was always the few ¡°talents¡± who made up the elites.

    Yong-ho again rolled his eyes and looked at arger entity than Skull.

    He smiled with a sorry expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you something you can eat this time. You can trust me.¡±

    Treant responded by shaking its branches. Like the Goblin Ranger and Goblin, he was no longer an ordinary Treant thanks to repeated evolution.

    When Yong-ho looked back at his subordinate spirits one by one and promised them a gift, Kaiwan pulled him slightly. Then she said mischievously as if she was a bit critical, ¡°You¡¯re going to use all the money to buy the gifts. You need to save some money.¡±

    Of course, she cracked a joke, but Yuria got serious, who was waiting for her turn to make eye contact with him, trying to suppress her excitement.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter when he saw Yuria, who became seriously worried about the financial situation of the House of Mammon.

    He reassured her by pinching her cheek and said, ¡°You do not have to worry. We have a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    Feeling rxed, Yuria quickly bowed to him, followed by Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat.

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Meowing! Meowing!¡±

    After exchanging greetings with his subordinate spirits, he turned his eyes at his most trusted aides. On behalf of his subordinate spirits, Ophelia said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about things here. Have a great journey!¡±

    ¡°If anything happens, let me know right away.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius bowed to him. Their atmosphere was somewhat different from Yuria, Baduk, and the baby meerkat.

    Yong-ho turned. He tightly held Catalina¡¯s hand, who was just happy because she had been there already, as well as Kaiwan¡¯s hand, who seemed to be a bit nervous.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yong-ho and Catalina jumped at the same time, and Kaiwan hit the ground a bitte as if she was sucked into them.

    The door of the deep blue space swallowed up the three.

    ***

    The door opened. It didn¡¯te to his mind well how he passed through the door.

    It looked like it took long but short at the same time. What he saw when he opened his eyes was the unfamiliar living room of his house in the human world.

    Yong-ho took a big breath. Catalina also expressed her peace of mind by waving her tail gently. Only Kaiwan looked around, turning white with nervousness.

    Right at that moment, his father called, ¡°Yong-ho?¡±

    His father, who was sitting at the kitchen table over a meal, blinked, holding a spoon.

    Yong-ho smiled brightly and turned around.

    ¡°Daddy.¡±

    His father calmly put down the spoon and drank cold water.

    He got up and said, ¡°The one on your left is my daughter-inw.¡±

    Thanks to the interpreting magic, Catalina recognized the expression ¡®daughter-inw¡¯ and pped her ears and tail. Then he turned his eyes to the right.

    ¡°Who is thisdy on the right?¡±

    This time, Kaiwan was more quick-witted. Holding down a little motion sickness, she said hello to his father cutely, which didn¡¯t fit her usual behavior, ¡°How do you do, sir? My name is Kaiwan. I¡¯m Yong-ho¡¯s wife.¡±

    She unusually pronounced strongly when she mentioned ¡®wife.¡¯

    His father blinked once again. He looked at Catalina, just in case, but he realized that he could not find any sign of her divorce or separation in her expression.

    Then there was one possibility left.

    ¡°Yong-ho, you must be a king, right?¡±

    Yong-ho smiled awkwardly at his father¡¯s prodding.

    ¡°By the way, Dad, why are you at home at this hour?¡±

    When he asked, blinking his eyes, his father frowned.

    Then he knocked on the table with a bang and said, ¡°It¡¯s morning, son. Do you think the chicken house is a 24-hour convenience store? It¡¯s closed in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Time difference?¡±

    When he left the demon world, it was obviously in the afternoon. When he visited herest time, there was almost no difference in time between the demon and human worlds. Did the passage of time change by any chance?

    His father narrowed his eyes then said right away, ¡°Well, it¡¯s March here.¡±

    Yong-ho knitted his brows. Since hest visited, he has spent less than two months in the demon world, but more than three months passed in the human world.

    Obviously, the passage of time was different between the two worlds. And it changed significantly than it didst time.

    He didn¡¯t know how the passage of time between the two worlds was different, but it was going to be a problem if the current difference would be bigger than now.

    ¡®Should I take him to the demon world soon?¡¯

    It would be a big headache for Yong-ho if his one-year stay in the demon world would mean the passage of ten years in the human world, with his father getting ten years older than now.

    While Yong-ho was agonizing about it, his father took the spoon again.

    ¡°Let me finish my meal first. Did you eat anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    Although his son suddenly brought a new daughter-inw, he never lost hisposure, as always. After looking back at Catalina and Kaiwan, who were standing nkly, he said to Yong-ho again, ¡°Wives... That expression of mine is weird. Anyway, go into your room with them and watch your picture album. Let me finish eating and join you in no time.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes.¡±

    ¡°See youter, daughter-inw.¡±

    He looked back at Kaiwan, who quickly smiled and said, ¡°Yes, father.¡±

    Smiling at her again, he began to eat again.

    Yong-ho quickly led Kaiwan and Catalina into his room.

    The room was empty and spacious because all the furniture was put away. Kaiwan, sitting in the middle of the room, looked around curiously.

    ¡°This ce is very small. Is it a warehouse or an annex?¡±

    Yong-ho recalled the House of Mammon when he visited first. It was definitely a ruined house, but it was big. Even Kaiwan¡¯s office there, rtively small, was bigger than his living room.

    Catalina quickly whispered to Kaiwan, ¡°All the houses in the human world are small.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Kaiwan again looked around Yong-ho¡¯s room again. Looking at her glittering eyes, it seemed that she was thinking of bringing someone from his family that she had once nned. At that time, she thought of it to get some help from a remote rtive, but given the condition of his house, it seemed that she would need to help him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look at your album.¡±

    To change the topic, Yong-ho unfolded an album chosen by his father but regretted it in no time. But Catalina and Kaiwan burst intoughter, watching his pictures.

    Among the pictures of his baby days was one showing he was all smiles, fully naked.

    ***

    Yong-ho¡¯s embarrassing momentssted until his father came into the room. The album was filled with his humiliating photos as if his father chose them deliberately.

    Just like someone who knew the etiquette, his father served Catalina, Kaiwan, and Yong-ho a cup of green tea.

    Yong-ho asked, sipping the tea after blowing on it to cool it a bit.

    ¡°Did you have anything special, Dad?¡±

    ¡°Not really. How about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, too. I¡¯mfortable.¡±

    He hid his expression by lifting the teacup, but he knew he was already caught by his father.

    As expected, it was impossible for him to deceive his father.

    However, his father didn¡¯t bother to ask him. After putting down the green teacup, he said again, ¡°Come to think of it... Have you seen it when you came herest time? I mean the article about those who fell into aa while ying online games.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes. I remember it.¡±

    Obviously, he saw the news on the electronic bulletin board while delivering chicken.

    Since he mentioned it out of the blue sky, Yong-ho prodded him to continue.

    He continued, ¡°Such people increased significantly. I hear there are over hundreds of thousands of people in aa all over the world.¡±

    Hundreds of thousands were never small. Catalina and Kaiwan were embarrassed, while Yong-ho leaned forward.

    ¡°Were they ying any specific online games?¡±

    ¡°No, they yed irregrly. There are even some who fell into aa while doing Super Mario multi-y. Their game machines were all different.¡±

    This was definitely a phenomenon in itself. Moreover, this was not all.

    ¡°But what happened next after they fell into aa is weird. Their recovery period is all different.¡±

    ¡°Recovery period? Are there any who regained consciousness?¡±

    ¡°A lot. Almost all of them regained their consciousness. But as I told you already, their recovery periods are different. Some wake up from theira right after they fall into it, and others wake up a few days or a month to two monthster. There are even people who have not been able to wake up until now.¡±

 Chapter 213 - Glorious Return (3)

    <h4>Chapter 213: Glorious Return (3)</h4>

    Yong-ho felt more and more strange about it.

    His father addedstly, ¡°Some of the people who have recently woken up said something crazy. They said while they were in aa, they experienced something like a fantasy world that would appear in movies. Those who woke up before them didn¡¯t say anything like that. But some among those who woke up after March are talking about their fantasy experiences.¡±

    Yong-ho seemed to know why his father mentioned it. Leaning toward him, his father asked, ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Some of them must have been summoned to an alien world in aa.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never heard of it. How about you, Kaiwan?¡±

    ¡°Coma means that their bodies are left behind here, right? I¡¯ve never heard of an alien summon magic that takes only their souls,¡± Kaiwan replied quite seriously.

    Yong-ho, too, did not hear that arge number of humans appeared in the demon world.

    Checking Yong-ho and Kaiwan¡¯s reaction, his father let out a sigh. Then he said feebly, as if he was a bit distraught, ¡°Do you remember Yong-je? I mean your cousin, Yong-je Cheon. He immigrated to Ennd, as you know.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. I yed games with him before I went to the demon world. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I hear he fell into aa then died.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Yong-je...¡±

    It was a few years ago that he saw Yong-je¡¯s facest time.

    However, he continued to get in touch with his cousin online.

    His father put his hands on Yong-ho¡¯s back then said, ¡°I asked you, just in case. Don¡¯t dwell on it too much. He died already several months ago, and even his funeral was already over.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded slowly. Maybe because it¡¯s not the first time he saw someone close to him die, or because he lost contact with his cousin for some time, Yong-ho felt more embarrassed and empty than sad.

    ¡°By the way, what has brought you here this time? It¡¯s nice to see your face once in a while, but you surprised me with your unexpected visit,¡± said his father, smiling on purpose.

    Yong-ho also responded with a forcedugh, ¡°You know I¡¯m from the human world, Dad. I hear that it will be good for me to take some fresh air here. I also wanted to introduce Kaiwan to you.¡±

    His father narrowed his eyes, not knowing what he was talking about.

    ¡°Do you need more Coke?¡±

    ¡°And other stuff.¡±

    Both of themughed together.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw you anyway. I¡¯m d to see my daughters-inw, too.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan smiled shyly at the same time.

    With a heartyugh, his father asked them, ¡°Isn¡¯t he giving you any headache?¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan rolled their eyes once again, embarrassed.

    Yong-ho hoped that his father would get out of his room as soon as possible.

    ***

    ¡°Oh my God.¡±

    Kaiwan opened her mouth nkly. She could hardly calm down like someone who just experienced a miracle.

    She was now standing in front of a big supermarket.

    ¡°The human world is really abundant. So many people here, too.¡±

    There were hundreds of items in the supermarket everywhere she looked at.

    Not only food ingredients but also all kinds of items were piled up like a mountain here and there.

    It was truly a wonder to Kaiwan. She felt like she was in Mammon¡¯s arsenal in the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Besides, there were so many people. People were crowded everywhere on the streets.

    Poption density itself was different from that of the demon world.

    Yong-ho, who was somewhat conceited before he knew it, once again pressed the baseball cap Kaiwan was wearing. He pushed the cart with Catalina who covered her head with a hood.

    ¡°Yong-ho, Yong-ho. How do you read this?¡±

    The only thing the interpretation magic stone could solve was providingnguage through voice.

    Yong-ho replied, looking at the item that Kaiwan presented with full of curiosity.

    ¡°Huh? Smi.¡±

    ¡°Smi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, smi.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes, while Catalina blinked, embarrassed.

    Kaiwan inquisitively asked again, ¡°Hey, can you eat this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, why?¡±

    Smi, it was a kind of Italian sausage.

    She shook her head from side to side after putting it down.

    ¡°You¡¯re so mean. Howe you named it like this? If Smi heard about this, he would be very much disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Yuria, Lucia, Baduk. These names have nothing to do with food, right?¡±

    Catalina quickly jumped in.

    Yong-ho replied hastily, ¡°No, just smi only. Only smi is a food name.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan became even sullen for his reply, which sounded like his excuses, so he quickly pushed the cart. They caught up with him, but he didn¡¯t look back.

    ***

    Two days passed like a sh.

    The main purpose of Yong-ho¡¯s visit to the human world, namely the recovery of his body and the Demon God¡¯s heart, was sessful. As Scathach said, his exposure to the air of the human world seemed to be helpful to him.

    After shopping then visiting the amusement park with Catalina and Kaiwan, Yong-ho opened the door of space after piling up all kinds of items to give his subordinate spirits and others a mountain load of stuff.

    ¡°I¡¯m going toe back to take you sooner orter, Dad.¡±

    He grabbed his father¡¯s hands. Fortunately, thanks to his max evolution EXP, his father experienced another evolution, so he had a strong build, something rare for a middle-aged man.

    However, Yong-ho didn¡¯t feel good because he had to leave his father behind again.

    His father gently wrapped the back of Yong-ho¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t feel good, either.

    He had lots of things to ask Yong-ho, but he could easily find out that the demon world was not and full of safety and peace.

    ¡°Alright, son. Take care. Don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±

    After Yong-ho said goodbye to him, Catalina and Kaiwan did the same thing.

    Kaiwan hugged him suddenly, so Catalina, who only shook hands with him, was showing a regrettable expression. But it was toote for her to hug him.

    His father waved at them, standing still, and Yong-ho bowed to himstly. He then threw himself into the door of space.

    ***

    The King of Violence¡¯s consciousness was separated from his body and hovered in the air.

    He recalled a meeting with the King of Sloth. Then he connected the King of Sloth¡¯s demands with what he confirmed from the King of Sloth.

    In a way, it was pointless. It was just like tracing things of the past.

    There were almost a few of those in those days who survived until now.

    The King of Violence turned his gaze from the past to the present. He saw the demon world, facing a period of confusion in the days ahead.

    Who would be the hero of the history that would unfold in theing days?

    He was not the King of Gluttony, nor was the Queen of Fury.

    The most likely candidate was the King of Pride who ruled in the north.

    But he was not alone. There was another one in seclusion, who didn¡¯t reveal himself yet in the demon world.

    ¡°The King of Greed.¡±

    The Godly Energy of Greed tipped him that the King of Greed returned.

    As his true master, the king came down to the demon world after a thousand years.

    The consciousness of the King of Violence closed its eyes. It stopped hovering in the air and united with its main body.

    ¡°The King of Greed.¡±

    Ancient Red Dragon. Dragon Lord of the day. The strongest dragon in the demon world.

    The man who rose to the position of king confidently even without any of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The King of Violence opened his eyes. His mountain-like giant body began to move.

    ***

    The Queen of Fury opened the letter from the master of the House of Mammon in excitement.

    His face that he recalled several times appeared through a video message in the air.

    Kirtimuka smiled mischievously behind her back, which looked subtle but dangerous.

    Gardimundi looked at Yong-ho¡¯s images in the video rather seriously.

    The message Yong-ho conveyed through the video was routine.

    In the message, he said he thanked her proposal for alliance and summit talks, which he said were good. He said he would leave it to her to set the date, but argued that the meeting would take ce in the unimed area in the north. He added he would look forward to seeing her.

    His message was in, but the Queen of Fury didn¡¯t feel like that.

    The Queen of Fury lightly pressed the letter down on her heart, feeling it was beating somewhat different from when it did at the auction house.

    ***

    The King of Lust leaned against the thronefortably. He felt that the deep regrets that had haunted him for a thousand years wereing back to him.

    He couldn¡¯t help it. There was no way for him to reverse his betrayal on that day.

    The King of Lust admitted his wrongdoing. He closed his eyes in deep regret.

    ***

    The King of Pride reached out. He grabbed the pieces randomly lined up on the chessboard.

    His gaze was not fixed on the northern part where a war was going on.

    The southern area.

    Thend where Mammon, the cursed King of Greed, ruled.

    The King of Pride smiled. He looked down at the ground from the highest ce in the sky.

    ***

    Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Godly Energies.

    It had been a thousand and a hundred years since Mammon, the King of Greed, died.

    Sin and Sin began to call each other again.

    The seven Godly Energies yearned to return to their masters.

    After all, the seven Sins returned, along with the seven kings.

    Did Sin resonate with Godly Energy because they hoped for the arrival of a new demon king, or was there another reason?

    Nobody knew it yet.

 Chapter 214 - Alliance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 214: Alliance (1)</h4>

    The death of a demon king soon led to the death of the soul of the dungeon. Because of this, if the demon king who went outside the dungeon met with a violent death, it was conveyed to those who remained inside the dungeon in near real-time.

    The King of Gluttony was dead.

    It was only about ten minutester when Ondo, the king¡¯s butler, came to know about the king¡¯s death.

    Unlike Red Demons, Blue Demons were good at magic,pared with their weak physical abilities, and often showed surprising calmness even in a crisis. Ondo responded to his death withposure and calmness befitting his identity as a Blue Demon.

    Ondo blocked the dungeon immediately. When the dungeon¡¯s soul died, most of the dungeon¡¯s functions were supposed to be paralyzed. In that case, those dungeon spirits inside the dungeon would feel something strange, btedly or not, and some of them might be suspicious of their master¡¯s death.

    So, it was better to have rumors getting around about the blockade of the dungeon outside than letting things inside leak out.

    Ondo, who blocked the dungeon, agonized. The King of Gluttony did not leave any contingency guidelines in case he died. He didn¡¯t have any sessor chosen in advance. The king was not prepared for his death. It wasn¡¯t because he was too young to think of anything like death yet. It wasn¡¯t even because the king¡¯s death wasn¡¯t something to consider.

    The king rose to the throne after oveing the crisis of death over and over again. It wasmon for the master of a house to prepare for their own death, regardless of whether he was young or old.

    Nevertheless, there was one reason why the King of Gluttony did not prepare for his death.

    He simply didn¡¯t care about anything after his death.

    What was the point of caring about anything after he died anyway? An heir was not important to him because he was a king who had grown up by defining everybody other than himself as an enemy and literally ¡°eating¡± them. For a man like him who thought only he was important, preparing for somebody else after his death was nothing but a futile effort.

    But that was only the position of the King of Gluttony himself.

    Ondo, who was left behind, agonized. The number of those who belonged to the Kingdom of the King of Gluttony was huge. As a result, only the King of Gluttony could stay insensitive to the lives and well-being of his own people.

    It wasn¡¯t just the absence of the king that made Ondo concerned.

    The absence of the Ten Warriors, the king¡¯s right-hand men, also made him worried.

    The king was killed, and his right-hand men were killed. Not only his top deputy but also other top subordinates were all killed.

    Fortunately, most of the Ten Warriors were the king¡¯s subordinate spirits, not ¡®masters.¡¯ If each of them was a master, even Ondo would not be able to hide the deaths of all of them, no matter how smart he was.

    ¡®It would be a matter of time anyway.¡¯

    Since the King of Gluttony was a womanizer, he had numerous pleasure women for his sexual desire. Because of this, ¡°those offsprings,¡± who inherited the king¡¯s blood, mushroomed. Maybe Ondo might have to choose one of them to seed theirte father.

    But was it enough?

    Would other kings watch the kingdom whose king had disappeared, and in a tense situation like this at that?

    Ondo eventually stopped judging for himself. Since all of the Ten Warriors were the king¡¯s subordinate spirits, he decided to rely on the unexpected benefactors to resolve this issue.

    Ondo wrote three letters. They were addressed to the three masters under the king¡¯smand, who led a mighty army defending the front lines in the north and west.

    The king¡¯s subordinate spirits could not be the masters, so they could not be local strongmen protecting the dungeon at an important point, even though they could be the king¡¯s close aides.

    Although not only the king but also his Ten Warriors were killed, there were, fortunately, three strongmen in the Kingdom of the King of Gluttony who defended the borders.

    Ondo decided to leave this matter to these three strongmen. He hurriedly sent out the letters to each of them.

    ***

    ¡®That¡¯s weird.¡¯

    Samael, ¡®the fastest wing¡¯, tapped the table with her finger. The tea she prepared in advance was already cold for a long time.

    It had already been over an hour since the appointed time passed, but the King of Gluttony did not appear.

    It was strange. The king had never broken the appointment. Though he was somewhat hysterical, he was basically a meticulous man.

    ¡®He didn¡¯t appear at the secret ce he requested first, let alone sending any message about his failure to appear.¡¯

    Samael was upset because she was put out after waiting for more than one hour in vain, but she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Rather than being upset, she came to think about the reason rationally.

    The King of Gluttony was not a man to break the appointment. Even if he broke it, this was not the way he did it.

    Then, what was the reason?

    Did something big happen to make it impossible for him to keep the appointment?

    Samael stood up. Instead of dismissing her assumptions like this as delusion, she acted.

    She called an incubus.

    ***

    ¡°Hey, guys! I¡¯m back.¡±

    Yong-ho just passed through the door of space, shouting with her hands open.

    Catalina curled her tail as if she was shy, but she posed with him.

    Kaiwan clicked her tongue after stepping back from him.

    Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits and others reacted differently. Smi, sitting in a corner with Bucephs, shook his head, narrowing his eyes, while Bucephs tapped on the back of Smi with a horseshoe as ifforting his rival, but Smi growled at Bucephs, unhappy about him putting his feet on his back.

    Opheliaughed awkwardly as if she was shy, and Tigrius gently turned away.

    However, Yuria, who Yong-ho had in mind from the beginning, weed his return by pping her hands, so did the baby dungeon meerkat on her head and Baduki on her back.

    ¡°Wee back, master!¡±

    Eligos expressed due manners on behalf of all the dungeon spirits just like the butler of the House of Mammon. Not only his subordinate spirits but also all the major dungeon spirits of the Mammon family weed him in the room of the space.

    ¡°Yes, thanks for your warm wee. I¡¯ve brought you guys a bunch of gifts.¡±

    [You bought mine, right?]

    [Did you buy Merona?]

    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.]

    There seemed to be something strange stuck in the middle of the gift packages, but Yong-ho nodded with a smile and lifted a small pocket apart from therge package like he didst time. It was a magic pouch he obtained as a reward in the arena. Looking at it, it was a small pocket that could barely fit a fist, but it was expanded a lot inside with magic, so much so that it could contain even a car.

    Even normal packages were piled up like a mountain, so when Yong-ho lifted the magic pocket, Ophelia became a little worried. Quick-witted, Kaiwan whispered to her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the budget. In the human world, the value of a jewel was more than that here. We used one of the jewels we carried there to buy all this.¡±

    Ophelia felt relieved to hear that, but a bit embarrassed at the same time, so she nodded quietly. Yong-ho pulled out the first item from the magic pouch.

    ¡°Now, this one is for Treant.¡±

    Treant, who was standing at the entrance to the room because of his huge body, where the door of space was located, shook its branch in surprise. It didn¡¯t think it would be called first.

    Yong-ho waved at Treant once again, who waddled on its roots and approached him.

    ¡°This is a nt nutrient. I don¡¯t know if it tastes good, but it must be good for your body.¡±

    Yong-ho lifted dozens of stic containers with yellow liquid then removed one of them and put it into Treant¡¯s body right away. Treant flinched for a moment, but it soon became satisfied and happily hung down its branches.

    As Yong-ho said, Treant obviously didn¡¯t feel it tasted good. Besides, a single nutrient could not have restored Treant¡¯s body immediately. Nevertheless, Treant¡¯s expression was satisfaction itself. He seemed to be pleased with the fact that he received a gift from Yong-ho more than anything else.

    In fact, Treant could be said to be one of the founding members of the dungeon, so Yong-ho felt sorry he could not take good care of him until now. If Kaiwan hadn¡¯t followed him this time, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to bring anything like this for Treant.

    When Yong-ho expressed gratitude to Kaiwan with a nce, she signaled to him to continue quickly. He immediately took out a second gift. It was a metal polish.

    ¡°This is for Skull. I think it would be good when you clean weapons or armor...¡±

    Yong-ho unwittinglyughed while slurring his words because Skull applied it on his body as soon as he received the polish. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of his pleasant mood or because of the real product effect, but it seemed that Skull¡¯s body was pretty shiny.

    ¡°Oh, You can do it, too.¡±

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Then Yong-ho handed out other gifts. All of them were picked up by Kaiwan, tailored to the needs of each spirit.

    ¡°This cosmetics is for Ophelia, a pot set for Eligos, and this one is for Tigrius. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like it.¡±

    Tigrius, who received a lighter that looked pretty luxurious, lit it a few times. He then expressed his gratitude with a very satisfied expression. The lighter was a fun toy and collectible for him, who lit a magical me every time he smoked.

    ¡°Now, this is dog gum for you!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Meowing! Meowing!!¡±

    The best gift for a dog was a dog gum. Yong-ho also handed over a few bags of dog snacks. He then rummaged through his pocket again and took out a present for Yuria. It was also a gift that Kaiwan chose, but it was a bit questionable.

    ¡°This is for Yuria.¡±

    When Yong-ho handed the gift to Yuria without expressing his feelings, Yuria, who was so excited at the moment, opened her eyes wide. She admired it from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°Woww!¡±

    It was none other than a ser ball that Yong-ho gave her.

    He originally nned to buy her something like a doll, so he was embarrassed that she liked it so much. Kaiwan, who chose the gift, was half convinced that Yuria might like a ser ball better than a doll, but little did she think Yuria really liked it so much.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 215 - Alliance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 215: Alliance (2)</h4>

    When Yuria kept bowing to him to show gratitude, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat also followed suit.

    ¡®Oh, Yuria really likes the ball!¡¯

    When Yong-ho blinked, suggesting he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, Kaiwan gently nudged his elbow as if to confirm from him that she made the right choice. In fact, a good gift for Yuria was something that she could y with Baduk. In that respect, a ball was better than a doll.

    [What about mine?!]

    [You don¡¯t have one for me?]

    Right after Yuria received her gift, Lucia looked at Yong-ho impatiently.

    He soothed Lucia with a small voice, ¡°Let me give you a giftter.¡±

    [Later?]

    ¡°Yes,ter.¡±

    Yong-ho, who gave Rikum a nice lighter, looked at the two dungeon spirits remaining in the room. They were Smi, who was snorting with lots of expectation, and Bucephs, who pretended to be calm while expecting to receive a gift deep down.

    After giving Bucephs ab to trim mane, which should eventually be done by Skull, Yong-ho stood in front of Smi. He looked at Kaiwan and Catalina once then took out the gift after hesitating a bit.

    ¡°Okay, Smi. This gift is for you. It¡¯s salty, so don¡¯t eat too much at once.¡±

    Yong-ho gave Smi an Italian sausage smi, while Catalina and Kaiwan waited for Smi¡¯s reaction with mixed feelings of curiosity, joy, and nervousness.

    Smi blinked once then ate a slice of smi, pping his tail.

    For some reason, Yong-ho felt a bit guilty and stroked Smi¡¯s head.

    ***

    Just like a demon king who cared about the welfare of his subordinate spirits, Yong-ho had brought enough food to hand out to all the spirits of the Mammon family. The limelight of all the gifts he brought this time was ice cream, not chicken.

    Enjoying Melon-vored ice cream, which Lucia mentioned carelessly as the spirit sharing some memories with Yong-ho, he asked, ¡°There has been no reply from the Queen of Fury yet?¡±

    There were only four in the heart of the dungeon¡ªKaiwan, Catalina, Ophelia, and Eligos.

    Ophelia, admiring the subtle taste of ice cream she tried for the first time in her life, responded btedly, ¡°Ah, uh, yeah. Sorry. Hmm, hmm. No, we haven¡¯t received any reply from the Queen of Fury yet. Actually, her reply was too fastst time. Anyway, it looks like she thought that if she sent her reply fast, she would reveal to us that she was ¡°in a hurry¡± or ¡°impatient.¡± So, even if she has the means to send her reply quickly, it ismon for her to drag on for several days when ites to this kind of exchange.¡±

    ¡®Is it like a girl reading a boy¡¯s text message and not replying right away?¡¯ Yong-ho thought to himself.

    He nodded, recalling his experience of a rare blind date as a college boy. Obviously, it was important to push and pull in these kinds of exchanges.

    Right at that moment, Lucia, who loved the white dress that Yong-ho bought and kept spinning in that dress, suddenly set herself up. As if she looked into the air a bit, she smiled cheerfully.

    [It seems the Queen of Fury is pretty much impatient.]

    [Our master has won in this push and pull game.]

    [This is what the dungeon meerkats have just reported to me.]

    Even without hearing it, Yong-ho seemed to know what it was about.

    Ophelia said with a smile, ¡°It looks like the Queen of Fury is very anxious to meet you¡±

    Why was she making such haste?

    After exchanging a nce with his subordinate spirits, he went out of the heart of the dungeon.

    ***

    Gardimundinded in front of the dungeon entrance just like she did on her first recent visit, and waited for a reply from Yong-ho. Perhaps, since she was concerned that the House of Mammon was attackedst time, she did not raise arge g symbolizing the Queen of Fury. She was here in her capacity as the secret envoy sent by the queen.

    The dungeon meerkats gathered at the entrance of the newly built nest and looked at Gardimundi. The entrance of the new dungeon built under Burgrim¡¯smand was twice asrge and hard as the previous one.

    It was again Eligos, the butler of the Mammon family, who came out to meet Gardimundi.

    But this time, he wasn¡¯t alone. He was apanied by his assistant butler Jun and the Goblin Rangers. They were dressed up, as if to greet the queens¡¯ envoy officially.

    ¡°Wee. Pleasee in.¡±

    ¡°What? Right now?¡±

    Gardimundi asked, embarrassed by Eligos¡¯s hospitality. Even though it was true that the queen and the master of the House of Mammon were in a friendly atmosphere, she didn¡¯t expect they would wee her into the dungeon so quickly without taking any defensive measures.

    Eligos smiled gently and quenched her curiosity.

    ¡°While building the new entrance, we added some facilities. Our master is waiting for you in the reception room.¡±

    Only then did Gardimundi figure out what was going on. The entrance of the dungeon didn¡¯t get bigger and harder without any reason. It was probably because the new reception room was located at the entrance of the dungeon, like other dungeons.

    Stepping into the entrance of the new dungeon, Gardimundi was quite impressed. The fact that the entrance of this size was newly built in just a few days proved the power of the Mammon family. Moreover, it seemed that there were multiple facilities added this time.

    Like a discerning scout, Gardimundi was busy checking here and there while she was standing there. When she took the twelfth step, she noticed something unusual.

    ¡®A special breed?¡¯

    One dungeon meerkat heading to her nest located right before the dungeon entrance was unusual. It looked like a baby, not fully grown, but it had small wings on its back.

    She had never heard of a dungeon meerkat with wings. While taking the thirteenth step, she traced her memory, and when she took the fourteenth step, she realized that the dungeon meerkats outside the dungeon were somewhat different from typical ones.

    What was it? Did they buy only dungeon meerkats of a special breed and raise them?

    Before she could even deduce the answer, Eligos stopped walking. Shown into a well-decorated room, she immediately got the question out of her mind and showed due manners to the master in front of her.

    ¡°Gardimundi of the Garura n, the messenger of Her Majesty the Queen of Fury, is honored to greet you.¡±

    She put together her hands in a typical show of manners of her n.

    Yong-ho responded with a warm smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again. Please sitfortably.¡±

    In the room, there were two sofas ced across each other. The ce was too simple for the master to receive a special envoy of the Queen of Fury, but she preferred it because she was not the type of woman who liked empty formalities and vanity.

    Seated across Yong-ho, Gardimundi put it bluntly without any diplomatic rhetoric.

    ¡°To get right down to the point, our Queen of Fury has epted the conditions set forth by the master of the Mammon family. The meeting ce is in the unimed area in the north. I want to leave it to you to choose the specific meeting ce. As for the summit date, our Queen has set the date as you suggested.¡±

    Gardimundi paused for a moment then continued after clearing her throat.

    ¡°She proposed meeting you 20 days from now. Of course, you can decide whether to take it or not for the next couple of days. When you decide on the specific summit ce, I hope you can fix the exact date.¡±

    It was obvious that the Queen of Fury made enough concessions.

    Lucia whispered to Yong-ho.

    [You seem to havepletely won in this push and pull game, right?]

    But her judgment proved too hasty.

    As if she overheard Lucia¡¯s voice, Gardimundi added, ¡°I heard that the unimed area in the north was not in a big chaos withoutw and order. So, the Queen of Fury wants to see you in the nestle of the House of Mammon.¡±

    Although she used some diplomatic rhetoric, she expressed the queen¡¯s wishes directly.

    Yong-ho nodded, with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Of course. I would like to appreciate her consideration.¡±

    Gardimundi also kept up a bright expression. Then she handed him the letter in the queen¡¯s own handwriting that she kept in her pocket. Unlike she didst time, Gardimundi did not ask him to read it right away.

    Yong-ho intuitively realized that he had nothing more to talk with her. So, he said, standing up first, ¡°Ophelia, my subordinate spirit, will lead you into a guest room. Could you wait a moment while I prepare the reply?¡±

    ¡°Sure, that will do. Thanks for your consideration as the master of the Mammon family.¡±

    Ophelia, who was waiting behind his back, led Gardimundi to a guest room next to the reception room. Since he revealed Ophelia¡¯s identity, he wanted to show Gardimuni that he was treating her seriously.

    As soon as Ophelia returned shortly afterward, Yong-ho convened a small meeting attended by the key members of the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Wow, she is quite straightforward, isn¡¯t it? What the queen means is we should show her our ability to overpower the north within 20 days, right?¡±

    When Kaiwan spoke sharply, Catalina nkly blinked, not making head or tail of it.

    She made an embarrassed expression, suggesting to ask Kaiwan, ¡®Is that what it means?¡¯

    Catalina quickly pretended not to have seen her. Fortunately, nobody paid any attention to Catalina.

    ¡°She is straightforward, as always. Of course, it¡¯s good that she is not beating around the bush with diplomatic rhetoric.¡±

    Opheliaughed bitterly. Whether it was a secret talk or an open talk, they were supposed to negotiate withnguage, so it had been the basic of diplomacy that they use rhetorics to hide their intention. In particr, the negotiator was supposed to be responsible for hisnguage, and the more detailed hisnguage was, the greater his responsibility if something went wrong.

    The unimednd in the north was notpletely ruined like the west, but it was now like awless area like Gardimundi said. It was because Stravadi, the hegemon of the eastern area, devastated the northern area instead of upying it in order to build up his power to challenge the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Can I take a look at the queen¡¯s letter first?¡±

 Chapter 216 - Alliance (3)

    <h4>Chapter 216: Alliance (3)</h4>

    As if to change the atmosphere, Yong-ho opened the envelope of the Queen of Fury¡¯s handwritten letter. When he opened it, there appeared a video just like it didst time.

    It was a pretty short video this time, too. In the video message, the queen, with her face a bit blushing, said she would look forward to meeting him in person after expressing her wishes that both of them could build a solid alliance on the asion of their summit. It looked like she was expressing such wishes for the sake of formality.

    ¡®No matter how much you look at her, she looks suspicious.¡¯

    Kaiwan signaled to Catalina with a nce after checking the queen¡¯s blushed face through narrowed eyes. Catalina nodded as if she agreed.

    Ophelia said, ¡°If you look at the military rtions of the King of Violence, Queen of Fury, and the King of Gluttony, it is likely that the King of Violence and Queen of Fury have already established an alliance. Perhaps, the reason why the Queen of Fury is so anxious to form an alliance with us hastily is because she wants to build a perfect southern alliance.¡±

    The King of Violence and Queen of Fury did not keep each other in check. Their armies were sharply monitoring the movement of the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces.

    Yong-ho nodded, recalling what he heard from Sitri about those ¡°purists¡± born in the demon world. If the southern alliance was really formed, Yong-ho would have nothing to lose.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for our alliance with the Queen of Fury. We need to take control of the unimednd in the north as soon as possible,¡± said Tigrius.

    He spoke, opening the entire map of the demon world illuminating in the air.

    ¡°The reason the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence don¡¯t move their troops yet is because they don¡¯t know that the King of Gluttony was dead. Before they take action, we must take control of the unimednd first, so we can be ready to fight with them for hegemony over the territory of the King of Gluttony.¡±

    Although the King of Gluttony and his Ten Warriors were killed, there were still many troops active in the king¡¯s territory. In order to confront them and im their credit with respect to the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence, it was necessary for Yong-ho to build up a formidable army.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to upy all of the territories of the King of Gluttony. We can just take part of the territory and hand over the rest to the Queen of Fury or the King of Violence because we don¡¯t have to share our border with the north. It is also not a bad strategy for us to use the forces of the Queen of Fury or the King of Violence as a shield.¡±

    Tigrius agreed to Ophelia¡¯s idea.

    Nodding once, Yong-ho looked at the map of the demon world quietly and said naturally, ¡°Ophelia, gather intelligence about the other kings. In particr, I need some more intelligence about the three kings¡ªKing of Pride, King of Envy, King of Lust.¡±

    The three kings in the north were far too far away. That was why Yong-ho didn¡¯t gather intelligence about them actively until now. He had to change it from now on. Now that he defeated the King of Gluttony and stood on par with the six kings, the enemies that he had to confront were the three kings in the north.

    ¡°I will follow your order,¡± Ophelia replied right away. Her heart was full at that moment.

    The three kings in the north were clearly burdensome and formidable. However, assuming Yong-ho¡¯s fight against them itself testified to the growth of the House of Mammon.

    Strong confidence in Yong-ho¡¯s victory and pride filled Ophelia¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to our main topic and discuss how to overwhelm the kings of the north. What do we need the most right now?¡±

    He looked back at his subordinate spirits gathered in the reception room.

    Kaiwan replied, sitting on his right, ¡°I think it is the means of transport.¡±

    Kaiwan used the power of distortion on the map of the demon world that Tigrius made with magic. He drew a line from the southern tip of the unimed area where the House of Mammon was located to the northern tip of the unimed area bordering the territory of the King of Fury. At a nce, it was quite a long distance.

    ¡°As we all know, the northern area has been virtually devastated. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost none who can dare to challenge the Mammon family¡¯s power. I think even a handful of Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits here can rise up and suppress the northern area. But we need infantry in order to upy and rule the north if our goal is not to destroy it simply. Right now, we absolutely need the means of transportation with which we can move our troops within a short period of time,¡± said Kaiwan.

    Like Kaiwan said, destruction and upation were different. No matter how strong an individual was, there were clear limits to the area that this individual could control.

    ¡°How do you usually move troops?¡± Yong-ho asked.

    Opelia replied to his question casually, ¡°If our troops are more than several thousands, we have no other choice but to march. But I hear that if our troops number several hundreds, we can use vehicles such as a giant flying spirit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Actually, Yong-ho guessed so. He had seen a section on the means of transportation in the catalog of the Dungeon Market.

    The catalog showed a giant flying spirit like a mixture of an insect and reptile that could hold hundreds of units in its arms, an enormous sky whale that could carry arge number of troops on its back, and a sailboat flying in the sky.

    There were obviously various means of transportation. To be honest, Yong-ho coveted all of them. But the problem was the budget. Since he continued to invest freely for the growth of his subordinate spirits, the shortage of the budget was tight.

    Although he had never mentioned the budget problem, Ophelia and Kaiwan already knew what he was agonizing because they had the same concerns.

    However, they didn¡¯t agonize long. An unexpected voice whispered in the air.

    [If you have a budget shortage, there is a solution.]

    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the mes of the red lotus in the air.

    Aamon asked Yong-ho, [My master, you have secured up to the 6th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. If so, what do you think is the remaining facility?]

    Each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed quickly came to his mind.

    The Garden of Life was on the first floor and the gateway to the Labyrinth of Greed is on the 2nd floor. The third floor was a gambling hall and the fourth floor was the workroom. The fifth and sixth floors were an armory and a prison, respectively.

    Then, what was the remaining facility there? Wasn¡¯t it a must in any dungeon?

    ¡°The treasure storage.¡±

    Yong-ho uttered unwittingly, and Aamon made his mes burn more intensely as if he wasughing heartily.

    [The 8th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    [A ce guarded by Richard, the Leo Warrior.]

    [Right there on the 8th floor, there is the treasure storage of the great King of Greed.]

    Mammon¡¯s treasure storage.

    A bright smile was on everyone¡¯s face instantly.

    ***

    ¡°But why is the 8th floor being mentioned more instead of the 7th floor?¡±

    It was long after they first talked about the treasure storage that Yong-ho raised the question about the 8th floor. In the meantime, he not only wrote a reply to the Queen of Fury but even saw Gardimundi off in person.

    In fact, if he took a step back and thought about it, there was nothing strange. The treasure storage was just on the 8th floor. So what? There was no corrtion between Yong-ho¡¯s sess in securing up to the 6th floor and the flooryout of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    However, the reason why he expressed doubts about it was because Aamon did not exin about the 7th floor at all. While he was securing up to the 6th floor, Aamon always mentioned the next floor he had to challenge without any additional exnation.

    Aamon kept dying the answer to his question, saying that he would know it soon.

    And it was exactly as Aamon said. It wasn¡¯t long before Yong-ho, who reached the 7th floor with his subordinate spirits, knew why Aamon did not exin about the 7th floor.

    ¡®Well, is it just as I suspected?¡¯

    Smiling bitterly, he looked at therge door located in front of the stairs leading from the 7th to the 8th floor. An impressive bull¡¯s head with a towering horn was embossed on the steel door, which was very magnificent, and the word ¡± Mammon¡¯s Arena¡± was written on the wall next to it.

    ¡°What the heck?! Are you disappointed?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not really.¡±

    Yong-ho, shrugging his shoulders in front of Gusion, who was making a sullen expression, looked around once more. He was now standing near the entrance to the arena. It was the ¡°real entrance,¡± not the one he used toe and go, led by a guy wearing a beast mask.

    The interior of the corridor was asrge as the door. First of all, the ceiling was high, and the corridor was nearly ten meters in width.

    On the left and right of the corridor, there were stone statues that were carved so precisely that any visitor could be mistaken that they were real.

    Yong-ho was convinced when he saw a statue of a beautiful woman with ferocious eyes located in the middle of a giant steel cow and somehow pitiful Centaurus. They were the stone statues depicting the floor masters of the arena.

    He alternately looked at Gusion and his stone statue at the end of the corridor.

    At that moment, he broke intoughter before he knew it.

    ¡°Is this the feeling I have when Ie through the main gate of the arena?¡±

    The shapes of the floor masters of the arena were not limited to humanoids.

    The corridor lined with dozens of stone statues, including several monsters and giants, was very magnificent. Any timid visitor seemed to get cold feet even when they stepped in the arena.

    Following Yong-ho¡¯s gaze at his stone statue, Gusionughed cheerfully.

    ¡°Yeah, the passage through which you used toe and go was like a doghole,pared with this.¡±

    Yong-ho felt disgusted at his description of the passage as a doghole.

    Tilting his head, he looked behind Gusion¡¯s back. He saw a familiar arena over there.

 Chapter 217 - Alliance (4)

    <h4>Chapter 217: Alliance (4)</h4>

    ¡°But the grain is the same.¡±

    ¡°How can it be different?¡±

    Yong-ho and Gusion, who exchanged small talk like that, headed to the arena. The rule that at least one of those visiting the arena must challenge the arena was also applied to those who entered through the front door.

    Yong-ho, whose challenge of the arena already became one of his daily routines, did not feel any big burden. All of his subordinate spirits were also rxed because they had already visited the arena several times.

    Only Smi and Bucephs looked around in surprise.

    After taking a seat in the special stand reserved for Gusion, Yong-ho asked, ¡°There are almost no dungeon monsters around here. I wonder if we can move around freely on the 7th floor.¡±

    The dungeon monsters that were filling the other floors hardly existed on the 7th floor.

    Gusion shook his head when he asked with some expectations.

    ¡°The spirits of the arena cannot get out of the arena. The reason there are no dungeon monsters here is probably because of the strong space-time barriers that make up the arena. Should I say that there is a distortion that is so strong that small distortions disappear naturally? Dungeon monsters are introduced through the distortion created in the dungeon, so if the distortion itself is not generated, there will be no way for them to appear.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that big waves absorb small waves?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Their conversation was cut off for a moment after Gusion replied.

    During that short moment of less than a few seconds, Gusion, who was sullen all along, tapped the handle of the special seat several times with his fingertips. He then said, ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t it too racy?¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    Yong-ho looked back at Gusion as if he could not make it, while Catalina, who was sitting next to him, also pricked her ears and blinked. On the other hand, Kaiwan covered her mouth and giggled, as if she understood what he was talking about.

    Gusion said, ¡°Man, I already told you I was on the 39th floor. Then you should have continued to break through the floors up to the 39th floor with a sense of challenge. When you camest time, you went right back. Although the passage of time is subtle here, I can find out that our young master is not in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°So, are you sad about it?¡±

    When Yong-ho asked mischievously, Gusion turned his head, pretending not to have noticed it.

    Since Gusion was originally a red skin, it was hard to tell whether he showed any feelings, but Yong-ho knew the Red Daemon like Gusion well thanks to Eligos and Ophelia. He could immediately discover that Gusion was embarrassed.

    In fact, Yong-ho also really wanted to conquer the arena. However, there were some legitimate reasons why he could not get focused on the arena alone.

    First, the arena was still useful to Yong-ho.

    It wasn¡¯t just because of Mammon¡¯s mana or clear rewards that he obtained every time he broke through each floor of the arena.

    The arena allowed Yong-ho to experience a ¡°desperate struggle.¡±

    The fastest way to umte evolution EXP was to experience desperate fighting. It was thanks to the arena that he could repeatedly use the power of evolution so far.

    Moreover, the arena allowed him to experience various battles. The arena with a mixture of behemoths, giants, powerful humanoids, etc., was truly a treasure trove of fighting experience for him. He could learn various battle patterns by fighting them and test various tactics and techniques as well.

    He could not obtain those skills by blindly outpouring the floor masters with mana only. The reason he smashed Yukrasion on the 25th floor with mana was to find out the maximum value of his newly acquired mana.

    The second reason was because of the growth of his subordinate spirits.

    The arena as a treasure trove of experience was equally important to them.

    That was why Yong-ho allowed them to challenge the arena despite the great danger.

    The value of the power of evolution was higher than Yong-ho expected for those spirits whose efficiency of essence absorption was not so good. It was important for Yong-ho to acquire the arena, but the growth of his subordinate spirits was more important. So, he needed to maintain the arena a little longer for them.

    ¡®Of course, the arena isn¡¯t so easy to upy even if I make up my mind.¡¯

    Given that he easily beat the 25th floor master Yukrasion, he might sound conceited, but he was serious.

    The higher the floor, the stronger the arena¡¯s defense was. Not only did the floor masters be stronger, but also, it started to damage Yong-ho¡¯s power.

    Because of the characteristics of the arena where its difficulty level rapidly increased per 10 floors, it was highly likely that Yong-ho could not smash the floor masters with mana alone on the 30th floor and above.

    And the battle was not determined only by mana. Yong-ho¡¯s actions up to now proved it.

    The enemies that he confronted, starting from Foras to the King of Gluttony, were always stronger than him. However, it was Yong-ho who eventually won.

    The third and final reason was time.

    Time often passed faster than expected in the arena where the passage of time was different from the outside. For Yong-ho, who had to keep an eye on the ever-changing external situation, staying in the arena where the time was unknown was a significant risk.

    Even now, he was constrained by time limits in the case of his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury. He couldn¡¯t spend time only in the arena.

    When Yong-ho briefly exined his reasons, Gusion became more embarrassed, and Kaiwan bit her lips to hold back herughter.

    ¡®But, I can¡¯t dy upying the arena forever.¡¯

    The arena¡¯s strength was mighty. Although the threat of the King of Gluttony disappeared, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were still active in the north. Yong-ho could not figure out the intentions of the King of Violence, and the Queen of Fury was not his ally yet.

    He thought of investing some more time in the arena for a while after sessfully forming an alliance with the Queen of Fury.

    ¡°So, you want to obtain the treasure storage on the 8th floor?¡±

    Gusion, who cleared his throat several times as if to hide his embarrassment, changed the subject. Yong-ho gently epted it.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my idea for now. My budget problem will be solved at once.¡±

    It was a treasure trove of the ¡°King of Greed,¡± allegedly the ¡®incarnation of possessiveness.¡¯

    It was evident that a tremendous amount of treasure was piled up like a mountain.

    Gusion nodded slowly and said, ¡°Certainly, given your power, you can open the door.¡±

    ¡°Open the door?¡±

    ¡°Well, the one who is guarding the treasure storage on the eighth floor is Richard. Did you hear about him from Aamon?¡±

    [I haven¡¯t given him any specific exnation yet.]

    [I hope you can brief him on my behalf, Gusion.]

    Aamon¡¯s answer was heard from the mes of the red lotus that already arose.

    Gusion nodded lightly and said, ¡°Leo, the Silent Warrior Richard.¡±

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits were the legends of the demon world. Not only Catalina and Kaiwan, but even Tigrius focused on Gusion curiously.

    ¡°He is strong. He is in the top group of the 12 Spirits. To simplypare physical strength, he is on par with me.¡±

    What Gusion said wasn¡¯t anything like self-praise. The reason that Gusion¡¯s nickname was ¡®Herculean strength¡¯ was because he had the strongest physical ability among the 12 Spirits. When discussing the strongest among them, Gusion was always mentioned without fail.

    ¡°He is silent as his nickname suggests. It doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t speak at all, but I¡¯ve hardly ever heard his voice even though he and I went through all kinds of hardships together. Anyway, he¡¯s reticent and brusque. And as is the case with this kind of guy, he is thoroughly sincere when ites to his job.¡±

    Gusion smiled at the end of his words because he recalled lots of memories rted to Richard.

    He closed and opened his eyes. Then he pushed away the vague memories of him and looked at the present.

    ¡°Richard is the gatekeeper of the treasure storage. So, he doesn¡¯t care about anyone if he is qualified toe to the treasure storage. It is only when he faces an unjust intruder that he takes up his weapon.¡±

    Gusion gave a short description of Richard, but Yong-ho could size him up roughly.

    Gusion continued, ¡°As such, it is unlikely that he has prepared any trial or test for you.

    Even when Mammon was alive, he didn¡¯t prepare anything like that. So, whether or not you can open the door of the treasure storage will depend on whether you have qualifications.¡±

    ¡°Is opening the door itself a test?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It would not be easy for you because you can¡¯t open it just with strong mana alone.¡±

    Stopping at that point, Gusion got up and urged him.

    ¡°You can hear more about Richard from Aamon while going down. You know the rules of the arena, right? At least one member of your group must challenge the arena. Hurry up as you have a long way to go.¡±

    Since Gusion kept prodding on him, Yong-ho led his subordinate spirits to the arena located below the stairs. Like Gusion said, he had no time to waste, so one of his subordinate spirits still staying on the lower floors was to challenge the floor master.

    When Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits disappeared, only Gusion and Aamon¡¯s consciousness were left.

    It was Aamon who spoke first, [You are not pushing him unexpectedly.]

    Yong-ho defeated the King of Gluttony. He was closer to the King of Greed than any previous master of the House of Mammon during the past one thousand years. Nevertheless, Gusion did not push Yong-ho hard. He didn¡¯t press Yong-ho to conquer the arena as soon as possible.

    What Mammon was worried about and the reason why he stopped Gusion from telling the truth about his death to the unqualified...

    Gusion let his shoulders droop with a bitter expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s because so many years have passed that I can feel the passage of time even in the subtle arena. I haven¡¯t forgotten that day, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t stay thirsty for revenge forever.¡±

    Aamon quietly burned mes and whispered, [Too much time has passed.]

    [Too much time...]

 Chapter 218 - Alliance (5)

    <h4>Chapter 218: Alliance (5)</h4>

    Gusion let his shoulders droop with a bitter expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s because so many years have passed that I can feel the passage of time even in the subtle arena. I haven¡¯t forgotten that day, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t stay thirsty for revenge forever.¡±

    Aamon quietly burned mes and whispered, [Too much time has passed.]

    [Too much time...]

    ¡°Yes, maybe even master Mammon would not have thought it would take so long for a new King of Greed to appear.

    It was just over a thousand years. Like Aamon said, too much time passed.

    ¡°You said that Asclepius went crazy?¡±

    His voice was rather heavy.

    Aamon answered in a form of a question, [Are you worried about Richard?]

    Gusion could not deny it. But he said to himself and Aamon in no time, ¡°Richard is a guy. He is as steady as a rock that won¡¯t change even after a thousand years. Even if you or Scathach had not fallen asleep, or if you had been awake all along, I can assure you he will be there. He¡¯s a good guy.¡±

    If Asclepius went crazy, that was it. Gusion didn¡¯t want to imagine any more tragedies.

    ¡°The fighting has started. Is it Kaiwan¡¯s turn this time?¡± Gusion asked in a bright voice.

    Aamon respected his friend¡¯s intentions. Instead of mentioning Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, he focused on Kaiwan¡¯s fighting in the arena.

    <hr />

    [The door of the 8th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is opened.]

    Lucia¡¯s voice was a little lighter than usual. It was because she could notpletely upy the 7th floor due to the existence of the arena.

    Ophelia and Eligos, who disyed their wild nature, took the lead. Smi lit himself, illuminating from behind, and Skull and Tigrius scattered the lights in all directions to drive out the darkness.

    There was no single facility on each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. There were several rooms on the first floor, a ¡®garden¡¯, and some convenience facilities such as the dungeon spirits¡¯ quarters and restaurants were also present on other floors.

    It was natural that each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was asrge as a medium-sized dungeon.

    However, the 8th floor was somewhat different. When they went down the stairs and looked around, there was only one way.

    ¡°There seems to be nothing in between. Literally... It¡¯s just a hallway.¡±

    Catalina spoke, seeing through the darkness. Other floors had rooms attached to the corridor itself or passages leading to other directions, but the 8th floor had only a single passage.

    [Master, the 8th floor is a ce that was created to serve as a treasure storage only.]

    [The only thing that exists beyond the corridor is a staircase and a treasure storage leading to the 9th floor.]

    When Aamon exined, Ophelia looked back, startled. Looking for the mes of the red lotus, she asked, looking at Yong-ho¡¯s wrist, ¡°Do you mean that the entire 8th floor is a treasure storage?¡±

    [Yes.]

    Ophelia gulped at his short reply.

    The size of each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was vast. If so, how many treasures were piled up on the whole floor used as the treasure storage?

    Not only Yong-ho but also his subordinate spirits quickened their steps.

    There were no dungeon monsters on the 8th floor perhaps because of the arena.

    Because of this, they could reach the entrance room of the treasure storage within several minutes.

    Ophelia and Eligos, who were walking ahead, didn¡¯t even need to throw the lights.

    As soon as they entered the entrance room, a soft light poured from the ceiling, illuminating the dark room.

    It was arge and spacious room. On the left and right, there was arge staircase leading to the lower floor and a steel door that wasrger than that of the arena.

    Everyone in the room naturally turned their eyes at one ce. It wasn¡¯t a staircase or a steel door. They looked at the man in front of the steel door.

    A giant was sitting on a huge stone chair. He wasn¡¯t wearing anything except for a lion¡¯s skin on his head, but he didn¡¯t look naked thanks to his steel-like muscles. His tanned skin and sturdy muscles gave them the illusion of him wearing armor all over his body.

    The giant held a dark red club in his right hand. They couldn¡¯t know what the material was, but it seemed to signify the bluntness of the club itself.

    Leo, Silent Warrior Richard.

    He opened his eyes. He got up silently and greeted Yong-ho and his party.

    His mouth, tucked between his shaggy beard, didn¡¯t open. Holding the dark red club like a cane, he just looked at them.

    Upon close examination, he wasn¡¯t a giant. He was taller than Eligos by a couple of heads. In the demon world where humanoid monsters such as ogres and trolls existed, he could be called a tall man, but not a giant.

    But he looked like a giant. It wasn¡¯t just because of his wide shoulders and steel-like muscles. They felt something like his overwhelming presence that made them feel as if they were facing a giant, tens of meters tall.

    Richard was silent, which reassured Aamon. Yong-ho felt as if he saw Aamon¡¯s smile.

    [Master, try to open the front door.]

    [Richard is the same. He is still faithful to his role as the guardian of the treasure storage.]

    His voice was filled with deep relief and delight. When Aamon had to kill Asclepius on the 5th floor, he didn¡¯t express his feelings, but he felt great sadness.

    Only after hearing Aamon¡¯s voice, Yong-ho realized that there were two cylinders in front of Richard. Yong-ho was so focused on Richard that he missed them even though they were right before his eyes.

    [Subordinate spirits, do not follow your master, but wait here.]

    [Only the master can make the attempt to open the door.]

    At Aamon¡¯s deration, they flinched while trying to follow Yong-ho.

    Catalina looked at Richard and Yong-ho alternately as if she was worried.

    Yong-ho nodded. As if to calm her down, he stroked her hair once and exchanged eye contact with Kaiwan. He smiled with an effort then walked toward Richard.

    Richard was still looking at him without moving. Though this kind of description wasn¡¯t appropriate for the terrifying giant warrior, he truly had clear eyes. It seemed like he could see through any muddiness and dirt.

    Yong-ho stopped in front of the cylinders. There were two cylinders slightly higher than Yong-ho¡¯s waist, with something on top of it.

    The cylinder on the left had a deep andrge hole while the cylinder on the right had a small sphere that looked just the right size for resting a hand.

    [You can use the left device only when you have a ¡®key¡¯.]

    [My master, use the right device to open the door to the treasure storage.]

    Despite hearing Aamon¡¯s voice, Richard did not respond. His eyes were fixed on Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho took a deep breath and raised his right hand. He put his hand on the sphere on the top of the right cylinder.

    It was cold. He felt like he touched a marble. Shortly afterward, his attempt to open the door of the treasure storage began.

    Heat radiated from the sphere. The pleasant coldness transmitted through the palm of his hand evaporated at once.

    His test to open the treasure storage was simple. All he had to do was to stabilize the turbulence of the mana protecting the front door by inserting mana through the sphere.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes and concentrated. He understood why Gusion said that even he could not open it with his mighty power.

    It wasn¡¯t a simple torrent of mana. Not only was it fast and strong, but it had seven attributes.

    Wind, water, earth, mes, lightning, rock, and darkness.

    When these seven attributes were added to the swirling storm of the de, its power was really terrifying. Even though Yong-ho was injecting mana from a distance through the sphere. he felt as if he was thrown into the middle of the torrent.

    Yong-ho generated mana. He erected six horns to emit powerful mana befitting a king, and at the same time, he triggered the Godly Energy, a lump of Brigada equipped on his left hand.

    Yong-ho¡¯s own attributes.

    mes, coldness, and lightning.

    Catalina¡¯s darkness, Kaiwan¡¯s wind, Eligos¡¯snd, and Tigrius¡¯s light were also added to his attributes.

    A fierce light arose from the Godly Energy of Greed. Harmony, the power of Yuho Yuan, was once again triggered, and at the same time, Tigrius¡¯s power of synthetic magic united seven different attributes into one.

    A cold sweat flew down Yong-ho¡¯s forehead. His whole body vibrated, starting with his right hand.

    But Yong-ho smiled. Dissipating mana at once caused him intense pleasure.

    Yong-ho¡¯s mana was thrust into the torrent of mana like a bomb. He confronted Richard¡¯s seven attributes with his own.

    The wind and the mes shed. Light and darkness became one, and the earth and water were in harmony. Lightning and darkness collided and scattered.

    Yong-ho¡¯s right hand vibrated more violently. It was never easy to simultaneously use his seven attribute powers while releasing enormous mana.

    However, he overcame that difficulty. Bybining all the attributes into one, he achieved a huge power of harmony.

    There was no explosion. The torrent of mana, which was like a mad vortex, naturally weakened. Finally, it scattered and became calm and still like ake.

    Yong-ho breathed out roughly. His whole body was sweaty. He didn¡¯t know how long he injected mana. However, when he opened his eyes, he felt an enormous sense of aplishment. It wasn¡¯t just because he opened the door of the treasure storage.

    He just achieved growth by struggling hard a moment ago. He felt like he learned how to use Brigada to bring out the power of a true king.

    He raised his head. There seemed to be a little sign of emotions in Richard¡¯s eyes, who was indifferent. Instead of expressing his feelings, Richard stepped aside. He opened the way for Yong-ho.

    The steel door of the treasure storage opened automatically.

    A dazzling golden color caught Yong-ho¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 219 - Alliance (6)

    <h4>Chapter 219: Alliance (6)</h4>

    ¡°Pinch my cheek.¡±

    Kaiwan spoke to Catalina with a nk expression, so Catalina pinched her cheek without any hesitation.

    It hurt. So Kaiwan pinched Catalina¡¯s cheek a little harder then burst into a strangeughter, mixed with emptiness, embarrassment, and joy.

    Even Smi and Bucephs, who were basically not excited about treasures, admired what they saw. Eligos was rather scared while Ophelia sat down, overwhelmed by the amazing treasure. Her feet became wobbly at that moment.

    Even Tigrius, a detached old gentleman, kept gulping. Only Skull behaved as usual.

    With a heartyugh, Skull threw himself into the piles of gold in front of him. He rolled on the floor like a stone beside Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho dived into the sea of gold. Of course, it hurt. It was impossible to swim in a sea of gold that he saw in the cartoon. He felt nice though. Even the pain was a pleasure.

    The treasure storage was vast. The whole 8th floor really looked like a treasure trove except for the pirs in between. And the treasure storage was filled with various gold and silver. His description of the treasure storage as ¡®the sea of gold¡¯ was no exaggeration.

    Ancient gold coins, jewels with beautiful colors, various treasures made of gold and silver, each one of them had tremendous value, but there was nothing special inside the treasure storage. It was literally a treasure trove of great wealth.

    ¡°You guys,e in!¡±

    Yong-ho, who was rolling there with Skull, shouted. Catalina, who wanted to jump in, fluttered her ears and tail. Like Yong-ho, she dived into the sea of gold and felt pain. However, sheughed like a fool like Yong-ho.

    Kaiwan, who was so excited, came in immediately. After taking off her shoes, Ophelia walked barefoot on the gold and trembled with thrilling pleasure. She even moaned, though briefly.

    Although Eligos felt fear in front of a huge amount of gold, he felt more joy than fear when he stood on the sea of gold, holding Ophelia¡¯s hand. He was even moved to tears, recalling all sorts of hardships in the past.

    Bucephs ran through the treasure storage, and Smi rolled over gold. Even the gentle Tigrius buried himself into gold as if he returned to his childhood.

    [Next time when you return from the human world, please buy me a hundred clothes!]

    [No, a thousand!]

    [Just buy me a department store!]

    Lucia shouted in joy, and Yong-ho nodded several times.

    He overcame the temptation to keep rolling several times and stood up quickly.

    Hearing Lucia¡¯s words, something came to his mind suddenly.

    He thought of the most fundamental reason why he found the treasure storage, and what he could do now.

    He had to meet Sitri.

    Now was the time he did shopping at the Dungeon Market.

    <hr />

    ¡°My dear customer? Uh, you look a little scary?¡± Said Sitri, frowning a bit.

    It was because Yong-ho¡¯s expression was very unusual.

    ¡°Uhhhhhhhh¡±

    Yong-ho giggled, facing Sitri. Hisughter was mischievous and sly on one hand, but silly on the other.

    Sitri, who always had a chair close to him, doubled the distance between the chairs by fidgeting with her hands quickly.

    She said, slightly putting her body back, ¡°Don¡¯tugh like that because I¡¯m afraid my love will cool off a little.¡±

    Startled by her serious voice, who really didn¡¯t like the way heughed, Yong-ho cleared his throat, but he did it again.

    ¡°Hmmm. Uhhhhhhhhh.¡±

    It seemed like his condition was serious. Putting her body back a little more, she said in a nervous voice, ¡°... Customer?¡±

    Now, she didn¡¯t use the modifier ¡®My dear,¡¯ which made hime to his senses again.

    Only now could he stopughing silly and opened his mouth with a straight face.

    ¡°Hmmm. Oh yes. I have something I want to buy.¡±

    He was a little excited, but now he was back to normal.

    Sitri narrowed the distance between the chairs then said, ¡°You want a catalog about flying spirits plus a five-star flying monster?¡±

    He nodded happily because she guessed right. Sitri pointed out the price of the flying spirit on the first page of the catalog, and he responded with a rxed smile.

    Sitri closed and opened her eyes once. Then sheughed several times as if she got wind of it. She then corrected her posture. She looked straight into his eyes and said, ¡°You have obtained his treasure storage, right?¡±

    He did not deny it. It was natural for Sitri, who was Mammon¡¯s lover, to know the existence of the treasure storage. She must know how much gold and silver were there.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I can¡¯t sell them at this price.¡±

    ¡°Sitri¡±

    Instead of answering, she narrowed her distance with him. She narrowed it down to almost where her knees would touch his. She then snapped her fingers. Then, the whole white world turned ck. Only the surroundings of Yong-ho and Sitri were white now.

    Sitri once again closed and opened her eyes.

    Then she said with a charming smile, ¡°From now on I¡¯m going to start a ¡®secret deal¡¯ between the king and the director of the Dungeon Market.¡±

    As soon as she finished talking, new catalogs emerged behind her back.

    All the covers of the catalog were ck. Titles made up of golden letters were somewhat different from previous ones.

    [Boarding objects]

    [Immortal]

    [Different species]

    [Fairy n]

    [Demon n]

    There were no star numbers in the ck catalogs. Only dungeon spirits were ssified.

    Sitri fidgeted with her fingers and put one of them on herp. It was rather weird among the new catalogs.

    [King of Greed]

    Looking at the title, he then turned his eyes at her. She opened the catalog with a happy smile and exined it to him.

    ¡°This is exclusively for your use, my dear customer. It is a secret ledger to record the details of my transactions with you.¡±

    The catalog, named King of Greed, waspletely empty.

    Yong-ho asked her immediately, ¡°Do other kings also have secret ledgers like this one?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they do. You are very smart to notice it so quickly.¡±

    A secret deal between a king and a director.

    A catalog named King of Greed.

    He could naturally infer it. Sitri continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to the other customers who use the Dungeon Market, but those kings with Sin and Godly Energy are more special than other beings in the demon world because they are the big yers who control the destiny of the demon world.¡±

    It was the same even now. The King of Gluttony caused great turbulence of burning the entire unimednd in the south by supporting Embrio. The King of Pride raised up the army directly and shook the entire northern area. The King of Violence plunged the King of Gluttony into confusion and terror by simply deploying his troops along the borders.

    Each decision by the kings determined the fate of many people.

    Sitri wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°The core of the Dungeon Market is the merchant group. Therefore, we provide special services to special customers. That¡¯s what we call a secret deal.¡±

    She let her shoulders droop then said with a gentle smile, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an example. A demon king living next door suddenly started to buy horses to attack a dungeon. Then, what will his neighbors think? And how do they act?¡±

    ¡°Well, they will prepare for an attack or form an alliance with other neighbors.¡±

    If the demon king bought something, it was because he needed it.

    Therefore, it was also possible to guess the intention of the buyer by checking his purchased goods.

    Sitri was satisfied with his reply.

    ¡°You¡¯re right because his purchase history itself is part of his information.¡±

    Yong-ho suddenly recalled the story of ¡°The Pentagon and the Pizza Box¡± he had heard somewhere.

    The Pentagon was a huge pentagonal building where the US Department of Defense was located. He was not sure if it was real or just an unofficial story, the story about the Pentagon was rather usible.

    ¡®On a day when pizza delivery to the Pentagon surges, something serious will happen. For this reason, spies belonging to anti-American countries or groups are keeping an eye on pizza houses around the Pentagon.¡¯

    The story derives from rumors that the day the United States made the decision to start a war with Iraq, the Pentagon¡¯s pizza deliveries increased in record numbers due to their emergency work. It was a little bit different from the example that Sitri cited, but both had something inmon because she said that she could infer some information about the buyer from his purchase history.

    Sitri continued, ¡°Almost all the masters in the demon world use the Dungeon Market. I¡¯m a bit embarrassed to say this, but in a sense, the Dungeon Market is allegedly an organization that governs the demon world.¡±

    What if the Dungeon Market raised food prices drastically? What would happen if the Dungeon Market stopped selling items needed for dungeon operation or didn¡¯t sell them to a specific target?

    What Sitri said wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The influence of the Dungeon Market on the demon world was so powerful.

    Because of this, the Dungeon Market had no rival. There was no option for the masters of the demon world to use a different Dungeon Market.

    And that was important, after all.

    ¡°The Dungeon Market is one and only such ce in the demon world, used by everybody. So, if you work really hard, it¡¯s not impossible to find out the other party¡¯s purchase history, especially when ites to those items that cannot be easily found in the Dungeon Market.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why they want a secret deal?¡±

    Yong-ho suddenly recalled secret ounts in Switzend. With such ounts, they have to pay the ount fee rather than receiving interest from the bank. Nheless, numerous people have used Swiss secret ounts, even paying high fees. Their reason was simple. Swiss banks never reveal the ount holders of the secret ounts. They protected the ount holders thoroughly.

    The Dungeon Market used the same method.

    They kept their transactions about which spirits were sold to whom at what price secret.

    Besides, they didn¡¯t reveal the existence of the sold spirits at all.

    Sitri nodded then said in an alluring voice, ¡°The secret transaction between the king and the director is kept secret, as the name suggests. Your purchase history is never disclosed to other customers. What¡¯s more, you can buy things that you can¡¯t obtain normally because kings have a great wealth to purchase them.¡±

    She seemed to exin indirectly why she hadn¡¯t offered such a secret deal to Yong-ho until now. Yong-ho was now qualified. He possessed not only Sin but also Godly Energy and wealth.

    Sitri bowed to him, and said a little yfully, ¡°Products that are known to be avable only through special auctions, or special products that cannot be found in general catalogs are the main targets of secret trade.¡±

    Hearing it, Yong-ho said unwittingly, ¡°The undead elite troops of the King of Gluttony.¡±

    He also recalled his conversation with Ophelia about the Bone Dragon mobilized by Embrio.

 Chapter 220 - Alliance (7)

    <h4>Chapter 220: Alliance (7)</h4>

    Sitri was neither positive nor negative. Putting her hand on hisp, she mentioned something else.

    ¡°As the strongest Herculean power and the director in charge of the north, Orobas deals with the King of Pride only. Bfronz, with the best intelligence, deals with the King of Envy and the King of Lust.¡±

    Each king had his own director to deal with.

    ¡°Samael, the fastest wing, deals with the King of Gluttony, and Abrasax, with the strongest mana, deals with the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence. I deal with the reclusive Queen of Sloth and the ¡®King of Greed that does not exist.¡¯¡±

    She winked at him at the end of her remarks with an alluring gesture.

    But Yong-ho brought up another topic just like she did.

    ¡°What is it, Sitri?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I mean your nickname. The other five directors all seem to have nicknames. The fastest wing or the strongest mana for example.¡±

    He asked it unwittingly, so he quickly wrapped it up, embarrassed. But she opened her eyes once and smiled softly, ¡°Well, how about the best beauty?¡±

    Yong-ho blinked. He thought she was joking, but he felt she, not anybody else, could use such a nickname.

    This time, Sitri was embarrassed. She burst intoughter and said, ¡°Oh, I was kidding. I feel good since you believe it. My dear customer, I¡¯m sorry to say this but my nickname is a secret.¡±

    She then held his hand then pulled him while standing up.

    ¡°Please stand up. From now on, I¡¯m going to start a secret deal with you.¡±

    As soon as Yong-ho stood up hastily, the chairs behind their back disappeared. With the surroundings still dark, she sat behind him after fidgeting with her feet.

    She said, hugging him from behind, ¡°Please close your eyes for a moment.¡±

    Yong-ho followed her instruction with strange anticipation. When he closed his eyes, he felt the fragrant scent from her body getting closer.

    ¡°Okay, would you like to open your eyes again now?¡±

    Sitri stopped hugging him and took a step back. He opened his eyes wistfully. He then opened his mouth foolishly. He looked nk just like he did when he saw Mammon¡¯s treasure storage.

    A white space unfolded again instead of darkness, and the space was filled with something huge.

    Flying vehicles andrge flying spirits were lined up.

    All be told, they were a few dozen.

    ¡°My dear customer, you already have a cute car called Smi. Nheless, you want another flying device because you need a means of transporting troops, right?¡±

    The purchase items revealed the buyer¡¯s intention.

    Since his partner was Sitri, he nodded, who, in turn, gently hugged his waist.

    Then she stepped forward with him.

    Huge sailing ship-shaped flying vehicles that were almost 100 meters long.

    Sky whales with storage spaces not only on its back but also inside.

    Giant spirits resembling a dragon with storage spaces attached through special renovation.

    Flying vehicles with a futuristic design that could only be seen in movies.

    Battleships armed with various weapons.

    All of them attracted his attention.

    Yong-ho was so excited that he wanted to check the inside of the flying vehicle, but she still hugged his waist tightly and urged him to move forward.

    ¡°Although you upied the unimednd in the south, you will invite other kings¡¯ suspicion if you buy this kind of huge flying vehicle suddenly. In other words, you might draw their unwanted attention.¡±

    No matter how secretly he bought the items, the moment he released them, he would draw people¡¯s attention. Because of this, he had to purchase the right items if he wanted to hide the treasure trove to some extent.

    ¡°Since you have to carry the skull unit, the flying vehicle should be able to amodate at least 200. Fortunately, the skull unit members are undead, they won¡¯t take up that much space. If so, you could buy a smaller flying vehicle.¡±

    A flying vehicle which was not sorge and which could be purchased with his money.

    As he stepped forward, he found the flying vehicles getting smaller and more shabby.

    Although his natural greed wanted thoserge vehicles a little far away rather than near, he had no other choice.

    Sitri whispered into Yong-ho¡¯s war, ¡°But because you are the King of Greed, you have to ride something that suits that name. Moreover, you have upied the unimednd, so you need to show off your power to some extent.¡±

    Finally, Sitri stopped walking. Now, there were no flying vehicles or spirits on the left and right. Yong-ho looked back at her, and she smiled. She stared into the air instead of him, as if reminiscing about her memories, and soon leaned her head on his shoulder. Then she gently fidgeted with her fingers and revealed the objects hidden in the pure white space.

    It was red and huge.

    It was streamlined and long with a red dragon head attached to the head.

    Huge propents were attached to both sides of the fusge.

    Yong-ho remembered the word ¡®space battleship¡¯ at that moment. His greed, which kept looking back all along, now raced toward the front and wrapped up the red flying vehicle.

    Shrouded in the thin smoke of greed, Sitri released her hands that were holding him. He stepped forward alone and stood in front of the red flying vehicle.

    ¡°This is the eight-handed Baruna¡¯sst work, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits. It¡¯s the private ne for the King of Greed that he left behind only its design because he could notplete it.¡±

    It was supposed to be the ne that Mammon would ride during his days. Mammon was revived in numerous legends and stories. The moment Yong-ho brought out his legacy, people would look at him differently.

    In that sense, this flying vehicle was fine. It was Mammon¡¯s ne, but he didn¡¯t use it, or he couldn¡¯t use it.

    Sitri bit her lips once. She corrected her expression with her back against him and turned around and smiled.

    ¡°The king¡¯s ship, red giant dragon Tiamet.¡±

    He swallowed, looking at the giant vehicle. She smiled mischievously and said, ¡°Let me sell it cheap because it¡¯s only for you.¡±

    Heughed heartily. Led by her, he approached the red giant dragon.

    <hr />

    ¡°Calm down. You¡¯ll see him quite soon.¡±

    At Kirtimuka¡¯s affectionate soothing, the Queen of Fury flinched as if she was pierced by a needle. Then she said annoyingly, ¡°Nope. Why are you saying I am so nervous?¡±

    Though she spoke in a harsh tone, Kirtimuka smiled warmly.

    The Queen of Fury¡¯s earlobes turned hot.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said that!¡±

    The Queen of Fury cleared her throat when she was trying to y innocent.

    She quickly fidgeted with her hands to finish making the clothes she was at.

    ¡°Stop the nonsense and put on this one.¡±

    There were a lot of misceneous handicrafts near the queen. Whenever she was distracted or nervous, she made the habit of making handmade stuff.

    As the chieftain of the Gandharva n, she could be called the queen of craftsmanship because of her manual dexterity. Kirtimuka, who received a jacket with embroidery, appreciated her warm considerations. She winked at the queen gently and put it on. She was wondering whether the clothes would fit her well.

    ¡°Oh, it suits me well. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    The queen, who smiled at her, realized that Kirtimuka¡¯s eyes began to twinkle again. She cleared her throat again and put down the tools she was holding in her hand.

    ¡°Hmmm. Anyway, let me stop making clothes here.¡±

    She caught her breath while adjusting her expressions. It wasn¡¯t just because of the alliance with the Mammon family that the queen made clothes and embroidered. There were a few more things that were eating her up.

    She looked at Gardimundi and asked, ¡°How about the King of Gluttony? Is he still silent?¡±

    It has already been more than ten days since the King of Gluttony disappeared at the border. The sudden disappearance of the king could be a big strategic variable because of the tense situation along the borders of the three kings¡¯ territories where their armies were concentrated at the moment.

    Gardimundi narrowed her eyebrows while reviewing the intelligence tips collected by the Garura and Kvinka ns. Then she said with a worried tone, ¡°It¡¯s strangely quiet over there. The King of Gluttony liked to visit his territory in person, but I haven¡¯t seen him for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he plotting a scheme against us?¡±

    ¡°He might want to take a strategic advantage by hiding himself.¡±

    Kirtimuka added. It was quite possible.

    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes for a moment and tried to organize her thoughts.

    Over several decades had already passed since she became the queen. And she was engaged in a war of nerves with him during that period.

    As her longtime enemy, she knew the King of Gluttony better than anybody else.

    She shook her head and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t befit him as the King of Gluttony. He is not the type who acts like this.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was clearly a cunning man. However, he never allowed himself to be a bait. His long silence must be his personal preference rather than any strategic thinking.

    The Queen of Fury moved her fingers and concentrated her mana. She instantly drew a map of the demon world in the air.

    She fixed her gaze on the border with the king. She was suspicious of the movements of the three outstanding masters of the king. Although she was not quite sure, she smelled a rat.

    ¡°What about the King of Violence?¡±

    When she moved her fingers again, the map moved itself and ced the southwestern area in the center. Unlike Kirtimuka, who became nervous at the mention of the King of Violence, Gardimundi replied calmly, ¡°He is also silent. The Dragon Legion under hismand is still holding its ce along the border. After all, it seemed that the king moved the dragons to the border to threaten rather than attack.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really frustrating.¡±

    She was not frustrated by the King of Violence¡¯s action. If he really wanted to avoid the fight by threatening, that was fine with her. It was because she had one thing inmon with him that they should avoid the war that they didn¡¯t have to engage in.

    What frustrated her was the current situation.

    Thanks to the King of Violence¡¯s deployment of the Dragon Legion, the King of Gluttony was silent. The King of Pride and the King of Envy were so busy fighting each other that they could not afford to pay attention to the south.

    Because of this, the eight-n people of the queen had to remain tense but did not have to fight a bloody fight.

    It was good that there was no war. However, it was not good at all if the present precarious peace was a sign of a greater war. Sometimes, it was necessary to take some preventive action to prevent a bigger disaster.

 Chapter 221 - Alliance (8)

    <h4>Chapter 221: Alliance (8)</h4>

    The Queen of Fury¡¯s alliance with the House of Mammon also had great strategic significance. She wasn¡¯t sure if the Mammon family had great power, but if she could join hands with them to counter the King of Gluttony, she felt she could produce good results.

    Although it was sad, the best way to stop war was something like a lovely dialogue. It was a powerful force that could even stop those refusing to talk.

    ¡®If you hit me, you¡¯ll get hit, too.¡¯

    This kind of warning was straightforward and coarse. But it was the most effective means.

    If the southern alliance became strong, the King of Pride would not start a war easily even if he beat the King of Envy.

    ¡®It¡¯s not just because my heart is pounding.¡¯

    As a matter of fact, the House of Mammon was a variable that the queen didn¡¯t think about, but it was a very meaningful one. Her alliance with the Mammon family had sufficient strategic value.

    The Queen of Fury lightly pressed on her heart. She gently closed her eyes and counted the dates until her meeting with the master of the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s around the corner.¡±

    ¡°Nope, why are you saying I¡¯m nervous?¡±

    Gardimundi burst into a silentughter when the two repeated the same conversation ten days ago. She watched the two engaged in a war of nerves with their chins on their hands.

    Time flew like an arrow.

    There was nothing unusual during the past twenty days. The King of Gluttony still did not reveal himself, and the war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy in the north was still going on slowly.

    Vimana, called a ¡®moving fortress¡¯ and the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, was a unique dungeon even in the demon world where all kinds of different species prevailed.

    Vimana was built on the back of a living giant and giant turtle spirit. To be precise, Vimana was the name of the turtle.

    A dungeon created naturally on the back of a superrge spirit.

    The Queen of Fury modified the dungeon somewhat and made it her pce.

    The only dungeon as unique as Vimana was the ¡®sky fortress,¡¯ considered the dungeon of a nameless master in the north, which was built on a giant and giant sky whale.

    Anyway, the queen¡¯s dungeon could move. However, instead of moving Vimana itself, the queen directly led her subordinates to the unimednd in the north because her moving Vimana would draw the attention of other kings.

    Finally, the day of her forming an alliance with the master of the Mammon family arrived.

    Since it was a secret alliance, the Queen of Fury was apanied by only her close aides Kirtimuka and Gardimundi as well as five people from each of her eight ns.

    No matter how secret an alliance it was, she needed to show a proper decorum because the alliance itself was a sacred ritual. That was why she took a total of 40 people with her.

    ¡®Of course, they are going to serve as my bodyguards, just in case.¡¯

    Gardimundi took a fresh tour of the uninhabited wastnd in the north. Even though it was an open area, no one could be seen. It seemed that there would be nobody to spread rumors even if something happened here.

    However, the queen had to be prepared for contingencies. The master of the House of Mammon and his subordinates that she saw were far from weak.

    The 40 representatives of her eight-n people formed their own groups and set up gs. As the power of their eight mysterious gs came together, a blocking barrier was created over the surrounding area. Now, nobody could guess what was going on inside by watching from a distance.

    ¡°Anyway, calm down. Take a deep breath.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never been nervous.¡±

    Although she said that, the queen took a gentle deep breath. Her chest went up and down a few times, which made her feel a little more rxed.

    But where the hell was the master of the House of Mammon? The appointed time was close. Wasn¡¯t it time he appeared?¡±

    Kirtimuka asked Gardimundi inquisitively. Since it was an open wastnd, he could be seen anywhere if he was approaching by now, but there was not a soul in sight, let alone the troops of the House of Mammon.

    Kirtimuka considered the Mammon master as the bridegroom for the queen, but if he couldn¡¯t even keep the appointment, she would think twice. It was not just a promise, but a summit meeting with the queen to form an alliance.

    ¡®I wonder if he iste.¡¯

    Instead of refuting Kirtimuka¡¯s words, Gardimundi frowned and looked around again. If the Mammon master was willing to keep the appointment, it was about time he appeared from any direction in the opennd by now.

    Kirtimuka frowned even more, and the queen was also a bit disappointed.

    Right at that moment, Gardimundi uttered with a nk expression, ¡°No way!¡±

    Gardimundi raised her head right away, and the queen and Kirtimuka, who was looking at her, also raised their heads instinctively. They opened their eyes wide at about the same time. Gardimundi uttered in an embarrassed voice as if expressing feelings on their behalf.

    ¡°Is he the Mammon master?¡±

    The clouds were scattered. There appeared a huge flying vehicle reminiscent of a red dragon from the far sky.

    <hr />

    Tiamet, the giant red dragon.

    The private flying vehicle of the Mammon master left a deep impression on the queen and her close aides with its overwhelming force.

    And this was not all the performance that Yong-ho prepared.

    The hatch of Tiamet, the giant red dragon thatnded far away from the queen, was opened.

    The first to appear from the flying vehicle was Skull and his one hundred elite soldiers that had been selected from the Skull unit.

    The Skull unit, which marched, led by Skull, moved in perfect unison without any error, as if to boast of their synchronization. After a wonderful march, they lined up and opened a way.

    Since they were an undead army, they didn¡¯t move at all after stopping. Their ck armor uniforms shone in the sun.

    Yong-ho walked on the road between them. Behind him were Catalina and Kaiwan, dressed in their best costumes.

    Ophelia, Eligos, and Tigrius remained inside Tiamet. They were on standby just in case of contingencies.

    Kirtimuka nodded in satisfaction, looking at Yong-ho, who appeared confidently in time for the appointment. Gardimundi narrowed her eyes, watching Tiamet, the giant red dragon, because it was far from any ordinary flying vehicle.

    The Queen of Fury stiffened like a piece of wood. Once again she pressed on her heart.

    ¡®Wow, it¡¯s real.¡¯

    Her heart was pounding very hard.

    Yong-ho approached the queen. The nearer he came, the harder her heart was beating.

    ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet the Queen of Fury. My name is Yong-ho Cheon, the master of the House of Mammon.¡±

    He first expressed due manners to the queen. Thanks to his practice overnight under the supervision of Kaiwan and Ophelia, the way he extended courtesy to her was perfect.

    But the queen could not respond. She just stared at him nkly.

    She didn¡¯t respond for about five seconds. When Yong-ho and his close aides began to be embarrassed about her silence, Kirtimuka hurriedly shouted at the queen through her psychological interaction with her.

    ¡®Your Majesty!¡¯

    Only then did the queene to her senses suddenly. When she found him standing a few meters away from her, she held her breath once again, embarrassed by her pounding heartbeat. She was at a loss about what to do at the moment. She then hurriedly cleared her throat and barely opened her mouth.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Dritarastra, the head of the eigh-n people.¡±

    Kirtimuka felt she ruined the whole thing. Her face got stiffened, and her voice was stiff.

    When Kirtimuka felt frustrated, Catalina rolled her eyes and looked at Kaiwan, who narrowed her eyes.

    However, Yong-ho himself did not feel anything strange about her response, for he didn¡¯t properly focus on her voice and facial expressions.

    His heart was pounding. It wasn¡¯t just because of his resonance with her. She felt a stronger impulse than he did when he encountered her at the auction house.

    Why? For what?

    He barely held down his strong greed that arose to engulf not only the queen but also her aides.

    He gulped while his heart was beating fast before he knew it.

    Was the queen standing before him right now different from when he met her at the auction house?

    He looked down at her lower body and stared nkly at the metal belt wrapped around her slender waist.

    He knew it now. Barely holding back his urge to utter exmation, he murmured to himself.

    ¡®The Godly Energy of Gluttony!¡¯

    The Gluttony inside him was crying for it desperately. It showed a terrible longing for its other half.

    It was a very fleeting moment.

    The desire of Gluttony was about to express itself outside. Unlike the desire of Greed, Yong-ho was not aware how the desire of Gluttony expressed itself outside. It was because he could detect the flow of the desire of Greed, but not Gluttony.

    But the problem was that the moment Gluttony inside him expressed itself outside, it could be detected by the queen.

    After all, he brought out the power of Greed. He did it almost instinctively because his action was very fast. His Greed that arose fiercely swallowed up the sin of Gluttony.

    It was tough because he had to suppress Gluttony without exposing the power of Greed to the outside. He controlled both sins by exercising strong control.

    A cold sweat broke out on his back. It wasn¡¯t because he was worried that the queen would catch him possessing the two sins. It was because it was so tough for him to control both sins at the same time.

    It was only a few seconds.

    With utmost concentration, his Greed suppressed Gluttony. He made sure his Greedpletely engulfed Gluttony. The sin of Gluttony did not reveal its craving anymore, even though the Godly Energy of Gluttony was right before it.

    Only then did Yong-ho let out a sigh of relief. He felt a sense of aplishment. But soon he realized he had made another mistake.

    He didn¡¯t have to feel rxed just because the queen did not notice the sins of Greed and Gluttony for now. He was now standing in front of the Queen of Fury.

    All this happened only a few seconds, but he didn¡¯t even know what kind of expression he made because he couldn¡¯t pay attention to those around him due to his extreme concentration.

    He hastily looked straight ahead. The queen was blinking, with her head tilted.

    He quickly opened his mouth without thinking deeply.

    ¡°Sorry. I heard the rumor that you are a beauty. I got distracted because you are much more beautiful than I heard about you in the rumors.¡±

    It was ridiculous bullsht, just nonsense. Who the hell would be hoodwinked by this bullsht?

    ¡®What did he say?¡¯

    But the queen¡¯s response was strange.

    The queen, biting her lower lip slightly, looked down and twisted her body a bit.

    Her earlobes and cheeks turned red, which stood out because of her fair skin.

    This time, Yong-ho blinked nkly. Did his impromptu excuses pay off?

    Sensing his gaze, the queen smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°I¡¯m ttered, but thanks for your kind words.¡±

    Then she lowered her head as if she was shy.

    He blinked again then looked at the queen, feeling somewhat different about her.

    While the two were interacting like that, Catalina raised her tail and Kaiwan looked at him fiercely, but no one noticed it because they just focused on Yong-ho and the queen.

    Everybody was silent for a few seconds except for Kirtimuka, who was moved, holding her hands together.

    Yong-ho, who also came to his senses, escorted the queen to the meeting ce, as he had practiced, and the summit between the two began.

 Chapter 222 - Alliance (9)

    <h4>Chapter 222: Alliance (9)</h4>

    The summit meeting, which they started awkwardly,sted for about an hour.

    But it seemed they got familiar while talking during the summit, or they came to know better their own position while conversing seriously. Both of them regained their usualposure in the middle of the talks. They even exchanged jokes, though briefly.

    Since they already discussed the framework of the alliance through their correspondence, they didn¡¯t need to talk long about the alliance itself. It was not an alliance that required the exchange of a treaty, but an alliance that literally established their friendship, so there were no details.

    The queen went back to her aides, escorted by Yong-ho. Watching her briefly, he concluded the summit by getting aboard Tiamet, the giant red dragon.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end of the talks.

    The queen, who got aboard a small flying vehicle, satfortably in the captain¡¯s chair.

    Leaning against the chairfortably, she said, ¡°He¡¯s very strong.¡±

    Her expression was serious. Kirtimuka, who was going to ask her a barrage of questions about the Mammon master, shut her mouth out of embarrassment, while Gardimundi agreed, calmly nodding.

    She lost her mind because her heart was beating so hard while meeting him, but she could find out several things about him.

    The queen participated in so many battles and earned the title of ¡®warmonger.¡¯ She saw countless strong men and experienced countless fights.

    ordingly, she realized from her experience that the Mammon master experienced deadly fighting that risked his life. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that he participated in such fights. He experienced literally numerous battles.

    Actually, she tested him several times during the talks. She made a gesture that could make him trapped gently but fatally. Every time she did so, he responded.

    His response was not deliberate, but simultaneous.

    It was mana that they valued most in the demon world. However, the one with strong mana was not necessarily a strong man. There were more important things in a fight.

    She could discover from her senses and experience that the Mammon master was strong.

    He was much stronger than she expected.

    ¡°Gardimundi, the Mammon master, Yong-ho Cheon, is the me his real power?¡±

    Kirtimuka¡¯s eyes sparkled at her question or the way she called Yong-ho. Unlike Kirtimuka, however, Gardimundi focused on the very reason the queen raised the question.

    She replied in a calm tone in a break with her usual cheerfulness.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It is true that he handles mes freely, but I can¡¯t say he is the Demon King of mes. As you know, there are many ways to deal with the mes even without using your power.¡±

    ¡°As for the rumors that the Mammon master beat a bone dragon, you said you didn¡¯t think the rumors were false, right?¡±

    ¡°Right, Your Majesty,¡± said Gardimundi.

    The queen sorted out her thoughts once again, with her lips closed. Watching her quietly, Gardimundi added, ¡°There is one more rumor I¡¯vee across recently.¡±

    Gardimundi was a born scout. When she stayed at the tavern in the Free City, she didn¡¯t just spend time gambling.

    In addition to her existing information, she could gather additional intelligence about Yong-ho while gambling, drinking, and buying things at the tavern.

    ¡°I did not report to you because I was not sure, but I hear that the Mammon master seems to have artifacts that increase the abilities of his subordinate spirits.¡±

    ¡°Increasing his spirits¡¯ abilities?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rumored that his artifacts increase their ability to change drastically, so much so that even their appearances are changed.¡±

    In fact, she heard that some of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon benefited from his artifacts.

    But Gardimundi took a step back and thought about it. Was it really because of the effects of their artifacts? Was it probably the power of the Mammon master?

    Gardimundi didn¡¯t even have to exin because the queen felt the same way.

    ¡°Maybe I think we will get much more benefits from this alliance that we think.¡±

    It was a sad fact, but the best deterrent against war was the powerful force that made the enemy dare not to attack.

    If the House of Mammon really possessed more power than expected, and if the queen could form a true alliance with the Mammon master, and the King of Violence could help her, she could build a really strong deterrence.

    Definitely, peace would continue for decades toe even under the cold war situation.

    The queen and Gardimundi were serious at the moment so was Kirtimuka.

    She asked carefully while checking the queen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Your Majesty, how did you feel about the master of the Mammon family?¡±

    As a Yacha, Kirtimuka was clumsy at concealing her feelings.

    Since she knew why the Yacha woman asked such a question, the queen quickly got up and turned around. She seeded in concealing her blushing face, but she couldn¡¯t hide her earlobes that turned red.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let me have some rest today.¡±

    Kirtimuka was satisfied with her response. She politely bowed to her with a mischievous smile.

    ¡°Sure. Have a good sleep.¡±

    As Kirtimuka and Gardimundi left the captain¡¯s room, she threw herself on the extra bed.

    Since she was really going to hit the sack, she turned off the light.

    When she met Yong-ho, she felt really strange.

    She felt her heart was pounding hard, but it was different from when she experienced it at the auction house.

    This time she felt more intense feelings and a stronger impulse.

    Was this really love like Kirtimuka said? Or was there something she was missing?

    She kept thinking about it in bed. Anyway, she had to keep in close contact with him for a while. She could check her feelings in the process.

    ¡®Let me go to sleep now.¡¯

    Pulling herself together, she closed her eyes. But she opened her eyes within a few seconds.

    She raised her hands and ced them on both cheeks. Her face felt hot.

    ¡®What should I do? I can¡¯t sleep.¡¯

    When she closed her eyes, Yong-ho¡¯s face came to her mind. Her heart began to pound again, and she kept tossing and turning in bed.

    <hr />

    [She is strong.]

    [Her mana is not the problem. It is a matter of pure strength.]

    [The Queen of Fury is stronger than the King of Gluttony.]

    Yong-ho heard Aamon¡¯s whispering from the mes of the red lotus in the air.

    He nodded. Actually, he felt it throughout the talks. He seemed to know why she had the nickname ¡®warmonger¡¯ despite her fresh and pleasant images.

    ¡°What the King of Fury has must be the Godly Energy of Gluttony. It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s in her hands.¡±

    Ironically, he had the Godly Energy of Fury. In other words, the two had each other¡¯s Sin that they needed. It would be nice if they could exchange the two because they formed an alliance, but it was impossible right now.

    He briefly recalled the Godly Energy of Gluttony wrapped around her waist and understood why there was something sly in her attributes. He bit his lips slightly and quickly shook it off his mind.

    Tigrius said, ¡°The queen seems to have good feelings toward you more than I expect. We need to be cautious, but if you make good use of the alliance, I think you can think of taking control of the territory of the King of Gluttony. As you know, there are many things you can take even if you don¡¯t upy the territory.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just the heart of the dungeon and the essence of the king. The numerous dungeon spirits that Yong-ho could make his own subordinates and the wealth that the King of Gluttony had umted over the years were also something he had to take into ount when he decided to march into the king¡¯s territory. The king and his Ten Warriors were killed.

    Ophelia said, ¡°I think it would be okay if we deploy troops after reinforcing the Cadiz Fortress first. The west was devastated, and all the eastern masters have pledged their loyalty to you. So, if you are not concerned about the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury, you can concentrate all your power on the king¡¯s territory.¡±

    In fact, the king¡¯s territory was a treasure without an owner. Yong-ho could march his troops without any hesitation when other kings could not move for fear of the King of Gluttony¡¯s sudden disappearance.

    When they were engaged in serious conversation, Catalina, with her ears drooping, turned her gaze and looked at Kaiwan. When she signaled to Kaiwan as if she was asking for thetter¡¯s advice, Kaiwan responded she would try to find the solution at night.

    Yong-ho, who did not know what was going on between Catalina and Kaiwan, focused only on what Ophelia was talking about. He sighed, tapping the map of the unimednd in the south, which was spread on the table.

    ¡°Am I the problem then? Although I have Tiamet and Smi, it takes too long for me to travel between the Labyrinth of Greed and Cadiz Fortress.¡±

    Yong-ho and Tigrius had to stay in Cadiz Fortress in order to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. But Yong-ho had a lot to do in the Labyrinth of Greed. He had to conquer the arena. He also had to be recognized by Richard, the gatekeeper on the 8th floor. He also had to finish the synthetic evolution of Skull and the reinforcement of his subordinate spirits that he had put off for now.

    While no one could quicklye up with the right solution, the mes of the red lotus arose. Aamon whispered, [My master, if that is the case, there is a solution.]

    ¡°Is there just a good solution on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed?¡±

    Yong-ho asked as if on cue, and his subordinate spirit¡¯s eyes twinkled.

    The mes of the red lotus waned a bit as if to express embarrassment.

    [Well... that¡¯s right.]

    Ophelia, who got so excited perhaps because of her experience on the 8th floor, approached the mes of the red lotus and asked, ¡°What is the solution?¡±

    Since they were as thrilled as she, other spirits cast a nce at Aamon.

    Even Tigrius showed interest.

    Aamonughed warmly then whispered to not only Yong-ho but the other members of the Mammon family.

    [The integrated control center for the door of space.]

    [It manages the space leap to the dungeon under his control. And...]

    Aamon blurred at the end. As if to make them fret about his answer, Aamon paused for a moment and continued, [Protecting the 9th floor is Scorpion, the grand magician Magnadon who destroys the earth.]

    Ophelia¡¯s expression changed. Tigrius held his breath while Kaiwan and Catalina were amazed at the same time.

    Grand magician Magnadon.

    His nickname was the Earth Destroyer. The one who changed the map.

    He was the most erratic and the greatest magician of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    The mes of the red lotus arose fiercely, radiating both yearning and joy at the same time.

 Chapter 223 - Synthetic reinforcement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 223: Synthetic reinforcement (1)</h4>

    The demon world was vast, so were the kings¡¯ territories. Because of this, it often took more than one day for them to reach from one dungeon to another by riding a horse.

    Kings generally had dozens of dungeons under their control.

    Given the distance between dungeons took more than one day to reach, it meant dozens of days to travel back and forth between them. So, they needed to cross the whole kingdom to travel from one dungeon to another in the farthest ce.

    Mammon, the great Ging of Greed, thought about this problem.

    ¡®It¡¯s inefficient.¡¯

    [So, Mammon installed the door of space in all dungeons. And he connected all the doors to make it one.]

    The mes of the red lotus arose inside the giant red dragon, Tiamet, which was returning to the House of Mammon.

    Aamon continued to exin, [Of course, Mammon was not the first who created the door of space. He wasn¡¯t the first demon king to travel back and forth dungeons through the door of space, either.]

    [However, he was the first to connect dozens of dungeons. It can be said to be one of Mammon¡¯s great achievements.]

    There were quite a few means of transportation with which they could move a long distance in an instant, just like Sitri¡¯s cat carriage or the flying carriage of the Dungeon Market that he used when he visited the auction house of the Dungeon Market.

    But even those transportations were slower than the door of space where they could move instantly.

    ¡°Really? Is it true that there is a control center on the 9th floor that manages all the roads and doors?¡±

    When Yong-ho asked, the mes red up more strongly.

    [Yes.]

    [However, you will not be able to use the connecting roads that Mammon had made.]

    [You must create the new connecting roads of your own.]

    ¡°That¡¯s efficient.¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯s being able to move between the dungeons under hismand in an instant meant that the range of activities of Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits, who were like tactical nuclear weapons in the human world, could be enormously expanded without attracting the attention of the enemy at all.

    [But it¡¯s not perfect.]

    [There are only dozens of people who can move through the connecting road all at once. And you can only use it twice a day.]

    [Keep this in mind.]

    It was impossible for Yong-ho to mobilizerge troops by using the door of space. However, he was not disappointed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I have Thiamet.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Tiamet. He nned to purchase a few more flying vehicles in the future. The option to purchase arge flying spirit and evolve it was also attractive to him.

    Arge armed fleet flying through the sky.

    He felt like his wild ambitions were surging just by imagining it.

    ¡°Then, are you going to go back and challenge the 9th floor?¡± Kaiwan asked, who sat right next to him.

    But he shook his head and said, ¡°No, I need to prepare a little more.¡±

    It was the grand wizard, Magnadon, who was on the 9th floor as one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    In the legends, he was like a disaster, splitting thend and breaking mountains.

    Aamon said firmly that Yong-ho¡¯s fight against Magnadon was inevitable. Magnadon was different from Scathach or Richard. Whether he was crazy or not, Magnadon would chant an attack spell as soon as he saw Yong-ho.

    Catalina, who was sitting across Kaiwan, asked Yong-ho a bit timidly, ¡°Would you like to make the Silent Warrior Richard your subordinate spirit?¡±

    His rtionship with Richard, the guardian on the 8th floor, was very subtle. He didn¡¯t advise or help him like Scathach or Gusion, nor did he attack Yong-ho like Baphomet or Asclepius.

    He was just faithful to guarding the entrance to the treasure storage.

    At her question, Yong-ho said, with his shoulders falling, ¡°I would like to, but I have a little problem.¡±

    ¡°You mean any more vacancy for the spirit?¡±

    Kaiwan asked right away. Yong-ho nodded.

    Aamon spoke again, [The master can afford to have one more subordinate spirit.]

    [Of course, if your power grows a little more, you can afford to have more subordinate spirits.]

    When Aamon mentioned ¡®one more,¡¯ he was referring to one like Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, not a general dungeon spirit.

    Ophelia added, ¡°The number of subordinate spirits is confined to five or six even if you are a king. The King of Gluttony who controlled at least seven subordinate spirits was very exceptional.¡±

    The King of Gluttony had eight subordinate spirits, but what Ophelia actually saw was seven. Whether it was seven or eight, however, it was clear that the king had more subordinate spirits than generally epted.

    [Each of the Seven Deadly Sins has its own special powers.]

    [As the current master of the House of Mammon, you probably know what the fundamental power of greed is.]

    Although what Aamon said was somewhat off the main topic, Yong-ho just nodded again because he understood what Aamon was trying to say.

    ¡°Possessiveness. Was that the reason why Mammon could have as many as twelve subordinate spirits?¡±

    Greed wanted to have possessiveness because pure possessiveness was the source of greed.

    More subordinate spirits.

    It didn¡¯t matter whether Yong-ho had five or six. Greed longed for possession of more of them.

    [Of course, it is thanks to the power of greed that Mammon could have 12 subordinate spirits. But his addition of the power of Gluttony and Fury also helped him control as many as 12 spirits.]

    [If he had not possessed three Sins, he would not have made 12 spirits his subordinate spirits, no matter how strong Mammon was.]

    Right now, Yong-ho had Greed and Gluttony. One day, he would be able to control as many as 12 subordinate spirits like Mammon.

    ¡°Anyway, is it a matter of choice for you right now?¡±

    Kaiwan pointed out the heart of the matter.

    He agreed and said, ¡°Richard hasn¡¯t recognized me yet. He only allowed me to use the treasure storage. I can obtain the power of ¡®trust¡¯ that he allegedly had. But I¡¯m not sure if I can make him one of my subordinate spirits.¡±

    It was also not easy for him to force any reluctant warrior to be his subordinate spirit. Besides, this was the task of making one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits his own spirit. It was natural that he thought the task almost impossible.

    [If I dare to rmend you, I think it¡¯s better to make Gusion your subordinate spirit first rather than Richard.]

    [Richard will never have a new master unless he is persuaded first.]

    [He would rather take his life if he was forced against his will.]

    Richard was the man who kept the treasure storage of his deceased master for one thousand years. It was ridiculous topare his loyalty with that of the 12 Spirits, but there were few who could bepared with him in terms of loyalty.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Suddenly Skull shouted.

    Catalina, who had watched Skull for as long as Yong-ho, understood what Skull tried to say.

    pping her ears several times, she said, holding his hand tightly, ¡°I am on the same page as Skull. I will never serve any other master than you.¡±

    ¡°Me, too, because I¡¯m yours,¡± said Kaiwan jokingly, hugging his arm.

    Embarrassed but delighted, he raised his head and said to Eligos, who was moving up or down his lips hesitantly, ¡°Hey, Eligos. You don¡¯t have to express it because you know your heart. Same to you, Ophelia and Tigrius.¡±

    Eligos¡¯s red skin turned even more reddish, and Ophelia smiled gently, looking at him.

    Tigrius cleared his throat to get out of embarrassment.

    Aamon whispered to everyone, [I said just one vacancy for the spot of our master¡¯s subordinate spirit. But I think it¡¯s not sufficient.]

    [The subordinate spirits of the master are rapidly bing stronger. The master must also grow enough to amodate them all.]

    [The power of evolution will lead the master and his subordinate spirits to a higher ce.]

    That was the case with Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits in the past.

    Even after reaching the peak of the demon world, Mammon and his 12 Spirits continued to grow.

    Yong-ho pped his hands loudly.

    ¡°Okay, I have to conquer the 9th floor in order to have Ophelia and Tigrius be in charge of Cadis Fortress and go through rigorous fighting in the arena. Let¡¯s get ready as soon as we return.¡±

    Cadis was the northern fortress he upied before his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury.

    It would take quite a lot of attention and renovation to rebuild the fortress that had been thoroughly destroyed by the invasion of two foreign enemies, Embrio and Stravadi.

    Turning his face away from Ophelia, who was about to cry, and Tigrius, who gently cleared his throat, Yong-ho made the announcement.

    Kaiwan hugged his arm a little harder and asked, ¡°You said you have work to do before that?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I do.¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯s gaze turned to one of his subordinate spirits.

    ¡°Skullkull?¡±

    ***

    [Name: ck dirge]

    [Category: Demon Sword]

    [ck dirge is a magic sword whose creator is unknown.]

    [Currently, the most prevalent theory is that ¡®Kakura Doom,¡¯ who was a cksmith, made it with all his heart and soul for revenge.]

    [ck dirge, a magical sword in the form of a giant ymore, puts a powerful curse of death on the user.]

    [Anyone who surrenders to this curse is resurrected as an undead and bes a puppet of the ck dirge. ck dirge with a puppet repeats an indiscriminate massacre and increases the number of undead.]

    [However, those who ovee the curse will be able to perform necromancing with the power of the curse of the ck dirge.]

    [Since the user uses the power of the magic sword, he can use it even if he is ignorant of magic.]

    [Tip of the Dungeon Market]

    [Because the curse itself is to resurrect the opponent into an undead, the initial undead can use the ck dirge.]

    [Warning from the Dungeon Market.]

    [Even if the user of the ck dirge is an undead, anyone who is weak-hearted can be controlled by the ck dirge.]

    [Once the curse is activated after purchase, no return or refund is possible for any reason.]

 Chapter 224 - Synthetic reinforcement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 224: Synthetic reinforcement (2)</h4>

    Yong-ho, who put down the item description catalog of the Dungeon Market, saw the ck dirge on the decoration table. With the ck evil energy blowing out like smoke, it looked like a magic sword. He felt like he would be cursed just by putting his hand on it.

    He picked up the second description catalog.

    [- Defective product -]

    [Category: Undead]

    [Detailed Category: Lich]

    [It is a Lich created by using the grand wizard from an alien world as the material at the Dungeon Market.]

    [In general, it ismon to use ¡®alive¡¯ for the production of a Lich. Even those who have be Lich themselves prepare rituals in their lifetime.]

    [There was a low chance of sess because the grand wizard from the alien world was already dead when he was found. ]

    [Thanks to the umted know-how of the Dungeon Market, the grand wizard¡¯s body was sessfully revived as a Lich, even though he had been already dead.]

    [But, unfortunately, the Lich, who was born like that, did not have a proper ego.]

    [Although he was born with powerful magic and some necromancing magic, it is impossible to operate him properly because he does not have an ego.]

    It was not a prototype this time. It was a spirit that Sitri specially saved from a warehouse where defective products were piled up.

    A huge skeleton, almost the size of Skull, was hanging next to the ck dirge. Like the ck dirge, it was blowing out a ck evil energy, but it looked emaciated and wobbly. Even when its eyes were supposed to re, they were just sparkling dimly.

    It was a defective product that could not be sold because it had no ego.

    However, there was no better material for Yong-ho than this.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s buy this.¡±

    Yong-ho did not agonize which of the Lich and ck dirge he would merge with Skull, for he had a much more efficient third option.

    Synthetic reinforcement.

    It was different from general synthetic evolution.

    Combining something called an ¡®item¡¯ and something called a spirit, so it could be strengthened through synthetic evolution.

    This kind of synthetic reinforcement was possible only once for Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits. However, it did not require evolution EXP.

    Green light shed in Yong-ho¡¯s eyes and the green mes also arose from his arms.

    His subordinate spirits, who were watching inside an empty room in the corner of the 5th floor, gulped while holding their breath. He finally put his hand on the ck dirge and Lich¡¯s shoulder. Then he activated the power of evolution!

    There was a tremendous light created.

    No, it was not light, but darkness. The light that emitted momentarily blurred his vision, creating a darkness in which he could see nothing.

    He felt his mana was sucked in in an instant. About half of the powerful mana he released from his six horns was consumed at once in the process.

    The darkness was cleared again. Yong-ho urgently received the dungeon¡¯s reserve mana from Lucia. Slowly stepping back, he looked at the newly born Lich through synthetic reinforcement. The Lich had already changed on the surface. His hazy eyes and drooping posture were still there, but his body itself turned morebative. He looked very sharp perhaps as a result of merging with the sword.

    ck evil energy raged. Combined with the Lich¡¯s powerful mana, the curse of the ck dirge became more powerful.

    Yong-ho gulped at the spectacr scene. Instead of stepping back, he turned around and looked at Skull.

    ¡°Skull.¡±

    The curse of the ck dirge was stronger than expected. The Lich, who had no ego at all, was rather free from the curse, but Skull, who had a free will, was not.

    What if Skull was defeated by the curse of the ck dirge?

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull spoke. He stepped forward with his purple eyes ring sharply. Yong-ho could not understand what he was saying, but he understood it. Instead of worrying, he trusted Skull.

    Skull stood by the Lich. Yong-ho saw the purple smoke rising up from Skull engulfing the Lich.

    Yong-ho caught his breath. He felt his subordinate spirits behind his back were extremely tense, swallowing.

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    Skullughed. Yong-houghed along and soon stepped forward. He put his hand on Skull¡¯s sturdy shoulder.

    Time for synthetic evolution.

    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He poured out more mana than before. The Lich threw out a ck evil spirit, with his mouth wide open, as if he was screaming, and Skull firmed up his determination by bringing out purple mes fiercely.

    Once again, the light rose in Yong-ho¡¯s eyes, and the light gave birth to darkness.

    With his mana being exhausted, Yong-ho felt something different. He sensed apletely different power from it when hebined and reinforced the Lich and the ck dirge.

    Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy.

    A purple light, close to ck, emitted from the magic field on his left arm. It wasn¡¯t what Yong-ho intended. The death sealed inside the magic field or the power of Baphomet arose by itself.

    No one exined it. But Yong-ho understood it.

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    They made the zodiacal signs their motif.

    It was a session of 12 signs of the zodiac. Right at this moment, Baphomet¡¯s death determined his sessor.

    A purple light, almost ck, filled the room. It became more and more purple than ck, and at one point, it emitted an intense light before disappearing.

    It happened only for a few seconds. However, Yong-ho could never forget those moments.

    Catalina opened her mouth before she knew it and pped her ears and tail.

    Kaiwan made a rather silly smile. Eligos and Ophelia blinked again and again, while Tigrius uttered exmation quietly.

    His subordinate spirits felt each other through Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho understood the man more directly who was standing right before his eyes.

    The growth of his subordinate spirits soon triggered their master¡ªYong-ho¡¯s¡ªgrowth.

    Then it spread to all of the other spirits.

    The six horns towering over Yong-ho¡¯s head shuddered. Other spirits also quickly erected their horns, keenly realizing that one of them had reached a whole new level.

    It wasn¡¯t something like the Death Knight.

    It couldn¡¯t bepared to anything like the Lich.

    It was called Brunani No Life King.

    King of the Undead.

    Violet light was burning from the inside of Skull¡¯s empty eyes.

    ¡°Skull Skull¡±

    ***

    The energy of death was raging violently. It was powerful enough to overwhelm mana and cause dread and fear onto the living.

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits knew this energy of death. They had experienced the real energy of death, which was qualitatively different from the power emitted by the Bone Dragon or other undead.

    Capricorn, Baphomet, the demon of ughter.

    He was one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits as well as the incarnation of death from another world.

    Someone swallowed, so did Yong-ho.

    He looked at Skull with a tense expression.

    His body got a little bigger. The Lich¡¯s sharp look, who was merged with the ck dirge, was reflected in him.

    The ring eyes located between the skulls wrapped in purple mes were gentle.

    Instead of shing for a moment, they were mes that seemed to burn forever.

    ¡°Skull?¡±

    Yong-ho carefully called him. He was worried a little bit that he might have been swallowed up by the ck dirge.

    His subordinate spirits also concentrated. Their connection with him was in full swing.

    Skull replied, ¡°Skull Skull. Skullkull.¡±

    His voice was the same, mixed withughter this time. There was a very brief silence in the room, and soon, they all smiled.

    Yong-ho sighed a breath of relief.

    It was Skull. Although he seeded Baphomet¡¯s death and took the power of the Lich and the demon sword to surpass the Death Knight and Lich, his essence remained unchanged.

    ¡®He is still the same Skull that I know.¡¯

    Yong-ho was d to confirm it, but he felt a bit sad because he expected Skull would be able to speak properly.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Did you say Skull Skull?¡±

    Yong-ho blinked. Catalina, who was in a good mood, pping her ears and tail, looked at Skull, startled as if she realized something suddenly.

    Kaiwan opened her mouth, ¡°Didn¡¯t he make a noise that was different from usual? What I mean is... ¡®Skull Skull.¡¯¡±

    Skull said it again, and Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits were surprised again.

    Obviously, Skull was saying ¡®Skull Skull,¡¯ but Yong-ho could understand its meaning. Apart from him saying Skull Skull, Yong-ho felt like some sort of its meaning was conveyed directly into his head.

    It was as if Skull said something like, ¡®Why are you so surprised? I am still the same as usual.¡¯

    When Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were embarrassed again, Skull was also embarrassed this time.

    Skull tilted his head slightly and spoke again, ¡°Skullkull?¡±

    Was he saying ¡®Master¡¯?

    ¡°Oh my God,¡± Yong-ho uttered admiration.

    Tigrius said, with a twinkle in his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s a powerful telepathy. As a result of synthetic reinforcement of the Lich, he seems to have realized the sorcery, namely his innate magical power.¡±

    ¡°Sorcery?¡±

    ¡°It refers to magic that is emitted by relying on one¡¯s will and innate strength without arithmetic calctions. It¡¯s simr to a supernatural power or the way you control the mes.¡±

    Yong-ho has also studied magic several times since he came to the demon world, so he knew what Tigrius was referring to as ¡°arithmetic¡± magic.

    ¡®Oh, I see.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t imagine how Skull used magic while calcting arithmetically. It was much more like him to just use his supernatural power by instinct.

    ¡°Skull, do you know what kind of magic you can use?¡±

    At Yong-ho¡¯s question, Skull shed his eyes as if blinking.

    After a little pause, he answered, ¡°Skull Skull. Skull.¡±

    He seemed to reply, ¡®I don¡¯t know yet... But I think I know what I can do.¡¯

    A purple me arose from Skull¡¯s right hand. The me soon turned into lightning, and Yong-ho realized that it was a lightning bolt with the energy of death.

    It was the lightning magic that Skull acquired when he became a Magic Knight.

    Skull handled lightning freely just like Yong-ho handled mes. Skull scattered the mes into the air and created a new me.

    Again, the me had the energy of death this time, but it was different from the one a while ago. The lightning earlier was the power to kill the living, but this one was the power to resurrect the dead.

 Chapter 225 - Synthetic reinforcement (3)

    <h4>Chapter 225: Synthetic reinforcement (3)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a Death Knight with Lich magic. Skull must be more than that. He could be called the King of the Undead. It¡¯s no exaggerated title,¡± said Tigrius, with great excitement.

    Yong-ho, who recalled the title of ¡°No Life King,¡± also nodded.

    But he had one question.

    Why was it that Skull couldn¡¯t speak properly even though he had been reborn as such a powerful being?

    ¡®Is it because of me?¡¯

    The power of evolution was Yong-ho¡¯s power. Because of this, the evolution that his subordinate spirits experienced reflected his unconsciousness.

    Because of this, Catalina¡¯s ears and tail changed in a way that she could p them well, or Smi had a handle on his back.

    Yong-ho briefly imagined Skull speaking fluently, but he soon felt very strange about it. In his opinion, Skull would be better off remaining as Skull crying ¡®Skull Skull.¡¯

    As if he read Yong-ho¡¯s mind, Skullughed, as always. The sound of Skull¡¯sughter rang friendly.

    ¡°Aside from synthetic evolution, I was really amazed by the power of synthetic reinforcement. I still can¡¯t believe my eyes even though I witnessed it. I was amazed that you gave the power of artifacts to the spirits...¡±

    When Eligos expressed admiration, Tigrius nodded violently, too.

    Returning from an old gentleman to a wizard after a long time, Tigrius repeatedly emphasized the fact that Skull absorbed the core powers of the ck dirge.

    Kaiwan hugged Yong-ho¡¯s arm and said, ¡°As I said before, I want at least a dragon heart. Please get a dragon heart and strengthen me through synthetic reinforcement. Can you do that?¡±

    Synthetic reinforcement could give the power of artifacts to his subordinate spirits. If Yong-ho could obtain a dragon heart and reinforce it through synthetic evolution, as Kaiwan urged, she would be able to use not only amazing mana but also the dragon¡¯s unique power just like Dragon Breath, Dragon Peer, etc.

    Synthetic reinforcement could bring about a much more diversebination than synthetic evolution that was only avable to some spirits as undead or golems.

    As if something came to his mind, Yong-ho asked Aamon, ¡°Aamon, did all the twelve spirits of Mammon go through synthetic reinforcement?¡±

    [Some of them did, but others didn¡¯t.]

    [Let me remind you for the sake of caution. I did not go through synthetic reinforcement through a spear.]

    [It was not Mammon¡¯s will that I became a spear.]

    At that moment, Catalina flinched because she thought Aamon was born through synthetic reinforcement through a spear.

    Aamon said, creating a soft me as if he was smiling.

    [Master, you have only one chance to bring about synthetic reinforcement per each spirit.]

    [However, if you save it, you can make a big mistake.]

    Yong-ho seemed to know what Aamon was talking about. Even in the game, if he saved skill points for the skills he would use in the second half, the process would be much more difficultter. Moreover, in reality, not in games, it might not be possible for him to reach the second half at all.

    Skull gained the power of the ck dirge by mixing his synthetic evolution with the Lich, who went through synthetic reinforcement. In other words, Skull still had an opportunity for synthetic reinforcement.

    ¡®Well, this kind of expediency is also possible. It would take a long time to collect EXP enough to be able to bring about synthetic evolution once again.¡¯

    It was Skull that experienced the most evolutions among the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family. Probably, the pace of him umting evolution EXP would beparable to Aamon by now.

    However, Yong-ho felt satisfied with it. Skull still had room for growth. Skull still had a potential that he hadn¡¯t fulfilled yet.

    Yong-ho recalled the artifacts in Mammon¡¯s armory that Asclepius guarded. Those artifacts that he could put to use for the synthetic evolution of his subordinate spirits came to his mind one after another.

    While he was lost in thought, Catalina, who checked his expression, rolling her eyes, raised her hand like a student asking a question.

    ¡°Aamon, can I inherit Elune¡¯s power just like Skull inherited the power of the 12 Spirits?¡±

    Everyone was so surprised by synthetic reinforcement and the growth of Skull that they forgot one fact, which was as important as synthetic reinforcement and Skull¡¯s growth. Namely, Baphomet¡¯s death made Skull his sessor. He delivered the essence of death to Skull.

    The essence of the 12 Spirits wastent in Yong-ho¡¯s magic field. It was the same with the power of Elune or Asclepius, who had already died.

    She wanted to take over that power, so she could be the sessor of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits?

    Aamon smiled at Catalina, who singled out Elune. Then he answered dly, [Yes, that¡¯s possible.]

    [Especially, your essence is very simr to Elune. If you are qualified, Elune¡¯s power, ¡°justice,¡± will choose you.]

    Catalina was d to hear Aamon¡¯s reply, with her face blushing. Her tail fluttered in step with her slowly pping ears.

    Kaiwan giggled at that and said, ¡°Are you going to be a new addition to the 12 Spirits? I mean a mix of old and new generations of 12 Spirits. Yong-ho¡¯s 12 Spirits look great.¡±

    Actually, the process was going on. Aamon, who was Mammon¡¯s spirit, belonged to the seven subordinate spirits of Yong-ho¡¯s, and Gusion and Scathach would also stand by him.

    ¡°Okay, we must first conquer the 9th floor to do so. Let¡¯s move on courageously.¡±

    As Yong-ho spoke vigorously, Kaiwan smiled and winked at him.

    ¡°Sure. Why not?¡±

    Me, too.¡±

    ¡°Skullkull¡±

    When Catalina sneakily cut in, Skull also chimed in openly.

    Yong-ho told Eligos not to, who was checking his expression at the moment, then ordered everyone including Ophelia and Tigrius.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break today. We¡¯ll have to tough it out, starting tomorrow.¡±

    He needed to conquer the 9th floor in order to normalize Cadis Fortress and attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. Of course, the King of Gluttony was gone, and he formed an alliance with the Queen of Fury, but he still had a lot of work to do.

    Kaiwan grabbed Yong-ho¡¯s arm while everyone dissolved at his order.

    She whispered gently, ¡°By the way, Yong-ho.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Which one is prettier, me or the Queen of Fury? The Queen of Fury or Catalina? Who was more beautiful?¡±

    Obviously, she asked the question, recalling the mistake that he made while talking with the queen. Kaiwan smiled gently, and Catalina pricked her ears.

    Instead of facing Kaiwan¡¯s narrowing eyes, he kissed her forehead lightly and then turned around. Kaiwan was still hanging on his arm, but he didn¡¯t reply.

    Kaiwan pinched his waist slightly, and Catalina quickly caught up with him.

    Skullughed loud on behalf of him.

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    No telepathy was transmitted to him this time. But Yong-ho was grateful for the fact that instead of speaking properly, Skull was acting just like him.

    ***

    More than twenty days have already passed since the death of the King of Gluttony.

    With all of the Ten Warriors, the core power, gone, there were few things Ondo, the butler, could do. He had sought the help of the three powerful masters defending the borders.

    ording to Ondo¡¯s wishes, the three masters agreed to select a suitable sessor among the children of the king. They had no disagreement over the fact that for the time being, they had to hide the death of the king.

    Ondo, the butler, was relieved.

    And the three masters had a meeting among themselves without Ond. Although they argued over their achievements in the presence of the king in the past, they were surprisingly on the same page after the king was gone.

    It was futile to install the king¡¯s sessor.

    None of the children of the king had the sin of Gluttony.

    Only six countries existed in the demon world, and the number of countries equaled the number of kings.

    What did it mean?

    It was simple. It meant that a country could not survive without a ¡°king¡±.

    The three masters did not think of defending the king¡¯s territory. They didn¡¯t even have the ambition to fight each other to be the next king.

    To whom would they dedicate themselves and their dungeons and dungeon spirits?

    Who would pay the most for their sales?

    It was natural that the three masters saw eye to eye on this. It was only those who had the same temperament as the three masters who could survive under the king.

    They couldn¡¯t move quickly now because they didn¡¯t know how the king died.

    So, they needed to watch the situation a little more, while following Oraldo¡¯s will.

    However, it was possible for them to exchange opinions among themselves.

    The three masters discussed which king would guarantee them the most efficient oue, and they were surprisingly of the same opinion.

    Although they departed from different parts, all of them turned their eyes at the same ce in the map of the demon world.

    ***

    The sky of the demon world was red.

    And a crimson dragon spread his wings under the red sky,

    The King of Violence.

    He was thergest and most powerful supreme being among the dragons.

    He wasn¡¯t in his Rare hideout ce anymore. He stood on the most importantnd in the demon world, which was unknown to most of the beings in the demon world.

    Mammon¡¯s memories left behind in the Godly Energy of Greed confirmed it.

    It was thisnd. Right here, the great King of Greed, Mammon, died.

    The King of Violence looked around again. The stairs leading up to that high sky no longer existed.

    It was the thing of the past, dating thousands and hundreds of years, closed a long time ago.

    Mammon was a man who saved the demon world in a ce no one knew and disappeared from history because of his betrayers.

    The King of Violence raised his head high. Looking up to the sky, he let out a low voice. A strong wind from somewhere scattered the truth that the King of Sloth told, and the voice of the King of Violence.

    The King of Violence no longer had any lingering attachment. He soared into the sky, leaving thend behind, where Mammon met hisst moment.

    He crossed the red sky of the demon world, which was not blue and should never be blue.

 Chapter 226 - Scorpio Magnadon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 226: Scorpio Magnadon (1)</h4>

    There had been numerous kings since the beginning of the demon world.

    Those with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins reigned as kings and established their own kingdoms.

    However, no family has seeded in carrying on the lineage of a ¡°royal family¡±.

    The only exception was ¡®the royal family of the King of Pride.¡¯

    The reason why they did not create a royal family was simple.

    Their Sins were not carried on to their sessors. It was also impossible to transfer the Sins in the usual way.

    It was highly likely that a family who once possessed the Sin would produce offspring with the power of Sin, but even such a family could not form a royal family.

    It would be easier if they killed the owner of the Sin and take away his essence. In that case, they could kill the old king just before his death and inherit his Sin.

    It was cruel, but at the same time, it was natural. Even in the human world, not the demon world, there were heinous children who killed their parents for money. They could do something crueler if they inherited the Sins.

    However, the Sins were not inherited that way.

    Anyone who had the qualifications of a king could take away the Sins by killing the opponent as if to absorb their essence, but there was no way of knowing if the person had a king¡¯s qualifications. Even if the person who imed to be the sessor was not qualified as a king, the one who was old but obviously a king would lose his life for nothing.

    There was only one certain way to ovee the power of the Sin.

    It was possible only when a king killed another king.

    In other words, the king who had a Sin should take another king¡¯s Sin by killing him.

    Therefore, the royal family was not created because there was no family that could satisfy the condition that the sessor already had the Sin.

    But the royal family of the King of Pride was different.

    The King¡¯s Sin was naturally inherited from generation to generation.

    It was highly likely that the first king of Pride, who acquired the Sin of Pride for the first time, had found some other way.

    Maybe the ¡°session¡± of the Sin itself was a special ability embedded in the Sin of Pride.

    The only royal family in the demon world.

    The King of Pride at that time, the master of the royal family of Pride, looked down on the earth from the highest point under the sky.

    Everything was going on smoothly.

    The war with the King of Envy was going on well ording to his n. The King of Envy was slowly crumbling, and the King of Lust wasn¡¯t making a move, crouching in his stronghold. In the south, the King of Gluttony, who could not be more vulgar, and the Queen of Fury were busy keeping each other in check.

    He didn¡¯t expect that the King of Violence intervened in their fight, but it was not a variable enough to shake his n.

    There existed no King of Greed. The King of Sloth, who disappeared for more than a thousand years, was virtually non-existent.

    So, everything went well. There were no significant variables.

    ¡°I just feel repugnant.¡±

    It repulsed him for a long time that the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony, who were only negligible in his eyes, were leading a happy life after taking possession of undeserved treasures. Besides, there was one more thing that made him feel displeased.

    The abandonednd in the south was unified. Although the unification was notplete, it was only a matter of time.

    The House of Mammon.

    A family that once enjoyed glory and fame. However, like most families that produced a king, the family crumbled because it failed to continue its lineage.

    He felt repugnant about the fact that a family without the Sin unified the unimednd in the south. The kings in the south couldn¡¯t attack the unimednd because they were busy holding them in check.

    The King of Pride himself could not attack it either because he was in the north, totally opposite from the south.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. There was one fact that made the King of Pride feel anger, not just displeasure.

    An alien¡¯s blood was running in the current master of the Mammon family. The King of Pride was not sure which idiot of the Mammon family installed him as their master. The pure blood of the demonic blood was once again disgraced. A negligible master resurrected the failing Mammon family and unified the unimed southernnd.

    The King of Pride caught his breath to subdue his anger.

    It was only now that the negligible kings were rampant.

    Everything was going as the King of Pride nned.

    The King of Pride turned his gaze back to the north from the south. He looked at the territory of the King of Envy, which would be his first target of attack.

    <hr />

    The Garden of Life was brutally invaded by skeletons and damaged by farming tools here and there, but fortunately, some of it was left intact enough to be called a garden.

    On the remainingwn near the shore of theke where Scathach¡¯s mansion was located, Yuria slightly lifted her skirt. After politely bowing, she opened her arms wide, watching Scathach sitting in the yard of the mansion over theke.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start.¡±

    Scathach responded with pping. Yuria turned around with a rather tense look and said to the nearest ones who were lined up behind her back.

    ¡°Baduk and dungeon meerkat, flip!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Meowing! Meowing!¡±

    The moment Yuria ordered them, Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat, jumped high and somersaulted into the air.

    It wasn¡¯t surprising to see Baduk, with strong muscles, beparable to an Ogre, jumping more than a few meters and turning it into a somersault, but the dungeon meerkat was different. No matter how light she was, it would have been impossible to jump many times over her body and tumble around.

    Yuria happily watched them doing a somersault several times then looked back. She shouted loudly, ¡°White wolf, flip!¡±

    The leader of the wolf herd led by Embrio, which had unusually grey hair, made a sullen expression as if to boycott her order, but eventually, he hit the ground and made a somersault.

    Yuria¡¯s face turned red with excitement. She cried out louder.

    ¡°Now, everyone, do it together!¡±

    The grey wolf, the leader of the herd, was turning a somersault with others. A dozen wolves also jumped high and somersaulted into the air without anyints.

    Everybody was amazed at a dozen wolves tumbling at the same time. Scathach got up from her seat and apuded.

    ¡°Great. You¡¯re really doing well. I was impressed with you, sis!¡±

    ¡°Hehehe.¡±

    When Scathach praised her, Yuria smiled shyly and twisted her body a bit as if she was shy. But when they heard the baby dungeon meerkat struggling with a moan, Yuria stopped them immediately.

    Lucia, who was watching them doing somersaults, uttered admiration somewhat differently from others.

    [She has such a strong ability to control the crowd.]

    [It looks like as a result of repeated evolution, her ability as a Princess Crazy Ant has been sublimated into a monster tamer¡¯s talent.]

    Monster tamer did not mean a simple trainer. A monster tamer was a trainer who brought out more of their power by empowering monsters.

    Just like the ability of the Queen Crazy Ant to rule her colony sublimated into the talent of a monster tamer, Yuria¡¯s power was quite strong.

    The power of evolution reflected Yong-ho¡¯s unconsciousness. As a result of repeated evolution, Yuria could no longer be called Princess Crazy Ant anymore. It would be impossible for her to be a queen ant because too many parts of her body had been already ¡®humanized.¡¯

    However, she acquired a powerful ability to control the crowd instead of bing a queen ant. If she could use her ability well, she could lead a mighty legion that could not even bepared to her Crazy Ant colony.

    [Isn¡¯t she praiseworthy?]

    Lucia saw the Garden of Life on the 1st floor and the treasure storage on the 8th floor at the same time.

    Yong-ho nodded, standing on the 8th floor or on the stairs connecting the 8th and 9th floors.

    Like Lucia said, she was praiseworthy. He was suddenly moved, feeling a tug at his heart.

    ¡®Maybe the doting daddy feels the same way toward his daughter.¡¯

    He giggled quickly before he knew it then got things about Yuria out of his mind.

    It was time he had to focus on more important things.

    A week passed after his summit meeting with the Queen of Fury.

    During that period, Yong-ho, who had enough rest as well as training in the arena, headed to the 9th floor with all of his subordinate spirits.

    Scorpio, grand wizard Magnadon, who destroys thend.

    His nickname was never an exaggeration. As Mammon¡¯s wizard, he was the best wizard of his time.

    The 9th floor had exactly the same structure as the 8th floor. But they had different dungeon monsters upying several empty rooms on their floors.

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits moved forward, literally sweeping away the dungeon monsters. Soon, they reached arge door. Compared to the eighth floor, it could be the entrance to the treasure storage.

    [Master, please stop for a moment.]

    [I feel the energy of my old friend.]

    Aamon¡¯s voice was transmitted not only to Yong-ho but also to all his subordinates.

    He stopped as Aamon instructed and looked at the steel door embossed with arge scorpion. He immediately found out which energy Aamon was talking about.

    Seven colors of mana swirled in front of the steel door. Thebined mana soon became a circle, and it soon changed into the shape of a human again.

    It wasn¡¯t real. Like Elune¡¯s memory that appeared on the third floor, it was an alter ego left by magic.

    Grand wizard Magnadon.

    He was a being as if he personified a scorpion. He covered almost all of his body with a red cloak, but arge, heavy tail not covered by the cloak proved it.

    His hair, with a white beard on bronzed skin, was no different from a human, except for his red eyes and pupils.

 Chapter 227 - Scorpio Magnadon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 227: Scorpio Magnadon (2)</h4>

    The translucent Magnadon¡¯s alter ego didn¡¯t attack Yong-ho recklessly just like Aamon first said. He said, looking straight at Yong-ho, ¡°Has the master¡¯s sessor finally appeared? It¡¯s been such a long time.¡±

    [Magnadon.]

    The mes of the red lotus arose right next to Yong-ho because even Aamon, who was usually calm, couldn¡¯t stand it.

    Magnadon was certainly alive thatst day. He didn¡¯t die.

    Then, why didn¡¯t Magnadon himself, not his alter ego, appear?

    Magnadon looked at the mes of the red lotus with mixed feelings of longing and joy.

    He responded to Aamon¡¯s call with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, Aamon. I am already dead. Not long after I arrived at the Labyrinth of Greed, my energy was all exhausted.¡±

    As soon as he finished talking, he shook his head.

    He continued even before Aamon could say something, ¡°Aamon, my friend, don¡¯t make an expression like that. Who do you think moved the whole Labyrinth of Greed? And who do you think maintained the Labyrinth of Greed and our 12 Spirits? As a matter of fact, I was injured severely at that time. As I used up all my energy, it¡¯s natural that I died.¡±

    It was as if he was talking about somebody else. He evenughed heartily on his own then turned his eyes from the mes of the red lotus to Yong-ho. He nodded politely out of courtesy.

    ¡°I apologize for thete greetings. I am Magnadon, my lord Mammon¡¯s wizard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Yong-ho Cheon, the master of the current Mammon family.¡±

    When Yong-ho introduced himself, Magnadon moved his eyelids as if he was hesitating for a moment. He opened his mouth again after looking back at Kaiwan, who stood by him with a somewhat nervous expression.

    ¡°You are the new King of Greed. If so, you must be my lord¡¯s sessor. But I didn¡¯t expect it would take over a thousand years for you to appear before me like this. I think my lord¡¯s arrangement for his sessor paid off anyway. In any case, I¡¯m d that his sessor has appeared.¡±

    He muttered to himself then didn¡¯t give Yong-ho and Kaiwan any chance to respond just like he did with Aamon.

    He said, opening his arms wide, ¡°Let me tell you bluntly. There are lots of magic traps inside this door that I have made myself. Indeed, it is a series of traps that reflect the producer¡¯s malice.¡±

    He was a typical evil sorcerer, given that he wasughing, mentioning his malice.

    Magnadon stroked his long white beard and said, ¡°At the end of the room, there is a control device that can control the traps. And beyond that, there is a control tower that I can describe as the true purpose of the existence of the 9th floor. This is the trial I have prepared for Mammon¡¯s sessor. And surely, Aamon might wonder why I have put so much effort into something like the control tower. Tut, tut. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t go far. The control tower is more important than you think.¡±

    He poured out words as if he was doing both sides of the conversation.

    Magnadon took a step closer to Yong-ho as if he wanted to emphasize his point.

    ¡°The work¡¯ built by Mammon in the past does not include only the dungeons under hismand. Hiswork reached all over the demon world.¡±

    It was an important point. It was like a solid rock amid a flood of words he poured out.

    Magnadonughed again after reading his expression.

    Then he continued with a satisfied expression, ¡°Of course, over a thousand years have passed. Many parts of thework copsed, and probably, there are lots of ces where the gates of space built everywhere in the dungeon world were destroyed, so you might not be able to pass. But there are still some ces left intact. I think you know about it even if I don¡¯t tell you anything more.¡±

    What Yong-ho first expected was just the door of a space where he could move between the dungeons.

    But if it was true that thework was also connected to other ces beyond the unimednd in the south as Magnadon said, this was a really big deal.

    Magnadon took another step back. This time, he bowed deeply to Yong-ho then pointed to the steel door with a theatrical gesture.

    He said provocatively, ¡°It¡¯s my masterpiece. I hope you can lightly break through it.¡±

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits turned their eyes at the steel door all at once.

    The embossed scorpion moved ording to Magnadon¡¯s gestures, and the steel door was soon opened.

    <hr />

    ¡°Kill it! Wipe Shield!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Yong-ho!¡±

    Yong-ho and Kaiwan¡¯s voices were mixed in the air. At the same time, Yong-ho, who held her waist, lifted her high and blocked the front while Kaiwan activated the power of distortion toward the front.

    Various magics threatening to devour the two began to scatter into the wrong ces when the power of distortion distorted the attack trajectory of the magics.

    ¡°Yoshi! Grando Season!¡±

    ¡°What the heck is he saying now?!¡±

    Yong-ho cheered up, watching the magics exploding in the wrong ces, and Kaiwan concentrated on the power of distortion while cursing profusely. She converted Yong-ho¡¯s mana transmitted through the Brigada ring into the power of distortion.

    Yong-ho and Kaiwan were currently located halfway through the trap room prepared by Magnadon. Like Magnadon warned, the room was full of magical traps with Magnadon¡¯s malice.

    Yong-ho had seen the greatest number of magic since he came to the demon world.

    Of course, it did not mean that Yong-ho suddenly went crazy. Normally, he would have used himself, not Kaiwan, as a shield. Although they were arguing over this issue, both already agreed before they left. It was Kaiwan who mentioned it first.

    ¡®Hey, Yong-ho, just in case, use me as a shield and run. As you know, I¡¯m much better than you in controlling the power of distortion.¡¯

    When Kaiwan, who had the power of distortion, was determined to defend, the strength of her defense was beyond imagination. However, in that case, she could not move, which was a fatal weakness. So, she tried to solve this problem by letting him hold and present her as a shield against the opponent¡¯s attack.

    They agreed on this, and it was Kaiwan who brought up this issue first.

    ¡°But, this is unfair! Howe you are using me as a shield even if I okayed it?¡±

    ¡°You asked me to do so, right?¡±

    ¡°Granted it, I feel terrible more than you think.¡±

    What she imagined was rather romantic, such as Yong-ho running with her in his arms as if she was a princess.

    But he grabbed her waist and lifted her up. Although she was ready for it, she felt really disappointed when he treated her roughly like a shield. In short, she was upset.

    Right at that moment, when she was screaming, he violently swung her to the right.

    ¡°Kaiwan! To the right! Shield of Darling!¡±

    ¡°Arrggg, I¡¯m going to see youter at night. Got it?¡±

    Why ¡®night¡¯? Heughed instead of flinching.

    Although he was in the midst of an enormous magical storm at the moment, he keptughing.

    Magnadon, who watched them from a distance, made ament befitting him, ¡°He really looks silly, but awesome.¡±

    In fact, Magnadon could not find any more appropriate word than ¡®awesome.¡¯ It was a trap room made by Magnadon himself, who was called the best wizard during Mammon¡¯s reign. Each of the activated magic was very powerful and fatal. But Yong-ho was breaking through the trap room very fast and recklessly braving it from the front at that.

    That kind of breakthrough was generally impossible. Strong gravity magic was in effect in the trap room. Normally, anybody trapped in the room could not even walk because their legs were held by an invisible force.

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t just running with Kaiwan as a shield. He also continuously released mana.

    He stopped the interference of gravity magic with a lump of pure mana.

    Magnadon widened his vision to check the paths that Yong-ho passed by. From the entrance of the trap room to the middle point where Yong-ho started using Kaiwan as a shield, a huge number of corpses were scattered everywhere. All of them were the bodies of the dungeon monsters that Yong-ho used as his shields.

    What Yong-ho did as soon as he encountered the trap room was to bring back as undead all the bodies of the dungeon monsters he had encountered on the 9th floor. Of course, Yong-ho did not do it himself. No Life King, Skull, who was reborn as the powerful undead king, supervised the work.

    Skull did not memorizeplex magic spells. Having learned necromancing as sorcery, Skull resurrected the dead by releasing the energy of death with only his will.

    As they didn¡¯t go through any special process, the only thing Skull had to do was to resurrect them as zombies, which were moving bodies. But that was enough. Hundreds of corpses themselves were excellent shields for Yong-ho.

    Magnadon also nced at the other subordinate spirits near Skull. With their eyes closed, each of them was concentrating to deliver even a little stronger and pure mana to their master Yong-ho through Brigada.

    A smile was on Magnadon¡¯s. Although they were notparable with Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, he loved their close connection with their master. Their ability to exchange mana with Yong-ho smoothly proved that he was not only verypetent, but he also had firm solidarity with them.

    Magnadon looked straight ahead again. Yong-ho was still blocking the magic, wielding Kaiwan. It was an unsightly scene, but Magnadon, who thought a demon king was supposed to be evil in nature originally, expressed satisfaction with his personality rather than ming it.

    ¡®If he really conquers the next floor, I have no other choice but to recognize him.¡¯

    Thest magic trap in the trap room.

    the swirling magic storm of the Seven Attributes.

    Magnadon, the greatest wizard of the demon world, could use all of the seven major magical elements of wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, light, and darkness. The vortex of the seven major attributes created by Magnadon was very destructive and dangerous in itself.

    ¡®It will be difficult for him to push them out with just mana. Since the vortex itself is big, it would be impossible to distort the orbit like he did a moment ago.¡¯

    If so, what would he do? How could he conquer the floor?

 Chapter 228 - Scorpio Magnadon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 228: Scorpio Magnadon (3)</h4>

    Kaiwan, who focused only on the power of distortion instead of ming Yong-ho as if she gave up, sensed that something had changed. The mana swirling in front of her eyes was different from what she used to know.

    ¡°Yong-ho... What the heck?!¡±

    Even before she called him, Yong-ho pulled Kaiwan, who he put up as a shield, into his arms suddenly. He looked straight at her with more intense concentration than before. Kaiwan, who was held in his arms all of a sudden, immediately shut up after trying to say something. Instead, she buried her head on his chest and focused her consciousness on the Brigada ring. She passed mana to him.

    The vortex of Seven Attributes¡¯s mana.

    Yong-ho already experienced it. He recalled the trial he had to face in order to unlock the 8th-floor treasure storage.

    It was foolish to confront this kind of force with the same force. Rather, he had to adapt to it. It was important for him to naturally go with the flow of mana.

    The silver light of harmony, symbolizing Yuho Yuan, arose from the Godly Energy, namely the magic field attached on his left arm. He changed the attributes of the sequentially released mana. By substituting the attributes of Yong-ho himself and his subordinate spirits into the vortex of mana one by one, he harmonized with it instead of colliding with it.

    Magnadon opened his mouth wide. Although he originally made the vortex of the Seven Attributes in mind, he never thought there would be anybody who could really ovee it.

    The vortex of the mana began to crumble little by little. Each of the Seven Attributes disappeared one by one, and when it happened, the speed of the vortex also slowed down.

    Atst, the vortex disappeared. The mana of thest mes faded from the air, just like the green mes of Yong-ho.

    The sky after the storm was supposed to be calm.

    There was a zone of mana created in the trap room.

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. Cold sweat broke out on his back, but he smiled.

    Kaiwan, who opened her eyes slightly and looked up at Yong-ho, hugged him tightly. Although she was upset that he roughly swung her as a shield, she forgot it now and thought he was cool. Her heart was pounding.

    Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits at the entrance opened their eyes one by one and breathed a sigh of relief. Catalina pped her tail pleasantly.

    Now, Yong-ho passed all the tests. Once he went through the room with no mana, Magnadon¡¯s test would be over.

    When everyone thought so, Magnadonughed slyly once again. Originally, the trap was supposed to catch him off guard. So, Yong-ho needed to realize that it was the most dangerous moment when he felt rxed.

    Thest trap was simple. It was a lump of pure and powerful mana. It was also thest mana that Magnadon himself left behind while dying.

    Yong-ho took a step. He passed through the zone with no mana. He needed to take only a couple of steps to the final destination.

    At that moment, mana poured from the ceiling to the floor. Kaiwan, held in his arms, hurriedly raised her head, but it was toote. She had no time to activate the power of distortion.

    Various voices could be heard from everywhere. Each of Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits at the entrance was screaming.

    Magnadon saw it. He blinked and soonughed out loud. The Godly Energy of Fury mounted on Yong-ho¡¯s right hand opened its mouth wide like a beast. A lump of Brigada, it epted the Sin of gluttony. It literally swallowed up the pouring mana.

    It was possible because what poured out of the ceiling was a mass of pure, not processed, mana.

    For the past one week before he challenged the 9th floor, Yong-ho spent the whole time in the arena. He wanted to learn how to use the Godly Energy of Fury and the Sin of Gluttony that he obtained recently.

    The King of Gluttony used the Godly Energy of Fury to devour everything. Of course, the original purpose of the Godly Energy of fury was far from it, but it was a pure and huge mass of Brigada. It was more than enough as a medium to release the power of the Sin of Gluttony that the king had.

    If the attribute of Greed was possession, that of Gluttony was devouring.

    So, the Sin of Gluttony devoured Magnadon¡¯s lump of mana. Greed then possessed it.

    After oveing thest trap, Yong-ho didn¡¯t hesitate to move on and threw himself into the safe zone.

    ¡°Arrived!¡±

    Standing on arge tform, he turned around and looked at the entrance. Catalina pped her ears and tail while Ophelia and Eligos pped. Tigrius also did not hide his admiration.

    Magnadon put his hand down while stroking his beard. As if he put down a heavy baggage, he let his shoulders droop and said warmly, ¡°Young Master, you have passed all my tests. I would like to recognize you as the true sessor of the House of Mammon.¡±

    Magnadon didn¡¯t just pay lip service. Yong-ho felt a new force was added to the magic field on his left arm. He naturally raised his left arm and saw a new light.

    It was golden like the glory of the morning.

    ¡®Passion,¡¯ the power of Magnadon, was reflected in the Godly Energy of Mammon.

    <hr />

    Unlike Elune, Magnadon did not disappear immediately after transferring power to Yong-ho.

    He still had one more mission left.

    ¡°As Aamon has already told you, you have to create a newwork of your own. But you don¡¯t have to abandon the oldwork built by Mammon at all. It would be best for you to build a newwork based on the old one. Thework created by Mammon is truly vast.¡±

    Magnadon, who poured out his words eloquently, fidgeted with his hand, standing on the tform at the end of the trap room. Then, the entire trap room vibrated, revealing the true image of the 9th floor.

    The doors of the space rose from the 9th floor. It was not one but nine in total.

    In addition, a waist-high cylinder rose above the tform. Magnadon triggered the ¡°controller¡± by moving his hand again on the cylinder.

    A light map of the demon world emerged above the cylinder. Magnadon moved his fingers again, and blue magical light appeared everywhere above the map.

    Yong-ho knew it without his exnation. They must be thework of the doors of space that was left intact even now.

    ¡°The light also shines in the north... There are also light in the territory of the King of Gluttony!¡±

    Ophelia shouted before she knew it. Though there were not many, there was some blue light outside the southern unimednd. Although there was only one light, it was there not only in the territory of the King of Gluttony, but also that of the Queen of Fury, that of the King of Envy, and even that of the King of Pride in the far north.

    Mammon did not build awork only in his dungeons. He hid the doors of space throughout the demon world.

    Catalina, looking at the light map with her eyes open wide, reached out and pointed to the blue light in the territory of the Queen of Fury.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s moving?¡±

    Indeed, it did, like she said. The blue light she pointed at with her fingertips was moving really slow.

    Instead of exining, Magnadon operated the controller to erge the blue light that she was pointing at. Then, a window of light with tips about the location of the blue light appeared in the air.

    ¡°Vimana. Oh my... That turtle is still alive?¡±

    Magnadon burst intoughter lightly. As if he was d to know that the turtle, which he saw during his time a thousand years ago, was still alive, his voice was filled with a pleasant surprise.

    But Ophelia and Tigrius¡¯s expressions changed instantly. She approached Magnadon and asked urgently, ¡°Magnadon, did you say it was Vimana? Turtle demon Vimana?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s even famous these days, right?¡± Magnadon said as if to humor a child.

    Ophelia raised her hand and covered her mouth. There was still a big surprise in both of her eyes.

    ¡°Ophelia?¡±

    Yong-ho called her in a low voice, as he could not figure out what she was talking about.

    Only then did shee to her senses and said calmly, ¡°Vimana is the dungeon of the Queen of Fury. It¡¯s a dungeon ced on top of a giant turtle monster. It is a kind of movable fortress.¡±

    Yong-ho recalled the ancient universe view he had seen one day. It was a picture of an elephant on a turtle then and on it again.

    However, that picture disappeared from his mind instantly because he understood what she meant.

    ¡°Wait a moment. If so, is any door of space in ourwork connected with Vimana?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. If you want it, you can always go to Vimana through the door of space. If my memory serves me right, her dungeon is inside Vimana¡¯s shell,¡± said Magnadon, who grasped the situation while talking with them so far, with augh.

    The door of space connected to the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, not anyone else.

    Given that thework was still intact, it was clear that the Queen of Fury did not know the existence of the door of space Mammon had built.

    The Queen of Fury was a strong ally who formed an alliance with the Mammon family.

    However, he didn¡¯t need to let her know the door of space. The door of space located in the shell of Vimana would certainly y an important role someday.

    ¡°It seems important that thiswork is still intact not only in the territory of the King of Pride but also in the King of Gluttony¡¯s territory. If you use it well, you will be able to target only the core of the King of Gluttony¡¯s territory.¡±

    Tigrius reminded everyone of the core point. As he said, what was important to the Mammon family right now was not thework connected with the Queen of Fury, but one connected with the King of Gluttony.

    The King of Gluttony was no longer alive. His right-hand men, the Ten Warriors, were also gone. Except for the Mammon family, there were no outsiders who knew this.

    Yong-ho already learned the war of the demon world while fighting in the unimednd. It wasn¡¯t necessarily the best way to conquer the territory and own it.

    What mattered was top up the cream.

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits looked at the map of the demon world.

    As if they promised to do so, their eyes turned to one ce.

 Chapter 229 - Surprise Attack (1)

    <h4>Chapter 229: Surprise Attack (1)</h4>

    It was no exaggeration to say that the soul of the dungeon and its master were one in body and soul. The growth of the dungeon master soon led to the growth of the dungeon and vice versa.

    Lucia also had a strong control of the dungeon now that could not even bepared with in the past. Nheless, she still needed more power.

    The Labyrinth of Greed, or the dwelling ce of Mammon, the great King of Greed, demanded much more power than now. In particr, Lucia had to skip the 7th and 8th floors to conquer the 9th floor, which was a big challenge for her because she had to cross the two floors remotely to reach the 9th floor.

    Lucia barely managed to take control of the 9th floor. But her control was iplete. She needed to grow a little more in order topletely control the 9th floor and control all the remaining floors of the Labyrinth of Greed, including the 7th and 8th floors.

    The easiest way to grow the soul of a dungeon, Lucia, was to feed her the dungeon¡¯s heart with the essence of the dungeon that was collected from the heart of another dungeon.

    Here was the problem. The number of dungeons in the unimed southern area was reduced to less than half because of the civil war that took ce in all sides of the east, west, north, and south. Yong-ho, who had to dominate the enormous territory of the unimed southern area, had to stop the dungeons from shrinking anymore.

    Because of this, he gave up the idea of obtaining the essence of the dungeons from the dungeons in the unimed southern area. What he should aim for was the dungeons outside the unimed area.

    There was prey, of course. It was also very tempting and could be obtained rtively easily.

    Numerous dungeons located in the territory of the King of Gluttony.

    Although the masters under themand of the King of Gluttony were still alive, the king who controlled them and the greatest deterrent against the invasion by other kings, disappeared. And it was only the House of Mammon that knew the fact. Missing such a golden opportunity was simply ridiculous.

    In general, there were two basic ways to attack dungeons.

    One was the standard attack by mobilizing a massive military force.

    More than 80% of the dungeon battles that took ce in the demon world were fought in this way. They advanced by dismantling the dungeon¡¯s defense forces and traps by using a number of dungeon spirits. In this case, the damage to the general dungeon spirits was enormous, but this kind of fight could reduce the damage of the elite forces including the master¡¯s subordinate spirits. Moreover, in terms of upying and dominating the dungeon, they had no choice but to mobilize arge army. The stultifying massive mobilization of troops by Vizaro, Embrio¡¯s right-hand man, was such an example. Although his force was small in scale,pared to Vizaro¡¯s, Foras used a simr method when he attacked Yong-ho.

    The other way was to mobilize a small number of elite troops.

    The stronger the elite troops were, the less damage they suffered. Besides, they reduced the time of attacking the dungeon. Since the size of the troops themselves was small, it was good to mount a surprise attack that the other party never expected.

    However, it was a bad way to dominate the dungeon. Moreover, it carried a high risk because they had to send the elite troops into the dungeon where there might be an unknown danger and trap. In the worst case, the existence of the attackers would be put in jeopardy.

    Yong-ho experienced both the pros and cons of the second method as the attacker as well as the defender in the past.

    He did not mobilize many troops to attack the eastern area. It was Yong-ho himself and his six subordinate spirits that attacked Stravadi¡¯s dungeon.

    Because of this, he did not lose a single spirit in the process of capturing Stravadi¡¯s dungeon. At that time, he took the initiative to attack Stravadi¡¯s dungeon, so he could minimize the damage to his troops.

    The King of Gluttony used the same method as his when he attacked the House of Mammon. However, the king suffered a great loss, contrary to Yong-ho. The Ten Warriors that he sent first were annihted. Then he himself went out next only to lose his life.

    The reason that the King of Gluttony moved in person was because he lost the Ten Warriors, his right-hand men and loyal bodyguards. When the king was killed in the battle, his territory was reduced to something like an empty shell. The two dungeon battles not only cost the king his life but also shook the foundation of his kingdom.

    Yong-ho was lost in thought while looking at the map of the demonic world that marked the territory of the King of Gluttony.

    After thinking hard, Yong-ho made the conclusion.

    He could not use the first method, namely using the massive troops to attack the territory. Although Skull and his unit, as well as the ck Orc squadron, which were the elite forces of the Mammon family, were powerful but numerically too few.

    He realigned the troops in the process of upying the unimed area in the south, but the number of troops he could mobilize at the moment was less than 2,000.

    It was unreasonable and absurd for anyone to attack the north with these troops. Moreover, if he attacked the north with massive troops, it was highly likely that the absence of the King of Gluttony would be exposed to the other kings too quickly.

    As it was always the case, he needed time. Theter the news about the death of the King of Gluttony became known, the better. And the less the other kings including the Queen of Fury held him in check, the better.

    Because of this, he had no other choice but to choose the second option, namely using the elite troops.

    He had to attack the dungeon by using the best elite troops.

    Although the King of Gluttony was gone, the dungeons under themand of thete king could not bepared with the unimednd in the south.

    Moreover, it was better for him not to mobilize all his subordinate spirits to realize his bigger dream in theing days.

    From his point of view, the attacker who would infiltrate the dungeon under the King of Gluttony should not be the House of Mammon. For him, a mysterious force with unknown identity would be the ideal attacker.

    If that was the solution, what should he do?

    What other troops should he use than his subordinate spirits to attack the dungeons under themand of the King of Gluttony? Were there any avable troops in the Mammon family?

    Of course, there were such troops. They certainly existed.

    Yong-ho expressed a small appreciation to the King of Gluttony, who was like a tree that gave everything to him generously.

    ***

    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, but why do you want this ce?¡± Said Gusion with a sullen expression, the owner of the arena.

    Yong-ho responded by warming up slightly in the arena.

    ¡°It¡¯s strong here. It¡¯s good to fight. Right now, they are in the thick of farming in the Garden of Life.¡±

    Gusion wanted to remind him that the Garden of Life was originally a ce for ornamental nts, not for fight or farming, but he only sighed. He suddenly recalled Scathach¡¯s letter in which sheined about the stench of fertilizers.

    ¡°I miss Scathcah.¡±

    ¡°You will see her soon.¡±

    After answering readily, Yong-ho rxed his shoulders. He took a deep breath and corrected his posture before looking at his subordinate spirits who stood in the arena like him. They were standing in arge circle with the center empty.

    ¡°Everyone, get ready. We¡¯re going to start right away.¡±

    As soon as he spoke, each of his subordinate spirits took their position.

    Kaiwan giggled and let down her whip sword, and Catalina erected her tail stiff as if she got nervous. Ophelia and Eligos rxed their ankles and wrists, respectively, and Tigrius gently swung his cane.

    Skull, the most important figure in carrying out Yong-ho¡¯s n, announced that he was ready byughing loudly.

    After checking the condition of his subordinate spirits, he looked back. He shouted at Gusion, who was sitting in the special stand at a distance.

    ¡°You can help me just in case, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need my help.¡±

    Gusion was being sarcastic pleasantly. In fact, he was so d to know that Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits grew up to the point that they did not need his help.

    Yong-ho caught his breath again. He bit his lips slightly, which became dry as he became tense, and licked them. He then closed his eyes and concentrated his consciousness.

    What he was trying to wake up was his desire for gluttony and the mana of the King of Gluttony that he swallowed with the power of greed.

    His greed possessed everything that belonged to thete king. It was indeed a very greedy extortion.

    Yong-ho found out about one of them. He deceived one that he had found with the Sin of Gluttony and the mana of the King of Gluttony. Yong-ho made himself mistaken for the King of Gluttony then ordered that the door of space be opened.

    The contract formed by magic followed Yong-ho¡¯smand. By carrying out the contract, Yong-ho opened the door of the hidden space.

    When the space opened in front of Yong-ho, there appeared several beings with great power.

    Vampire Lords, Death Knights, Elder Liches, Bone Dragons.

    Each one of them was the top undead who could overwhelm people with their names alone. The number of those spirits purchased by the King of Gluttony in a secret deal with the Dungeon Market for a battle with other kings was less than a dozen, but each one of them was already tantamount to an army of monsters.

    Yong-ho did not call out all of the undead in the space. He only summoned those monsters that the King of Gluttony had reserved to attack the House of Mammon. Although he intended to do so from the beginning, he could summon them sessfully because he used the most recent records on their summoning.

    Five Vampire Lords and eleven Death Knights.

 Chapter 230 - Surprise Attack (2)

    <h4>Chapter 230: Surprise Attack (2)</h4>

    Suddenly summoned, they were in a big confusion. Apparently, they appeared after being called by their master, the King of Gluttony, but the king was not seen anywhere.

    They looked at him all of a sudden because they could feel thete king¡¯s mana in him.

    When a spirit reached the level of a Death Knight, he would form his own ego and a fairly high level of intellectual ability, let alone the Vampire Lords, the ruler of blood.

    They were thinking while looking at him. The man they were looking at now was obviously the master of the House of Mammon that their master, the King of Gluttony, had ordered them to attack. If so, should they attack him now? Or should they wait and watch the situation a little more?

    But they didn¡¯t have to agonize. Yong-ho had no intention of giving them any time to make the choice from the beginning.

    His subordinate spirits released their mana at once. Just like those present at the auction house did, they ruthlessly released mana massively.

    The Vampire Lords and Death Knights became trapped in a storm of mana out of the blue. But that wasn¡¯t all. In addition to the storm of mana, there was one more thing that threatened and scared them.

    The Death Knights instinctively sensed it. The Vampire Lords looked back in great astonishment.

    Death was standing there.

    No Life King, namely Skull that inherited the power of Baphomet, the incarnation of death.

    The undead who belonged to death felt fear of death before their eyes. The purple energy of death enveloped them.

    And thest shock struck the undead¡ªsix towering horns on Yong-ho¡¯s head.

    Greed and Gluttony released their powers at the same time. The Godly Energy of Mammon and that of Fury radiated the light at the same time.

    The undead couldn¡¯t properly control their bodies like those who forgot to breathe. They were overwhelmed by the powerful mana that closed in on them from all sides.

    The undead army originally prepared by the King of Gluttony.

    They were his subordinate spirits based on their mutual contact. So, no matter how much Yong-ho possessed the Sin of Gluttony and mana of thete king, it was impossible for him to perfectly control them.

    So, it was necessary for Yong-ho to renew the contract. As was the case with Smi in the past, he needed to make the contract radical andpulsory.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s move on from now on.¡±

    He shook his head slightly from side to side. Each of his subordinate spirits also released the mana of Gluttony and Greed through their own Brigada.

    Wicross, the Red Moon Knight and the head of the Vampire Lords, gulped for the first time since he became a Vampire Lord.

    Yong-ho approached him. While grabbing the mes of the red lotus from the air, he ordered, ¡°It¡¯s time for re-education.¡±

    Shortly afterward, Wicross screamed for the first time since bing a Vampire Lord.

    ***

    ¡°This is the mask you mentioned.¡±

    ¡°As you requested, I made it in the shape of a dragon.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded when he saw Burgrim¡¯s small ckboard. After congratting Burgrim in satisfaction, he took the item Burgrim brought to Catalina and Kaiwan.

    Afterpleting the true and correct re-education of the undead army, Yong-ho ordered his subordinate spirits to rest and headed to his room. He met Burgrim without waiting long. Burgrim, who always worked hard, finished the stuff in a short time that Yong-ho asked for.

    What Burgrim brought was a mask in the shape of a dragon¡¯s head.

    Since it was worn over the entire head, the mask was actually more like a helmet rather than a mask. Although the color was different, its basic shape was simr to the helmet of a silver dragon armor.

    While touching the metallic shiny mask, Yong-ho quickly wore it on his head. Just like Burgrim paid special attention to it, he didn¡¯t feel any stuffiness when he put it on.

    ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s awesome.¡±

    Catalina pped, pping her tail. Seeing her ears pping as always, he thought she was really impressed with the mask.

    ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Yong-ho also liked it quite a bit, so he smiled happily and looked at Kaiwan this time.

    However, unlike Catalina, Kaiwan frowned and snapped, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too childish? The color seems too red. More than anything else, you look like a child when you are happily smiling like that.¡±

    Yong-ho snorted at herment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you are not qualified to make such ament as a woman yelling at me to be ready for punishment, wielding a whip sword every time we spar.¡±

    Kaiwan flinched at Yong-ho¡¯s point that hit the nail on the head.

    ¡°Nope, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t have to keep a straight face by narrowing his eyes because Catalina stopped fluttering her ears and tail and said seriously, ¡°Yes, you did.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± Kaiwan reluctantly agreed.

    When Yong-ho agreed with Catalina, Kaiwan had no choice but to admit it.

    With her face and neck turning red, she was at a loss about what to do.

    But he was not cruel enough to deal another blow to her. He took off the mask and touched it again and smiled.

    It shouldn¡¯t be the House of Mammon that would strike the King of Gluttony¡¯s territory.

    A mysterious force.

    The being who, wearing a red dragon mask, controlled the elite squad of the highest undead.

    ¡°Now, then, shall we get a kick out of it from now on?¡±

    [Master, do you know you look like a very bad viin right now?]

    [I like you better because you¡¯re a viin.]

    [I¡¯m really excited to see the mask and attire that your subordinate spirit Kaiwan would be wearing.]

    Lucia spoke to everyone loudly, and Kaiwan, who was blushing, flinched.

    On the other hand, Catalinaughed quietly.

    And the next day Yong-ho began to attack.

    ***

    Dungeons were like castles or fortresses in the human world.

    Inhabitants of the demon world built their houses around dungeons, and their viges and cities were also settled near the dungeons.

    Because of this, it was possible to hide the dungeon¡¯s internal facilities and scale, but it was almost impossible to hide the fact that the dungeon existed. The kings knew where the dungeons were located in the territory of another country, and they also knew the total number of dungeons very well, even if there was a slight error.

    There were a total of 56 dungeons and 40 masters or lords under the King of Gluttony.

    Yong-ho could know it urately because he took away everything from him.

    The 56 dungeons could be divided into four major sections. The center, which was directly ruled by the king, and the three regions bordering the territories of the King of Violence, the King of Pride, and the Queen of Fury.

    Most of Mammon¡¯sworks were lost, but there were still some left intact. There were a total of five doors of space in the territory of the King of Gluttony, so Yong-ho decided to use the door of space near the territory of the King of Violence.

    Yong-ho devised the n very carefully. He decided on the order of attack after selecting the list of nearby dungeons from the door of the hidden space at the foot of the rocky mountain.

    His fight this time was different from his dungeon battles in the southern area. Those masters in charge of the dungeons in the territory of the King of Gluttony were united. So, when he decided to target any particr dungeon, it was not just the soldiers of the dungeon in question. If Yong-ho¡¯s forces dragged their feet on conquering the dungeon, it was certain that the king¡¯s reinforcement army would be dispatched from other dungeons.

    ¡®I feel like a bank robber?¡¯

    So, time attack was important. It would be only after Yong-ho¡¯s forces conquered at least four dungeons that their attack was noticed by the allies of the King of Gluttony.

    It was a bright moonlit night.

    Yong-ho, who passed through the door of space of the control room on the 9th floor, stood in front of a cave located deep in a lonely rocky mountain. The reason why the door of space could be maintained even after more than a thousand years was because it was so well hidden like this. Probably, the rest of the intactworks of Mammon were simrly located deep in the mountains where nobody could get ess to.

    After breathing in the cold night air, he put on a red dragon¡¯s mask. The reason why he chose the red dragon was because of its association with the King of Violence.

    Of course, it was impossible for Yong-ho to divert all charges toward the King of Violence with just this small prop. It was too shallow to do that, and Yong-ho didn¡¯t even want to make an enemy of the king.

    All he needed was just a little bit of confusion. And this kind of trick was enough to cause such confusion.

    Yong-ho looked at his subordinate spirits who stood before him after passing the door of space one by one. He was apanied by three for this operation.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull, covered with silver armor, cried out excitedly. He was the king of the undead, which would be good as the incarnation of death, but he was a sacred knight now, wearing silver armor thatpletely covered his body. To conceal his identity, Skull wore a red and ornate cloak and held a sword and shield with colorful decorations instead of a hammer.

    Catalina wore silver armor like Skull to conceal the fact that she was a dark elf. Her tail, which clearly revealed her attitude, was wrapped around her waist so that it was not exposed outside.

    And thest member, Kaiwan said while frowning, ¡°I feel like ying a penalty game.¡±

    ¡°You wear it like that usually, right?¡±

    Kaiwan, dressed in a red leotard found in the armory on the 5th floor, kicked his shin, but he gently avoided it.

    After howling at him, she raised a whip instead of a whip sword. She swept up her hair dyed in gold then put on a dark red butterfly mask. It was a costume and mask that really suited her.

    Yong-ho checked the time. It was time for him to move slowly.

 Chapter 231 - Surprise Attack (3)

    <h4>Chapter 231: Surprise Attack (3)</h4>

    Yong-ho¡¯s target today was the dungeon located closest to the rocky mountain. Almost flying down the mountain, he ran toward the dungeon entrance without any hesitation. He heard the dungeon meerkats whimpering, but he lightly ignored it and smashed the dungeon entrance with the skills that he had earned from Gusion.

    The lights at the entrance to the dungeon that detected the intruder were turned off. The sound of the dungeon spirits¡¯ rushing steps was heard deep inside.

    Kaiwan threw a lighting fixture she had around her waist and drove out the darkness. At the same time, Yong-ho concentrated on his consciousness. He found the key with the power of Gluttony and opened the door of space.

    Five Vampire Lords, headed by Wicross, lined up next to him. Ten Death Knights stood behind Skull, holding their own weapons.

    At Yong-ho¡¯s order, Wicross, who was reborn as his loyal bodyguard as a result of true re-education, summoned the squad-level skeletons and Vampire Lords.

    When he first invaded the dungeon, there were only four defenders inside it, but they numbered more than one hundred now.

    Yong-ho lightly clenched his fist. Instead of using Aamon, he grabbed the sword he had picked from the armory and whispered to his subordinates, ¡°We¡¯re going to go the most direct route.¡±

    His announcement was his order.

    The smoke of Greed rose from all over his body.

    Skeletons and zombies generously threw themselves to dismantle the traps.

    Although hundreds of dungeon spirits at the gathering site were ready to defend in unison, they could hardly do nothing. The attack by the ten Death Knights, led by Skull, was a disaster for them.

    All the Death Knights were assigned to Skull¡¯s unit. Because of this, they could synchronize with Skull and show a much more brilliant performance than Yong-ho expected.

    The Death Knights could reach a higher level by sharing their battle experiences. Moreover, this time, Skull also benefited from them. The Death Knights¡¯bat experience reinforced Skull further, and they further enhanced thebat power of his entire members.

    Faced with the Death Knights wielding their swords like one, the dungeon ministers copsed like scarecrows.

    Yong-ho¡¯s Greed also presented the correct path to conquering the dungeon. After smashing the resistance of non-living dungeon spirits such as Living Armors and Golems, Yong-ho and his subordinates reached the heart of the dungeon in no time.

    ¡°Who the hell are you bastards!?¡±

    Kaiwan rushed toward the master of the dungeon shouting at her. She wasn¡¯t grabbing a whip sword as usual, but she had a whip in her hand instead. The ck leather whip, which was faster and sharper than her usual whip sword, wrapped around his body quickly. As always, she shouted, lifting the master stuck at the tip of the whip high and said, ¡°It¡¯s time you got punished.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. As expected, he was staring at her after stopping confronting Yong-ho and Catalina.

    She threw him down on the floor roughly then blushed inside her mask. After striking him down several times, she murmured as if she made excuses, ¡°I was just absorbed in my role.¡±

    Instead of asking her what it was, Yong-ho just smiled at her. It seemed to be fun to bother Kaiwan a little more, but his priority was striking the dungeon first.

    Catalina took the essence of the dungeon master who copsed on the floor after losing his consciousness. Yong-ho also went into the heart of the dungeon and extracted the essence of the dungeon. Since the dungeon¡¯s soul was already killed, there was no obstacle other than the dungeon shield.

    After extracting the essence of the dungeon radiating brightly, he gave them the next order because his target was not just the essence of the dungeon only.

    The smoke of Greed led him to a new path ording to his wishes.

    As soon as he reached the dungeon treasure storage, located not far from the heart of the dungeon, the Vampire Lord summoned new skeletons to have them collect the gold and other jewelry of the treasure storage and put them in the leather sacks prepared in advance.

    Once the leather sacks were full, Yong-ho sent the Vampire Lords and Death Knights back to the ¡®summoning room¡¯ made by thete King of Gluttony. The skeletons, each carrying one leather sack, followed their master, the Vampire Lords, so when Yong-ho was done with their reverse summoning, he was left behind with Skull, Catalina, and Kaiwan.

    The reinforcement units from other dungeons had not yet appeared. Yong-ho signaled to them with a nce to get out of the dungeon.

    The night was still long, and he had lots of work to do.

    There were still 55 dungeons left under themand of the King of Gluttony.

    ***

    While Yong-ho was in the thick of attacking the dungeons, Ophelia and Tigrius were busy reinforcing Cadis Fortress.

    It was clear that Yong-ho¡¯s guerri attack would contribute to copsing the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony. It was no exaggeration to say that Yong-ho¡¯s attack would quicken the copse of the king¡¯s forces by at least a month or more.

    That was why Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits Ophelia and Tigrius would have to hurry up to prepare for their copse. There was not much to worry about in the west, thanks to Embrio¡¯s destruction of the western area early on. The eastern area was now in a stable stage, and the southern area was long upied by Yong-ho.

    Ophelia and Tigrius needed to raise up the army to ¡°conquer¡± the territory of the King of Gluttony while reinforcing the defense of the northern part with Cadis Fortress as the center. Cadis Fortress today was more of a bridgehead for attack than an axis of defense.

    The demon world was a ce where the strong prey upon the weak.

    The Queen of Fury was just an ally of Yong-ho¡¯s. She was an outsider to the House of Mammon. And it was the same case with the King of Violence whose intentions were never known to other kings.

    The strength of the queen and her subordinate spirits, who could be called her swords, was enough to stand up to other kings. However, she didn¡¯t have enough forces to deter them.

    In some respect, this kind of turbulent times, coinciding with the copse of the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony, gave the House of Mammon a golden opportunity to form the new forces.

    Yong-ho had to move fast enough to make the other kings feel that he made a surprise attack.

    The reason he chose to attack the dungeons close to the territories of the King of Violence or the Queen of Fury was because he wanted to reduce the dungeons that the two kings could upyter.

    In that respect, Yong-ho¡¯s guerri attack was not just directed at the remaining forces of the King of Gluttony. In a broader context, it could be called a surprise attack against the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury.

    The House of Mammon was long buried in history after losing its glory in the past.

    Yong-ho¡¯s counterattack to restore his family¡¯s past glory was already well underway.

    ***

    On the surface, the current demonic world was rtively peaceful.

    Although the forces of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were continuing the war in the north every day, there was peace maintained in other regions, even though it was peace amid tension.

    But it was just peace on the surface.

    It wasn¡¯t just the House of Mammon that was preparing for the counterattack secretly.

    Other kings also continued to get ready for the war behind the scenes.

    The three masters who enjoyed the most power under themand of the King of Gluttony joined hands together and wrote a letter, and they urgently dispatched an envoy to the king to whom they would donate their country.

    Abrasax, who boasted of the strongest mana among the five directors of the Dungeon Market, once again met with the King of Pride. Originally, Orobas who had the strongest Herculean power was supposed to make a secret deal with the king, but neither Abrasax nor the king didn¡¯t think so.

    Bifrons, the most intelligent among the five directors, had a meeting with the King of Lust.

    The king was supposed to request all the five directors if he wanted a secret deal, but he didn¡¯t this time. It was Bifrons who made the request to the king first.

    The King of Lust wanted to reject the request, but he couldn¡¯t because Bifrons made the offer that he could not reject.

    Samael, the fastest wing, discovered btedly that one Lich had disappeared from the warehouse where the Dungeon Market¡¯s defects were piled up. As the one who boasted of the best intelligence power among the five directors of the Dungeon Market, she could find out easily who took Lich.

    She knew it was Sitri who was responsible for this theft.

    It was no exaggeration to say that she, as the oldest member of the five directors, simply existed in the demon world for ages.

    But she had been pretty active recently. And it was the new master of the House of Mammon that made her busy.

    Samael remembered the warning Sitri gave her at the special auction house. But still, she had no intention of stopping now.

    Yong-ho Cheon, the new master of the House of Mammon.

    There was something mysterious about him, something not known at all to the demon world.

    Samael pulled out a letter from the office desk drawer and opened it. It was a letter rted to thest secret deal requested by the King of Gluttony.

    Those who could move history were preparing something on their own behind the scenes.

    And some of their activities had an organic rtionship with each other.

    It was peaceful on the surface. It seemed as if the current peace would continue in the future.

    But it was different.

    Their movement behind the scene would soon be a big current and affect everything on the surface.

    The King of Violence, returning to his own hideout ce, btedly read the letter from the Queen of Fury. In the letter, she said she formed an alliance with the House of Mammon and asked him what he would do in theing days.

    ¡®What do you think of the master of the Mammon family, uncle? Do you feel he is a good person? I think he is.¡¯

    The new King of Greed.

    The King of Violence put down the letter. Instead of writing a reply, he watched over the world as the king of the greatest race of dragons.

    There was a gentle ripple above the water. Soon, it was clear that the current below the water would shake the whole demon world.

    ¡®This time, no matter how much you don¡¯t want to stay away from it, don¡¯t think you can avoid it.¡¯

    The King of Violence recalled the Queen of Sloth. Since she had been secluded for a long time, she was forgotten in the demon world, but she was also inevitably involved. Her contract with the King of Violence himself proved it.

    The giant red dragon, the King of Violence, established himself in the ce where he was supposed to be after decades of absence. He closed his eyesfortably. Past events that provoked his doubts were almost sorted out in his mind. Now it was the future events that sparked his curiosity.

    The king wanted to take a nap. As an observer of the world, he was waiting for the era of turbulent times in the near future.

 Chapter 232 - The King of the Arena (1)

    <h4>Chapter 232: The King of the Arena (1)</h4>

    Gusion had a dream.

    It was a dream that he could definitely call a nightmare. He, who woke up from his dream, breathed out wildly. A cold sweat broke out all over his red body.

    Too much time had passed.

    It was a very long time that he could not feel even in the arena where he could hardly feel the passage of time properly.

    Gusion closed his eyes again. He could not dream anymore though. However, the scenes that he saw in his dream and the fragments of his old memories came to his mind vividly.

    It was definitely a nightmare. But at the same time, it was a yearning dream. It could be called his good old memories. There were so many people he couldn¡¯t meet unless they didn¡¯t appear in his dream.

    At first, he was angry. He was frustrated, and finally, he conceded that he could not reverse all of these things. Maybe he might have been tired of overwhelming time.

    But he was not impatient. He calmed down his troubled mind. He tried to understand what Mammon wanted. Naturally, he recalled the sessor of the King of Greed, Mammon.

    He smiled before he knew it. Just thinking about him made him feel a lot better.

    Gusion opened his eyes again and looked into the darkness. He took a deep breath in the cold air floating in the arena and stood up.

    He would witness it quite soon. He would decide sooner orter.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    He called the name quietly. He didn¡¯t hear the master¡¯s reply.

    He woke up from his memories to face a reality where the king did not exist.

    ***

    One month and 15 days have passed since Yong-ho mounted a guerri attack on the King of Gluttony¡¯s territory.

    He attacked seven more dungeons during that period. Almost all of them were dungeons located in the western part of the king¡¯s territory.

    Lucia, who fully absorbed the essence of the dungeons, grew up rapidly and seeded in takingplete control of the 8th and 9th floors despite skipping the 7th floor. In addition, Yong-ho could refill Mammon¡¯s treasure storage with the gold and other jewelry he collected from the seven dungeons. Of course, the treasure storage almost looked the same as before. In fact, there was no sign of the treasures decreasing even when he took a huge amount of gold to buy the red titan dragon, Tiamet. Indeed, it was a huge treasure storage befitting the King of Greed.

    Ophelia and Tigrius developed Cadis Fortress well. It was no exaggeration to say that money ruled the world. The more money they spent, the more concrete results they got fast.

    One month and a half were never short. The long silence of the King of Gluttony was enough to make other kings have doubts about his whereabouts. Yong-ho¡¯s guerri attack spread little by little to the territory of the King of Gluttony and other territories.

    Because of this, Yong-ho temporarily loosened the reins in the attack. It was enough for him to watch how the other kings reacted before he made his next move. Time was on the side of the Mammon family.

    Yong-ho never wasted time. In order to make the best of the time for the Mammon family, he had to spend it well and efficiently.

    He attacked the arena with his subordinate spirits. He embodied the new power he gained through actual battles. And there was one more thing he should not miss.

    [The door of the 10th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed is opened. ]

    [Which of the 12 Spirits is waiting for you this time?]

    [Pit-a-pat pit-a-pat.]

    Yong-ho shook his head at Lucia¡¯s charming briefing.

    There were only two of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits that he had to beat.

    Since the two won in many battles with brilliant records, Yong-ho could find out all the detailed information about them quite a bit just by browsing through a few books.

    It was Aries Yustia, who defended the Grand Library of Mammon on the 10th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Nicknamed ¡°the Navigator,¡¯ she was both the king¡¯s adviser and a prophet.

    [Master, the Grand Library is a treasure of knowledge. It is no exaggeration to say that it contains all the knowledge of this world.]

    [Yustia¡¯s wisdom will also help you a lot.]

    As always, Aamon¡¯s advice was universally sound. However, it was still a library anyway. It could not be denied that Yong-ho was more interested in the various living facilities on the 11th floor than the library on the 10th. Moreover, it was none other than ¡°Virgo¡± that guarded the 11th floor.

    The 11th floor was filled with various personal spaces including the rooms of 12 Spirits. Guarding the 11th floor was Virgo Yuno, thest member of the 12 Spirits. ording to many legends, there were many episodes about her beauty, so it was natural that Yong-ho was interested in her as a man.

    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s just my curiosity, nothing more or less.¡¯

    Murmuring to himself like that, he looked at Catalina, who was sitting next to him. She tilted her head and fluttered her tail as if she was curious about his unexpected nce.

    Just like the 10th floor suggested, it was full of powerful dungeon monsters. In addition to the Night Shade, also called the Prince of Darkness, spiritual monsters with dark attributes such as Specter and Race were waiting for Yong-ho and his party.

    It was difficult for Yong-ho to deal with dark properties, especially spiritual monsters, among various dungeon monsters. It was because Yong-ho could attack them physically, and the unique energy of the dark attributes poisoned the living.

    However, Yong-ho already possessed not only darkness but also the attribute of light.

    His subordinate spirits received the mana of the light attribute from Yong-ho through Brigada, and as always, they attacked the 10th floor fiercely.

    [This is the entrance to the main library.]

    [It¡¯s been a long time since I came here.]

    Aamon whispered in front of the steel door with the embossed head of the sheep.

    There was a deep yearning in his voice.

    Skull and Eligos opened the steel door at Yong-ho¡¯s order. The peculiar smell of paper came out from inside the door. At the same time, Yong-ho found himself amazed at the size of the library.

    It was huge. It looked like it was asrge as the treasure house in terms of size. The ceiling was high enough to fit five floors. It was veryrge on the side, let alone its depth.

    It had only a few pirs with no separate walls, so the vastness of the library caught his eye immediately. It was no exaggeration to say that books were everywhere.

    It was as if even people who didn¡¯t like books felt like reading books, enchanted by the atmosphere. In that respect, it was absolutely true that Aamon said that the library contained all the knowledge of the world.

    ¡®Cayan would have loved it here.¡¯

    Kaiwan recalled her younger brother before she knew it. So, she quickly changed her expression after clenching her teeth. Fortunately, no one noticed her because others were distracted by the massive library, except for only one.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever seen a library? You don¡¯t see me?¡±

    An old woman shouted at her. Only then could all of them, who were hooked on the huge library, fix their eyes on somebody right before their eyes. Although nobody was right before their eyes, there was clearly a skinny and tall old woman sitting in the seat reserved for a librarian about ten meters away from them.

    [Yustia.]

    Aamon raised his voice first. When the mes of the red lotus arose in the air, a smile was on her face, who looked like a dry old tree.

    ¡°Aamon. You still look as great as you were a long time ago.¡±

    She was wearing a ck dress that covered her body up to the neck. A pair of sheep¡¯s horns stood on her neatly curled gray hair, and light emerald pupils were shining below it.

    Old woman Yustia, the king¡¯s advisor and a prophet.

    Perhaps, because of her upright posture or because of her peculiar disposition, she gave out an air of confidence when she spoke or acted.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yustia, a librarian in charge of the Grand Library. As you can see, I¡¯m a lonely old woman. Understand me when I speak to you curtly. I¡¯m the oldest among the 12 Spirits of Mammon. Man, I¡¯ve lived longer than Aamon.¡±

    At that moment, Yong-ho recalled a notorious cursing old woman he had seen on TV in the human world several times. Of course, Yustia didn¡¯t use any abusivenguage.

    Yong-ho stepped forward and introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the Mammon family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re great. You don¡¯t look like a mere sessor. Nice to see you anyway. Since you¡¯re the legitimate sessor, I can¡¯t say anything short. Please understand me if my tone is a little messy.¡±

    Sheughed heartily then turned her eyes at the mes of the red lotus instead of talking to him. She asked Aamon, ¡°Aamon, how much time has passed? I don¡¯t know because I was asleep while the door was closed.¡±

    [One thousand and hundreds of years have passed.]

    She closed her eyes at his reply. One thousand years was never short even for her who had already lived such a long time.

    ¡°Much more time has passed than I expected. Too much time has passed. But it¡¯s not all bad. The passage of time must have devoured the traitors. It might be much better for guys like Gusion.¡±

    She spoke eloquently. Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits focused on some of her words.

    Traitors who must have been devoured by the passage of time.

    That turned out better for Gusion.

    It was obvious that her mention was rted to Mammon¡¯s death.

    Yong-ho opened his mouth, Yustia opened her eyes.

    She looked straight at Yong-ho and said, ¡°Hear it from Gusion, not me. It would be best for Gusion to tell the story of Master Mammon to you.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t strict. Rather, it was more like the kind of advice that a grandmother gave to her grandchildren.

    She shrugged again and said. ¡°But the order is in a mess. You came up to the 10th floor, but you have yet to conquer the 7th floor?¡±

    [Yustia, you know the arena well, don¡¯t you?]

    When Aamon replied indirectly, she frowned. Then she hysterically said, ¡°I wonder if the previous masters of the Mammon family have been piled up in the arena over thest thousand years.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have to reply. Aamon just ignited the mes of the red lotus, and Yong-ho made an awkward expression.

    Yustia said with a sigh, ¡°Oh My God! Dang it, Gusion. I knew that that damned arena would devour the Mammon family. The lineage of the Mammon family has been carried on for over a thousand years even when its masters were caught in the arena one by one. But I can¡¯t say that this is also bad. That means the umtion of power in the arena is tremendous.¡±

 Chapter 233 - The King of the Arena (2)

    <h4>Chapter 233: The King of the Arena (2)</h4>

    She was no more fussy and cold-hearted. Yong-ho even felt she was a pleasant woman.

    ¡°Oh, I think I talked about useless things too long. An old woman like me shouldn¡¯t take away our prince¡¯s time anymore. Come here. Let me hand over my power.¡±

    Yustia suddenly beckoned to him. Surprised more by what she just said than her calling him a prince, he asked instinctively, ¡°May I ask if you have any test?¡±

    Since she looked like an old woman, he used honorifguage before he knew it. Besides, he recalled his grandmother he had seen in the human world only a few times.

    Yustia clicked her tongue then said, ¡°Nope. As a prince, you have only Greed but also Gluttony, let alone half of the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon. Besides, you were formally recognized by that fastidious old man Magnadon. What more tests do I need to give you now? Tests are just cumbersome stuff to me. Come over here quickly. Let me hand over my power to you right now.¡±

    She just wanted to get it done quickly. Kaiwan and the other subordinate spirits were all smiles.

    When he sat right in front of the desk, Yustia signaled to him with a nce to reach out.

    He held out his right hand without hesitation.

    She ovepped her dry and wrinkled hand on his right hand then said slowly, ¡°My power is ¡®patience.¡¯ Doesn¡¯t it perfectly suit an old woman like me?¡±

    He smiled awkwardly at her instead of replying. Instead of putting him on the spot, she injected her power into him. A subtle gray color had been added to the magic field on his left arm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much because you are going to make Gusion your subordinate spirit then Scathach. Of course, you have to make Richard your subordinate spirit. I think I can join themstly.¡±

    Sheughed then let go of his hand. Then she opened the desk drawer one after another and pulled out a thick stack of cards.

    ¡°I feel sad if I have to leave after just handing over my power to you. I¡¯m not a heartless woman. As you know already, my nickname is the Navigator as well as the king¡¯s prophet. Of course, in a world with so many possibilities, you can hardly make a prophecy. Identifying the big trendes from insights based on information.¡±

    She moved the cards busily in her hand. The cards looked like tarot cards, given the way she mixed them.

    ¡°But using these cards can also help us prepare for the future. Isn¡¯t it better to rely on the small starlight to find the way rather than drifting in the vast sea?¡±

    With a warm smile, Yustia put a well-mixed stack of cards on the desk. Just like before, she looked into Yong-ho¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Then let me read the fortune for your love¡ªthe eternal subject of interest for the young people. How about it?¡±

    ¡°Well, as for my love horoscope...¡±

    He tried to ask her for another horoscope because he heard Catalina pping her ears and tail. But even before he finished, Kaiwan cut in. ¡°I hope he¡¯s in your great hands.¡±

    Yong-ho looked at Kaiwan, but she looked at Yustia only.

    ¡°Okay, then let me take a look at our prince¡¯s love horoscope.¡±

    Speaking like an actor, she drew a card from the stack of cards andid it on the desk. Not only Catalina and Ophelia, but all the subordinate spirits gathered around the desk and looked at her fingertips.

    Right at that moment, Kaiwan asked in a rather sharp voice, ¡°Wait a moment. Why are you drawing three cards?¡±

    Yustiaughed insidiously, and Kaiwan and Catalina looked at Yong-ho at the same time. He raised his hands to show his palms to prove his innocence.

    ¡°Now, then I¡¯ll turn the cards over.¡±

    While they were rolling their eyes sharply, Yustia turned over one of the cards.

    Everyone turned their eyes at the card again.

    ***

    ¡°How about writing a letter to him first?¡± Kirtimuka said, wearing the shawl she received from the Queen of Fury for the seventh time this month. Her master, the queen, who was like her younger sister and daughter, stopped moving her fingers for a moment. But she soon resumed sewing. It seemed like she wanted Kirtimuka to support her with more specific action.

    Kirtimuka covered her mouth with her hand because she could not hold back herughter at the Queen of Fury acting cute.

    About two months had passed since the alliance between the queen and the House of Mammon was made. During that period, there were no exchanges between the queen and the master of the Mammon family. In some way, that was natural because there was no reason for them tomunicate with each other on a daily basis just because they were allies. Rather, frequent exchanges between them would be a red light. It wasmon that there were few exchanges between allies unless there was a war involving one of them, which was widely epted not only in the demon world but also in the alien world.

    Nheless, the Queen of Fury was nervous and impatient. At least in Kirtimuka¡¯s eyes, she seemed so. Otherwise, she would not have shown such an entric behavior as making dozens of clothes in two months.

    Kirtimuka stopped smiling and looked seriously at the queen. As the head of Gandharva, she was young. Just because she was born with the power of Sin, she ascended to the position of queen representing not only Gandharva but also the entire eight-n people. But from the perspective of Gandharva who lived for hundreds of years, she was still only a young girl.

    Kirtimuka wished for the queen¡¯s happiness. That was why she stopped cracking a joke like she did in the first ce and considered her marriage quite seriously.

    It seemed that the master of the Mammon family had several women who looked like his lovers, but this was not a big problem.

    Each head of a lord¡¯s house was said to be the king of a small kingdom. It was very important for them to continue their family lineage, so it wasmon in the demon world that the master maintained polygamy or monogamous marriages. Particrly, the eight-n people decreased in the process of escaping from the northern area, so it wasmon to allow any form of marriage as long as they could produce many offspring.

    Dritarastra was a queen with the Sin of Fury. Moreover, she led the people consisting of eight ns.

    It was no exaggeration to say that it was a fait apli for the Queen of Fury to be the official wife of the master of the House of Mammon the moment they married. The marriage of the two was not just a union between a man and a woman, but a union between the eight ns and the Mammon family. Although it might sound repugnant, their union could be described as a ¡®political marriage.¡¯

    Moreover, it would be a marriage between the queen and the master of a prestigious house. Ideally, the House of Mammon would be absorbed into the queen¡¯s eight ns, which would not go against themon sense of the demon world.

    Kirtimuka didn¡¯t mention this kind of formality at all because she didn¡¯t want to offend the queen¡¯s thrill of first love, though it came to her btedly.

    ¡°It would be okay for you to convey your best wishes to him in a simple letter. Since you have formed an alliance with him only recently, you might want to exchange gifts that would promote your friendship with him.¡±

    The queen pricked her ears at her suggestion. Kirtimuka waited, and the queen slowly raised her head and moved her hands.

    She said after pretending otherwise, ¡°Hmm. Promoting friendship?¡±

    ¡°Yes, promoting friendship is necessary.¡±

    Kirtimuka cheered her up again. The queen opened her lips slightly. Then she said reluctantly as if she could not help it because of Kirtimuka¡¯s repeated rmendation, ¡°Then shall I do that?¡±

    Kirtimuka nodded happily. However, another one cut in at that moment.

    ¡°I am opposed to that. I don¡¯t think it would be nice for you to show him that you are impatient. When you are pulling hard to get, timing is very important,¡± said Gardimundi.

    She flew through the open window into the queen¡¯s room. Kirtimuka tried toin about her intruding into the room without passing through the main door, but the queen acted first.

    Standing up quickly, the queen was no more aughing girl but the ruler of the eight ns.

    She looked at Gardimundi because she was holding a small red box in her hand.

    Instead of arguing with Kirtimuka, Gardimundi approached the queen and knelt. She handed over the red box to the queen.

    ¡°The reply from the King of Violence has finally arrived.¡±

    The box made of a red dragon¡¯s scales meant the letter was written by the King of Violence himself. The queen took a deep breath after receiving the box. She was tense and nervous before she knew it because she received his reply in about three months.

    Kirtimuka, who overreacted when it came to the King of Violence, waited for the queen to read the letter, with her face stiffening like the queen.

    Gardimundi was also tense now, though she was in a jolly mood at first.

    The Queen of Fury took the letter out of the box and opened it. The voice of the King of Violence came out of the letter cast with a spell.

    [My decision to move the dragon corps was to keep the King of Gluttony in check. I never intended to threaten you, so don¡¯t worry about it.]

    [The dragon corps will stick to their current position. Unless they are attacked, they will never attack first. So, keep this in mind.]

    [I heard rumors about the master of the Mammon family.]

    [I think he is more than qualified to be the target of your alliance.]

    [It would be nice if we could build a sincere rtionship with him.]

    The queen smiled at the king¡¯s briefment because she liked not only his viewpoint of Yong-ho and the reason why he moved his troops.

    The King of Violence was not an enemy to the queen. He was an ally. That fact alone could relieve the queen.

    Kirtimuka openly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she feared the King of Violence and watched out for him, she still trusted him. She couldn¡¯t even imagine that the great dragon would act foolishly enough to deceive his master with a fake letter.

    But Gardimundi was still tense because the King of Violence continued.

    [Dritarastra, Queen of Fury!]

    [If you have truly made an alliance with the Mammon family, and if you intend to maintain that alliance, move more actively. Don¡¯t just be content with forming an alliance, but use the power of the alliance. If you can, use me and the Dragon Legion.]

    [The choice is yours, as always.]

    [I¡¯ll watch your choices, as always.]

    That was the end of the letter. The Queen of Fury put the letter back in the box and flopped down on the seat she was sitting.

 Chapter 234 - The King of the Arena (3)

    <h4>Chapter 234: The King of the Arena (3)</h4>

    There were some other things in the second half of the letter.

    The Queen of Fury was by no means a fool. By inferring from the King of Violence¡¯sment that she could use the alliance actively, she immediately understood what the king proposed or what kind of advice he offered.

    ¡°The King of Pride and the King of Envy are at war. Because of this, they won¡¯t be able to concern themselves with what¡¯s going on in the south,¡± said Gardimundi.

    Kirtimuka opened her eyes wide after grasping the true meaning of their conversation in the end.

    ¡°Are you going to join hands with the Mammon family and attack the King of Gluttony?¡±

    The queen did not answer. She thought of the alliance for defense, not for an attack.

    Gardimundi said again, ¡°The King of Lust did not intervene in the war between the King of Pride and the King of Envy. It¡¯s highly likely that he would remain an onlooker this time again. The current turmoil could be an opportunity for us, too.¡±

    Her analysis made sense. The King of Violence¡¯s dragon legion itself was a threat to the King of Gluttony. If the Mammon troops and the queen¡¯s army were marching into his territory from the south and the west respectively, the King of Gluttony had no choice but to divide his army into three.

    The queen could devise such a n because the power of the House of Mammon was much more mighty than she thought. Although her n was quite up in the air, she could win the war if she made the decision to act.

    But that would be the first strike on her part. In other words, the Queen of Fury would start a war, something she had never thought of.

    Of course, it was not the first time the queen conceived of such a n. Although she didn¡¯t reveal it to anybody else, she considered it many times from the moment she thought about forming an alliance with the Mammon family. Besides, some of the heads of her eight ns secretly asked her to take the lead in the attack.

    ¡°Your Majesty took the lead in every battle because you wanted to minimize the damage on both sides.¡±

    Gardimundi approached the queen and knelt on the floor to talk to her at her eye level.

    ¡°It¡¯s not different. It¡¯s based on the same logic. It is clear that if you save the King of Gluttony, you will bring about a great disaster someday. At a time when the north is in turmoil, we have to stabilize the south. If you seed, the King of Pride won¡¯t dare to invade the south even if he beat the King of Envy and took everything from him.¡±

    The queen closed her eyes. She knew what Gardimundi was talking about. Her point was reasonable and attractive.

    But this would mean the start of a war. She could not make the decision to start a war by exchanging a few words with her close aides, nor she should not.

    ¡°Gardimundi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Please ask the master of the Mammon family for a secret meeting. I want the meeting in 15 days. It would be nice if I meet him at the same ce as thest one.¡±

    There was no excitement or thrill on her face anymore. Gardimundi felt heartbroken about it but nodded. Politely bowing to her, Gardimundi stood up. She threw herself out of the window and flew away.

    ¡°Kirtimuka.¡±

    Kirtimuka flinched at her calling. The queen caught her breath again. She recalled her eight ns who were on standby all the time, preparing for a possible war with the King of Pride because of the turbulence he brought about.

    The queen said with a sigh, ¡°Please summon the heads of the eight ns.¡±

    She didn¡¯t make the decision yet. She had to hear their opinions first.

    Kirtimuka left the room. The Queen of Fury looked down at the clothes she stopped sewing and closed her eyes instead of holding the needle. She tried to regain herposure in the darkness.

    ***

    ¡°Now, calm down and listen. It would be a lot of fun if you can guess who the woman this first card symbolizes.¡±

    After telling them gently, Yustia removed the hand that was covering the card. On the card was a picture of a knight standing with his back in the twilight.

    ¡°These cards that symbolize...¡±

    Yustia drew several cards in session andid them out on the desk. She presented three cards again.

    ¡°Oh my God! It¡¯s been a while since I saw this kind of card.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan looked tense. In particr, Catalina, who thought of ¡®shadow¡¯ in the knight standing with his back in the twilight, gulped because she thought it was her card.

    Yustia said, ¡°Let me give it to you straight instead of beating around the bush like the fortune-teller who thinks of it as his own monopoly. The owner of this card was born under the star of a pushover. Besides, she is under the protection of a drunken dragon. Nobody could deny it¡¯s a useless pushover. There was one among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits who was born with this fate.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to Elune?¡± Kaiwan immediately asked.

    Catalina covered her face with both hands, about to cry.

    Yustia giggled at her and continued, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily bad. The one who is protected by the drunk dragon is unlikely to die, even though she will suffer from distress and sadness. I would say she is very resistant to bad luck.¡±

    ¡°Is it good for her?¡± Catalina asked with her ears drooping. She seemed to ask Yustia why she was teasing her.

    Yustia chuckled once more and exined about the rest of the cards.

    ¡°This woman is showing her faithful love to the prince more than anyone else. If you can guess who she is, you had better be nice to her.¡±

    Having said that, Yustia nced at Yong-ho, and Catalina pped her tail.

    ¡°Here is the second card. Queen.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Kaiwan when the woman on the card was standing with a whip.

    Kaiwan thought the woman on the card was her, but she was embarrassed because of the straightforward description of her figure.

    ¡°Oh my...¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Kaiwan asked hurriedly because Yustia¡¯s expression was not bright.

    Shaking her head violently, Yustia said, grinning at her, ¡°I don¡¯t know who she is, but she has a crush on our prince. She is deeply loving him. She pretends to be arrogant and lofty, but she is like a very dedicated and obedient angel to the prince.¡±

    Everyone turned their eyes at Kaiwan again. She blushed.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not true!¡± She retorted.

    They responded with a gentle smile when she tried in vain to deny it.

    Atst, she pinched Yong-ho¡¯s waist for help.

    ¡°Now, then let¡¯s look at the third cardstly. I see this one on the card resembling our prince.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan, who were suffering from embarrassment, looked at the card sharply.

    Even Yong-ho looked at the third card, pretty much tense this time. He could not figure out who the one on the card was.

    Yustia quickly flipped the card over and ced new cards from the stack of cards in session. She immediately interpreted without having them wait for her reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pure virgin. Huh huh, this girl is also born with the star of a pushover. She is also protected by a drunken dragon, but she seems to be a good friend of the first woman. In other words, the two sympathize with each other.¡±

    Catalina blinked, and Kaiwan looked at Yong-ho. However, Yong-ho was tilting his head.

    Even if this woman matches the keywords of a virgin and a pushover, he could not figure out who she was.

    ¡°She is just a possibility at this point. As I said at the beginning, it is impossible to make absolute prophecy in a world where there are so many possibilities.¡±

    Yustia cleared all the cards at once then leaned her skinny figure against the back of her chair. She turned to Yong-ho and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired because I am talking too much after a long time. Prince, can I stop here and see youter?¡±

    Yong-ho obtained the power of patience with her formal recognition. Since Lucia was still too weak to take over the Grand Library, he did not have much more to do here.

    ¡°Take good rest then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, prince.¡±

    Ophelia and Tigrius showed interest in the library¡¯s collections, but they could do it some other day. The two left the library with regret, not to mention Eligos and Skull.

    Yong-ho, who looked around the library once more, was about to turn when Yustia whispered to him, ¡°No one can predict when the storm will blow. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for you to put off making Gusion your subordinate spirit too long. The Mammon family needs more power to confront the storm.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded. After bowing to her politely, he left the main library.

    It wasn¡¯t just because of Yustia¡¯s advice. For the past one month and 45 days, he always stayed in the arena except when he attacked the dungeons of the King of Gluttony.

    It was time for him to keep the promise he had made to Scathach.

    The night had passed and the morning drew on.

    He headed to the arena and faced Gusion.

    ***

    Time passed fairly everywhere.

    When the sun set and rose, another day began for everyone as always.

    A war was going on in the north. The forces of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were engaged in a fierce battle every day. Outsiders criticized this battle as a boring protracted war to avoid the final showdown, which was undeniable.

    However, from the standpoint of those involved in the fighting, it was never a boring protracted war. When the fighting began, people died and got injured. It was true that the forces of the King of Pride won a series of battles, but that did not mean they had no casualties. A considerable number of dungeon spirits of the King of Pride were killed in action.

    It was definitely the same day as always. However, when the confrontation in the morning was over, the King of Pride issued a new order. Like he did 15 days ago, the king advanced some of his troops to attack the dungeons belonging to the King of Envy.

    Fighting broke out both inside and outside the dungeons. The fighting was so fierce that they wanted to behead those who ridiculed the war as a protracted confrontation. Although both sides sent only a fifteenth of their total forces, that was the only military strength that those directly engaged in the fighting could turn to. Each of their lives was at stake.

    Yaksini, one of the dungeon spirits, barely breathed, falling on the ground. Covered with blood, sweat, and tears, she could not see anything before her eyes. Shouts and screamsing from everywhere deafened her ears.

    Yaksini was from the n of Yaksha, one of the eight ns under themand of the Queen of Fury. Just like her n was treated so in the north, she was a ve.

    She foamed at the mouth. She found it hard even to breathe now. She felt extreme pain in her left arm then she had no feeling in it soon. Only the pain she felt when her bones and flesh were crushed tormented her.

    Screaming was continuing everywhere. Yaksini felt a strange silence amid the miserable screaming and angry shouting. Maybe this was the peculiar sensation she felt at the moment of death.

 Chapter 235 - The King of the Arena (4)

    <h4>Chapter 235: The King of the Arena (4)</h4>

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t feel anything like a kaleidoscope. Living as a ve in the north was a continuation of misery. She didn¡¯t want to suffer in the past until the moment she was dying.

    Today was different from yesterday.

    Yaksini felt it. It was not limited to her as an individual.

    It was sort of some intuition, something like the unique superpower of a member of her n who was awakened to it right before she died.

    Yaksini tried to open her eyes. The tears that ran down her cheeks washed away the impurities around her eyes. She couldn¡¯t even rub her eyes. She barely opened her eyes and looked at the sky.

    As if they were outsiders watching the war in the north, the sunlight was pouring out so hotly.

    Blood sttered around her again. Something big and heavy fell down with a thumping sound, and the battle around her gradually moved to another location little by little. It was because the tide of the war was decisively in favor of one warring country.

    It looked like the pattern of repeated fighting over the past few months. However, Yaksini felt something definitely different this time. It was funny. She was now on the verge of death after being dragged onto the battlefield as a mere ve. What she felt different from yesterday was meaningless to her, despite the reverse of the tide of the war.

    However, Yaksini stared into the sky desperately as if she had a fever. The flying vehicles and giant flying spirits that she wished she could ride one day made a huge shadow over her head, making everything around her dark.

    She realized something in that darkness. She now understood what was different.

    Today was clearly different from yesterday.

    It was clear that tomorrow would be more different.

    The Queen of Fury stared straight ahead with her face stiffened. She was not in Vimana, her home and fortress. Standing in a temple located in the center of her territory, she was waiting for the heads of her eight ns.

    The temple was circr and it had eight pirs. The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight ns, but she was different here in this temple. She was not recognized as the queen, but only as the head of the Dritarashtra-Gandharva, one of the eight ns.

    Because of this, she was equal to the heads of the other seven ns. She never reigned over them nor was she trampled from below.

    Dritarastra felt a strange sensation. It was too ominous for her to me it for her being nervous.

    Kirtimuka and Gardimundi, who always took care of her, were not here. It was only the heads of the eight ns who could stand here, where they would determine the future of their people.

    Dritarastra clenched her fist and pulled herself together. She felt a bit rxed when she recalled the face of the master of the Mammon family, just like Kirtimuka advised, although she blushed as a side effect.

    A fresh wind blew. It was the wind caused by Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n and Gardimundi¡¯s father, while he was descending from the sky.

    The tall, red-haired and bearded Biryubakcha bowed to Dritarastra, who also returned his greetings by lowering her head. As if he was heralding the arrival of other heads, they began to appear one after another in the temple.

    Deva, Dragon, Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Garura, Kvinka, Mahoraga.

    It had been a long time since the heads of the eight ns gathered in one ce. Moreover, this was not a meeting where the Queen of Fury and the heads of their own ns attended.

    She came here as the head of the Gandharva n, not as the Queen of Fury, which was very significant.

    ¡°As the head of the Gandharva n, I would like to make a proposal to you, head of your own ns.¡±

    She slowly opened her mouth. Her cold and calm voice was different from her usual affectionate voice, or her harsh voice resonating on the battlefield.

    The heads of the eight ns already knew why she called for the meeting at the temple.

    They listened to her, ording to the tradition.

    The meeting went smoothly. However, while chairing the meeting, she suddenly looked up at the sky before she knew it.

    Something was different. She couldn¡¯t figure out what it was exactly, but she felt it was different.

    She struggled to suppress her anxiety. She continued to talk in front of them.

    She proposed they would attack the territory of the King of Gluttony.

    ***

    Sitri raised her head. It seems that she took a nap before she knew it.

    The cat wagon flying through the sky alreadynded on the ground. The carriages of the five other directors lined up on the roof of the main store of the Dungeon Market, located in the center of the demon world.

    It took some time for Sitri to wake up from her memories. She looked at the other wagons with her half-closed eyes. They were four, all told. Apparently, all but Sitri herself already arrived.

    She wasn¡¯tte for the appointment. There was still a little more time left before they could see face to face at the meeting, which was not a meeting in a virtual space.

    It was unusual for the five directors to actually get together in one ce. But it was already the third time they met this year, which meant that the demon world was in turmoil.

    Sitri once again gently closed and opened her eyes. Finally, she woke up from her memories and looked at the present. She swallowed the cold air at the main store of the Dungeon Market, which was shrouded in darkness night and day, although it was close to the sky.

    She felt wistful at the moment. She stood up from the carriage, frowning her eyebrows slightly.

    The reason they called the meeting today was because of the agenda of the King of Gluttony. As someone who had been more enthusiastic about a secret deal than any other king, the King of Gluttony not only broke the secret deal unterally but also he was not seen for more than two months.

    As for the simple seclusion, the Queen of Sloth and the King of Lust secluded themselves for a long time, which was nothing new to the five directors. Moreover, unlike the King of Lust, the Queen of Sloth could not exert a great influence on the demon world because she did not have any big power.

    The King of Gluttony had been very active before he was missing. Whatever the reason, his disappearance could have a great impact on the entire demon world.

    Of course, Sitri already knew why the King of Gluttony suddenly disappeared. But she had no intention ofmenting on it at all. Just like she did, as always, she would retire when the time came. As one of the founders and the longest-serving directors of the Dungeon Market, she was content with her current role.

    While walking through the corridor heading deep into the building, Sitri recalled Yong-ho. A smile was on her face before she knew it. He looked like Mammon, but at the same time, he was different. She loved him for that all the more because that little difference proved that Yong-ho was Mammon¡¯s child and that he was his true sessor.

    Nobody knew it except for Sitri herself, but it was Mammon who drafted the n on the Dungeon Market. As a true king, he envisioned the Dungeon Market for the revival of the whole demon world. It was because of Mammon¡¯s wish that the Dungeon Market supplied food at a low price while giving up big profits.

    Mammon had devised lots of more things. The current Dungeon Market was somewhat different from what Mammon originally had devised. But Sitri wasn¡¯t greedy. Although she was the longest member, she was only one of the five directors. Maintaining the current food supply policy of the Dungeon Market was in her best interests.

    In return for that, she retired from her active role. It was because she was exhausted, but the biggest reason was because she wanted to keep the food supply policy in return for giving up her authority and influence, and she did.

    She passed the long corridor and reached the conference room. Other directors were already seated at the circr table that was identical to the virtual space.

    Orobas, the strongest power.

    Bifrons, the most intelligent.

    Abraxas, the strongest mana.

    Samael, the fastest wing.

    Orobas greeted Sitri with a nce. At first nce, it might seem an amorous nce, but Sitri knew he didn¡¯t mean it. He was the oldest director after her.

    Bifrons was seated with his eight eyes closed. He seemed to have sensed that Sitri arrived, but he didn¡¯t move at all.

    As always, Abraxas sat weirdly and fiddled with strangely shaped toys. After saying hello to Sitri with an insidious smile, he focused on the toys again.

    ¡°How are you?¡±

    Samael greeted her with a gentle smile. She forgot what happened at thest special auction house. Because of this, Sitri responded with a bright smile.

    Sitri sat in the only empty seat at the table and greeted other directors.

    Bifronz opened his eyes. Abraxas was giggling after putting the toys back into his bag, and Orobas greeted Sitri again. Samael hid his deep feelings with a gentle smile.

    Sitri buried herself in the chair and drooped her shoulders. It was the same meeting, as always. But somehow she felt different this time.

    Bifrons opened his mouth and proimed the beginning of the meeting.

    ***

    The arena was quiet. It seemed as if the cold air blocked all the sounds of the world.

    Catalina pped her long ears and looked at the stand. In addition to the previous masters of the House of Mammon, there were many other people gathered. All the arena spirits also gathered in one ce.

    Kaiwanughed bitterly. Ophelia shuddered lightly, and Eligos swallowed. Tigrius fixed his eyes faraway.

    Skull stopped walking. He watched Yong-ho stepping forward alone without stopping.

    He crossed the stand and stood in the arena. He looked at the man on the other side.

    ¡°Did you know it¡¯s today?¡±

    ¡°Because I lived long enough, I had something like a premonition.¡±

    Gusionughed brightly. He was wearing a leatherbat suit instead of his usual ck suit. Red heat was arising from the ck gauntlet that he wore on his fists.

    ¡°You¡¯re the first to challenge me on the top floor.¡±

    It was really long. It had been over a thousand years.

    Finally, the King of Greed had returned. Yong-ho was the sessor who inherited all that Mammon had longed for so much.

    Gusion spat out the cigarette in his mouth.

    He said, grinning like a child, ¡°Let me tell you in advance. I¡¯m not going to give you a break. Even if I am defeated and be an arena spirit, I won¡¯t regret it.¡±

    Yong-ho also smiled at his provocative deration. Heughed heartily and wore the silver dragon armor. Grasping the air, he got the mes of the red lotus. Then he released the Sins of Greed and Gluttony.

    Six towering horns on his head. They were clearly the power of the king.

    Yong-ho was on par with the six kings who ruled the demon world. Gusion admitted it calmly. Then Gusion released all the power avable to him, even though it was less than that during his heyday. Six horns arose above his head.

    Gusion had Herculean power. He possessed the strongest short-range attack power among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits. Except for Aamon, virtually, Mammon¡¯s alter ego, he was the strongest among them.

    He was a legend and a living myth.

    ¡°Come on, you who challenges me, the king of the arena!¡±

    Yong-ho saw him and did not dy any more. He rushed, creating the mes of angry greed.

    Gusion was the king of the arena.

    Atst, the two titans shed.

 Chapter 236 - Gusion (1)

    Chapter 236: Gusion (1)

    The weight of years was heavy. It was never easy even for those mighty beings who lived for more than a thousand years to remember the things of the distant past.

    It was even hard for them to count the number of their past events. Thousands and tens of thousands of days were blocking the gap between now and the past.

    But Gusion remembered it. He could vividly recall what had happened more than a thousand years and an even more distant past than the day King Mammon died, as if it were yesterday.

    He watched the king from behind.

    The king¡¯s back view.

    He once decided to follow him. He was immature in those days.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    My Lord. My King.

    Gusion looked at the present, not the past. At that moment, he saw a man rushing toward him in an eternity of moments that had been split every second.

    The sessor of the king and the man who resembled the king but looked different.

    Gusion clenched his fist. With a heartyugh, he moved on fast. He focused on the present with the time that started flowing again.

    He shed with Yong-ho. There was a big roar when they shed.

    <hr />

    The time he climbed the 30th floor, Yong-ho could not use the power of his subordinate spirits. He could bring out the power of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits through Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy, but he could not inside the arena.

    Therefore, his fighting on the 30th floor reminded him of his final battle with the King of Gluttony.

    And that was the same when he fought on the 39th floor, the top floor of the arena.

    Hitting the ground hard, he activated the heart of the Demon God. Without going through the due step gradually, five of the seven ws immediately prated his chest.

    It hurt. At the same time, however, he felt power was soaring from inside.

    He pondered over it overnight. His fight against Gusion was not supposed tost long. For nearly half a year, he had been with Gusion. Given that the passage of time was not so clear in the arena, he might have spent more time with Gusion than he thought.

    Gusion did not spare his power. Since the day Yong-ho first asked Gusion to teach him, he tried to pass on to Yong-ho everything he knew.

    So, Yong-ho knew that it was impossible to maintain the distance with him or to make use of his superior mana to engage in a protracted fight. There was only one way for him to defeat the beast named Gusion, which was the primitive battle between the power of the two.

    Yong-ho was determined to demonstrate all his power avable. Gusion might have felt the same way. This was going to be a fierce battle.

    Yong-ho concentrated. Gusion clenched his fist.

    Yong-ho tightened his legs and hit the ground. With tremendous power, he traversed the space quickly. He saw Gusion throwing his punch.

    There was a shing noise. It wasn¡¯t something hitting against each other. Their fists shed against each other in the air. When the shing sound exploded, Gusion punched him, which gently touched his cheek.

    Yong-ho avoided his first blow. Needless to say, it was a miracle. As the strongest Red Demon, there was no mistake in Gusion¡¯s punch. Since his body and mana worked together at the moment he intended, Yong-ho could not discern the flow of Gusion¡¯s mana as he used to. That was why it was a miracle that he avoided Gusion¡¯s fatal blow. It was impossible for him to exin how he avoided Gusion¡¯s attack. Maybe he did it instinctively or by experience.

    Yong-ho¡¯s eyes moved. He looked over Gusion¡¯s huge left arm. His eyes met Gusion¡¯s.

    Gusion wasughing.

    Bang!

    There was a deafening roar for the second time. Once again, a miracle happened. Gusion rotated his body then threw his right punch, but it missed the target. Before his punch broke the ground, Yong-ho rushed toward him bravely. He rotated his body in the same direction as Gusion and stood behind his back.

    The waves that shook the atmosphere reverberated on the ground this time. The ground that could not withstand Gusion¡¯s mighty punch was torn in all directions.

    Yong-ho moved his right hand. He didn¡¯t sense the moment he did it. At the moment, no one could have guessed, Aamon, with ultra-high green mes, became a sh of light.

    Gusion punched his jaw while the magic spear of Aamon cut through the air. Gusion, getting close to Yong-ho, threw a punch for the second time.

    His punch bounced out. A shield of distortion released from his left hand twisted the trajectory of Gusion¡¯s fist. Both eyes met over Yong-ho¡¯s silver dragon armor which was smashed by his punch. The twounched another attack against each other.

    There was a series of roaring whenever they shed. Their close-range fighting brought about unimaginable results. Their mana collided. They hit then avoided each other¡¯s attack. Since their fighting was straightforward and simple, it was so intense and fierce.

    Gusion¡¯s armor was stained with blood. The leather clothes that covered his red upper body were already burned with the green mes.

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t that different from Gusion, either. The silver dragon armor was already in tatters. Each time he attacked Yong-ho, its fragments scattered in the air.

    They now sped up their attack. The breathless fighting seemed to blow away Yong-ho¡¯s consciousness at any moment.

    On the other hand, Gusion felt extreme joy. It wasn¡¯t just because Yong-ho was fighting better than he expected. He just took great delight in fighting itself.

    While over a thousand years were passing outside the arena, Gusion trained himself. He didn¡¯t care about the loss of mana caused by the death of his master¡ªMammon. He was a Red Demon who fought physically. Although his mana was weak, he was not weakened.

    He was still the strongest Red Demon ever.

    Bang!

    There was a change in his zing fast attack. Instead of attacking Yong-ho, Gusion soared vertically. He jumped more than a dozen meters at once and rotated his body. He hurriedly raised his head and rushed down to Yong-ho with a mighty punch. His vertical attack was like a meteor burning the atmosphere.

    Gusion¡¯s striking was so powerful as to break everything on the ground, but it missed its target. But he didn¡¯t care. What he wanted from the beginning was not to destroy Yong-ho.

    The air shook with the release of mana. The floor of the stadium copsed at the moment his punch hit the ground. Hundreds of fragments that lost gravity because of his overwhelming force scattered into the air.

    Yong-ho saw him amid the chaotic moment. As Gusion was on the offensive, he was not distracted by anything around him. He threw his right punch toward Yong-ho, who missed the chance to counterattack in the fast-changing environment.

    This time, Gusion didn¡¯t use his fist. Instead, he grabbed Yong-ho¡¯s left hand with his right hand. Without ever crossing each other¡¯s gaze, Gusion used his Herculean power. Gusion let out a powerful force by swinging his right hand as hard as he could.

    Yong-ho screamed. His left arm was torn out. His muscles were torn and his bones broke. The shock of his left arm being ripped from his body made him feel hazy.

    Gusion threw away his left arm. Blood gushing from his left shoulder sttered over him and Gusion. Gusion didn¡¯t clench his right hand, which tore off his left arm. With the fragments of the destroyed ground falling down, Gusion resumed his attack.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t avoid or prevent it. None of that was allowed. For the first time since they fought in the arena, Gusion mounted a perfect attack.

    Yong-ho, who was struck between his left chest and waist, was thrown away tens of meters and hit against the wall of the stadium. He felt like his body was being smashed just by the impact of it colliding against the wall.

    Gusion saw Yong-ho. He was squirming, stuck in the smashed wall of the stadium.

    Gusion clenched his teeth. Without any regret, he moved toward Yong-ho. As he promised to Yong-ho at the start of the fighting, he needed to beat him and end the fighting. His decisive attack created this situation. If Yong-ho had struck him down decisively, he, not Yong-ho, would have fallen on the ground.

    Gusion raised his head and looked outside the stadium. Kaiwan and Catalina were crying. Ophelia was trembling, squatting on the stand, Eligos denied what was happening before his eyes. Tigrius gnashed his teeth with his eyes closed. Only Skull stood firmly, facing Gusion.

    Gusion turned his gaze from them. He took another step. He grabbed his right hand stained with Yong-ho¡¯s blood. The mes of the red lotus blocked him at the moment.

    It was a waterfall of fire. Starting from the red lotus, it became the green mes. A huge chunk of mana engulfed Gusion.

    Gusion felt the presence of Aamon from the mes. United with Yong-ho, Aamon was different from his other subordinate spirits. Even inside the stadium, Aamon could enforce his own intentions.

    Aamon¡¯s efforts were useless. Gusion generated mana and grabbed the curtain of fire with both hands. He pushed Aamon out, who was rushing toward him without giving up.

    The fight was already over. Yong-ho could not beat Gusion in his current situation. He was so wounded that he could not even stand up.

    So, Gusion had to wrap up the fighting now.

    The curtain of fire was gradually split. Gusion looked straight ahead, stepping through the gap of the splitting curtain.

    Yong-ho was sitting among the fragments of the copsed wall. Barely raising his upper body, he raised his right hand.

    Gusion looked into his eyes and felt great joy and sadness together. Fighting spirit was still burning in his eyes.

    Yong-ho opened his lips. Gusion was tens of meters away from him, but Gusion could hear his voice. So, he hurried. He urgently released power and tore the curtain of fire. Then he rushed to Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho saw him charging toward him. Instead of closing his blurry eyes, he grabbed his chest with his right hand. He managed to speak it out, ¡°Synthetic reinforcement!¡±

    He could not put it off anymore, nor should he.

    A green light was ring up in his eyes. Once again, Aamon intercepted Gusion rushing toward him. The waves of the green mes helped Yong-ho gain time.

    Mana, the target of the synthetic reinforcement, began to swirl in the heart of the Demon God. Greed and Gluttony roared at once.

    The moment Gusion finally crossed all the waves of the green mes, a strong light arose.

    The sixth w was triggered from the heart of the Demon God who became united with Yong-ho in a true sense.

    The arena beyond the fighting area reverberated. A terrifying mana was released from his body, along with the green mes. A temporary seventh horn in the shape of light came out between the six horns.

    Yong-ho was exhausted and his bones were broken. Even handling the released mana was difficult for him. He didn¡¯t even know how long he could stick it out.

    Nheless, he could still fight.

    Gusionughed. He burst intoughter before he knew it. He dly clenched his fist.

    Yong-ho alsoughed. With his right hand, he grabbed the air. Then he stood up and let down the magic spear, Aamon, the red lotus.

    The two looked at each other, then fought again.

 Chapter 237 - Gusion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 237: Gusion (2)</h4>

    Now, the fighting between Yong-ho and Gusion waspletely different from when they fought first. There was nothing like a hairbreadth escape or continuous counterattack.

    It was literally a primitive fight.

    The two attacked and counterattacked. They only thought of beating each other with a stronger attack.

    They slugged it out. Gusion¡¯s punch twisted time and space. Hundreds of thousands of Gusion¡¯s punches rained down on Yong-ho¡¯s body like an avnche. But Yong-ho prated the avnche with his secret weapon.

    The Godly Energy of Fury took hold of the space around Aamon instead of jumping through space. The avnche crashed.

    The fighting ground could no longer withstand their battle. Mammon¡¯s shield protecting the stand was long destroyed. Not only Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits but also the arena spirits shuddered at their fierce fighting.

    Once again, blood sttered in the air. The two instinctively felt they reached the limit of their physical strength.

    Gusion¡¯s left arm did not move. Yong-ho¡¯s mana, which was going up endlessly, was slowly disintegrating. There was not much time left for his survival.

    The two stopped attacking all of a sudden. They burst intoughter at the same time. Since they were covered with wounds, theirughter was misery itself. They even threw out blood simultaneously.

    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re a real tough cookie.¡±

    ¡°Our fighting was too long. Let¡¯s stop here and go see Scathach.¡±

    Theyughed again at their feeble voice. Both knew their next fighting would be thest.

    So, they didn¡¯t need any more talking.

    Gusion clenched his fist. Yong-ho concentrated all his power on Aamon.

    The two shed again. Both engulfed each other. Yong-ho¡¯s green mes and Gusion¡¯s red mana not only brought about a huge impact, but it also generated enormous light and heat.

    A shock wave hit them at the same time.

    Gusion thought, falling on the ground. Even though he lost his right arm entirely, he felt something else rather than pain.

    ¡®Master.¡¯

    He felt dizzy. He was ovee by fatigue that he forgot while fighting. It seemed like he would lose consciousness any time soon. But still, his heart was beating.

    Gusion didn¡¯t close his eyes. He clenched his teeth to maintain consciousness even though his vision was already blurred. He felt the strong fishy scent of blood in his nose.

    Gusion recalled one day in the distant past. The day was like now, but different.

    It happened more than a thousand years ago.

    He smiled even when he was almost dying. Today was not that day. But he could see something simr to what had happened on that day.

    Unlike Gusion, Yong-ho was standing. His left arm, torn out in a mess, looked disgusting. Since he couldn¡¯t stand properly, he leaned on Aamon, using him as a cane, but he didn¡¯t fall. He staggeringly approached Gusion.

    Now the fighting was over. Yong-ho won.

    Gusion couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Tears flowed from his eyes.

    ¡°My King!¡±

    His low voice soon became magic. He broke the invisible chains that held Gusion and many others around for many years.

    Mammon¡¯s shield was lifted. A pure white light covered the entire arena.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    In the light, Catalina was crying loudly, which she kept holding down until now. She was about to run toward him, crying. But Kaiwan held her. As a former spirit of the arena, Kaiwan instinctively realized what kind of moment it was now. She also wanted to cry her eyes out like Catalina, she held it back. She had to watch the reunion of the king who finally returned and his vassals.

    Eligos supported Ophelia, who couldn¡¯t stand up properly because her legs became wobbly. Tigrius groaned with admiration. The lifting of Mammon¡¯s shield thatsted for more than a thousand years was a spectacr scene itself.

    Instead ofughing heartily as always, Skull breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at his master with purple eyes.

    Since the shield of the arena was dismantled, Yong-ho and Gusion also recovered their original bodies. Their armor in tatters, as well as exhausted mana, were not perfectly restored, but they managed to face each other in a respectful manner.

    The spirits of the arena stood behind Gusion. They showed due manners to the new king and their new master by raising their weapons.

    ¡°My king, the great King of Greed who has finally returned.¡±

    Gusion did not hide his tears. He raised his clenched fist on his chest. Then he led the chant on behalf of the arena spirits.

    ¡°Gusion and the 112 spirits here swear allegiance to the master of the Labyrinth of Greed.¡±

    His oath was simple but strong. Followed by Gusion¡¯s chanting, the arena spirits raised their voices at once, which disyed their magnificent dignity.

    Aamon didn¡¯t shout separately. In fact, he was so moved that he could not speak at all. He felt the same way as Gusion.

    Yong-ho felt a bit embarrassed because of their resounding voices, but he was a king now. As Gusion dered, he was the master of the Labyrinth of Greed. He felt a little awkward, but he smiled at the arena spirits. Then he got down to the point briefly and said, ¡°I hope I¡¯m in your good hands.¡±

    The arena spiritsughed here and there. Catalina and Kaiwan ran quickly and hugged Yong-ho, who was pushed back and fell on the ground. Gusion smiled faintly and sat down.

    Normally, he could hold their hands gently one by one, but he couldn¡¯t do it now.

    Instead of standing up, he justy down and looked up at Gusion.

    He then said, hugging Catalina and Kaiwan, ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go recover right away.¡±

    Gusion blinked. Each time Yong-ho smiled, he felt like he had a sharp pain in his stomach, but he once again smiled at Gusion and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t we messed up? Then we should go to the hospital. I¡¯m a little worried if I can walk to the first floor in this condition.¡±

    Gusion looked up and looked at the entrance to the arena. After watching it nkly for a long time, he barely opened his mouth, ¡°Master.¡±

    He called it shortly.

    Gusion raised not only Yong-ho but also Kaiwan and Catalina with his big hand, but Skull, who was excellent at doing something in a timely manner, stretched out his hand and removed the two women from Yong-ho.

    Gusion pointed to the ceiling by moving his chin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡±

    Yong-ho allowed Gusion to carry him on his back. At that moment, he listened to Lucia¡¯s voice while hanging on Gusion¡¯s back, which was prettyrge.

    [Oh My God!]

    [You are in the arena right now, right? Nheless, you have got to be connected to me, right?]

    He didn¡¯t bother to answer. He left the arena with Gusion and headed to the Garden of Life, where Scathach had been waiting for them.

    When they reached, Scathach was already crying.

    Hugging Yuria, at a loss of what to do, she cried her eyes out like a child. She cried and even had a runny nose, but she didn¡¯t care.

    Only the mansion located in the middle of theke was the space allowed for Scathach.

    Since she couldn¡¯t step out of the mansion at all, she settled on the edge of the mansion.

    She waited for Yong-ho and Gusion at a ce close to the entrance.

    Quick-witted, Lucia had the Skull unit open the door in advance. As a result, the moment Gusion entered the hallway, he could see Scathach from a distance.

    Gusion ran. Scathach got up from her seat and leaned against the invisible wall. She cried out Gusion¡¯s name.

    And finally, the distance between the two disappeared. Gusion hugged her with hisrge hands.

    Yuria, who was in Scathach¡¯s arms, got barely released and staggered while Yong-ho bounced off his back and rolled on the floor. However, neither of them were displeased.

    <hr />

    ¡°Where are Gusion and Scathach now?¡±

    Kaiwan, who came upte, asked, looking at Yong-ho who was still lying down on the floor. Yong-ho, who was covering Yuria¡¯s ears with his hands for some reason, smiled bitterly and pointed at Scathach¡¯s mansion with a look. Catalina, who had the best hearing among the Mammon spirits, pricked her ears several times and then covered her face with both hands. Suddenly, not only her ears and face but also her neck turned red.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re making great love in a thousand years,¡± said Ophelia.

    Eligos and Tigrius simultaneously cleared their throats.

    Yong-ho whispered into the air.

    ¡°Lucia, don¡¯t sneak a peek at them. Just focus on your work. You have to take control of the 7th floor... Lucia?¡±

    [Ugh!]

    [Sure, I¡¯ll start taking control of the 7th floor.]

    [Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat... Oh my...]

    [Let me start right away!]

    Fortunately, only Yong-ho could hear it.

    Yong-ho pleasantly watched Scathach¡¯s mansion after breathing out deeply.

    He felt good he could obtain all the arena spirits including Gusion by conquering the arena, but what pleased him more was the dramatic reunion of Gusion and Scathach.

    ¡®Shall I postpone my work until tomorrow and pass out here?¡¯

    Although he was physically alright, he was mentally exhausted. It was because he was so inert as to stand up that he stilly on the floor.

    Moreover, the side effects of his reliance on the Demon God were greater than expected. If he had turned to him in a ce other than the arena, he could have suffered even more side effects.

    Right at that moment, the mes of the red lotus arose from his bedside. It was Aamon as always.

    [My master!]

    Aamon¡¯s whispering was delivered not only to Yong-ho but also to the other subordinate spirits.

    All of them felt warmth from the mes of the red lotus.

    [You have conquered the arena. And you will make Gusion your subordinate spirit.]

    Gusion could be said to be the beginning of the domino. Now, Scathach was going to join Yong-ho. If Gusion and Scathach joined him, it was highly likely that Richard would also follow suit.

    Just like Kaiwan said, Yong-ho¡¯s possession of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits was within his grasp sooner orter.

    [Gusion¡¯s power is ¡®courage,¡¯ which was something that made him never give up in the face of any ordeal and ovee it.]

    [There is no other power that suits him perfectly other than that, given his role as the king¡¯s vanguard.]

    Yong-ho agreed with a nod. Kaiwan, who had spent the longest time with Gusion, smiled warmly.

    [And...]

    Aamon paused for a moment then created even greater mes.

    He said, looking directly at Yong-ho, [Now you¡¯re fully qualified as the master.]

    It was clear what he meant.

    Yong-ho responded instinctively.

    ¡°Mammon.¡±

    The King of Greed. The greatest monarch in the history of the demon world.

    He suddenly disappeared one day. He disappeared from history, believe it or not.

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits knew the truth. However, they could not speak, bound by some prohibitions.

    Now all those bans were lifted. Yong-ho finally got the right to hear the truth.

    [I agree with Yustia. I think it is best to hear it from Gusion.]

    The mes of the red lotus flickered again.

    He whispered, [You don¡¯t have to be in a hurry...]

    [... Because it¡¯s just a once-upon-a-time story.]

    His voice was scattered. The mes faded away.

    Yong-ho saw the Godly Energy of Mammon on his left arm. He felt only a small beating from the heart of the Demon God who was united with him.

    <hr />

    Time passed fairly.

    Various events were happening outside the Mammon House, in the north and west as well as in the center of the demon world.

    A day had passed.

    The war in the north continued. The meeting between the Queen of Fury and the heads of the eight ns didn¡¯t produce any consensus about the queen¡¯s proposal, given the significance of the matter. And the meeting of the five directors of the Dungeon Market was somewhat different from what it was before.

    Yong-ho and Gusion faced each other at Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    Gusion, as always, did not drag on needlessly.

    He started telling the truth about Mammon, holding Scathach in one arm.

    It was an old story dating from over a thousand years ago.

 Chapter 238 - Kingéˆ¥æªš Time (1)

    <h4>Chapter 238: King¡¯s Time (1)</h4>

    The subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon began to gather at Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    It was almost noon.

    Gusion looked calm. Although there was still fatigue on his face, he didn¡¯t fail to smile.

    It was yesterday when he fought a deadly fight with Yong-ho. Even though he took rest all day long, he was not fully recovered, so Yong-ho dyed making him his subordinate spiritter.

    Actually, he summoned them for a different reason.

    Each of them took their seatfortably. The blue water, which could be called the specialty of Scathach¡¯s mansion, served as a jelly-like chair, where they leanedfortably.

    ¡°Okay, master. May I reel out the story from now on. I would like to start, then.¡±

    Holding Scathach¡¯s waist with one arm, he spoke somewhat awkwardly.

    Yong-ho responded with a more awkward expression, ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to use honorifguage. Just tell me as you used to. I¡¯ll treat you the same as I did before.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. That¡¯s why I like you, master.¡±

    He gently grinned at Yong-ho then gave up using honorifguage.

    Leaning on his chest, Scathach also giggled.

    ¡°Alright. Where should I start talking? Actually, I¡¯ve been imagining this moment for thest one thousand years, but I find it rather hard to speak in front of you like this.¡±

    Yong-ho did not press him. Aamon, who arose in the air as the mes of the red lotus, also waited calmly for his words.

    Finally, Gusion opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s a thing of the distant past. It happened a thousand and hundreds of years ago when Master Mammon was still alive.¡±

    Scathach fidgeted with her fingers to help Gusion. Some of the blue water went up and became a map of the demon world in the distant past. About half of the demon world was unified under one name.

    ¡°There happened all sorts of strange things in many parts of the estates, or the territory of Greed, ruled by Master Mammon in those days. For example, a whole dungeon or a small town disappeared altogether.¡±

    Kaiwan leaned forward when he used the expression ¡®disappeared.¡¯ She asked with a nce, and Gusion nodded and continued, ¡°Sometimes a dungeon evaporated without leaving behind even a single piece of it, and sometimes the city was destroyed as if it were attacked. Since there were survivors left behind, this strange phenomenon was known a long time after it happened initially.¡±

    Nobody knew when and where this kind of bizarre phenomenon urred. It was because there was no guarantee that it would ur only in the vige or a dungeon.

    ¡°At the end of the day, Master Mammon began to investigate the bizarre incidents in earnest, but he had not made any progress. He just doubted it might be some sort of twisting or earthquake in the affected area or dungeon. But it was too weird to call it a simple twisting. It was possible for the being created as the twisting to destroy the surrounding area, but it was impossible that the vige or dungeon disappeared altogether as if the whole affected area was torn down and taken into another world.¡±

    Gusion grabbed a part of the water that formed the map of the demon world. Although it was a model, he erased part of the demon world and continued, ¡°The more Master Mammon investigated the incidents, the more severe the situation became. The bizarre phenomena increased as time passed by, and the damages of the affected areas increased as well. In some cases, the affected dungeon was fine, but all the people inside it died without any wound as if only their souls escaped out of their bodies.¡±

    Gusion paused for a moment. After catching his breath once, he continued, ¡°While Master Mammon was in the thick of investigating the events, the Queen of Sloth in the neighboring country visited him. Actually, the Queen of Sloth was investigating the same phenomenon in her country.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this kind of strange thing didn¡¯t take ce only in the territory of the King of Greed, right?¡± asked Ophelia.

    Gusion replied with a nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s the point. This strange thing urred throughout the demon world. This was happening not only in the territory of the King of Greed and the Queen of Sloth but also in the territories of other kings.¡±

    Gusion reached out for the map of the demon world. Then there popped up small holes everywhere on the map. Then he erased it one by one.

    ¡°About six months have passed since Master Mammon started investigating this strange thing. Finally, Mammon discovered the cause of this weird phenomenon. To tell you the conclusion, it was the result of twisting. However, it was different from the usual twisting. Beyond the twisting was an alien world, which was not the same demonic world. Moreover, the alien world was too much different from the numerous worlds that had a temporary passage to the demon world until then. It was a very special world.¡±

    Gusion took a silver coin out of his pocket. Then, he made it float in the air with mana, which was round and t.

    ¡°It can bepared to both sides of a coin. It could be called the twin of our demon world. A world that has been always connected to the demon world, but a world where people could not meet us in the demon world, nor should we.¡±

    The silver coin that Gusion floated in the air rotated round and round. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the back of the silver coin, which was not visible at first.

    ¡°The twisting that urred from that alien world affected the demon world. Sometimes, it evaporated the whole area, and sometimes, it absorbed all the souls around the twisting. In some cases, the beings that came from the twisting were engaged in destruction.¡±

    The first two cases were particrly problematic. If this kind of phenomenon were allowed to continue, the entire demon world could copse.

    ¡°This alien world was the twin of the demon world, but at the same time it would bring about the destruction of the demon world if something went wrong.¡±

    Gusion grabbed the silver coin and whispered, ¡°Master Mammon called the world a ¡®celestial world.¡±

    <hr />

    In many cases, the meetings of the five directors of the Dungeon Market proceeded with the participants reading their one-sided reports. And that was the same when they met face to face instead of meeting in the virtual space.

    As a result, the meeting was short as a rule. When the five directors met, their meeting usually didn¡¯tst more than two hours.

    But this time, the meetingsted long. They couldn¡¯t wrap up the meeting in a few hours. Dubbed the strongest mana, Abrasax, called for another meeting on the second day. Indeed they convened a second meeting when Bifronz, the best intellect, agreed.

    Actually, they already discussed all the important agenda at their yesterday¡¯s meeting.

    Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, looked at Abrasax with a curious expression, and Samael also showed great curiosity about the second meeting.

    Abrasax, who was dragging on without any interesting agenda, put down the toys he was ying with. Then he casually said in passing, ¡°Today the King of Pride will attack the King of Envy.¡±

    It was nothing new to the participants. In fact, for the past several months, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were engaged in fierce fighting.

    Sitri tilted her head slightly, feeling out of ce. Abrasax raised his head and looked at her.

    Then he said, grinning at her, ¡°Some of you already know what I mean.¡±

    Sitri narrowed her eyebrows. The five directors looked at each other.

    Right at that moment, some already began to move.

    <hr />

    There was a huge twisting between the celestial world and the demonic world behind this very bizarre phenomenon. Unlike other twistings, it was not temporary. Other twistings continued from the existing twisting that was always active.¡±

    Scathach¡¯s waterdrops became one and created arge map of the demon world again. One of them was separated and ced high in the sky.

    ¡°It¡¯s the door to the celestial world. Mammon had to close the door. Only then could the demon world be protected from this bizarre phenomena.¡±

    Now, Gusion began to speed up the flow of the story.

    Ophelia, who kept swallowing while listening to him, asked quickly, ¡°Wait. Why is it so unteral? If the celestial world is a twin of the demon world, aren¡¯t they supposed to be equal?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about it. But what was clear was the fact that the power of the celestial world was like poison to our demonic beings. Those of us with weak mana had to lose their lives simply by being exposed to the power of the celestial world. Only those with at least three horns could fight even when exposed to the power of the celestial world.¡±

    When he replied, Ophelia made a nk expression. He mentioned at least three horns.

    It meant that only a handful of people in the vast demon world could confront the celestial world.

    ¡°In no time, Master Mammon could find where the door was located. However, shutting down the door was not easy because our master found the existence of the door toote. Not only was the power of the celestial world abundant around the door, but there were also too many beings from the celestial world.¡±

    Gusion paused for a moment.

 Chapter 239 - Kingéˆ¥æªš time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 239: King¡¯s time (2)</h4>

    It was just Gusion only who was talking.

    ¡°At first, everything went smoothly. But the situation became different when they were finally about to shut the door of the celestial world, faced with their fiercest resistance.¡±

    Yong-ho closed his eyes. Kaiwan also clenched her teeth. Catalina bit her lips, hoping what she thought was not true.

    ¡°The King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust betrayed Master Mammon. The Queen of Sloth didn¡¯t betray him, but that¡¯s it. The situation was irreversible by that time.¡±

    Gusion frowned as if he was about to shed bloody tears at any moment.

    ¡°Elune was killed first, followed by Baruna and Yuho Yuan in the fierce fighting. All the 12 Spirits of Mammon were severely wounded.¡±

    Yong-ho could remember it at that time. He recalled it when he peeked into the memories of Sitri and Mammon¡ªGusion was crying, shedding bloody tears, and Elune died in Sitri¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Fortunately, Master Mammon survived. But he did not choose to leave the scene.¡±

    Gusion let down his shoulders. His angry tone now subsided.

    ¡°The door of the celestial world was too wide open. If he backed down, he couldn¡¯t promise the safety and survival of his country. So, Master Mammon decided to...¡±

    The mes of the red lotus were burning high. Scathach put her hand on Gusion¡¯s hand.

    Gusion cried andughed while talking.

    Recalling the unforgettable king, who he had never forgotten for more than a thousand years, Gusion said, ¡°He climbed the stairs to the celestial world alone. He chose to sacrifice himself to save the demon world.¡±

    <hr />

    Abrasax soon erected seven horns. As if his nickname, the strongest mana, was not fake, he took control of the surrounding area with his enormous mana.

    Almost at the same time, Bifronz and Orobas also opened their horns. Thebined mana generated from the six horns became united with Abrasax¡¯s, increasing the density of mana. It was literally a choking pressure.

    Samael, the fastest wing, hurriedly opened her horns to confront their mana, but it was in vain. Abrasax¡¯s mana was thrust into her like a serpent and tied her up. As if closing a bottle cap, he crushed her mana with his stronger mana.

    Sitri also suffered the same thing. The mana of the three other directors squeezed her body.

    Abrasax said, ¡°I was thinking of executing it a bit slowly. Just like I did to Orobas and Bifronz, I took the time to try to persuade Samael and Sitri as well. But the situation was so urgent that I could not help it.¡±

    Abrasax shook his head then made a smile humorously by twisting his beak.

    ¡°The King of Gluttony was dead. I don¡¯t know who killed him, but he died anyway. Even the Ten Warriors that he boasted of so much were also killed. So, what should I do? Wouldn¡¯t the dog that lost its owner have to find a new owner?¡±

    Samael opened her eyes wide at his words that the King of Gluttony was dead.

    Abrasax couldn¡¯t hide his joy.

    ¡°There is no longer the territory of the King of Gluttony because the dogs who found a new owner hoisted up a new g. Probably, there is a big turmoil there by now. They must be engaged in fighting each other, calling each other traitors.¡±

    The three masters who used to enjoy a powerful force under the King of Gluttony chose the King of Pride as their new master. They reported to the king about the death of the King of Gluttony and the Ten Warriors, but they also pledged to devote their entire forces to him.

    Now, it was time they kept their pledge.

    The three masters who changed their master under the red sky were probably having a bloody feast. Their first mission was to annihte the puppet king and a handful of loyalists. They had to get rid of the King of Gluttony¡¯s remnants to dedicate the king¡¯s whole territory to the King of Pride.

    ¡°The King of Pride will attack the King of Envy. The King of Lust can no longer resist him. Today the northern area will be unified under the King of Pride,¡± Orobas said in a low voice.

    Abrasaxughed even louder.

    ¡°The Dungeon Market will follow him. Our role as a preposterous charity organization is over. We¡¯re going to join hands with the King of Pride to go beyond the north to unify the whole demon world.¡±

    The Dungeon Market had the power to control the entire demon world. However, they used it only in business deals. Besides, they didn¡¯t do the business properly. They were just content with handling the business as usual by ying the book.

    Abrasax hated it. He wanted to use the power of the Dungeon Market for a more valuable cause.

    ¡°We will reorganize the demon world. It would be nice if we could remove all the hybrid ns from the alien world. Don¡¯t you think the demon world will be much more beautiful and fresh?¡±

    He spoke casually, but Samael couldn¡¯t stay still. The number of what the purists called ¡°hybrids¡± in the demon world was several million. Are they going to kill all of these ¡°hybrids¡±? How could he mention it so lightly?

    Samael could not even say they were crazy. She could not just stand her anger surging inside her.

    The best intellect, Bifronz opened all of his eight eyes.

    He said, watching Sitri and Samael, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time like Abrasax just said. I know the atmosphere is a bit coercive, but I want you to make the decision now.¡±

    The Dungeon Market was like a beast with five heads. If any of the five heads differed with the other heads, it had to be cut off. Only then could the demon called the Dungeon Market could exert its united power.

    Orobas took a step. As the strongest Red Demon of his time, he did not hide his murderous intentions.

    ¡°Choose whether you will go along with us or you want to be killed.¡±

    <hr />

    Mammon climbed the stairs alone. Since he chose to die alone. He forced his 12 Spirits to return to the demon world.

    There was not enough time. Because of the influence of the celestial world, he could not use his ordinary magic to have them return. He had to break their will to stay with him. For this reason, their forced return was as good as sealed. Sending Aamon back to the demon world, he left the rest up to Magnadon.

    Aamon and Scathach didn¡¯t see him afterward because they were asleep for a long time.

    But Gusion was a little different. Like them, he didn¡¯t see Mammon, but he could hear from the previous masters of the House of Mammon who visited the arena about what happened afterward.

    ¡°The traitors went all out to destroy the House of Mammon. They also concealed the fact that the door of the celestial world ever existed in order to bury their disgusting and ugly betrayal in the dark. Master Mammon¡¯s sublime sacrifice was hidden, and the House of Mammon fell.¡±

    And a thousand years passed. The King of Pride, who led the betrayal, died, and the King of Lust practically chose to seclude himself. The. King of Envy, who was always controlled by another king, was on the verge of losing his country to the new King of Pride.

    Gusion was now done. He told them all he knew. But Yong-ho had a lot to ask.

    Why did Mammon want his 12 Spirits to not reveal this truth? Why did he arrange for only the master who was duly qualified to know the truth? That was not all. He had more questions about the 12 Spirits, but what he actually asked Gusion was quite a different question.

    ¡°What was the Queen of Sloth doing at the time?¡±

    Three of the five kings betrayed Mammon. But the Queen of Sloth didn¡¯t. Then, what happened to her? What was she doing when the Mammon Family was copsing? Was the Queen of Sloth betrayed as well? Was that why she secluded herself?

    Gusionughed bitterly and replied with mixed feelings of love and hate.

    ¡°The Queen of Sloth stayed with Master Mammon until he climbed the stairs. She fought with us 12 Spirits. While the House of Mammon was copsing, I am not sure what she was doing at that time. But it is clear that she has been upholding one of thete Mammon¡¯s wills.¡±

    Yong-ho stopped breathing. The puzzles that were messed up in his mind were put together. But he didn¡¯t have the specific evidence. He was sure who she was.

    She was that woman, Sitri.

    <hr />

    ¡°Mammon,¡± she murmured to herself.

    She then shouted, shrugging her shoulders, ¡°Mammon!¡±

    She called it out loud. It looked like she was about to cry at any moment.

    It wasn¡¯t because she was afraid of Orobas¡¯s threat.

    The Dungeon Market that she used to know was broken. One of Mammon¡¯s wills was once again defiled by the King of Pride.

    ¡°What did you say? Mammon?¡±

    Orobas asked again. Sitri didn¡¯t bother to answer. She closed her eyes and withdrew one of the attributes of her power, ¡®seclusion.¡¯

    The three directors felt it at the same time. Something changed. A weird force arose among the mana of the three directors that filled the conference room.

    Samael felt Abrasax¡¯s mana surrounding her distorted. Abrasax was startled, Bifronz and Orobas hurriedly concentrated their mana to overpower Sitri.

    But it was impossible. Seven horns of light rose above Sitri¡¯s head like a crown. The mana she released all at once drove away their mana.

    And Sitri was satisfied with that moment. She reached out into the air. Through the ring, she summoned a lump of Brigada into the air and grabbed the Godly Energy of Sloth in the shape of a cane, which was a fragment of the flesh of the Demon God.

    Sitri.

    She was the ¡°strongest force¡± of the Dungeon Market as well as the founder of the Dungeon Market, following the will of Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The Queen of Sloth released her power, the Sin of Sloth, after a thousand years.

 Chapter 240 - Blitzkrieg (1)

    <h4>Chapter 240: Blitzkrieg (1)</h4>

    Tears kept flowing from Sitri¡¯s eyes.

    She hugged Elune, who was covered with blood. Her body, which was getting colder little by little whenever she put her lips on her forehead, did not move this time.

    She could not believe Elune¡¯s death, let alone the others¡¯ death.

    But it was all true. She could not deny the stern fact. And now, she was faced with the reality she wanted to deny most.

    Her whole body ached. Her bloody body creaked before she hugged Elune. This space with the strongest celestial power in the demon world was and of death even for Sitri, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    Sitri cried. She squeezed her voice to say something, again tightening her arms holding Elune.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    It was harder than she thought. Her wet voice was small. It was difficult for her even to add one more word.

    It was also because of the power of the celestial world, but she was overwhelmed by the emotions. She could not control the overflowing feelings.

    Sitri once again opened her mouth, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Please, please...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t say anything anymore. Dozens of words came to her mind at the same time, but none of them came out of her mouth. What she barely squeezed from her mouth was her desperate appeal to Mammon, her master.

    Mammon faced her. Although her face was messed with tears, he touched her beautiful face and kissed her forehead and lips.

    That was his way of expressing his goodbye. His fleeting kiss made her wake up to the grim reality more sharply. A world without Mammon, which would disappear forever in a moment, scared her.

    ¡°Why?! Why should you go?! Why only you?!¡±

    She shouted out loud. It was a damn world. It was a filthy world full of dirty traitors. She could not understand why Mammon should sacrifice himself in such a situation? Why should Mammon bleed for those traitors?

    There were lots of things she wanted to say to him. She wanted to reproach herself for this deplorable situation.

    Mammon smiled at her again and said kindly, ¡°Because only I can do it. Because I am the king of you and everyone.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t simply because he had the Sin and Godly Energy.

    He was the king, the leader and the navigator who would lead everyone.

    ¡°And because it is mine... Since both you and this world are all mine, wouldn¡¯t it be natural for me to keep what¡¯s mine?¡±

    His statement befitted his position as the King of Greed. After wrapping up his words yfully, Mammon kissed Sitri once again.

    Sitri wanted to show him her own smile. But in the end, she could not help but cry again.

    So, she just begged him to take her

    Mammon nced at her lovably. He touched Elune¡¯s hand, which was still warm, and quickly stood up.

    The sky was twisted. The sky that should be red got mixed with blue light. There was really little time left for him now.

    Mammon looked up to the sky. Still smiling, he said to Sitri, ¡°I will be back.¡±

    Sitri couldn¡¯t go with him together. Since it was his wish, she had no choice but to let him go alone.

    She wiped the tears with her bloody hands. She clenched her teeth to hold back her tears. She vividly etched the memory of him going along into her mind.

    Mammon went alone. He climbed the stairs leading to the celestial world¡ªthe end of the sky.

    <hr />

    ¡°Sitri.¡±

    Everyone pricked their ears when Gusion mentioned her name all of a sudden.

    Although the name suddenly popped up, Ophelia and Kaiwan understood why Sitri¡¯s name was mentioned. There was astonishment on their faces.

    ¡°Yes, Sitri is none other than the Queen of Sloth,¡± said Gusion calmly.

    Scathach made a sad smile at that. Catalina could not make head or tail of what was going on.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t her fault. Gusion¡¯s mention of Sitri was so shocking to everybody.

    With his eyes wide open, Eligos was aghast.

    With the exception of Yong-ho, Eligos was the one who met Sitri most within the Mammon family until now.

    It seemed Gusion had to give them more background exnation.

    Kaiwan made an expression as if she was about to shout loudly at any moment, but she held it back to the end. She was now suppressing herself.

    Yong-ho closed his eyes. Sitri¡¯s face and voice distantly came to his mind.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t ask Gusion why Sitri was the Queen of Sloth.

    Opening his eyes, Yong-ho looked straight at Gusion and asked, ¡°If Sitri is the Queen of Sloth, why are you resenting her?¡±

    As Gusion admitted, Sitri fought with the Mammon family. She did not betray Mammon like the other kings.

    If that was the case, why did Gusion resent her?

    Gusion smiled at his question, but his expression was far from a smile.

    He replied with a rather weary voice.

    ¡°The alliance of the five kings to save the demon world was a good thing. It¡¯s fantastic when you hear it. But Master Mammon knew that the reality was not that simple. It is only possible in a fairy tale for those who were fighting against each other until yesterday to join hands to fight together for theirmon ideal goal.¡±

    And that was the reality. In fact, the three kings¡ªKings of Pride, Envy, and Lust¡ªeventually betrayed Mammon.

    ¡°We 12 Spirits did not trust the rest of the kings. So, we opposed our master¡¯s alliance with them. But the Queen of Sloth, Sitri, made the case for the alliance. She encouraged Mammon to form the alliance, arguing that if the five kings joined hands, they could solve the current crisis.¡±

    Gusion knew Sitri believed the use of the alliance truly. In fact, Sitri really believed their alliance would solve the problem facing the demon world. So, it was Sitri who was more shocked than anyone else by the betrayal of the three kings.

    Scathach tightened her hand holding Gusion.

    Gusionughed awkwardly again and said, ¡°Yes, I know. I was probably stupid. Maybe I might have needed someone I wanted to hate.¡±

    Actually, Gusion couldn¡¯t stand it without hating somebody. But for it, he couldn¡¯t face the House of Mammon that copsed in return for saving the demon world.

    Gusion could no longer continue. Scathach gently smiled at him, touching his hand.

    She wrapped it up on behalf of him.

    ¡°But it¡¯s water under the bridge now. There is no more threat from the celestial world. The King of Pride, who was the main instigator of betrayal, disappeared amid the passage of time. We still have the King of Envy and the King of Lust, but I wonder how we should deal with them.¡±

    Even now, when she closed her eyes, she remembered that time. It was an unforgettable memory. But the passage of a thousand years made her calm down.

    ¡°Master Mammon was worried about us until the end. He had another concern while sending us back to the demon world in a hurry, for it was so obvious that we 12 Spirits would cry out for revenge.¡±

    Yong-ho recalled Asclepius at that moment. While he was confined to a thousand years of guilt, he became a madman. Perhaps, he must have thought of revenge before he went crazy.

    Scathach closed her eyes then cleared her voice before continuing.

    ¡°Master Mammon didn¡¯t want his sessor, who would appear someday, to be passively entangled in our revenge efforts. That¡¯s why he wanted his sessor to realize the whole truth only when he could take control of his 12 Spirits.¡±

    Actually, Yong-ho came to know the whole truth only after he could take control of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits like now.

    Scathach opened her eyes again and looked at him with a calm and affectionate look, as always, not with an expression full of revenge.

    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re now our new master. We will follow your will.¡±

    Yong-ho moved his lips a bit. Catalina let down her ears with an anxious look, and Kaiwan just swallowed, looking at him.

    Scathach said again, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to pressure you. I¡¯m not arguing for taking revenge right away. Too much time has passed for that. Now I understand what¡¯s in Mammon¡¯s heart. Mammon didn¡¯t want us to pursue blind revenge.¡±

    When Yong-ho obtained the heart of the Demon God for the first time, Mammon¡¯s memory told him that he should pursue his own path and live a life based on his choice.

    That was what Mammon wanted. Like Scathach said, he wouldn¡¯t have hoped that his sessor and 12 Spirits would be bound by revenge alone.

    Yong-ho nodded. Scathach once again considered his feelings. As if to control Gusion who got impatient at the moment, she pulled his arm gently and said again, ¡°Shall I change the topic a bit? Since you guys heard about this all of a sudden, let me answer your questions. If you have any questions about Sitri or what happened on that day, I¡¯ll answer it. Just feel free to ask any questions. You won¡¯t necessarily focus on Master Mammon.¡±

 Chapter 241 - Blitzkrieg (2)

    <h4>Chapter 241: Blitzkrieg (2)</h4>

    After she was done talking, she looked at the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family.

    Then Kaiwan opened her mouth first. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question!¡±

    She moved her lips to try to speak but found it a bit hard to say anything right away.

    Scathach kindly waited for her.

    After hesitating for a while, Kaiwan finally asked rather impatiently, ¡°If Sitri is really the Queen of Sloth, why did she hide it from us so far? Why did she just seclude herself instead of reigning as the queen?¡±

    Kaiwan couldn¡¯t understand. She was a queen with one of the Seven Deadly Sins and Godly Energy. But why did she live as one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market rather than a queen?

    Was it because she was scared of the other three kings? Was it because she might be assassinated if they knew the Queen of Sloth was alive?

    Given the political circumstances, it was highly likely that the other three kings were not aware of the fact that the Queen of Sloth was alive, or they might have not known that Sitri was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market.

    Even the records on the Mammon family did not indicate that Sitri was the Queen of Sloth, so it was very possible that the three kings didn¡¯t know about her existence.

    ording to various records, the Queen of Sloth always covered her face and body with a ck veil and robe. As a result, it wasn¡¯t strange at all that the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust regard the Queen of Sloth and the red-haired witch, Mammon¡¯s lover as two different women. In fact, this kind of thinking was the most usible. Otherwise, the fact that the King of Greed and the Queen of Sloth were lovers would have provoked the other kings too much. They would have thought that their romantic rtionship would have stood in the way of their alliance.

    At Kaiwan¡¯s asking, Scathach made a frown. It wasn¡¯t because her question was difficult to answer. It was because even Scathach didn¡¯t know why.

    Scathach looked at the mes of the red lotus burning in the air. Unlike Scathach herself and Gusion, who had been confined to the Labyrinth of Greed for the past one thousand years, Aamon moved in and out of the Labyrinth of Greed until recently. Moreover, he always met Sitri with Yong-ho. Maybe he might have some clues.

    Yong-ho and Kaiwan also turned to Aamon.

    Aamon whispered in a quiet voice, [I am not sure of her intentions, but...]

    [When I saw her after a thousand years, she was different from what I used to know before.]

    [On the day when the celestial door was closed, she was probably injured very much.]

    ¡°Injured?¡±

    [Yes, because it was a fierce fight.]

    [It wouldn¡¯t be strange if I say that she had been so severely wounded that she could not have healed even with the passage of one thousand years.]

    Moreover, Sitri was with Mammon until hisst moment. Just before or after Mammon closed the celestial door, something that Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits didn¡¯t know might have happened.

    [If I speak based on my impression of her...]

    [Sitri, as she is now, is notplete. She will not be able to properly exercise her power as the Queen of Sloth.]

    ***

    There was a crack in the firm solidarity of the three directors. An alien force prated through the flow of their mana that got united as one until a moment ago.

    It was like an explosion. It was instant, but it was a tremendous power thatpletely pushed out the mana of the three directors.

    Abrasax, who was proud of his ¡°strongest mana¡± at the Dungeon Market, was more sensitive to mana than any of the five directors. The moment he faced Sitri, the Queen of Sloth¡¯s mana, he felt it keenly.

    That was the power of a true queen, equipped with both one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Godly Energy.

    Abrasax felt he was spaced out. He didn¡¯t hear anything about her from the King of Pride.

    What he heard from the King of Pride was that Sitri was Mammon¡¯s lover and that she was a great demon who lived for a long long time.

    What should he do? How should he deal with the queen in front of him?

    A brief moment was like eternity. Abrasax saw Sitri in astonishment, and Bifronz tried to trigger the hidden secret weapon. Amid the chaotic situation, Orobas, the ¡°strongest Herculean power,¡± left himself to his instinct as a Red Demon.

    When everyone paid attention to Sitri, Orobas hit the ground.

    Then he threw himself toward Samael, who had not yet escaped from Abrasax¡¯s mana.

    Their distance narrowed in an instant.

    Orobas threw his punch at Samael¡¯s eyes. He had nothing like a personal grudge against her. He just moved in a way that was most advantageous to his uniquebat sense as a Red Demon. In some way, he acted, based on his cold rational judgment.

    There were two options that Orobas could think of.

    One of them was for him to be Samael¡¯s ally. It was the best option.

    Although Sitri showed obvious hostility toward him, Samael joined hands with the three other directors, it was four to one. Under any circumstance, they could beat her.

    But the situation would bepletely different if Samael joined hands with Sitri.

    If that was the case, the matrix of the fighting would be three to two. Given Sitri¡¯s extraordinary power, it was highly likely that the three directors would be defeated although they were numerically superior.

    Orobas was not sure which of the two situations would unfold. Therefore, Orobas decided to eliminate the number of cases. If Samael died here, the rtive superiority of three-to-one would not change anyway.

    Orobas threw his punch. Even though he was obsessed with striking fast without any preparation, his blow was powerful beyond imagination. If he struck her urately, it was clear that her delicate body would be smashed at once.

    At that moment, the demon king¡¯s power, which Samael exerted desperately, was a little faster than his punch. His fist, aiming at the center of Samael¡¯s chest, hit her shoulders slightly. But even his missed punch was powerful enough to smash her shoulders. They were in tatters as if they were swept away by an explosion, and there were severe cuts on her body, exposed to the impact of his punch. The ck wings, located behind her broken shoulders, literally evaporated.

    Even the five directors did not know about each other¡¯s power. Instead of thinking about why his punching missed, Orobas immediately prepared a second attack. Samael failed to exert her power again because she closed her eyes in severe pain. All she could do was scream terribly in pain.

    Abrasax and Bifronz finally understood the situation. The two hurriedly turned their eyes toward Samael only to find Samael screaming in pain. Samael was still alive.

    Orobas hastily turned around. Instead of punching her head, he mmed her in the back with his fist. His punch missed. When he turned his eyes after punching, Sitri already began to strike his chest.

    This time, the eyes of Sitri and Orobas crossed. Orobas clenched his teeth, but shortly afterward, his giant red body bounced off forcefully.

    Abrasax and Bifronz radiated their mana at the same time. Abrasax¡¯s mana pressed on Samael, and Bifronz¡¯s mana revived the mana of the other three directors and pushed out Sitri who was releasing power as the Queen of Sloth fully.

    Blood was gushing all over Samael¡¯s body, who was trembling hard. Her bloody discharge stained her white dress red.

    ¡°Kill her, kill her!¡± Abrasax shouted, full of malice. There was already joy in his face.

    But Bifronz was different. He was breaking into a cold sweat endlessly. Now was not the time for him to waste mana on Samael.

    ¡°Abrasax!¡± Sitri shouted at him.

    Abrasax looked back at Sitri as if he suddenly came to his senses. Orobas, who had been bounced out, also got up quickly and looked at Sitri.

    The Godly Energy of Sloth was shining. The Godly Energy that found its owner paired with the Sin of Sloth, creating a tremendous mana.

    Abrasax¡¯s mana that had been squeezing down Samael waned quickly. Besides, thebined mana of the three directors who seemed to swallow up Sitri at any moment was pushed out once more.

    ¡°The Queen of Sloth!¡±

    Abrasax was astonished. Sensitive to mana, he understood what was happening right before his eyes. That was why he was overwhelmed with instinctive fear.

    His mana was weakened. His mana that overpowered Samael was not simply pushed out or evaporated. Actually, it was weakened. It then vanished. But the rate of its weakening was unusually fast. It seemed as if he was swept away by the torrent of time.

    Sitri injected mana into the Godly Energy again. The Godly Energy that resonated with the Sin of Sloth released its inherent power.

    ¡®Corrosion of the boundary.¡¯

    That was the name Mammon coined for the power. All the hostile forces that entered the boundary of this force were quickly weakened. It then perished.

 Chapter 242 - Blitzkrieg (3)

    <h4>Chapter 242: Blitzkrieg (3)</h4>

    Abrasax also shuddered. He recalled when he stood before the King of Pride. It was the same. In some way, he shuddered more this time. Sitri¡¯s mana was as strong as his or rather weaker than his. Nheless, with the power of Sloth alone, she blocked his mana several times as big as his. The power of the invisible wall of corrosion that weakened and eliminated everything was terrifying.

    Orobas couldn¡¯t dare charge at her. The reason Sitri pushed him out in the first encounter was because she wanted to get hold of Samael. If she had used the invisible wall of corrosion at that time to bring out the power of Sloth, he might have received a fatal blow. He could not even think of that scenario at this point.

    However, Orobas was not stricken with fear just like Bifronz and Abrasax. His sense ofbat captured something new. He noticed Sitri¡¯s arm holding the mana of Sloth was trembling.

    Blood came out of her lips.

    ¡°Attack her now!¡±

    Orobas struck the air and gave off some mana. But Sitri immediately triggered the Godly Energy of Sloth to eliminate his mana. But she could not bear it anymore and spat out blood.

    Her chest and head were stained with blood. The blood flowing along her cleavage prompted Abrasax and Bfironz to attack her again.

    ¡°Kill her!¡±

    Abrasax poured out his mana once again. It was foolish to use mana to strike down the invisible wall of corrosion that weakened mana itself. Rather, it was more efficient to attack it with pure mana.

    Bifronz moved his eight hands at the same time. Then he triggered the magic circles again. He then transmitted them to Abrasax instead of pouring out the flow of mana on Sitri.

    ¡®Let me finish the fight now.¡¯

    Bifronz decided that he should not miss the Queen of Sloth, for she was simply too powerful.

    The queen who had her own Godly Energy had far superior power than he expected.

    The invisible wall of corrosion and thebined mana of the three directors shed once again. Their mana was weakened and scattered again, but it was not quite the same as before.

    The boundaries of the invisible wall of corrosion were pushed back gradually.

    Sitri, who was holding the Godly Energy with trembling hands, vomited blood again.

    ¡°A little more!¡±

    Blood came out from Abrasax¡¯s eyes and nose, too. It was the first time he ever dealt with this kind of enormous mana, who had six horns since his birth.

    Sitri now staggered. Blood came out again from her mouth. The boundary of the invisible wall of the corrosion was now reduced to less than half of it.

    Samael raised her head. Dubbed ¡°the fastest wing,¡± she spread her remaining wing and hugged Sitri with trembling hands.

    ¡°No. No!¡± Orobas shouted instinctively.

    Sitri squeezed out her remaining power, and Samael released her own power.

    Bang!

    A huge mana struck the ground. It not only destroyed the headquarters of the Dungeon Market but also rammed deep into the ground. The surrounding area was shaken as if there was an earthquake.

    Abrasax copsed. As someone who operated mana directly, he knew that at thest minute, Sitri and Samael disappeared. Although he could not know what made them disappear at once, he clearly knew it was Samael¡¯s power.

    Orobas hurriedly expanded his senses to check his surroundings, but it was useless. He could detect everything within a radius of 500 meters, but Sitri and Samael were not within that range.

    Bifronz gasped for breath. Thanks to an old friend of his who always gave advice, he coulde to his senses quickly.

    He lost the Queen of Sloth. It was obvious that Samael would not join hands with them.

    If that was the case, now was not the time for him to worry and fear. He had to do the next as soon as possible.

    ¡°Samael is now our enemy. Orobas, give orders to your men. You must destroy Samael¡¯s dungeon.¡±

    Out of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, Sitri was the most secretive one. Aside from the fact that she was the Queen of Sloth, the location of her dungeon was not even known.

    On the other hand, everybody knew Samael¡¯s dungeon because the special auction house of the Dungeon Market was her own dungeon.

    The five directors of the Dungeon Market were basically demon kings with their own dungeons. Samael, the master of her dungeon, had several subordinate spirits. If they destroyed the heart of her dungeon to annihte her subordinate spirits, they could inflict great damage on Samael where she was.

    The employees of the Dungeon Market headquarters appeared in various ces. They didn¡¯t know what happened to the Dungeon Market today. They were in a chaotic situation, not knowing about the sudden tragedy that engulfed the market today.

    Bifronz caught his breath again. As his old friendmented, Bifronz¡¯s ¡°intellect¡± was uniquely strong in analysis. He mentioned the most important thing in the current situation.

    ¡°Sitri and Samael are seriously injured. So, we still have time. Even though it¡¯s hard to overpower Sitri, we must take away everything from Samael.¡±

    Sitri was the most veiled out of the five directors. Apart from the fact that she was the Queen of Sloth, the location of her dungeon was not even known.

    On the other hand, everybody knew the location of Samael¡¯s dungeon. The Dungeon Market¡¯s special auction house was her dungeon.

    The Dungeon Market was like a beast with five heads. They had to wrap up the current turmoil by expelling Samael as an enemy. They had to stop Samael¡¯s forces from joining their hostile forces.

    ¡°Our king will reproach us in that case,¡± Abrasax muttered.

    Looking at the results alone, their mission had failed. The three directors were supposed to go under the King of Pride, but they didn¡¯t appease Sitri and Samael, nor did they get rid of the two. This was the worst situation they could think of.

    ¡°So, we have to hurry. We must get rid of Samael¡¯s power. Even if it¡¯s impossible to take over the whole power of the Dungeon Market, we must hand over almost all of it to the King of Pride.¡±

    Abrasax stood up, slowly nodding. Orobas kept swallowing, looking at the spot where Sitri was standing.

    ¡°The Queen of Sloth...¡±

    She was an enemy he had to confront again. And when he shed with her again, he had to fight in a different way.

    The three directors did not dy any more. Orobas threw himself to join the forces attacking Samael¡¯s dungeon, and Abrasax opened the door to the eastern region which would have been turned from the territory of the King of Gluttony to that of the King of Pride by now.

    The second mission of the powerful masters who hoisted the gs was to dere war on the Queen of Fury.

    Bifronz, who was left alone, turned toward the north.

    ¡°Today,¡± which might be the watershed of demonic history, was not over yet.

    <hr />

    Betrayal had always been fatal throughout all ages and countries.

    The traitor was an insider, not an outsider. No matter howrge and solid a giant castle was built to defend against outside enemies, they could not avoid the traitor among them from stabbing them from behind.

    The Dungeon Market¡¯s special auction house, befitting Samael¡¯s dungeon, one of the five directors, boasted of a strong defense that made it meaningless topare it to the dungeons of ordinary masters. But, as expected, it helplessly copsed at the traitors¡¯ attack.

    When Orobas arrived, more than half of the dungeon was already destroyed. Almost half of Samael¡¯s subordinate spirits were killed by Orobas and Bifronz¡¯s subordinates.

    Standing in front of the boundary line separating the deep floor of her dungeon and the special auction house, Orobas frowned. Samael¡¯s right-hand man and the butler of the special auction house, Incubus Lord Karot, was standing before him, with his body covered with blood.

    ¡°Excellent. Quite impressive.¡± Orobasmented briefly.

    He said that from the bottom of his heart. About twenty Crimson Ogres belonging to Oroba¡¯s assault squad were scattered around him, torn apart in a terrible shape. Moreover, at least five kinds of monsters were also sacrificed with the strong scent of their blood mixed with that of the ogres.

    Perhaps, Karot must have resisted their attack alone so that Samael¡¯s subordinate spirits could gain time to escape or strengthen their barriers.

    Karot red at Orobas without any response. As if to collect whatever strength he had, he gasped for breath.

    He didn¡¯t ask why Orobas betrayed Samael or where she was now. That kind of question was just meaningless in the current situation.

    Orobas smoothed out the wrinkles of his eyebrows, looking at Karot. He even smiled.

    He liked the man a lot for a long time. He wished Samael had not turned into his enemy.

    He didn¡¯t show any signs of attacking. Flying nearly a dozen meters in the blink of an eye, he struck Karot with his fist. Karot could not avoid it. Karot activated the maic field immediately, but it was smashed as soon as it was created.

    Karot¡¯s left shoulder disappeared. There was no trace of it left at the tremendous impact of his attack.

    As in the case of Samael, Karot didn¡¯t avoid it. Orobas targeted his shoulder on purpose.

    Karot couldn¡¯t even scream because Orobas¡¯s fist, which blew away his shoulder, punched his neck and mouth. Orobas grabbed him then threw him roughly to the ground. He was thrust into the ground with a force that could break it.

    Karot, whose bones were smashed to pieces, wriggled like an insect. Orobas stepped on his right arm with his feet. Then he tightened his feet to crush Karot¡¯s fingers and shoulders. This time, a terrible scream broke in his mouth. Then, he stopped screaming since he could hardly breathe now.

    Trampling down his arms, Orobas looked down at Karot. He had no intention of killing Karot right now. It wasn¡¯t because he felt Karot was too valuable to be killed. He still had to collect some more information from Karot, such as the location of a hiding ce outside the dungeon where Samael could hide or specific information about her power.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean Orobas had time to torture him slowly. Moreover, he had to deal a blow to Samael by killing Karot, so he intended to keep Karot alive at least until the necromancer who would extract information from his soul arrived.

    ¡°You won¡¯t die just because of these wounds, right?¡±

    Orobas spoke to him in a friendly manner, but Karot desperately tried to cast a spell.

    But Orobas destroyed his half-finished magic by smashing his left foot.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but admit it.¡±

    Again, it wasn¡¯t about Karot. Orobas did not deny the pleasure arising deep inside him. He felt like his frustration with his humiliating fight against the Queen of Sloth and Samael disappeared a bit.

    The three directors went under the King of Pride for different reasons, of course.

 Chapter 243 - Blitzkrieg (4)

    <h4>Chapter 243: Blitzkrieg (4)</h4>

    Abrasax feared the King of Pride. At the same time, he wanted to run around, showing off his power freely. He was like a thrilled child so anxious to show off his power and the Dungeon Market everywhere.

    Bifronz wanted the unification of the demon world. And he hoped he could join in the process of unification. The reason he went under the King of Pride was simple. Under the current situation, he felt the King of Pride was most likely to achieve the unification of the demon world.

    Then, what was the reason for Orobas to follow the King of Pride?

    Orobas thought at first that it was because he wanted a struggle. He also thought that it was because he wanted to stand on the winning side. But in the end, he had the same reason as Abrasax. He just wanted to use his hard-won strength and overwhelming violence to his heart¡¯s content. He also wanted more wealth and power.

    Orobas looked at the closed door of the deep flow instead of Karot who had fainted, unable to endure the pain. After taking a deep breath, he swung his clenched fist with full power. Not only the heavy steel door but also the wall attached to it was smashed heavily. The whole dungeon shook as if the dungeon itself was screaming.

    Orobas once again felt satisfied. In order to thoroughly destroy the enemy, Samael, he stepped into the deep floor.

    <hr />

    The Dungeon Market had dominated themercial dealings of the demon world for the past one thousand years. In terms of influence, it could be called by far the strongest organization in the history of the demon world.

    Nevertheless, the Dungeon Market was always fair. They did not act like a bully nor did they pose any threat. They treated customers at a reasonable price. Besides, they even promoted the welfare of the demon world by supplying food at a low price.

    This kind of policysted over a thousand years. Inhabitants of the demon world became ustomed to the policy of the Dungeon Market. Eventually, they forgot how dangerous an organization they could be. Even the powerful masters of estates were not wary of the Dungeon Market, even though they kept a suspicious eye on their neighbors and their subordinate spirits. Therefore, the sudden hostilities by the Dungeon Market were fatally detrimental to its reputation as much as the betrayal of the insiders.

    The King of Envy looked around with an embarrassed expression. Every ce was under the threat of the King of Pride¡¯s forces.

    Even though he was moving secretly, his location was exposed, and many of the reinforcement units who promised to arrive by now did not arrive. Many of the masters standing by himined about the sudden loss of their mana. Some of them lost almost half of their mana.

    Besides, the King of Envy sensed that some of his dungeons had been destroyed. Even the giant castle of Envy, his main base, was attacked.

    He needed to know why. Unable to suppress his anger, the king gave out a screech and released his mana. He expressed intense feelings through the seven towering horns on his head.

    ¡°The childish King of Pride...¡±

    The King of Envy didn¡¯t know how it happened, but he knew clearly who initiated this turmoil.

    The intense feelings he released turned into ck smoke. It was shaped like a demon.

    Faced with the King of Envy, the army of the King of Pride knelt to express due manners. When tens of thousands of troops on the ins lowered their heads to show their respect, it created such a spectacr scene.

    The King of Envy felt angry though. The subject of their respect was not the King of Envy, but the sky.

    ¡°Leviathan,¡± somebody said in a low voice, which infuriated him all the more.

    Currently, the only one who could call his name was the King of Lust who achieved great things with him over a thousand years. Only ¡°she¡± was equal to the King of Envy himself.

    The King of Envy stared at the sky with blood-shot eyes. The King of Pride, wearing golden armor and spreading his white wings, apanied by his own royal troops, was watching over the ground arrogantly.

    ¡°You, bastard! What the hell are you doing?!¡± Shouted the King of Envy.

    ¡°The Dungeon Market stands by my side.¡±

    The King of Pride put it bluntly, and the King of Envy blinked, speechless for a moment.

    The King of Pride fully enjoyed the stupid change of expression on his face. Then he descended toward the ground, stepping on the sky like a staircase.

    ¡°When a delivery man from the Dungeon Market came to the door, any master opens the door without any doubt. No one thinks that the item purchased from the Dungeon Market contains a deadly magic bomb that will destroy the dungeon as well as its heart.¡±

    The King of Envy hastily looked at the house masters around him. Each of them whose strength was reduced by half looked at him with despair. The destruction of the dungeon¡¯s heart meant the death of the dungeon. And it caused the death of the subordinate spirits who signed the contract through the dungeon.

    The death of the subordinate spirits was special. Some of the masters were consumed with severe stress. Some fell on the floor and wept.

    The King of Pridended on the ground. The ground troops of the King of Pride showed due manners to him with their heads lowered.

    ¡°Dungeon spirits are different from subordinate spirits. They are just bound by contacts. If they can sacrifice themselves, they can also act against their masters like the numerous dungeon spirits that you purchased through a secret deal.¡±

    The King of Envy could not respond at all. He felt like he was spaced out.

    ¡®The Dungeon Market is taking side with the King of Pride? The five directors in charge of the secret deal at the Dungeon Market are now the King of Pride¡¯s subordinates?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t believe it. But the current reality facing him proved it all.

    The King of Envy looked around again. Some of his troops showed due manners to the King of Pride. Some of the masters who were with him were seen no more.

    The King of Pride did not hold back hisughter. He shrugged ostensibly.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t I have anyone who can sacrifice their lives for me?¡±

    ¡°Consumables that can give their lives for you?¡±

    The King of Envy once again expressed his terrible feeling. The ck smoke that spread around them was united to form a giant shape, and the king stood behind it. Then he reached out to his waist in session and pulled out the ¡°Godly Energy of Pride¡± in the shape of a sword.

    The King of Pride saw the ¡°Godly Energy of Pride.¡± After suppressing his yearning for it with a smile, the King of Pride grabbed the ¡°Godly Energy of Lust¡± in the shape of a dagger in one hand.

    It was a secret that only the three kings who shared their ¡°great achievement¡± knew.

    Contrary to what was known to the outside world, the three kings of Pride, Envy, and Lust did not have the Godly Energy paring with their respective Sin. On that day, one thousand and hundreds of years ago, the three kings exchanged their Godly Energy with each other. It was one of the measures to prevent their betrayal amongst themselves.

    ¡°We exchanged them too long ago. It¡¯s time I took mine back.¡±

    The troops of the King of Pride raised themselves at once. At the same time, the king opened up the horns and mana that he had suppressed until then.

    The King of Envy shuddered. His original n to shatter this childish king was shattered. It wasn¡¯t just because of the King of Pride¡¯s terrifying mana that would dominate the entire battlefield.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lie.¡±

    The King of Envy barely uttered one word.

    But the King of Pride smiled brightly. He stepped forward and approached him.

    <hr />

    The sunset came soon. After talking with Gusion, Yong-ho dismissed his subordinate spirits and sat down on the throne in the demon king¡¯s room. Since Catalina and Kaiwan were not there, the spacious room was tranquil.

    He then rummaged through his pocket and took out a golden key that was a little smaller than his palm. It was the final reward when he defeated Gusion, thest floor master of the arena.

    ¡®On the 13th floor, the bottom floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, is Mammon¡¯s secret room. And you can open the door of the secret room with only this key. Unfortunately, that¡¯s all I know. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the secret room.¡¯

    Recalling Gusion¡¯s exnation, Yong-ho grabbed the key lightly. After taking his breath, he corrected his posture. He closed his eyes to ess the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    ¡®Sitri.¡¯

    The Queen of Sloth, who was the only one who kept Mammon¡¯s side until his final moment on that day, one thousand and hundreds of years ago.

    Yong-ho had no intention of questioning why she concealed her identity. It was funny for him tofort her while mentioning Mammon¡¯sst moment.

    But he thought he should meet Sitri. Whatever it was, he wanted to have a conversation with her. It looked funny, but he thought he would feel relieved when he heard her calling him ¡°My dear customer¡± like before.

    He felt that peculiar sense while essing the virtual space. He slowly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.

    There was no one in the white space. As he already experienced it several times, he looked up a little higher, not embarrassed. Soon he would hear a voice informing him of Sitri¡¯s absence.

    It would be not toote for him to decide after hearing the voice whether to wait for Sitri or just go back.

    [Recognition number: 009]

    [Descendant of the man.]

    [Yong-ho Cheon, the current master of the Mammon family]

    [Recognition has beenpleted. Wee.]

    [Sitri is currently attending a meeting of the five directors at the headquarters of the Dungeon Market.]

    [You can¡¯t chat with Sitri at this time.]

    Given that there was no mention of his option of waiting, it seemed that the meeting would not end anytime soon.

    Right at that moment, the voice of a lively and cheerful girl echoed in his mind, contrary to the rather low and hard voice of a woman.

    [Master.]

    [Gardimundi, the messenger of the Queen of Fury, hase to see you. Currently, she is waiting at the entrance of the dungeon.]

    It was Lucia. Since she became strong thanks to her repeated growth, she could exchange a short conversation with him even when he was connected to the virtual space.

    [Master?]

    At Lucia¡¯s repeated call, Yong-ho nodded slowly. Somehow, he felt heavy, but he decided to go back instead of waiting in the white virtual space.

    He looked straight ahead for thest time before leaving. It seemed that Sitri, who was asleep, appeared and said hello to him in a hurry.

    [Master.]

    ¡°I aming.¡±

    Maybe he could reassess the virtual space tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

    He closed his eyes and got disconnected from his dedicated virtual space.

 Chapter 244 - Acceptance (1)

    <h4>Chapter 244: eptance (1)</h4>

    Blowing heavily between the canyons, the winter wind left behind a sharp scar. A light smell of blood spread widely on the wind.

    Samael was dying. She suffered the loss of her left arm and one wing, but the real blow was Abrasax¡¯s mana that was squeezing her body.

    Abrasax¡¯s mana with snake blood was poison itself. Although she shook off his mana by all means, just a little bit of poison that remained inside her body ate away her soul and mana.

    Sitri, hiding in a crack in the rock, hugged Samael tightly. She held her head in her chest to give her some warmth.

    She could not see ahead well. Sitri herself was not sure if she was poisoned by Abrasax¡¯s poison or if it was simply because of her failing stamina.

    As the fastest wing of the Dungeon Market, Samael¡¯s power as a demon king was a space jump. As one of the five directors who was considered to be the same as the kings, except that she had no Sin and Godly Energy, her powergged far behind that of Stravadi, who was the owner of the unimednd in the eastern area.

    Sitri could not clearly locate where she and Samael were located. However, she was convinced that she was far from the headquarters of the Dungeon Market. Maybe she jumped hundreds of kilometers away from it.

    She felt dizzy. The wounds of her soul she suffered on the day of Mammon¡¯s death were opened up again. The price she had to pay for using the power of Sloth excessively was harsher than expected.

    However, she had no choice but to use the power of sloth once again. Monsters were gathering toward her as if they smelled the blood blown on the wind. She had to avoid fighting them by all means. As things stood now, even a group of trifling Ogres were a grave threat to her life.

    The power of hiding, one of the attributes of Sloth, wrapped around Sitri and Samael, separating them from the world.

    ¡®Samael.¡¯

    The reason why Samael was in serious condition was not just because she was poisoned by Abarasax. She had one more reason, which troubled Sitri¡¯s mind.

    At some point, Samael¡¯s mana was weakened sharply. Moreover, it was not just a simple weakening. The maximum amount of her mana itself decreased.

    Obviously, this was caused by the death of her subordinate spirits. Sitri could not think of any other reason.

    Three betrayed directors were in control of the Dungeon Market. Besides, they already acquired the special auction house inside the Dungeon Market, which was Samael¡¯s base. It was only a matter of time that the entire forces of Samael fell into the hands of the three directors.

    Sitri had to inform Yong-ho of this. She also had to warn the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury against this. Otherwise, they would copse helplessly.

    ¡®Mammon...¡¯

    Sitri closed her eyes, caressing Samael. She could not remain conscious anymore. Like water was leaking from a broken vessel, her strength was constantly getting out of the wounds of her soul.

    The winter wind blew. Sitri, who finally exerted her strength, lost consciousness. She fell into a deep sleep.

    <hr />

    Catalina, who always slept untilte in the morning, found it hard to move around in the morning, but Yuria was jumping here and there vigorously, as always, as if she couldn¡¯t control her overflowing energy.

    ¡°This is the baby meerkat¡¯s bed, and next to it is Baduk¡¯s bed. And that one over there is the white wolf¡¯s bed!¡±

    Yuria¡¯s room, also called the ¡°nursing room¡± in the past, was very spacious. Raising her little hand, Yuria pointed to the beds of her friends sharing the room. The baby dungeon meerkat¡¯s bed was a miniature bed just right for a doll y, and Baduk¡¯s was an extrarge bed that would allow even an Ogre to lie down.

    ¡°Meowing!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    Like Yuria, the baby meerkat and Baduk raised their voices, jumping around. They were all smiles in a cheerful mood.

    However, the white wolf, the head of a group of wolves that once followed Embrio, remained silent with aplex and subtle expression. Unlike Baduk, he kept the attributes of a four-legged beast, so instead of a bed, he had a fluffy nket and a straw suitable for leaning.

    Yuria was upset a bit because the white wolf didn¡¯t respond well as she wished. Yuria turned around and pointed to the pink bed opposite to Baduk¡¯s bed. It was the princess¡¯s bed that had a separate curtain as well as a roof on the bed.

    ¡°This is my bed. Isn¡¯t it pretty? Sister Kaiwan bought this nket for me when she visited the human world with the master.¡±

    As if she boasted, Yuria moved up and down the soft and fluffy cotton nket.

    Obviously, she signaled to Scathach with a nce, asking her to touch it.

    As she was responsible for making her thrilled like this, Scathach did not refuse Yuria¡¯s favor. After stroking Yuria¡¯s head as well as the cotton nket, she pointed to therge mattress in the middle of the room and the nket spread over it.

    ¡°Then, what is this?¡±

    At Scathach¡¯s asking, Yuria scratched her face instead of immediately replying.

    Then she said while twisting her body slightly, ¡°Hehehe. I think we will feel lonely if each of us sleeps separately. So, we¡¯re going to sleep together at night.¡±

    Only then did Scathach understand why each of their beds was so clean.

    She said with a big smile, ¡°Hey Yuria, then, shall I sleep here with you guys tonight?¡±

    ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Yuria asked with her eyes wide open.

    With her eyes wide open too, Scathach replied, ¡°Yes, I mean it.¡±

    Yuria screamed and hugged her. Hugging her in her arms, Scathach closed her eyes.

    She was grateful that the first ce she visited after leaving her mansion in one thousand years was Yuria¡¯s room.

    Watching them at a distance, Gusion and Yong-ho spoke at the same time, ¡°It¡¯s warm and cozy here¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is!¡±

    In particr, Gusion¡¯s gaze and voice contained his mixed feelings.

    ¡°Scathach had always liked children.¡±

    Scathach, who could be called the incarnation of life, could not get pregnant with Gusion¡¯s baby.

    As they had fundamentally different attributes from the beginning, it was inevitable.

    ¡°The Queen of Fury has requested for a meeting?¡±

    Instead of indulging in idle thoughts, Gusion brought out a different topic.

    Yong-ho nodded slowly, recalling his meeting with Gardimundi yesterday afternoon.

    ¡°It seems like she wants to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony with us. Of course, she wants to discuss the details at the meeting.¡±

    The Queen of Fury did not know that the King of Gluttony was killed. If she had known that, she would have hurried to attack a little earlier.

    ¡°Well, I think there are many guys who can give you better advice than I, so let me skip it. But...¡±

    Gusion, who blurred at the end of him speaking, dropped the cigarette that he was going to put in his mouth habitually. After looking at Scathach and Yuria still holding each other tightly with a pleasant expression, he said, ¡°I rmend you upy the 11th floor before going to the meeting. Since you¡¯ve been recognized by Yustia, you won¡¯t have any big difficulties. Even if Lucia couldn¡¯t take full control of the 11th floor, you might get Yuno¡¯s recognition. What I mean is there is nothing to lose if you challenge the 11th floor.¡±

    Just like Gusion said, if Yong-ho got the recognition of Virgo Yuno guarding the 11th floor, who was counting the stars, Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy would beplete. So, it was better for Yong-ho to hurry up.

    ¡°There are only good episodes about thisdy named Yuno, oh, who I feel a bit ufortable to call a woman. Is it true?¡± asked Yong-ho.

    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s true. Although she isn¡¯t as good as Scathach, she has a pretty good personality. She was the cook of the Mammon family as well as a great wizard. Oh, sorry, what you want to know about her is nothing like this. She is a beauty, yes she is really beautiful. She has a slim figure, and she is a beauty with a different charm than Elune or Scathach,¡± Gusion replied in a subtle voice.

    At that moment, the mes of the red lotus arose in the air above Yong-ho¡¯s head.

    [Master, the power of your anguish is increasing.]

    ¡°Nope! And I wasn¡¯t curious about her look.¡±

    Yong-ho, who cut off Aamon¡¯s words in the middle, frowned without finishing his words.

    Gusionughed heartily and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I like my master. He is honest.¡±

    Yong-ho sighed. After holding back Aamon, who was trying to say something, he changed the topic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop the nonsense here. Let me proceed with making you my subordinate spirit. In fact, everyone said you should be the top priority because I¡¯ve reserved the spot for you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Do you think you can really control me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I think I can even make Scathach follow suit after you.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Yong-ho¡¯s mana that became strong as a result of the synthetic reinforcement. The power of Greed also became stronger than before, so he could possess more subordinate spirits than before. It was unreasonable for him to possess 12 Spirits like Mammon, but it seemed possible for him to possess as many as ten.

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you do it in the afternoon after lunch? I think it will be efficient in many ways for you to proceed with it when all other subordinate spirits are gathered,¡± said Gusion.

    Gusion¡¯s offer was quite reasonable because if Yong-ho made Gusion his subordinate spirit, it would have an immediate effect on other subordinate spirits.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll see youter in the afternoon.¡±

    Yong-ho stood up after replying gently. Instead of standing up after him, Gusionughed yfully and bowed to him with an exaggerated gesture.

    ¡°Goodbye, master.¡±

    ¡°See you then,¡± Yong-ho also replied a bit hyperbolically like Gusion and left Yuria¡¯s room.

 Chapter 245 - Acceptance (2)

    <strong>Chapter 245: eptance (2)</strong>

    Ophelia and Tigrius returned to Cadis Fortressst night, and Eligos was busy providing shelters for a dozen former masters of the Mammon family as well as almost one hundred spirits of the arena.

    Yong-ho sat alone in the demon king¡¯s room, leaving alone Kaiwan, who was just enjoying oversleeping openly, and Catalina struggling to wake up in the morning.

    As soon as he sat on the throne, he heard Lucia¡¯s voice.

    [Master.]

    [Are you trying to ess the virtual space of the Dungeon Market?]

    ¡°Yes, because I have to meet Sitri. Also, I have to buy lots of stuff to strengthen my forces.¡±

    [Okay.]

    [I will prepare it right away. Please close your eyes.]

    Yong-ho buried himself a little morefortably on the throne. As soon as he closed his eyes, he got connected to the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    The whole white world was the same as the one he saw yesterday. Faced with an empty world, he let his shoulders droop in a little disappointment.

    Apparently, Sitri had not yet returned.

    But suddenly, the sky turned red. At the same time, the endlessly connected space was cut off. The white floor quickly shrunk to a dozen-meter-long rectangle, and all other spaces were filled with pitch darkness. It was apletely different reaction from what he felt yesterday.

    [Recognition number: 009]

    [Descendant of that man.]

    [Emergency response 17.]

    [As of now, all connections between the virtual space and the publicwork of the Dungeon Market will be blocked.]

    [Only ess from the Labyrinth of Greed is allowed.]

    ¡°Sitri?!¡± Yong-ho shouted instinctively.

    But he heard no reply from her. The letter of light also did not continue anymore.

    He felt ominous. It was clear that something had happened to Sitri.

    The wording ¡°emergency¡± made his heart pound rapidly.

    ¡°Sitri! Answer me! Sitri!¡±

    No matter how often he called her name loudly, it was useless. He tried to stay calm.

    Instead of screaming blindly, he thought about it.

    This space was special. He always met Sitri here. ording to the light text, Sitri went to the trouble of disconnecting this space from thework of the Dungeon Market, while keeping it connected with the Labyrinth of Greed.

    He recalled the memories of Sitri, who he had seen the other day. The ce where his memory had been reproduced was also this space.

    Sitri sometimes appeared on the bed. She wasn¡¯t just acting, but she sometimes met him after waking up from a pretty deep sleep.

    So, he immediately realized that this space was not just a terminal. It waspletely different from the ce where other masters reached when essing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.

    In other words, it was Sitri¡¯s personal space as well as her secret ce.

    He closed his eyes and concentrated. Strongly yearning for Sitri, he activated the power of Greed.

    The smoke of Greed arose like a me. Spreading out in all directions, it filled the space at once, and it soon aggregated to form several strands. Finally, they became one and led him to the way.

    The air cracked, revealing a hidden secret door. The smoke of Greed surrounded the dooryer byyer. It shouted that there was something inside that he yearned for.

    He opened his eyes again and concentrated his mana. Breaking it halfway, he opened the secret door. Perhaps because the opponent was Yong-ho, the secret door let him in helplessly.

    So the ce appeared. It was a space that was clearly reproduced on top of a virtual space, and therefore, it would have an impact on the real world.

    The smoke of Greed moved once again. Permeating inside the secret door, it quickly wrapped up a huge red jewel in the middle of the room.

    It was the heart of the dungeon, connected with Sitri¡¯s soul, her alter ego!

    He once again followed the guidance of Greed. He put his hand on the heart of the dungeon then spoke to it as if he was dealing with Lucia. He tried tomunicate with the heart of the dungeon.

    The heart of the dungeon, like the secret door, did not reject Yong-ho. It epted him and told him what he wanted.

    And how long did it pass?

    ¡°Sitri.¡±

    He immediately got out of the virtual space then sprang to his feet.

    He was upied with only one thing at the moment.

    He had to save Sitri.

    <hr />

    The subordinate spirits of the Mammon family gathered at the door control station in the space on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. As soon as he got connected to Ophelia and Tigrius in Cadis Fortress by remotemunication, Yong-ho immediately took out the main topic.

    There were two main things that Yong-ho learned through the heart of Sitri¡¯s dungeon.

    First, Sitri was dying now.

    Second, Sitri¡¯s current location was somewhere in the north.

    ¡°Even through the heart of the dungeon, I could not find out her location urately. I just know roughly where she is now. But you have to search the whole area to find her.¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯s tone was firm. Ophelia, who was looking closely at the map of light that Lucia disyed in the air, presented her opinion.

    ¡°The Dungeon Market has its own territories throughout the demon world after the six kings recognized its influence. The headquarters of the Dungeon Market is located near the ce you mentioned. It¡¯s a ce where the five directors might have held a meeting.¡±

    Ophelia raised her hand and pointed at the map. Lucia marked the area with a separate light.

    Yong-ho felt that it was the Dungeon Market¡¯s own territory. The headquarters of the Dungeon Market was located in a ce where the territories of the Queen of Fury, the King of Gluttony, and the King of Lust bordered each other.

    [Master, this is the location information of the doors of space currently avable.]

    Bright spots of light spread over the demon world. Its number decreased as they went beyond the nk area, but fortunately, there was a light near the headquarters of the Dungeon Market.

    ¡°Is the closest one inside the territory of the King of Lust?¡±

    Although the door of space was not deep in the territory of the King of Lust, it was still within his territory. However, Yong-ho did not have any fear now. Even if it was located right next to the gate of the dungeon of the King of Lust, he was ready to carry out the operation.

    Gusion said in a low voice, ¡°Master, you seem to be in a hurry. Sitri won¡¯t die easily.¡±

    But Yong-ho stared at him immediately because he knew that Gusion had some feelings of love and hate toward Sitri. Before he knew it, he looked at Gusion with a hostile expression.

    However, Gusion dealt with him casually, as usual.

    Soon Yong-ho let out a sigh first. He admitted that he was excited at the moment, so he tried to calm down.

    Tigrius, watching them quietly, said in a calm voice, ¡°I think it¡¯s also important to understand why this situation happened. Sitri is one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market as well as the Queen of Sloth. So, it is very unusual and grave that she was on the verge of dying and neglected somewhere in the north.¡±

    ¡°You mean this is an event involving the directors or even a king,¡± Gusion added.

    As Aamon said, she was the Queen of Sloth even if she suffered an irreparable injury.

    It was impossible for her to plunge in such a dangerous situation at the attack of ordinary men.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yong-ho cut off Gusion.

    If the opponent drove Sitri into such a precarious situation, he must be very strong.

    But that didn¡¯t really matter to Yong-ho..

    ¡°The only thing that matters at this point is the fact that we are going to save Sitri. Lucia, mark the position of the door of space once again.¡±

    [Okay, Master.]

    Apparently, influenced by Yong-ho¡¯s mood, Lucia responded in a rather hard tone and hurriedly followed his order.

    He continued to order, ¡°As you can see, the territory of the King of Lust is the closest to the door of space. Let me start exploring from there.¡±

    He was urgent. He was nervous. He was definitely getting excited. However, it did not mean that he could not make a correct judgment. For everything except for Sitri, he spoke and acted, based on his rationale.

    ¡°It is unreasonable to fly Tiamet directly across the territories of the King of Gluttony and the King of Lust. The invisible air barriers that the kings might haveid out in the sky pose a threat, but the bigger problem is our flying time. Therefore, instead of sendingrge troops through the flying vehicle, we are going to use the door of space. After infiltrating the territory of the King of Lust with a small elite force, we are going to search for Sitri.¡±

    Yong-ho paused for a moment and looked at Smi and Bucephs standing nervously behind the subordinate spirits. Unlike the usual meetings where they were absent, he had them attend it this time for this reason.

    Smi, who evolved into a fire elemental dragon, could adjust his size to some extent thanks to his attribute as a spirit. If he could stretch his body as much as possible, he could carry more than four on his back.

    ¡°Since we have to put priority on our mobility, all of us can¡¯t go. Moreover, we have to take into ount how often we can use the door of space. So, let me call the names who will go with me.¡±

    It was because of the limits to the daily use of the door of space that Ophelia and Tigrius attended the conference via long-distancemunication instead ofing directly to the Labyrinth of Greed. They could move through the space door control station only twice a day.

    Ophelia and Tigrius could note. Yong-ho looked at the rest of the subordinate spirits.

    ¡°Gusion, Scathach, Kaiwan, Catalina, Skull.¡±

 Chapter 246 - Acceptance (3)

    <h4>Chapter 246: eptance (3)</h4>

    He smiled slightly at Gusion. So, with the help of Lucia, he registered Gusion as his subordinate spirit.

    He was the 8th subordinate spirit of his. Whenever they were added as his subordinate spirits one by one, the effect of their registration was reduced, but this time it was none other than Gusion.

    Yong-ho felt an enormous power like Gusion was joining him. He closed his eyes before he knew it and opened his horns. All his subordinate spirits did the same thing. With them opening up their horns fully, they felt the addition of a new power.

    In particr, the changes in Gusion and Catalina were significant. Mana was released from Gusion¡¯s two horns that looked like a bull¡¯s. Gusion recovered some of the mana he had lost when Mammon died.

    Catalina¡¯s change was even more dramatic. Struggling in extreme pleasure and pain, she screamed, hugging her shoulders. White light was ring in her eyes, and soon, new horns grew through her white hair. Like Kaiwan, she overcame the limits and obtained the sixth horn.

    Other subordinate spirits also felt their strength increase. Yong-ho let out a long breath to control his mana. After controlling not only his but also other subordinate spirits¡¯ mana, he removed his hand from Gusion¡¯s shoulder.

    Kaiwan quickly supported Catalina. There was a pleasant smile on her face covered with cold sweat.

    Normally, Yong-ho would have taken care of Catalina and Kaiwan, but he could not for now. He was so impatient at the moment. After asking Scathach to heal the two women, he ordered Lucia to activate the door of space.

    Magnadon, the wizard of Mammon, died. However, his legacy, the door of space, yed its part even at this moment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yong-ho took the lead and stepped into the door of space. Kaiwan looked at him with some anxious expression but soon followed him with Catalina.

    After Gusion, Scathach, Smi, and Bucephs went in, Skull tapped his chest, looking at Eligos as if to tell him not to worry. After smiling at him cheerfully, he finally entered the door of space.

    Let alone, Eligos closed the door of space. He prayed for Yong-ho¡¯s safety.

    ***

    There were many gorges and mountains in thend of the King of Lust. The stiff cliffs and rocky mountains had long served as a natural fortress to protect the king¡¯s territory.

    The door of space was inside the copsed cave. The entrance was cut off from the outside because of therge stones clogged up, which fortunately helped maintain the door of space for over a thousand years.

    Aamon drove out the darkness by emitting only light from the mes of the red lotus. Gusion punched the rocks lightly to turn them into powder while Scathach solidified the copsed sites with the moisture she pulled up from the basement. She took the measure to prevent the cave from copsing again.

    Yong-ho could escape the cave within minutes of his arrival, thanks to the three subordinate spirits¡¯ excellent cooperation.

    A cold northern wind blew through the canyon. Facing the huge cliff in front of her, Kaiwan looked around with anxious eyes. She could sense the scent of the sword-de Ogres, the wild monsters living in a group in the cold wind.

    If Sitri was really dying, even those monsters would be dangerous.

    ¡®But....¡¯

    The gorge was too wide for Yong-ho and his party to search for Sitri right away. He couldn¡¯t figure out where and how to search for her.

    Yong-ho swallowed, at a loss of what to do.

    Aamon whispered to him in mes.

    [Master, yearn for Sitri.]

    [Maximize the possessiveness and bring out the power of Greed.]

    The only thing Yong-ho could rely on was to follow his desire for Greed.

    However, the situation was different in the case of Catalina and Kaiwan, now Yong-ho¡¯s possession through their registration as his subordinate spirits.

    He had never had any desire for possessing Sitri.

    He closed his eyes and thought about Sitri. He thought about her when he held her in his arms and when he was held in her arms.

    That was clearly different from his possession. However, his Greed did not forsake his desire.

    The energy of his Greed that he was releasing at full st engulfed everything around him.

    And soon, it became one and led him the way.

    It wasn¡¯t too far. She was surprisingly close to where he was.

    ¡°Smi!¡±

    The moment Yong-ho ordered Smi, he spread his wings. After increasing his body as much as possible, hey t and let them get on it. Yong-ho, Kaiwan, Gusion, and Scathach climbed on it, and Smi flew without hesitation.

    Bucephs, carrying Skull, followed. Catalina spread her wings of shadow and soared into the sky.

    Smi was flying low, so he could not be detected by the air barrier. Smi flew with all his might, and Bucephs ran not only on the ground but also on the walls of the canyon without any fear. Catalina flew ahead of Smi and watched out for the ground.

    And at one moment, Catalina flew toward the ground as if she was falling. Yong-ho felt his heart beating fast. He felt it when he met the Queen of Fury or the King of Gluttony, but his feelings were different this time.

    There were many Ogres on the ground with de-like protrusions on their bodies. They were hostile to Catalina who suddenly appeared, but only briefly. The appearance of Skull and Bucephs alone frightened them. Faced with Skull¡¯s ring eyes, they got frightened and fled in chaos.

    Sminded safely on the ground. Jumping on the ground in a hurry, he moved his gaze following the smoke of Greed. There was something deep in the pile of rocks piled up randomly. There was nothing clearly visible because of something like a magical power, but he could feel it. His heart was pounding more and more.

    ¡®The power of Sloth.¡¯

    After withdrawing the power of Greed, he moved forward. Then he burned the barrier of Sloth with the power of Greed.

    At the moment, the space was twisted as if a haze was rising. A couple of human figures were seen through the pile of rocks.

    ¡°Sitri!¡±

    It was Scathach who shouted at her. She rushed to the pile of rocks. Then she held her breath, looking down at the two bloody women.

    It was Sitri holding a blonde, ck-winged woman. As she was a thousand years ago, she was always beautiful even though she was covered with blood.

    Scathach unwittingly shed tears. Sitri was not the subject of resentment toward her. She was her precious colleague who had gotten out of the battlefield a thousand years ago.

    Even though she just took a glimpse of Sitri, she was choked up with emotions.

    Even before wiping her tears, Scathach filled her hands with vitality. She then breathed it into Sitri and Samael.

    ¡°Both of you are still alive. You¡¯re very weak, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll never let you die because I¡¯m here,¡± said Scathach.

    Yong-ho let out a sigh of relief, holding back the urge to hug Sitri right away.

    She was in better shape than he was worried.

    ¡®Samael?¡¯

    The one held in Sitri¡¯s arms was obviously Samael, the ¡®fastest wing¡¯ and one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Given that not only Sitri but also Samael was put in a precarious situation, something really big must have happened at the Dungeon Market.

    ¡®Is there a rebellion inside the Dungeon Market?¡¯

    The Dungeon Market was operating normally at this moment. Actually, Yong-ho had one of the masters in the eastern area to buy an item there and confirmed their operation.

    Be it an internal uprising or an external enemy, it was obviously a very covert attack. If there had been a massive attack, they could not have run the market normally as if nothing had happened.

    He stopped thinking. After getting next to Scathach, he quietly held her hand.

    The Queen of Sloth, when all the other kings betrayed Mammon, she stayed with him until the very end.

    ¡°Sitri.¡±

    He could not hear her reply, but Scathach¡¯s healing efforts brought color to her pale face.

    Scathach signaled to him with a nce. He carefully held Sitri while Gusion held Samael.

    ¡°I just gave first aid to them. I need to heal them properly in the Garden of Life.¡±

    Yong-ho nodded. After tightening his arms holding Sitri, he headed to Smi.

    They hastily left the ce.

    ***

    The dungeon of the King of Envy was the same as yesterday. Nothing changed except the fact that its owner changed.

    The throne of the King of Envy.

    The King of Pride sat there, which belonged to the King of Envy for more than a thousand years.

    The King of Pride felt deep satisfaction. The power of Envy surging deep down delighted him all the more.

    Leviathan, the King of Envy, was dead. However, his forces were still fighting the forces of the King of Pride. Of course, they were not fighting out of loyalty to theirte king. Most of them were unaware of the fact that their king was dead. And, interestingly, the forces of the King of Pride didn¡¯t know it, either.

    Intelligence was power. Over time, it would be inevitable for them to learn that the King of Envy had died and that the Dungeon Market had been taken over by the King of Pride. If that was the case, the King of Pride needed to dy it as long as possible.

    Ignorance was always a fatal weakness.

    The King of Lust was actually the King of Pride himself. The Godly Energy of Lust that he had around his waist was that of Envy, not Lust, proved it.

    The King of Pride closed his eyes and counted the numbers. He checked what he missed in his n.

    First, the King of Sloth. He preferred Sitri, who revealed herself as the specific enemy, to the Queen of Sloth that didn¡¯t appear, hiding somewhere. It was surprising to him that she was the Queen of Sloth, but ording to the report of Bifronz, Sitri at the moment was badly wounded. By now she was on the verge of dying.

    The Queen of Fury was nothing but a little kid. She didn¡¯t know how to fight properly and ran wild on the battlefield, saying that she would save her subordinates. As a woman who didn¡¯t know the fact that she was the queen, she couldn¡¯t be a match for him.

    Although he didn¡¯t like it very much, the King of Violence was powerful. Moreover, it was highly likely that the King of Violence killed the King of Gluttony, though he assumed it was a possibility for now. If he had obtained the Godly Energy of Fury as well as that of Gluttony, he must have changed into a formidable enemy by now.

    But even so, the King of Violence would have two different Sins.

    In other words, the King of Violence and the Queen of Fury were not united into one.

    They couldn¡¯t do anything with such half-baked cooperation. There was a reason why dragons were called the arrogant nickname Dragon Lord. Moreover, the Queen of Sloth had no connection with the other two kings.

    The three kings who had to confront the King of Pride. They existed as separate entities with no central figure to lead them.

    Then what should he do?

    His answer was simple. The King of Pride drew a line on the map of the demon world that came to his mind. He ordered the soul of his dungeon to deliver a message to the camp of the King of Gluttony.

    The sun had set and the night came.

    On the darkest night without even a star, the King of Gluttony¡¯s army began to move.

    They were marching into the west, to the territory of the Queen of Fury.

    COMMENT0mentVOTE3 left<h4>Chapter 247: Fury (1)</h4>

    The sky was blue and dark. There was still a lot of time left until it was dawn.

    The central temple, one of the sacred ces of the eight ns, was as quiet as always.

    It was even more so because there was no strong wind blowing because of the terrain where the temple was located.

    It was quiet. Since everyone was asleep, there was supposed to be no sound at all, let alone footsteps.

    But not today. Lots of people went back and forth, raising their voices. Among them was Kirtimuka, the nanny as well as the bodyguard of the Queen of Fury.

    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!¡±

    Kirtimuka shouted, who jumped into her room forcefully as if to destroy it. Her behavior was very rude, given that the one staying in this room was not only the chieftain of the Gandharva n but also the Queen of Fury.

    But Kirtimuka didn¡¯t care at all. She didn¡¯t act arrogantly just because she was the queen¡¯s closest aide.

    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Wake up now! Your Majesty!¡±

    She shook the queen¡¯s shoulders violently with her big hand. The queen, who was drooping on the big bed, opened her eyes wide open and talked nonsense, half awake.

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t doze! No, I didn¡¯t nod off. Yes, I did so. Oops... I¡¯m sorry. Prince Antoniox, don¡¯t be upset.¡±

    She was about to cry at the end of her words. It seemed that Mahora, who was a teacher of etiquette to her, saw Antoniox in her dream.

    Kirtimuka grew even more urgent. Once again she shook the queen¡¯s shoulders and shouted.

    ¡°Your Majesty! A terrible thing has happened! Wake up!¡±

    ¡°Kirtimuka?¡±

    The queen finally spoke, blinking her eyes. Her voice was very weak since she usually sleptte in the morning.

    Kirtimuka shouted, holding her shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s a war! The army of the King of Gluttony has crossed the border! Battles are currently underway along the eastern border!¡±

    The queen suddenly came to her senses. As soon as the queen got up from her bed suddenly, Kirtimuka said, picking up the clothes on the bed, ¡°A meeting of the representatives of the eight ns was called. As they areing to the conference room, you have to hurry up.¡±

    She was not in the movable dungeon, Vimana, but the temple of the eight ns. Besides, the representatives of the eight ns were also in the same ce because of a series of meetings every day.

    She asked Kirtimuka instinctively. ¡°How big is their invasion? Is it big enough to require the convening of the representative of the eight ns?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not clear yet. But it looks like an all-out war.¡±

    It was already a few months ago that the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony deployed their own troops on the border areas. Because of this, their invasion and defense against each other was quick.

    The Queen of Fury pped herself on the cheek with both hands. Afterpletely waking up, she and Kirtimuka left the room. She was dressed in baggy pajamas, but she had no time to change her clothes leisurely.

    More than half of the heads of the eight ns already gathered in the conference room located in the center of the temple. Some of them were in pajamas like the queen, others with their hair disheveled.

    The queen sat on her seat reserved for the head of the Gandharva n. If she could have her way, she wanted to rush to the battlefield right now, but she had to endure it. In some cases, an all-out war could take ce, so even if she was impatient, she needed to review and discuss the matter with them.

    She felt every minute, every second was so long. It took more than a few minutes for all the representatives to gather, and it took another more minutes for them to receive the briefing from those who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status on the battlefield.

    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth.

    The situation was worse than she thought.

    It seemed that the King of Gluttony was thinking of an all-out war. He was striking the eastern front by mobilizingrge troops, which could not even bepared to the armed shes they had exchanged several times so far.

    ¡°It seems that he mobilized even those troops that he had concentrated to confront the King of Lust. He was also moving the troops confronting the Dragon Legion dispatched by the King of Violence.¡±

    ¡°He must be crazy.¡±

    Somebody cursed at the king. The Queen of Fury also agreed.

    If he had not cursed, she would have done so. The King of Gluttony¡¯s attack was like a reckless warmonger. Aside from his troops deployed to check the King of Lust, how could he move the troops from the frontline where they were pitted against the Dragon Legion? Was he going to donce charging without taking into ount the consequences?

    ¡°What about the King of Gluttony? Did you find out his whereabouts?¡±

    Mahabharata, the head of the Deva n, asked. A young Mahoraga who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status replied hastily, ¡°He is not seen anywhere at the moment. The man who is spearheading the attack is Judyceras, the ¡°Demon King of Earthquake,¡± who was in charge of the eastern front. He was allegedly seenmanding his troops on the battlefield.¡±

    Even at this moment, the battle was underway. The Queen of Fury once again suppressed her feelings. She quickly reviewed all the intelligence avable and checked out the situation.

    The reason the Queen of Fury nned to attack the King of Gluttony was because of the alliance with the master of the House of Mammon as well as the assistance of the King of Violence. On the other hand, the King of Gluttony had no alliance. Rather, the King of Gluttony was confronting not only the queen but also the King of Violence. So, it was unreasonable for him to strike first in this situation.

    If that was the case, what happened? Did the King of Gluttony form an alliance that she was not aware of? Or did he join hands with the King of Lust?

    She thought that the absence of the King of Gluttony for more than a month was rted to his efforts to form an alliance behind the scenes. But she kept thinking he didn¡¯t do it because such activities never befitted the king that she used to know.

    ¡°What happened to the King of Lust¡¯s forces? Why are they moving?¡±

    At that moment, Kavka, the head of the Karvinka n, asked the young Mahoraga.

    With her hair and feathers turned white, she was calm as always. As if impressed by her serenity, the young Mahoraga replied calmly, ¡°The King of Lust has never shown any sign of moving. ording to the reports of our scouts there, the masters under themand of the king are also showing no movement at all.¡±

    More than half the scouts of the eight ns were the Karvinka n who could freely roam the sky. It was almost impossible for the king to move arge-scale military force without avoiding their watch, who could look very far down the sky.

    Actually, the King of Lust did not move. It was clear that his army did not join the King of Gluttony.

    The Queen of Fury stopped thinking. It was meaningless for her to think further. She got up from her seat and drew everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Let me tell you this as the queen of the eight ns, not as the head of the Dritarasstra n. I¡¯m going to join our forces in the eastern front from now on and confront the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was still missing. However, his troops were constantly gathering in the eastern front. The eastern front, where the war was currently going on, was of great strategic value because it was not far from the border that shared the territory of the King of Lust.

    Aside from the personality of the Queen of Fury, the eastern battlefield was worthwhile for any king because of its strategic value.

    ¡°Let me ask for the assistance of the King of Violence and the House of Mammon. I would like to enlist your full support from the rear.¡±

    She already revealed at the meeting yesterday that she formed an alliance with the Mammon family as well as the King of Violence. She took a deep breath then looked at the head of the dragon n and the head of the Deva n.

    ¡°As always, I¡¯m going to assume the worst scenario. Both of you, please defend the northern area like before.¡±

    ¡°We take your order.¡±

    Sugura, the head of the dragon n, and Asterio, the head of the Deva n, paid their respect to the Queen of Fury. Like she said a moment ago, she was giving them an order not as the head of her Gandharva n, but as the queen of the eight ns.

    ¡°Head of the Garura n, dispatch a messenger to the King of Violence. Gardimundi, once again, go to the House of Mammon and ask for emergency assistance.¡±

    Biryupakcha, the head of the Garura n and Gardimundi¡¯s father, also showed due manners to her and followed her order. Although Gardimundi tried to protect the queen who was going on an expedition to the eastern front, she could not dare to resist her order in a public meeting like this, so she also epted the queen¡¯s order politely.

    After revealing her war n like that, the Queen of Fury said, ¡°It must be an unexpected attack. But we have been preparing for this kind of war. As always, I think we can ovee this crisis wisely.¡±

    Their first meeting was finally over. The queen hurried out of the conference hall and climbed on the back of Astra, a huge beast, with her bodyguards. She cleaned her body and armed herself with weapons on Astra¡¯s back. Asrge as a fully grown ancient dragon, Astra spread its iridescent wings. Then it immediately soared high in the sky and headed east.

    The sun was rising.

    The Queen of Fury grabbed the Godly Energy of Gluttony.

 Chapter 247 - Fury (1)

    <h4>Chapter 247: Fury (1)</h4>

    The sky was blue and dark. There was still a lot of time left until it was dawn.

    The central temple, one of the sacred ces of the eight ns, was as quiet as always.

    It was even more so because there was no strong wind blowing because of the terrain where the temple was located.

    It was quiet. Since everyone was asleep, there was supposed to be no sound at all, let alone footsteps.

    But not today. Lots of people went back and forth, raising their voices. Among them was Kirtimuka, the nanny as well as the bodyguard of the Queen of Fury.

    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!¡±

    Kirtimuka shouted, who jumped into her room forcefully as if to destroy it. Her behavior was very rude, given that the one staying in this room was not only the chieftain of the Gandharva n but also the Queen of Fury.

    But Kirtimuka didn¡¯t care at all. She didn¡¯t act arrogantly just because she was the queen¡¯s closest aide.

    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Wake up now! Your Majesty!¡±

    She shook the queen¡¯s shoulders violently with her big hand. The queen, who was drooping on the big bed, opened her eyes wide open and talked nonsense, half awake.

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t doze! No, I didn¡¯t nod off. Yes, I did so. Oops... I¡¯m sorry. Prince Antoniox, don¡¯t be upset.¡±

    She was about to cry at the end of her words. It seemed that Mahora, who was a teacher of etiquette to her, saw Antoniox in her dream.

    Kirtimuka grew even more urgent. Once again she shook the queen¡¯s shoulders and shouted.

    ¡°Your Majesty! A terrible thing has happened! Wake up!¡±

    ¡°Kirtimuka?¡±

    The queen finally spoke, blinking her eyes. Her voice was very weak since she usually sleptte in the morning.

    Kirtimuka shouted, holding her shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s a war! The army of the King of Gluttony has crossed the border! Battles are currently underway along the eastern border!¡±

    The queen suddenly came to her senses. As soon as the queen got up from her bed suddenly, Kirtimuka said, picking up the clothes on the bed, ¡°A meeting of the representatives of the eight ns was called. As they areing to the conference room, you have to hurry up.¡±

    She was not in the movable dungeon, Vimana, but the temple of the eight ns. Besides, the representatives of the eight ns were also in the same ce because of a series of meetings every day.

    She asked Kirtimuka instinctively. ¡°How big is their invasion? Is it big enough to require the convening of the representative of the eight ns?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not clear yet. But it looks like an all-out war.¡±

    It was already a few months ago that the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony deployed their own troops on the border areas. Because of this, their invasion and defense against each other was quick.

    The Queen of Fury pped herself on the cheek with both hands. Afterpletely waking up, she and Kirtimuka left the room. She was dressed in baggy pajamas, but she had no time to change her clothes leisurely.

    More than half of the heads of the eight ns already gathered in the conference room located in the center of the temple. Some of them were in pajamas like the queen, others with their hair disheveled.

    The queen sat on her seat reserved for the head of the Gandharva n. If she could have her way, she wanted to rush to the battlefield right now, but she had to endure it. In some cases, an all-out war could take ce, so even if she was impatient, she needed to review and discuss the matter with them.

    She felt every minute, every second was so long. It took more than a few minutes for all the representatives to gather, and it took another more minutes for them to receive the briefing from those who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status on the battlefield.

    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth.

    The situation was worse than she thought.

    It seemed that the King of Gluttony was thinking of an all-out war. He was striking the eastern front by mobilizingrge troops, which could not even bepared to the armed shes they had exchanged several times so far.

    ¡°It seems that he mobilized even those troops that he had concentrated to confront the King of Lust. He was also moving the troops confronting the Dragon Legion dispatched by the King of Violence.¡±

    ¡°He must be crazy.¡±

    Somebody cursed at the king. The Queen of Fury also agreed.

    If he had not cursed, she would have done so. The King of Gluttony¡¯s attack was like a reckless warmonger. Aside from his troops deployed to check the King of Lust, how could he move the troops from the frontline where they were pitted against the Dragon Legion? Was he going to donce charging without taking into ount the consequences?

    ¡°What about the King of Gluttony? Did you find out his whereabouts?¡±

    Mahabharata, the head of the Deva n, asked. A young Mahoraga who attended the meeting to brief them about the war status replied hastily, ¡°He is not seen anywhere at the moment. The man who is spearheading the attack is Judyceras, the ¡°Demon King of Earthquake,¡± who was in charge of the eastern front. He was allegedly seenmanding his troops on the battlefield.¡±

    Even at this moment, the battle was underway. The Queen of Fury once again suppressed her feelings. She quickly reviewed all the intelligence avable and checked out the situation.

    The reason the Queen of Fury nned to attack the King of Gluttony was because of the alliance with the master of the House of Mammon as well as the assistance of the King of Violence. On the other hand, the King of Gluttony had no alliance. Rather, the King of Gluttony was confronting not only the queen but also the King of Violence. So, it was unreasonable for him to strike first in this situation.

    If that was the case, what happened? Did the King of Gluttony form an alliance that she was not aware of? Or did he join hands with the King of Lust?

    She thought that the absence of the King of Gluttony for more than a month was rted to his efforts to form an alliance behind the scenes. But she kept thinking he didn¡¯t do it because such activities never befitted the king that she used to know.

    ¡°What happened to the King of Lust¡¯s forces? Why are they moving?¡±

    At that moment, Kavka, the head of the Karvinka n, asked the young Mahoraga.

    With her hair and feathers turned white, she was calm as always. As if impressed by her serenity, the young Mahoraga replied calmly, ¡°The King of Lust has never shown any sign of moving. ording to the reports of our scouts there, the masters under themand of the king are also showing no movement at all.¡±

    More than half the scouts of the eight ns were the Karvinka n who could freely roam the sky. It was almost impossible for the king to move arge-scale military force without avoiding their watch, who could look very far down the sky.

    Actually, the King of Lust did not move. It was clear that his army did not join the King of Gluttony.

    The Queen of Fury stopped thinking. It was meaningless for her to think further. She got up from her seat and drew everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Let me tell you this as the queen of the eight ns, not as the head of the Dritarasstra n. I¡¯m going to join our forces in the eastern front from now on and confront the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces.¡±

    The King of Gluttony was still missing. However, his troops were constantly gathering in the eastern front. The eastern front, where the war was currently going on, was of great strategic value because it was not far from the border that shared the territory of the King of Lust.

    Aside from the personality of the Queen of Fury, the eastern battlefield was worthwhile for any king because of its strategic value.

    ¡°Let me ask for the assistance of the King of Violence and the House of Mammon. I would like to enlist your full support from the rear.¡±

    She already revealed at the meeting yesterday that she formed an alliance with the Mammon family as well as the King of Violence. She took a deep breath then looked at the head of the dragon n and the head of the Deva n.

    ¡°As always, I¡¯m going to assume the worst scenario. Both of you, please defend the northern area like before.¡±

    ¡°We take your order.¡±

    Sugura, the head of the dragon n, and Asterio, the head of the Deva n, paid their respect to the Queen of Fury. Like she said a moment ago, she was giving them an order not as the head of her Gandharva n, but as the queen of the eight ns.

    ¡°Head of the Garura n, dispatch a messenger to the King of Violence. Gardimundi, once again, go to the House of Mammon and ask for emergency assistance.¡±

    Biryupakcha, the head of the Garura n and Gardimundi¡¯s father, also showed due manners to her and followed her order. Although Gardimundi tried to protect the queen who was going on an expedition to the eastern front, she could not dare to resist her order in a public meeting like this, so she also epted the queen¡¯s order politely.

    After revealing her war n like that, the Queen of Fury said, ¡°It must be an unexpected attack. But we have been preparing for this kind of war. As always, I think we can ovee this crisis wisely.¡±

    Their first meeting was finally over. The queen hurried out of the conference hall and climbed on the back of Astra, a huge beast, with her bodyguards. She cleaned her body and armed herself with weapons on Astra¡¯s back. Asrge as a fully grown ancient dragon, Astra spread its iridescent wings. Then it immediately soared high in the sky and headed east.

    The sun was rising.

    The Queen of Fury grabbed the Godly Energy of Gluttony.

 Chapter 248 - Fury (2)

    <h4>Chapter 248: Fury (2)</h4>

    Time passed without a pause.

    Nearly a day had already passed since Yong-ho saved Sitri and Samael.

    Yong-ho looked at the mansion of Scachach with a nervous expression. He tried to sleep for a moment at night, but he couldn¡¯t because he was so worried.

    He felt something strange about Sitri this time. Of course, he always thought of her as a special woman, but little did he think she meant a lot to him like this. In his mind, she was as important as Catalina and Kaiwan.

    He closed his eyes tightly. Then he erased the old memories that kepting to his mind.

    Back then, it was a different story. There was no more bereavement now.

    ¡°They areing out.¡±

    Kaiwan shouted. He quickly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.

    Like Kaiwan said, Scathach and Yustia were leaving the mansion with their faces exhausted. By keeping his promise to take Gusion here, Yong-ho could be the true owner of Scathach. Completely lifted from the blockade that bound her for more than one thousand years, Scathach could move freely outside the mansion.

    It was the same for Yustia. After having recognized Yong-ho as the new master of the Mammon family from the moment she met him, she could be lifted from her confinement to the Central Library by re-registering as a general dungeon spirit of the Mammon family.

    They didn¡¯t have any sleep throughout the night because they focused on healing Sitri and Samael, who were seriously wounded. Yong-ho felt sorry for their exhaustion.

    However, he couldn¡¯t evenfort them by praising their efforts. As soon as he saw them, he asked about Sitri¡¯s health instinctively.

    Scathach let down her shoulders a bit and responded in a rather gloomy tone.

    ¡°She has survived, fortunately. It seems that she was wounded deeply in her intestines, but it¡¯s not severe enough to not be cured. But there is some problem with her soul.¡±

    ¡°Her soul?¡±

    Scathach nodded. She said, looking at the mes of the red lotus that already arose before she knew it, ¡°As Aamon said, that must have something to do with what happened on ¡°that day.¡± How can I describe Sitri¡¯s condition? It¡¯s like a crack in one corner of a ss bottle. The crack grew bigger because she used the power of sin excessively in such a condition.¡±

    Yong-ho felt ominous to hear that. As if she could not stand it, Kaiwan cut in suddenly, ¡°Can¡¯t you heal her even with the power of evolution?¡±

    In fact, he had healed quite a few injuries with the power of evolution so far.

    Since Catalina not only felt the power herself but also witnessed the rebirth of Goblin Yon, who was on the verge of dying, she looked at him with anticipation.

    But Scathach shook her head.

    Yustia said, ¡°Although the power of evolution is certainly very powerful, I don¡¯t think he can cure her soul with it. But don¡¯t worry too much. As Scathach said already, she has survived. Besides, she is the Queen of Sloth. As long as she regains her consciousness, she will be able to take care of her own wounds.¡±

    Catalina curled her lips, and Kaiwan sighed.

    Scathach continued, ¡°In the case of Samael, her injuries are much more severe, but because she was physically wounded, curing her is rather easy. I think she will recover her consciousness today or tomorrow.¡±

    Yong-ho could restore Samael at once with the power of evolution, but that was possible only when she could be avable for evolution.

    Even if Samael became a dungeon spirit of the Mammon family, it would take a considerable amount of time for her to gain evolution EXP enough for evolution.

    Moreover, she was one of the five directors who were allegedly on par with the kings in terms of strength, although she had none of the Seven Deadly Sins and Godly Energy. Maybe she needed to gain evolution EXP,parable to that of Aamon or Gusion.

    Yong-ho breathed out long. He had only seen her face only a few times, but that didn¡¯t mean that he was not worried about Samael.

    What happened at the Dungeon Market?

    While Scathach and Yustia were concentrating on treating Sitri and Samael, Yong-ho ordered the masters under hismand to stop trading with the Dungeon Market. He didn¡¯t make any big announcement about the suspension of all trading forever. He just ordered them to stop buying any stuff at the Dungeon Market for the time being.

    ¡®Sitri.¡¯

    Yong-ho once again suppressed his nervousness. Now that Sitri and Samael were not in danger of losing their lives, all he had to do was to wait for them to regain their consciousness. Then he would be able to know exactly what happened at the Dungeon Market.

    ¡°Leave Sitri to me and take some good rest. You look really haggard.¡±

    Scathach asked Yong-ho to take a rest, but he could not say anything because he was sorry.

    In fact, it was Scathach who was exhausted most.

    Right at that moment, Lucia¡¯s voice was heard by everyone, not just Yong-ho.

    [Master!]

    [Gardimundi hase back. It seems she has a very urgent business!]

    Gardimundi, who visited the House of Mammon only two days ago, visited again.

    It was very unusual that she came back.

    Instead of responding at all, Yong-ho headed straight to the reception room, apanied by Kaiwan and Catalina.

    <hr />

    Astra, the highest-flying wild bird, flew 10,000 miles a day.

    Her iridescent wings shimmering in the sunlight shattered the clouds, and her giant body was flying ahead of the wind.

    The Queen of Fury sat on Astra¡¯s back and meditated. She calmed down her burning determination to fight with a sense ofposure. Her abundant chest moved up and down as she breathed long. Although she was going to war, the queen was still lightly dressed.

    Her white-skinned, long arms and legs were revealed, and only her thin, white clothes fluttered over her slender figure.

    But she was much more colorful than usual. The Godly Energy of Gluttony in the shape of a waistband wrapped around her thin and stic waist. She wore gold jewelry on her ankles as well as her wrists. All of them were armed with a mysterious power.

    Her bodyguards lining up behind her back were also armed like her. They wore pure white clothes and wore gold coats on their arms and legs. The only one wearing armor was Kirtimuka of the Yakasha n.

    There was no darkness under the sun that rosepletely. The intangible wall spreading on Astra¡¯s back broke the violent wind, and various scent was transmitted from the fragments of the wind. Kirtimuka did not miss the smell of blood mixed with the wind.

    The battlefield was not far. The Queen of Fury slowly opened her eyes. She got up and looked down at the ground.

    At least tens of thousands of soldiers were entangled with each other while fighting.

    Luxurious and morous magic engulfed the battlefield, and huge spirits such as Mountain Giants and Cyclops ran wildly in the battlefield.

    Strictly speaking, the forces of the Queen of Fury were on the defensive. The number of the King of Gluttony¡¯s troops was almost twice as the queen¡¯s forces.

    The queen changed the way she breathed. She clenched her fists tightly. In a quiet voice, she ordered Astra. Astra cried loudly and slowed down her flying speed.

    Her wild crying swept through the ground, carried by the wind.

    The fighting troops on the battlefield looked up at the sky. The queen¡¯s forces as well as the King of Gluttony¡¯s troops looked at the same time.

    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes. Astra twisted her body in the air, and the queen and her bodyguards left their bodies to gravity for a free fall. Naturally, they flew toward the ground.

    The wind was strong. They were approaching the ground at a terrific speed, while Astra was fading away into the sky. The queen opened her eyes and red at the ground. She saw and heard a lot of things there.

    She opened her arms like wings. At the same time, she activated the power of her golden robes, and fully released her thruster energy that she had been suppressing until now.

    The sky shed with shes of light. It seemed as if starlight was pouring into the red sky.

    Each of her bodyguards was disguised as a translucent thrust giant. It was an embodiment of a thrust energy developed by the Asura n, the most outstanding fighting race among the eight ns.

    And the brightest light among them was that of the Queen of Fury. A golden light shone again from her, disguised as a red thrust energy giant. An enormous light poured out from the Godly Energy of Gluttony, a lump of Brigada.

    Every soldier on the battlefield staring at the sky lost their vision for a moment. The Queen of Fury, engulfed in a light as bright as the sun, pulled her clenched fists. She looked at the ground, not the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces, then punched it with her fist, shouting loudly.

    The light disappeared. Instead, a massive explosion wave swept the battlefield. The ground split apart the moment she punched it hard. It was like a giant was cracking the whole earth.

    The moment she punched the ground, dozens of dungeon spirits nearby were killed by the impact of her punch. And the resulting earthquake shook the army of the King of Gluttony, sending hundreds of them off into the giant cracks or breaking them down on the ground.

    This time, meteor showers rained down on them endlessly. Her bodyguards, who were disguised as the thrust energy giants like the queen,nded on the ground quickly, causing a giant shockwave across the battlefield.

    The Queen of Fury stood up, stretching her knees. While flying down, she remembered what she saw on the ground. Then she released all the mana that she had received from the Godly Energy of Gluttony but also Brigada. She was holding a giant ax almost the size of a human in the right hand of the thrust engine giant with a ghostly face.

    ¡°Pour out, lightning!¡±

    As soon as she shouted, lightning struck from the dry sky. Moreover, not one, but several lighting struck simultaneously. A terrifying lightning storm swept the ground.

    All the soldiers on the battlefield were forced to look at the Queen of Fury because of her terrifying presence.

    Tens of thousands of eyes were like arrows. The sudden silence was even terrifying.

    Faced them all, the Queen of Fury raised her fists high. Standing proudly among tens of thousands of troops, she pointed at herself.

    ¡°Look at me! Who do you think I am?¡±

    Her voice was as deafening as lightning. The sound of her thunderous shouting, which nobody believed could havee from the slender queen, overwhelmed them.

    The Queen of Fury knew how to fight. The high morale of the troops on the battlefield where tens of thousands of troops fought worked a miracle.

    ¡°Stand up! Warriors of the eight ns!¡±

    ¡°Ooh-oh-oh-oh!¡±

    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaah!¡±

    The silence broke at the crying of the Queen of Fury. The atmosphere of the battlefield itself changed when the queen¡¯s forces, which were on the defensive, shouted all at once.

    The thunderous shouting of the tens of thousands of troops shook the heaven and earth.

    It heralded the arrival of their queen.

    Not only the recruits who first fought on the battlefield but also the veterans who had already fought numerous battles knew the queen. Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, always stood at the forefront. When she was with her troops, they were never defeated. As long as they trust her, their morale could not be higher.

    The Queen of Fury stood at the forefront again.

    Just as the queen¡¯s army knew it, the forces of the King of Gluttony also knew it.

 Chapter 249 - Fury (3)

    <h4>Chapter 249: Fury (3)</h4>

    After meeting Gardimundi, Yong-ho fell into confusion once again. He heard from her that the army of the King of Gluttony mounted the first strike against the forces of the Queen of Fury. Objectively speaking, their attack was unthinkable, which was what Yong-ho never expected.

    The King of Gluttony was dead. If so, who in the world moved the king¡¯s army? The king¡¯s sessor? The warlords who reced the king¡¯s Ten Warriors?

    Either way, it was very strange. The King of Gluttony¡¯s invasion was like a suicidal action. Who dared to challenge the Queen of Fury? Didn¡¯t they care about Yong-ho or the King of Violence at all?

    ¡°Oh, master of the Mammon family, king of the unimed territory!¡±

    Yong-ho suddenly raised his head at Gardimundi¡¯s call. She was looking straight at him. Although she was usually yful and lively, she was different now. She was extremely tense.

    ¡°Are you hiding something?¡± Gardimundi asked.

    She asked calmly, but it looked like she was questioning him. Kaiwan and Catalina, who were standing behind his back, reacted at the same time. Their sharp gaze at her seemed to rip her apart at any moment.

    However, Gardimundi looked only at Yong-ho without moving at all. He was agonizing, faced with her.

    He had an alliance with the Queen of Fury. She was a good ally who would join hands with him to conquer the north in the future. If so, wasn¡¯t it okay to tell her the truth? If he shared the intelligence with the queen, wasn¡¯t it possible to solve the current mystery by sharing information with each other?

    But he couldn¡¯t make the decision on impulse. If something went wrong, their alliance could be affected. Even if he decided to tell the truth, he needed to tell it directly to the Queen of Fury, not Gardimundi.

    Yong-ho opened his mouth. Gardimundi looked at him more sharply.

    At that moment, Lucia shouted.

    [Master!]

    [Samael has regained consciousness!]

    He sprang to his feet suddenly. As Lucia¡¯s voice was only delivered to Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits, Gardimundi became even more suspicious.

    ¡°I have an urgent message from the soul of the dungeon. Please wait for a moment.¡±

    After speaking to her immediately, he closed his eyes. When he strengthened his connection with Lucia, he could bring out a video. It showed the inside of Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Karot! Karot! No!¡±

    As soon as she opened her eyes, Samael screamed and twisted her body. She must have recalled the shock when her subordinate spirits were massacred.

    Scathach quickly hugged her and breathed warm vitality into her, holding her in her arms.

    Samael cried out loud. Then she was drooping. She then raised her head again. She looked at Scathach nkly.

    Obviously, she was far from normal. It seemed that it was difficult for him to get any meaningful information from her right now. But it was too early for him to give up. Yustia grabbed Samael¡¯s other hand. Then Yustia injected mental magic into her body with warmth, and Scathach blew vitality into her again.

    Samael was not an ordinary woman. As the head of the Harpy n, she was strong enough to be one of the five directors. And her strength wasn¡¯t limited to her mana or physical body. Instead of healing Samael¡¯s emotional wounds, Yustia gave her a strong stimulus to shake up her mind.

    ¡°Kuaaat!¡±

    Samael suddenly clenched her teeth. She cried again and gasped for breath. Then she looked around as if she came to her senses finally.

    ¡°Madame Sitri!¡±

    Sitri was soaking her whole body in blue water at that moment. After confirming her face and safety, Samael slowly pushed Scathach out of her arms. Once again, she rolled her eyes and found a face she recognized.

    Yuria, who was treated dearly by the master of the Mammon family as if she were his daughter, was looking at her while crouching in the corner of the mansion. Given the dog-like spirit and the baby dungeon meerkat, it was clear that this ce was the House of Mammon.

    ¡°Samael?¡± Scathach carefully called her.

    She raised her head again and judged the situation quickly. Her own mana decreased sharply.

    All her senses connected to her subordinate spirits disappeared. She knew clearly what happened. Then, now wasn¡¯t the time to hesitate anymore.

    She cried out, with full confidence in the rtionship between the Mammon family and Sitri.

    ¡°Abrasax, Orobas, and Bifronz sold the Dungeon Market. They attacked me and Sitri. The Dungeon Market today is nothing but the puppet of the King of Pride!¡±

    Her voice was transmitted through Lucia.

    Yong-ho opened his eyes. Catalina was at a loss of what to do while Kaiwan looked at him, clenching her teeth.

    It was the worst situation he didn¡¯t even imagine.

    It wasn¡¯t just like a simple internal uprising within the Dungeon Market. The Dungeon Market joined hands with the King of Pride.

    At that moment, Yong-ho realized something. It was as if a lightning bolt passed through his head.

    ¡®The King of Pride.¡¯

    If the new strongmen in the territory of the King of Gluttony gave up protecting it and dedicated their loyalty to somebody else, who would be their master?

    The King of Pride was still at war with the King of Envy. The King of Lust¡¯s territory was located between those of these two kings. Then, what was the position of the King of Lust? Did the King of Pride make an alliance with the King of Lust? What if the King of Pride took over the forces of the King of Gluttony and even the Dungeon Market? What could the king do with his increased power?

    ¡°Father!¡±

    A woman¡¯s screaming broke his indulgence in such idle thoughts. Startled, he looked ahead.

    Gardimundi was trembling. In astonishment, she looked at the feather-shapedmunication device connecting her and her father, Biryubakcha.

    Gardimundi hadn¡¯t said anything yet.

    However, Yong-ho felt immediately what the King of Pride could do when he took possession of the Dungeon Market, and what could happen if the king attacked other forces.

    Gardimundi raised her head, confirming Yong-ho¡¯s conviction.

    ***

    The lords in the demon world traded their dungeon spirits at the Dungeon Market. It was no exaggeration to say that more than 90% of the spirits in the demon world were bought and sold at the Dungeon Market.

    All those spirits, and the elite troops that could be deployed at any time.

    They were not the only items possessed by the Dungeon Market. But that didn¡¯t matter. Only the fact that the Dungeon Market managed them was important.

    The King of Lust was with the King of Pride.

    The army of the King of Gluttony knelt before the King of Pride.

    Just like he dealt with the King of Envy, the King of Pride didn¡¯t need to keep his invasion secret.

    His invasion of the territory of the Queen of Fury through the Dungeon Market was clearly an effective means, but he could not keep relying on it.

    But the lords under themand of the Queen of Fury were not suspicious of the Dungeon Market just like the King of Envy¡¯s subordinates. They weed it, as always.

    At the moment when the Queen of Fury cheered with her forces, the King of Pride began massacres throughout the queen¡¯s territory.

    ***

    The Queen of Fury, who became a red sh and struck the battlefield, was beautiful. As expected, she always led her own bodyguards to the battlefield as soon as arge-scale battle broke out.

    The King of Lust stretched his body¡¯s length. His hair, white like snow, fell down on his shoulders and chest. His red eyes stood out between his pale face.

    Since he could take any shape, regardless of age or sex, the King of Lust had no such thing as a true self. It was also impossible to identify himself because of the additional effect of the sin of Lust from his birth.

    For this reason, the King of Lust chose one of his countless alter egos as his true self.

    Actually, he decided on it a thousand years ago. It was something like a woman that the King of Lust believed as her true self.

    The King of Lust, Asmodeus, gently grasped the Godly Energy of Lust. This new energy, which the king had separated on that day a thousand years ago, greeted him dly. It changed its shape from a dagger to a long and thin sword.

    In the distance, the Queen of Fury was fighting. She stood out among the forces fighting the army of the King of Pride.

    The Queen of Sloth had one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Godly Energy, but he had no forces.

    The King of Violence had one of the forces and the Godly Energy, but he had no Sin.

    Only the Queen of Fury had everything.

    Seven horns of light sprouted above the head of the King of Lust. Once called the best swordsman of the demon world, the King of Lust released the Sin of Lust from his fingertips.

    His heart was pounding. The King of Lust felt the Queen of Fury was on the battlefield now.

    The Queen of Fury also felt him. Even though she was still hundreds of meters away from him, the queen looked back exactly where the king was. She was startled to find him.

    The King of Lust had a sad smile. He stepped forward and moved to the queen forcefully.

    ***

    ¡°Let me go back now,¡± Gardimundi said unwittingly. She was almost aghast.

    She served as the Queen of Fury¡¯s eyes and ears. At the same time, she was the only daughter of Biryubakcha, the king of the Garura n.

    She could gather all sorts of information in real-time. She instantly knew both the Queen of Fury and the temple of the eight ns were in danger, so she could not stay any longer. She had to go back to help them.

    When she thought about the current situation rationally, what Gardimundi needed most now was the assistance of the House of Mammon. But she was not an idealist. She was convinced that Yong-ho hid something. It was foolish for her to trust somebody like him.

    She felt she made a mistake by telling him unwittingly that the Queen of Fury and the temple were in danger. She hastily turned, but Yong-ho grabbed her arm.

    He remembered what Sitri had told him, as well as what the Queen of Fury told him about the importance of a southern alliance.

    The King of Pride was their enemy. He already began to take action. He took over the Dungeon Market and enlisted cooperation with the King of Lust. The remaining forces who lost their master, the King of Gluttony, were in the King of Pride¡¯s control. Perhaps, his fighting with the King of Envy might have been over without anybody knowing, just like Yong-ho fighting the King of Gluttony.

    Yong-ho couldn¡¯t lose the Queen of Fury. She was his ally who could confront the King of Pride. Gardimundi looked back at Yong-ho. Rather than exining, he convinced her by action.

    He released the power of Greed.

    ***

    The temple of the eight ns was not a dungeon. There were no subtle traps or the darkness that blocked the vision in the temple built on the ins.

    Dark red smoke rose under the red sky. The beasts flocking to the smell of blood witnessed the ughtering on the ground.

    Warriors from the alien world, Death Knights, Vampire Lords, Arc Demons, and Night Shades, these five-star monsters ran wildly, ughtering everywhere in the temple. They built a barrier with the bodies of the representatives of the eight ns gathered for the emergency meeting. They fought fiercely, but they were overpowered. Aside from theirbat abilities, they were numerically inferior to these monsters.

    Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, took a cheerful step among them. His fists were already stained with the blood of the heads of the Mahoraga n and Karvinka.

 Chapter 250 - Fury (4)

    <h4>Chapter 250: Fury (4)</h4>

    Not all the heads of the eight ns were strong. That was why Orobas felt them trivial after killing them. But he didn¡¯t feel bad because of that. He quickly realized how overwhelming his power was, which delighted him a lot.

    Indeed, Orobas had been practicing for many years. Because of his hard and continued training, he became stronger and became one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market atst. Given that anyone without one of the Seven Deadly Sins could not be a king, his inclusion into the five-member executive council of the Dungeon Market was the highest position he could hope for as an individual.

    But he always felt he was inadequate. He wanted to be a little stronger.

    He felt he surpassed what he regarded as the ideal power of a man, but it didn¡¯t mean that his thirst for power was quenched.

    He indulged himself in excitement while killing them. He rushed to Kuberaika, the head of the Yaksha n, who violently tore one of the warriors from the alien world.

    Orobas could be stronger since he was once a subordinate spirit, with his mana growing drastically. For a Red Demon like him, the growth of his mana was the same as the growth of his physical abilities. Orobas crushed the foolish Kuberaika like he destroyed the alien warrior. Orobas ripped apart his limbs with overwhelming force. Kuberaika, whose limbs were torn while he was alive, screamed terribly in pain, but Orobas ended his pain by trampling on his head.

    It was impossible to annihte the forces of the Queen of Fury with a single surprise attack. However, it was possible to weaken the power of the entire eight ns by killing their chiefs and destroying their main dungeons.

    The meeting of the chiefs of the eight ns was truly a blessing to these monsters. They could achieve their intended purpose by annihting the heads of the eight ns here today.

    ¡®Maybe I¡¯ve achieved more than that.¡¯

    Orobas looked west, rubbing against the ground the soles of his shoes stained with the blood and brain water of the Yaksha n¡¯s king¡ªKuberaika. Perhaps today could be thest day of the Queen of Fury who was running wildly on the battlefield.

    ¡°I really feel it¡¯s a regret.¡±

    He wanted to fight the queen. He felt the strong urge now because he became stronger by bing the subordinate spirit of the King of Pride.

    The Queen of Fury didn¡¯t have the Godly Energy of Fury. Her status as the queen was notplete.

    So, she could not show a miraculous power like the Queen of Sloth, Sitri.

    So, he could fight her, but he felt it was unlikely he would have a chance to fight her.

    He turned his body with a happy smile. He grabbed Mahoraga¡¯s head and crushed him, whounched a surprise attack from behind.

    ¡°Think of it as a glory that you were killed by the strongest Red Demon ever,¡± Orobas said in excitement. It seemed he was influenced by Abrasax who mingled with him recently.

    But it didn¡¯t matter to him. Obviously, Orobas himself was the strongest Red Demon ever.

    Shrugging once, Orobas stepped forward. He shouted loudly to find and kill the remaining heads of the eight ns.

    While he was stepping forward, he could feel each of the chiefs of the eight ns weeping, fleeing, or fighting desperately. His shouting, which could be heard 500 meters in radius, now resonated over 700 meters away. Orobas went to the trouble of shouting toward the entrance of the temple then stopped suddenly. He felt the presence of another being that he didn¡¯t expect was here in the temple.

    Somehow, he was overwhelmed by uneasiness. He turned immediately.

    It was a Red Daemon like Orobas himself.

    ***

    The Queen of Fury shouted loudly. Disguised as a giant with the thruster energy, she rolled on the ground and swung the huge ax in her hand. Overpowered by her fierce attack, the forces of the King of Gluttony shuddered and fell on the ground.

    The tide of the battlefield, which had once been overturned in favor of the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces, was overturned once again. The queen¡¯s forces maintained the momentum and crushed their opponents like waves hitting a breakwater.

    The Queen of Fury hurriedly raised herself and took out a new weapon while reinforcing her strength by releasing the thruster energy.

    Although she was fighting in the middle of tens of thousands of forces on both sides, she could get out of them bravely. Of course, the troops opened the way partly because of her devastating strength, but they were also distracted by a woman with her eyes half-closed right in front of them. She was standing there with her long red hair falling down her shoulders.

    Every time the woman with pure white hair brandished her sword, the sky and the earth split.

    She dispersed theirrge troops with her sword to make way for the queen.

    The Queen of Fury breathed wildly. Clenching her teeth, the queen stared at the woman. With seven horns of light on her head, the woman looked toward the queen only dozens of meters away, as if she was waiting for the queen to stand up.

    ¡®The King of Lust.¡¯

    The king changed not only his look but also his gender from a man to a woman.

    The tremendous mana that the king released from his seven horns. His strong fighting spirit that the queen could feel even though he was dozens of meters away. The transcendent sword energy that separated heaven and earth. Only the King of Lust had such abilities. Who could have all of those things except for the sword demon Asmodeus?

    The Queen of Fury soon shot up her six horns. She erased all the idle thoughts that came to her mind at the moment. She didn¡¯t concern herself about the possibility of an alliance between the King of Gluttony and the King of Lust as well as the disappearance of the King of Gluttony.

    She needed to focus only on fighting her opponent right now.

    At one point, the queen hit the ground and charged at the king. The queen, disguised as a red giant, quickly crossed the distance of dozens of meters andnded right before the king.

    The King of Lust looked at her indifferently.

    But the queen hit the ground, striking the king with the ax of lightning.

    Bang!

    A bolt of lightning struck right in front of the king. But it missed the target like before.

    It wasn¡¯t that the king avoided the attack by stepping aside lightly. It was also not because space was distorted or the invisible force pushed aside her ax of lightning.

    The queen cursed at herself. Even before she hit the target, she twisted the trajectory of the ax of lightning.

    She didn¡¯t hit the king.

    It was ridiculous, but the queen was serious. She couldn¡¯t hit her target properly because she was distracted whenever she attacked the king.

    Nheless, the King of Lust stepped forward. He approached the red giant and gently swung his sword.

    Everything within the trajectory of the sword split. The Queen of Fury twisted her body desperately, but she could not stop the left arm of the giant from being cut off.

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°Do note!¡±

    The queen and Kirtimuka shouted almost simultaneously.

    Since she was the Queen of Fury, she could even try to attack the queen.

    The queen pulled up the ax of lightning stuck in the ground. But the King of Lust again swung his sword against her, and the queen released the full power of the red giant without any hesitation this time. The ax of lightning again hit the ground hard. After lowering her posture and letting his sword over her head, the queen moved her right hand to send off the lightning right before the king. Since she found it hard to attack the king directly, she wanted to mount an indirect attack as best as she could.

    A thunderbolt bounced and the ground exploded. The fragments of lightning struck the King of Lust along with dirt, but the king quickly swung his sword to block all of those attacks. This time, the queen made a bold run toward the king and attacked his heart with the lightning that she umted until now.

    The Queen of Fury felt intense pain in her chest because she was kicked hard by the king when the thunderbolt struck. She bounced off over a dozen meters and rolled on the ground.

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    Atst, the queen¡¯s bodyguards gathered around the queen. Even though he was covered with the fragments of lightning, the King of Fury was not wounded at all except for some damage to his clothes.

    But the Queen of Fury was not frustrated because she could ascertain that her indirect attack paid off. Now, she felt she could turn the tide.

    The King of Lust looked silently at the queen. Instead of being angry or mocking, he lifted up the Godly Energy of Lust. Then he activated one of the true powers of Lust when it was united with the Godly Energy of Lust.

    The king¡¯s mana wrapped around the surrounding area. But the queen unconsciously activated the power of Fury and pushed his mana. But it was only the queen who could do that. Those exposed to the king¡¯s mana made a revolt against their master.

    The queen¡¯s bodyguards who gathered around her held their weapons, targeting her. They began to attack her like crazy.

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    It was only Kirtimuka, her subordinate spirit, among her bodyguards that did not lose her reasoning. The queen hurriedly tossed both arms and wielded mana. After pushing them back with an invisible force, she shouted ferociously toward the King of Lust. She maximized the power of Fury that became more violent when she got angrier.

    But the King of Lust didn¡¯t care. As soon as he noticed the loophole when the queen pushed back her bodyguards, the king charged at her, targeting her neck with the sword.

    A bolt of lightning struck. Then the sword split the space.

    Then the mes of the red lotus rained down between the two.

    Bang!

    The atmosphere was torn with a roar. The earth shook violently, and the green mes of the red lotus engulfed both the lighting and the sword, whose remnants scattered in different directions from the trajectory they originally intended.

    The magic spear was engulfed with the green mes of the red lotus.

    It was the first time the Queen of Fury had ever seen it, but she felt thrilled. The moment she saw the spear, her heart started to beat.

    Only then did the King of Lust make some expression on his face. He looked at the spear nkly. There was astonishment on his pale face. He knew the name of the spear.

    Once again, the green mes arose greatly and separated the two.

    The Queen of Fury grabbed her chest before she knew it. She felt like her heart was about to burst when she noticed the man holding the magic spear of the red lotus as soon as the mes disappeared.

    The Sin of Fury roared. It showed a strong desire toward her half. But the queen¡¯s heart was beating more violently, apart from the resonance of the Sin of Fury.

    The King of Lust trembled. It wasn¡¯t because of the Godly Energy of Fury that began to roar with the Sin of Fury.

    He trembled because of the one who was standing before him, staring at him with the magic spear in hand.

    ¡°The King of Greed!¡±

    Yong-ho did not answer. Instead, he swung Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, toward the king.

 Chapter 251 - Fierce battle (1)

    <h4>Chapter 251: Fierce battle (1)</h4>

    Several events took ce simultaneously and very fast at that.

    After regaining consciousness, Samael did not stop thinking while suffering from severe trauma. She grasped the situation by inferring from the new information obtained through the Mammon family, what she knew already, and what Abrasax said on the day she was attacked by other directors at the Dungeon Market.

    The battle among the five directors of the Dungeon Market was the beginning of the whole situation.

    The King of Pride made a bond with the King of Envy. Although there was a war going on in the northern area, it was only a deception after all. The majority of the King of Envy¡¯s forces were still unaware that their king was killed in action.

    The special auction house of the Dungeon Market, which was Samael¡¯s own dungeon, was already captured by the King of Pride. Even though the King of Pride did not absorb Samael¡¯s entire forces, it wasrgely irrelevant to him in the current situation. The territory Samael was in charge of was that of the King of Gluttony. The territories of the King of Envy and the Queen of Fury, who must be engaged in a fierce battle at the moment, were taken care of by Bifronz and Abrasax, respectively.

    The army of the King of Gluttony began invading the territory of the Queen of Fury. The Queen of Fury attacked the east, as she always did, but the Dungeon Market directors attacked all over the territory of the Queen of Fury, seizing the moment.

    Although the information Gardimundi obtained through her family¡¯s secret channel was very fragmentary, Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, again inferred the situation this time.

    ording to Samael¡¯s analysis, the Dungeon Market pulled the sword properly this time. It was impossible to capture all the dungeons in the territory of the Queen of Fury in just one day, even if the masters under themand of the King of Prie were not wary of it. Therefore, the most rational strategy that the King of Pride could take in the current situation was to choose his target and concentrate on it. It was evident that the King of Pride must have deployed most of his forces to some of the key points, including the Temple of the eight ns.

    The demon world was vast. It was not possible to find out all the situations in detail even if the King of Pride dispatched scouts to the battle zones. The only information that he could get in real-time was, at best, a military movement at the major crossroads. But it was almost impossible to find out in real-time what was happening in the remote area.

    On the surface, the King of Pride and the King of Envy were still at war. Moreover, it took less than three days for all this to happen. During this period, the King of Pride privatized the Dungeon Market for the first time, so it was natural that the Queen of Fury was put on the defensive.

    Besides, the House of Mammon was located at the southern end. It took at least a few days for them to properly understand what was happening in the north. Without Sitri and Samael, nobody might have known what was going on.

    Samael knew she had to stop the domino that started with the fall of the Dungeon Market. Above all, she had to stop the Queen of Fury from copsing helplessly.

    ¡®The King of Greed.¡¯

    Samael burst intoughter before she knew it. As one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, she was confident that she could observe what was going on in the entire demon world, but she didn¡¯t realize there was someone who established himself as the king of the unimednd in the south. Besides, he had the 12 Spirits of Mammon under hismand. It was shocking that Sitri was none other than the Queen of Sloth. She could not hold back the urge tough when she recalled her reporting at the Dungeon Market directors¡¯ meeting that the Queen of Sloth was still in seclusion when she was Sitri.

    ¡®I can stop it. I can protect it.¡¯

    The power of the King of Pride was terrifying. He overpowered the north and took over the Dungeon Market.

    But Yong-ho¡¯s forces were as powerful as them. They were never inferior to the king¡¯s forces.

    Samael closed her eyes. Recalling the faces of Karot and other subordinate spirits, she clenched her teeth.

    <hr />

    The Temple of the eight ns was burning.

    Based on the information Gusion obtained through his powerful sensation, the enemies numbered more than one hundred. Moreover, about twenty to thirty of them had an unusually powerful energy. ording to the Dungeon Market¡¯s criteria for determining its items, they were five-star spirits.

    There was one fundamental reason why the Temple of the eight ns was forced to copse helplessly. There was one entity that created the decisive power difference between the two sides.

    Gusion stopped gathering further information then ordered his men around him.

    Ophelia, who was more quick-witted than anybody else, took action first. The previous masters of the House of Mammon led the arena spirits and started attacking the Dungeon Market spirits scattered throughout the Temple of the eight ns. Gardimundi, who was in charge of guiding them here from the door of space, flew desperately to search for her father Biryubakcha.

    When there was no one left behind, with Ophelia and Eligos leaving to join Yong-ho¡¯s forces, Gusion stepped forward slowly. The guy who was standing without moving several hundred meters away from Gusion also began to walk toward him.

    The surroundings were noisy. However, the two walking toward each other were silent. Gusion didn¡¯t say anything while his opponent Orobas trembled with joy.

    It didn¡¯t take long for both to stop walking on. They now faced each other about ten meters away from each other.

    Orobas swallowed, looking at him. He looked at Gusion several times, who was standing close enough to talk to him, then suddenly burst into a bigughter.

    He was not sneering at Gusion. He made a hearty and delightfulugh.

    ¡°Oh my God. This is that same guy. Yea, he is right. I saw this man, the strongest Red Demon I had seen in a video I identally obtained as a child,¡± Gusion murmured.

    He was the same as the one in the video. In particr, the horns of the bull that grew above his head were exactly the same.

    ¡°You must be Gusion with Herculean power. The strongest one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, and my long-time target,¡± Orobas said.

    Why did he appear here now? How could he still be alive like this?

    His desire to fight Gusion overwhelmed Orobas at the moment. He wanted to get those details out of his mind and fight him first. He wanted to prove his power. It would not be toote for him to hear the specific answers to such questions after defeating Gusion first.

    Orobas added mana to the six horns that he already released. By doing so, he brought out an enormous power that could not even bepared to when he ughtered the representatives of the eight ns.

    There was no more silence between them. The atmosphere screamed as if it was shocked, and the small and light things around it shook violently. It was as if the whole world was thrilled with Orobas¡¯s power. Orobas was now indulged in pleasure.

    He said with a smile on his face, ¡°I¡¯m the ¡®strongest power¡¯ Orobas. As you can see, I¡¯m the strongest Red Demon ever. I want to prove it by defeating you today.¡±

    He spoke as arrogantly as possible. His narcissistic eyes were already seeing a glorious victory.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the strongest?¡±

    Gusion didn¡¯t say much. Instead of supporting his power with colorful words, he immediately opened up the six horns on his head. He didn¡¯t need to say anything when he was about to fight.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

    Gusion hit the ground and disappeared from Orobas¡¯s vision.

    <hr />

    Aamon broke through the air. The green mes rising along the trajectory arose once again, engulfing the surrounding area.

    The King of Lust stepped back. He saw the green mes with an incredulous expression. His hands holding the Godly Energy of Lust kept trembling.

    Obviously, it was the magic spear of the red lotus that the King of Greed Mammon used to hold.

    Obviously, it was the Sin of Greed.

    Had he returned? Had he closed the celestial door, passed the one thousand years, and finally appeared like this?

    ¡°The King of Greed!¡±

    The King of Lust shouted once again. And Yong-ho prated through the green mes.

    Aamon¡¯s sharp spear was shot toward the heart of the King of Lust.

    But it missed its target. Just before it hit its target, Yong-ho twisted his arm. Aamon was shot in the air far from the original spot that he targeted while the King of Lust stood fixated on the ground as if nailed down and looked at Yong-ho.

    ¡°You are not Mammon,¡± said the King of Lust. At the same time, Yong-ho stepped back, withdrawing Aamon. Although he tried to smash the king right away, he could not control his body for some reason.

    ¡°You are not Mammon. It¡¯s greed, but not Mammon. You are not him,¡± the King of Lust said again. He gradually stopped his hands from trembling.

    Aamon shouted in Yong-ho¡¯s head.

    [It is the power of Lust that seduces even the enemy.]

    [Withdraw your subordinate spirits. Only the Queen of Fury and you must confront him!]

    Now, the king¡¯s hands didn¡¯t tremble anymore. Furious anger was on his face when he was startled by the man standing before him.

    Yong-ho hit the ground. Once again, he activated the green mes and blocked the space between him and the King of Lust. Although he activated the mes to attack the king, he could not bring himself to kill the king. He was haunted by that thought.

    ¡®Catalina, back off! Join Kaiwan and fight at the frontline!¡¯

 Chapter 252 - Fierce battle (2)

    <h4>Chapter 252: Fierce battle (2)</h4>

    Yong-ho conveyed his strong message to her through Brigada.

    Catalina, who was trying tond on the ground along with Yong-ho, raised her altitude again, and Kaiwan, who was riding on Smi¡¯s back, bit her lips and headed for the forces of the Queen of Fury. The same was true of Skull and Scathach on Bucephs.

    ¡°Avoid him!¡±

    The Queen of Fury suddenly shouted at Yong-ho. He hurriedly lowered his body, and the King of Lust¡¯s sword energy cut through over his head. The green mes activated by him also cracked and faded away.

    [Awaken the power of Godly Energy!]

    [The only one who can confront a king with a Godly Energy is a king with a Godly Energy!]

    Even before Aamon finished speaking, the King of Lust took action first. He rushed toward Yong-ho with a force that was several times more intense than when he charged at the Queen of Fury.

    The Godly Energy of Lust shed with Aamon head-on. The Godly Energy of Mammon located on Yong-ho¡¯s left arm began to emit a luxurious light. Clenching his teeth, he looked at the King of Lust then thought about it before he knew it.

    ¡®No, I don¡¯t want to harm the king. I would rather die if I have to harm him!¡¯

    His hand holding Aamon became so weak. The Godly Energy of the King of Lust didn¡¯t miss that moment. It was sliding on Aamon¡¯s spear. It then suddenly drew a strange trajectory. It flew like a sh toward Yong-ho¡¯s neck.

    [Master!]

    Aamon shouted. At the same time, lightning struck. Yong-ho came to his senses only after he was covered with the fragments of lightning. The Queen of Fury was in the spot where he bounced off. She kept the King of Lust in check by wielding an ax bigger than herself.

    The power of seduction was so strong. Especially Yong-ho, who was the opposite sex from the viewpoint of the King of Lust who changed his identity to a woman, found it hard to ovee the temptation.

    The Queen of Fury was not on par with the King of Lust in terms of strength. Unlike Yong-ho who almost gave up, she didn¡¯t give up defending herself against the king, but she could not mount an attack properly because of the power of temptation. Her white limbs were quickly stained with blood.

    Yong-ho clenched his teeth. He not only erected his six horns, but he also triggered the Demon God¡¯s heart then charged at the king at full speed. He stabbed the air right beside the king with Aamon then made all of his avable mana explode.

    The ground-shaking explosion affected both the King of Lust and the Queen of Fury. The King of Lust wielded the Godly Energy of Lust to block the explosion and shockwaves, but the Queen of Fury bounced out, unable to defend herself properly. It was exactly what Yong-ho aimed for.

    Yong-ho hit the ground with Aamon then injected the mana of Greed into Aamon, also one of his subordinate spirits, so Aamon could fire up an intense me that could not even bepared with any me before.

    The green mes engulfed Yong-ho. The King of Lust retreated immediately, but Yong-ho threw himself toward the king, leaving Aamon alone. Then he snatched the king¡¯s waist in the air and brought out Catalina¡¯s mana through Brigada. He spread the wings of the shadow and soared.

    Scathach said the only king who could confront a king with a Godly Energy should also be equipped with a Godly Energy, which Aamon also confirmed.

    But Yong-ho¡¯s Godly Energy of Mammon was notplete yet, so he had to obtain the Godly Energy that could pair with the king¡¯s Sin of Lust in order to ovee his temptation.

    He could gain time only briefly by using the green mes of Aamon. Crossing over the forces of the King of Gluttony, hended right on the ground.

    The Queen of Fury, who got out of Yong-ho¡¯s arms, stumbled. He grabbed her shoulders, covered with blood, and said urgently, ¡°Please unbuckle your belt.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    The queen looked at him nkly. Everything was confusing to her. Even in the midst of the fighting, her heart was beating like crazy.

    ¡®Is this man the King of Greed? Is the master of the House of Mammon really the King of Greed? Is it true that I was just held in the arms of the master of the Mammon family? Really? Why is he asking me to unbuckle my belt and in the middle of the battlefield at that?¡¯

    The queen¡¯s face turned red. Only then did Yong-ho realize his mistake and take action instead of correcting himself. He pulled out the Godly Energy of Fury he was wearing on his right arm and gave it to the queen. He no longer concealed the Godly Energy of Fury with the power of Greed. He also did not hide the Sin of Gluttony.

    The Queen of Fury again had a nk expression on her. She instinctively understood it.

    The Sin of Fury roared fiercely in her heart.

    She hated the Sins of Greed and Gluttony that appeared before her eyes.

    The Queen of Fury unbuckled the Godly Energy of Gluttony.

    As soon as he saw it, Yong-ho said quickly, ¡°Let¡¯s exchange.¡±

    ¡°What? Wedding gift?¡±

    This time, Yong-ho was embarrassed. The queen, Dritarastra, hurriedly presented the Godly Energy of Gluttony.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing!¡±

    He had no time. He wore the Godly Energy of Gluttony around his waist while the Queen of Fury put the Godly Energy of Fury on her right arm.

    The green mes that had been moving under Aamon¡¯smand finally faded away. The King of Lust began to rush to Yong-ho, breaking through the energy of Gluttony.

    Yong-ho grabbed the air. After summoning Aamon again, who had disappeared after turning into the mes of the red lotus, he stared at the King of Lust. The king grabbed his chest with his left hand as if suppressing his heart that was pounding. It was embarrassing that the master of the Mammon family had not only the Sin of Greed but also the Sin of Gluttony, but he could not afford to think about it.

    The King of Lust swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently, which sent off the giant energy of the sword to him and the queen, which seemed powerful enough to rip apart the world.

    Yong-ho concentrated. He didn¡¯t need anything like an exnation. The Queen of Fury also understood it by instinct.

    Gluttony and Fury, the two Sins that faced each other in a thousand years roared loudly and released the power of true sin.

    ***

    Gusion disappeared before his eyes.

    He was clearly in front of Orobas until a moment ago, but he suddenly disappeared.

    It wasn¡¯t magic. It was much simpler than that.

    Bang!

    When Orobas realized it, Gusion already appeared right in front of him. Orobas barely twisted his body and avoided his punch. Gusion punched the air with a big noise, and there was something like a knife cut left behind on the spot where he punched.

    Gusion and Orobas made eye contact with each other. Then they were engaged in fighting again. Gusion punched Orobas¡¯s upper body with his left fist, which made him hesitantly step back. Gusion once again disappeared from his eyes. He lowered his body and threw himself on the side of Orobas.

    Orobas gave up looking for him. At the same time, he released a lot of mana and triggered all his senses. In an instant, he could obtain information about Gusion¡¯s location and motion. He now could feel in real-time how Gusion was moving in front of him.

    Orobas began to move himself to defend against Gusion¡¯s attack. He tried to shake his motion by releasing mana fully.

    Bang!

    Orobas¡¯s efforts were in vain. His release of magic did not shake Gusion. The moment Orobas thought he felt Gusion, Gusion was already done attacking him. A powerful impact several times as strong as the one earlier shook Orobas violently.

    Orobas felt like his body was shattering. He felt like the part of his body struck by Gusion was being ripped apart.

    But Orobas¡¯s body wasn¡¯t really broken. He endured it. The body of a Red Demon, possessing a powerful mana, was like steel that could never be broken.

    Orobas instinctively felt his opponent was strong. If he continued to let Gusion attack him, he would eventually copse. He had to fight back!

    Orobas clenched his teeth and swallowed the pain. He felt it instead of seeing him. He clenched his right fist and concentrated all of his tremendous mana on one point.

    His opponent was obviously quick. However, even he had to stop for a moment.

    Orobas waited for that moment. Gusion punched Orobas¡¯s side again, but Orobas survived it again. This time, Orobas punched him without losing the crucial moment.

    When he rolled on the ground before punching Gusion, it was smashed violently. With such a gigantic force, Orobas threw his punch at Gusion.

    But there was no roaring sound nor was the blunt sound of punching.

    It wasn¡¯t that Gusion escaped his attack. Orobas felt terrible. He was stunned at the fact that his attack was intercepted.

    He found that Gusion¡¯s left hand was blocking his punch. Even before Orobas managed to throw his punch, Gusion took preemptive action to stop it. Then Gusion pressed down on Orobas¡¯s terrifying power.

    Gusion wasn¡¯t just quick, but he was also really powerful

    That was why he was called ¡®Gusion with Herculean power,¡¯ the strongest physical force of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Gusion looked at Orobas and made him realize what his strongest power meant.

    ***

    The Sin of Gluttony was like saying this, ¡°I want to eat him. I want to chew him. I want to swallow him.¡±

    The Godly Energy of Gluttony responded and let Yong-ho know how to do it.

    A huge energy of the sword released by the King of Lust was trying to engulf Yong-ho. Its sharpness seemed to cut the heaven and earth.

    He stretched out his left arm toward the sword energy. The Godly Energy of Gluttony he was wearing on his waist guided him. A vortex of magic arose on his palm.

    It happened in an instant. Something ck and huge swelled from the palm of Yong-ho¡¯s left hand. At once, it became several timesrger than Yong-ho and opened its ¡°mouth.¡±

    Then it ate all the energy of the sword instantly.

    Something ck disappeared. Yong-ho blinked his eyes before he knew it, and he felt his stomach was full. Now he realized the Sin of Gluttony unwittingly.

    The Sin of Gluttony was basically a being that devoured everything before it!

    Bang!

 Chapter 253 - Fierce battle (3)

    <h4>Chapter 253: Fierce battle (3)</h4>

    The Queen of Fury hit the ground. A red aura rose from her whole body. Intense mana radiated from the Godly Energy of Fury equipped on her right arm.

    It was really red lightning. Her fist, which was thrown like a thunder, hit the ground. The King of Lust tried to step back hurriedly, but it was hard because the ground about a dozen meters in diameter around her copsed at once when she swung her fist.

    The power of Fury was very simple. It was transcendental power that could even endure any Herculean power.

    A smile was on the face of the Queen of Fury. The constant rising power excited her. Stepping on the fragments of the crumbling ground, she soared and clenched her fist again. She looked at the King of Lust who also soared like her, stepping on fragments as she did.

    The King of Lust disguised as a woman was still beautiful. He had an absolute beauty that even the queen felt tempted to fall in love with as a woman.

    But that was all. The queen could not hear the king¡¯s tempting voice anymore.

    It seemed she could destroy the king right now.

    The power of Fury neutralized the power of Lust. She didn¡¯t allow the king to confuse her.

    Yong-ho brought out Catalina¡¯s mana and soared into the sky after spreading the wings of shadow. He smashed the ground and flew toward the Queen of Fury, who was pursuing the King of Lust.

    The King of Lust quickly swung his sword. A number of sword energies created in an instant stretched toward the Queen of Fury. But the queen did not block or avoid the sword energy.

    She rushed to the king, and Yong-ho caught up with the queen then devoured the sword energy with the power of Gluttony.

    The Queen of Fury smiled. It was a smile as bright as the power of pure Fury. Yong-ho passed her and swung Aamon to attack the King of Lust directly.

    Bang!

    Aamon and the Godly Energy of Lust shed head-on. Although his attack was blocked, Yong-ho looked at the King of Lust beyond the entangled Aamon and the Godly Energy of Gluttony. The King of Lust also saw him and looked into his eyes as if tempting him.

    ¡®Are you going to harm me?¡¯

    ¡®Are you going to harass me?¡¯

    ¡®Are you really trying to kill me?¡¯

    [Master!]

    Aamon shouted loudly and created a fierce me by himself. Yong-ho came to his senses suddenly and fidgeted with his fingers urgently to block the Godly Energy of Lust from raining down on his head.

    Aamon said to Yong-ho quickly, [You are not yet unfamiliar with Gluttony and the Godly Energy. Gluttony does notpletely invalidate the power of Lust.]

    [It¡¯s just neutralizing it.]

    [Moreover, their match is not good.]

    [The power of your anguish is too strong!]

    Hearing that, Yong-ho cursed it from the bottom of his heart. Yes, seriously. The seven horns of light that sprouted on the head of the King of Lust vibrated then released the unprecedented power of Lust that was iparable to its past power.

    Yong-ho again felt tempted by the beauty of the king. He seemed to yield to his absolute charm at any moment.

    [Stick it out!]

    Yong-ho clenched his teeth not to be tempted. Recalling Catalina and Kaiwan, he brought out the power of Brigada. He was engulfed by Catalina¡¯s ¡°justice¡± that inherited the power of Elune, and Kaiwan¡¯s ¡°passion¡± that inherited the power of Magnadon. They protected him from the fatal attack of temptation by the King of Lust.

    ¡°I aming!¡±

    The Queen of Fury intervened between Yong-ho and the King of Lust. Her relentless attack forced the King of Lust to step back again. After catching his breath, Yong-ho looked straight ahead and realized something new. The ce of their fighting, which was taking ce in the spot within the influence of the power of Gluttony, was suddenly moved to the vicinity of the defense line of the eight ns.

    The Queen of Fury attacked the King of Lust fiercely, but the king evaded all her attacks. The king even swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently and forced the queen to move back for a while. He then unleashed all the power of Lust that he had condensed.

    It was like a wave. The power of Lust that was unleashed by the king charmed the remnants of the eight ns. It captivated the hearts of everyone who was there, regardless of age or sex.

    Dozens of them changed the target of their attack to their master. Some of them rushed to the Queen of Fury that they had been following with respect, while others pierced their chests with their own weapons.

    A fountain of blood was gushing from everywhere. The Queen of Fury lost her mind momentarily as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer.

    ¡°The Queen of Fury!¡±

    Yong-ho shouted at her and hugged her from behind. Then he soared into the sky vertically with her to avoid the attack by the tribesmen of the eight ns. But it was only the beginning. The tribesmen of the eight ns who started attacking their queenmitted suicide all at once as if they admitted their own failures. The queen, who was held in Yong-ho¡¯s arms, wailed at the top of her lung. But the King of Lust did not stop. They keptmitting suicide everywhere.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±

    The Queen of Fury¡¯s mana increased drastically. It was the attribute of Fury that the more intense the owner of fury became, the more power he could bring out.

    Yong-ho could no longer hold the Queen of Fury. As soon as she wriggled herself out of his arms, the queennded on the ground and charged toward the King of Lust ferociously.

    The ground copsed in session. Every time the Queen of Fury punched the king, it shook the ground.

    But the King of Lust easily evaded her attack. Basically, he was the sword demon, though he had the title of the King of Lust. In fact, he was called the best and strongest swordsman in the demon world. The queen¡¯s attack, which became so simple in proportion to her increased mana, could never harm the king.

    Yong-ho once again blocked Catalina and Kaiwan from approaching bymunicating telepathically with them. He ordered them to stop running toward him.

    It wasn¡¯t just the problem of the tribesmen of the eight ns who were killed, enchanted with the charm of the King of Lust. The queen¡¯s attack broke their defense line. The battle between the forces of the King of Gluttony and the eight ns was still going on, although it was overshadowed by the fierce fighting between the King of Lust and the Queen of Fury. If this kind of fighting went on to the end, Yong-ho was supposed to be dealing with the corpses of the eight ns piled up like a mountain once the battle was over.

    Yong-ho caught his breath. He had to end the fighting as soon as possible even at the risk of consuming his power too much.

    He triggered the heart of the Demon God. Its sixth w prated Yong-ho¡¯s chest and a seventh horn of light sprouted above his head.

    He focused on the Godly Energy of Gluttony. Then he threw himself toward the Queen of Fury and the King of Lust, triggering the power of Gluttony again, and devoured the mana of Lust released by the King of Lust.

    The King of Lust¡¯s mana that filled the surroundings disappearedpletely. The momentary void of mana created a new distortion. The tribesmen of the eight ns who were dominated by the King of Lust lost consciousness and fell on the floor.

    It was never easy for Yong-ho¡¯s Godly Energy of Gluttony to eat away the mana of Lust that contained a powerful temptation. Moreover, since the target wasn¡¯t as clear as to when he first devoured the sword energy, Yong-ho had to even devour the mana of Fury that had been in full swing. Two different mana were raging inside him as if they would explode anytime soon, so he managed to suppress the explosion by pouring his own mana.

    It wasn¡¯t just Gluttony and Fury that neutralized the power of Lust. The power of Lust also neutralized the power of Gluttony, which required more consumption of mana for that reason.

    However, the void of the mana on the part of the King of Lust was definitely effective. The Queen of Fury, who paused her attack for a moment, rushed back to the King of Lust, who stumbled because of a sudden loss of mana. At that moment, Yong-ho grabbed Aamon and moved to help the queen. For the first time since dealing with the King of Lust, he had demonstrated his full power without any hindrance.

    Yong-ho and the King of Fury worked together perfectly to attack the king as if they agreed in advance for a long time. The queen, who restored reason while losing some of her terrifying mana, took the lead, while Yong-ho assisted her in attacking the king hard.

    Although the king was the finest swordsman in the demon world, he could not block the duo¡¯sbined attack timely. The battle between their pure power and tactics, rather than the sh of their Sins, was fought dozens of times in an instant.

    And finally, the battle was over. Aamon pierced the king¡¯s shoulders, and at the same time, its green mes that arose at that moment burned his shoulders and arms at once.

    Obviously, Yong-ho¡¯s attack was a fatal blow. However, he felt ominous. Rather than striking again, he released Aamon from his hand and got him back into the mes of the red lotus. He then immediately restrained the Queen of Fury who tried to attack the King of Lust in session. He hugged her from behind quickly and increased his distance from the king.

    Yong-ho¡¯s intuition was urate. The flesh of the King of Lust suddenly exploded. Yong-ho defended himself and the Queen of Fury by devouring the explosion and shock with the power of Gluttony that he hastily triggered.

 Chapter 254 - Fierce battle (4)

    <h4>Chapter 254: Fierce battle (4)</h4>

    The King of Lust blinked his eyes with a nk expression, but only briefly. The king realized what had happened before his eyes. He was just an ordinary master before he became the King of Lust. He had power as a demon king. It was not the flesh of the King of Lust that exploded. The moment the explosion urred, his body turned into smoke and scattered in the air.

    The smoke that quickly moved away, carried by the fast wind, was reconstructed at a distant ce. It was beyond the army of Gluttony, which was at the exact opposite of where he was until a moment ago.

    The reconstructed King of Lust looked at Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury for a while then turned into smoke again. He disappeared as if he had no regrets at all about the fierce battle until now.

    The King of Lust fled, abandoning the forces of the Gluttony.

    His escape was not iprehensible, given the fact that he found it hard to deal with Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury at the same time, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t think so simple.

    Why was there only the King of Lust on this battlefield?

    The King of Pride was not here nor were the three other directors of the Dungeon Market.

    Were they all attacking the tribesmen of the eight ns?

    If that was the case, their attack was unreasonable. It was so inefficient. It would have been much more efficient if they had attacked the Queen of Fury altogether.

    Yong-ho thought about the situation from the viewpoint of the King of Pride.

    What if the purpose of the King of Pride was not to annihte the Queen of Fury or the eight ns? Did he want anything more?¡±

    What was it? What could the King of Pride value more? Would it have a greater value than the Queen of Fury who possessed not only the Sin as well as the Godly Energy?

    Yong-ho turned his head to the west. He looked farther away than the west area where the main stronghold of the eight ns was located. Then he suddenly realized something.

    The one who had risen to the king¡¯s position even without one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The strongest dragon in the demon world with a powerful dragon army.

    ¡®The King of Violence.¡¯

    It was because of him, not anybody else.

    ***

    Yong-ho felt confused. He suddenly came to recall the King of Violence, but he could not be sure whether his guesswork was right.

    So, he sorted out his thoughts quickly by reconstructing all the information he obtained until now.

    First of all, he thought about those that he learned through Samael.

    First, the Dungeon Market was taken over by the King of Pride.

    Second, the territories of the kings that had been managed by the three directors¡ªOrobas, Abrasax, and Bifronz¡ªwere wholly possessed by the King of Pride, but the territory managed by Samael was not absorbed by the King of Pridepletely. And it was reasonable to assume that Sitri¡¯s section was not absorbed.

    Third, as the King of Pride acquired the Dungeon Market, he could use the distributionwork of the Dungeon Market freely. And this kind of distributionwork made it possible for the king to conduct a blitzkrieg operation.

    Kings were naturally wary of the movement of other kings¡¯ troops within their territories.

    For example, they installed the so-called invisible sky barrier intended to check outside in and out of their airspace, or sometimes, they attacked or intercepted them.

    However, the kings were not wary of the Dungeon Market. The Dungeon Market created several high-speed means of transportation within the territories of the kings. So, the kings didn¡¯t care about the Dungeon Market using their airspace to move their items fast.

    It was a trust they built over a thousand years. In some respects, they just forgot it for a long time, so much so that the Dungeon Market was considered as natural as water or air in the demon world.

    Of course, the kings did notpletely trust the Dungeon Market. Although they tolerated the distribution channels of the Dungeon Market, they didn¡¯t allow the Dungeon Market to take control of the most important points in their territories.

    But Samael said that there was a secret distribution channel for the secret transactions between the kings and the five directors of the Dungeon Market, and that sometimes, the secret distributionworks led to the important points because of their secrecy.

    The King of Pride ambushed all the territories of the Queen of Fury, including the Temple of the eight ns by using the secret distribution channel.

    Ophelia said the surprise attack was very effective, but the King of Pride would not be able to mount the same ambush again because he virtually revealed the drastic change of the Dungeon Market to the whole demon world by making such arge-scale attack with the help of the spirits of the Dungeon Market and its secret distributionworks.

    Samael said that the King of Pride must have attacked the King of Envy on the day when there was a revolt in the Dungeon Market. If the King of Pride attacked the King of Envy, as Samael predicted, it was more likely that he carried out the attack on a small scale more secretly and that he could have hidden it from others because he had been prepared for it for a long time.

    On the surface, the King of Pride was still at war with the King of Envy. It was clear that the King of Pride used this kind of deception trick to hide the change of the Dungeon Market from outsiders until he ambushed the Queen of Fury.

    ¡®If he had to ambush the queen, this would be his only chance.¡¯

    That was correct. Only now could he attack the queen without any prior notice. After today, it would be impossible for him to mount a surprise attack because the King of Violence, who noticed the coup at the Dungeon Market, would obviously destroy or seal the distributionworks of the Dungeon Market in his territory. Besides, the dragon corps on standby along the eastern borders would also move.

    In that case, an all-out war pattern would be inevitable. The King of Pride would have to wage a full-scale war with the King of Violence.

    ¡®Blitzkrieg.¡¯

    The three directors of the Dungeon Market lost Sitri and Samael.

    The King of Pride now discovered that Sitri was the Queen of Sloth.

    He also knew that the King of Gluttony was killed.

    The only enemies confronting the King of Pride were three, namely, the King of Violence, the Queen of Sloth, and the Queen of Fury. Given that Sitri, the Queen of Sloth, was in charge of the southern part, she would throw her weight behind the King of Violence if the King of Pride would wage a full-scale war with the King of Violence.

    Yong-ho seemed to put together the puzzles in his mind correctly.

    ording to the logic of the King of Pride, he would have the King of Lust beat the Queen of Fury. Then, he would dispatch Orobas and the elite forces of the Dungeon Market to strike the major dungeons of the Queen of Fury. After that, the King of Pride himself would lead his elite forces to attack the Queen of Fury in person.

    Most of the dragon corps were on standby along the eastern borders, not near the King of Violence¡¯s hideout at the far west end of his territory. Moreover, the territory of the King of Violence was maintained by Abrasax until now. Since Abrasax was the first to havee under themand of the King Pride, he could have built a secret passage without the King of Violence knowing it. This was just Yong-ho¡¯s assumption of course, but there was a real possibility that could happen. He imagined the situation where the King of Pride carried out all of these ns. In that case, he would have to face a truly terrifying situation.

    Under that scenario, there would be only one, namely the Queen of Sloth, who could confront the King of Pride. All the King of Pride could do was to absorb the groups that lost their central figure, namely their ¡®king,¡¯ one by one over time. And the process of him taking over their remnants would be much easier than a full-scale all-out war.

    That was thepletion of the domino in the demon world that Samael feared.

    Of course, the reality was different.

    Yong-ho himself, the King of Greed, existed.

    He saved the Queen of Fury from the King of Lust and saved Samael and Sitri as well.

    He was not sure how much the queen¡¯s forces were damaged by Orobas¡¯s surprise attack, but no matter how severe it had been, he would not have devastated them. In other words, the Queen of Fury and her forces werergely left intact.

    If the King of Pride really ambushed the King of Violence, at least, there was one premise. Namely, the King of Pride should be stronger than the King of Violence, and he should be able to defeat the King of Violence by a surprise attack.

    Could he?

    Yong-ho closed his eyes tightly. There was a dearth of information about it after all. He kept making too many assumptions. Maybe he made the wrong assumption from the beginning.

    What if the King of Envy was not killed yet? What if the King of Pride was really fighting rather than pretending to fight the King of Envy? What if the King of Pride defeated the King of Envy, but thetter is now in recuperation after suffering a major injury?

    At this point, Yong-ho stopped thinking. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to think more about it. He thought a lot about it in a surprisingly short time, but his conclusion was simple. All he had to do was to check it by himself.

    He faced the reality again. And he felt something wriggling in his arms.

    ¡°Uh, um... please...¡±

    A woman¡¯s sweet voice was added to her sweet smell. He heard it again from his chest.

    He quickly released his hands and let go of the Queen of Fury.

    After trying to forget her sweet smell on his arms, he said while stepping back, ¡°Sorry.¡±

 Chapter 255 - Fierce battle (5)

    <h4>Chapter 255: Fierce battle (5)</h4>

    In fact, Yong-ho had been hugging her all along while he was absorbed into thinking about the King of Violence. Probably, he would have been embarrassed and made a big fuss over what was happening before his eyes if he had just got here in the demon world for the first time, but he acted withposure this time.

    ¡°Hmmm... It¡¯s okay. I felt good. Oh, it¡¯s nothing. So, just forget it. Hmmmmmm,¡± said the Queen of Fury. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.

    Yong-ho quickly rummaged through his magic pocket and pulled out a cloak he used to wear usually. While she was looking at him in confusion, he gently wrapped his cloak around her. As a matter of fact, her short and thin clothes were literally messy because of her fighting. Her attire was in tatters because her arms and legs were covered with blood during the fight.

    Rather than clearing her throat, she bit her lips slightly. She then grasped the hem of the cloak that he wrapped around her and shook her head hard as if she was trying toe to her senses.

    Although the King of Lust fled, the battle wasn¡¯t over yet. Moreover, she had to do some other urgent things since she had taken care of the most urgent task.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got a lot to discuss with you, but I would like to...¡±

    After blurring at the end of her words, she corrected her posture and said, ¡°I would like to express gratitude to you formally. Thanks for saving me. If you had note, I would have been in big trouble.¡±

    Yong-ho, who was afraid she might me him for hiding the fact that he was the King of Greed, felt rxed before he knew it. The queen¡¯s smile was pure and bright, so much so that he was embarrassed by her pure gratitude.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I am just sorry for hiding the fact that I am the King of Greed.¡±

    Yong-ho also responded honestly.

    The Queen of Fury knitted her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Did you also defeat the King of Gluttony?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    The Queen of Fury was never stupid. The Godly Energy she exchanged with him proved everything.

    The master of the House of Mammon was the King of Greed.

    He defeated the King of Gluttony and saved the Queen of Fury.

    Although it was an exchange, she handed the Godly Energy of Fury to him without hesitation.

    It was only when the Godly Energy paired with the Sin of its corresponding Sin that anybody could exercise the true ¡°power of the king.¡±

    Not only the Queen of Fury, but also Yong-ho realized it keenly.

    Yong-ho felt a big difference in power while he was confronting the King of Gluttony, the first king Yong-ho encountered, and the King of Lust who he defeated this time.

    The King of Gluttony was dealt a big blow because his subordinate spirits were annihted, but he was still powerful in terms of the number of horns andbat skills. But Yong-ho really felt the impact of the ¡°king¡¯s power¡± was powerful when he possessed the Godly Energy of Fury that he had exchanged with her.

    The Queen of Fury wiped her left hand, not equipped with the Godly Energy of Fury, on her thigh instead of the cloak, and reached out to Yong-ho.

    ¡°You lied to me a bit, but I still want to trust you. Can I believe that our alliance against the King of Pride and the northern region will continue?¡±

    Actually, that was what Yong-ho wanted. He grabbed her little hand then shook hands with her.

    Then a smile was back on her face. It was so beautiful that he wanted to keep looking at it, but now was not the time to becent like this.

    Given that there was no such problem with getting connected to his subordinate spirits who had been dispatched to save the tribesmen of the eight ns, it seemed they were safe, but he had to inform the queen that many ces including the Temple were attacked. He also had to take into ount the possibility that the King of Violence might be in danger.

    ¡°Dritarastra, I have something important to tell you.¡±

    While looking down at his hand, the Queen of Fury raised her head.

    At that moment, several men called them in a hurry.

    ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We¡¯re in big trouble!¡±

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Yong-ho!¡±

    Not only Kirtimuka but also Catalina and Kaiwan were rushing toward them.

    ***

    The battle of the Red Demons, who were well known as abat race in the demon world, was special.

    They did not use luxurious and dazzling magic or superpower like other strongmen in the demon world. They have fought with their physical strength since they were born. They smashed the enemy with their clenched fists, and destroyed the enemy with a sharp and strong blow.

    Because of this, the fight among the Red Demons was a pure physical fight. Their fierce fighting, which could not be more violent, could be called the essence of violence.

    The area near the entrance of the Temple of the eight ns waspletely ruined, with no traces at all. It was the result of the two monsters¡¯ sh, whose physical power outdid the dragons. Namely, Gusion and Orobas were engaged in deadly fighting.

    Orobas was destroyed. All of his six horns he was so proud of were broken, and his left arm was torn off. The bones of his body were crushed to pieces.

    Gusion, whose body was covered with blood, let out a rough breath. He opened his fists stained with his own blood and Orobas¡¯s and ced them on his chest. He took Orobas¡¯s essence and kept it.

    After taking a deep breath, Gusion moved his right hand again instead of his immobile left arm and pulled out the elixir from the pouch on his waist. It was a precious item that he had kept at Mammon¡¯s treasure storage, but now was not the time to spare it.

    When he gulped down one bottle at once, he felt his physical strength and mana recovered. He stretched out his left hand, which began to move again, and closed Orobas¡¯s eyes who were killed with his eyes open.

    There was no end to the journey to martial arts, and there was no limit to the honing of martial arts skills. Orobas missed it. He was obsessed with strengthening his body by increasing mana, but he was defeated by Gusion, who continued to improve his skills and pursued martial art for a thousand years.

    Gusion, who raised himselfpletely, wiped the blood off his face. As a subordinate spirit, he knew Yong-ho was safe. Although he was not sure how the fight on the eastern front was going on, it seemed that there was no situation he was concerned about.

    If he could have his way, Gusion wanted to run to the eastern front right away, but it was unreasonable. They already reached the limit of daily use of the door of space. Besides, Gusion had some other work to do.

    ¡°What about other ces?¡±

    Gusion asked someone behind his back. Although he didn¡¯t rely on his superb ability to gather intelligence, he could find Ophelia¡¯s whereabouts through his keen sense that he sharpened while fighting Orobas.

    Looking at Orobas¡¯s body nkly at a distance, Ophelia came to her senses suddenly and approached Gusion.

    ¡°We have secured the Temple of the eight ns. We could recapture it thanks to the great fighting of the King of the Asura n and the King of the Dragon n. It was crucial that you defeated Orobas.¡±

    Although they were the kings of their own ns, they were no more than the head of their own n. Some of them were specialized in battles, such as King Asura and King Yaksha, but others were not rted to battles, such as King Mahoraga.

    If Gusion had not defeated Orobas, they would have been annihted.

    Ophelia pped her tail as if she was resembling Catalina.

    Gusion kept asking, setting his dislocated bones

    ¡°What about the damage on our side?¡±

    ¡°No one was killed.¡±

    ¡°That means some of our soldiers were wounded. Give me a list of the woundedter. Let me give them a harder training.¡±

    Cracking a joke like that, Gusion again let out a long sigh. Thanks to the efficacy of Elixir, he felt like he already recovered his stamina a lot.

    ¡°Is there any dungeon being attacked at the moment?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are several dungeons under attack right now. Gardimundi is collecting the relevant intelligence now.¡±

    Because of what happened a thousand years ago, Gusion was reluctant to trust outsiders like Gardimundi. However, Yong-ho made an alliance with the Queen of Fury, and he ordered Gusion to protect the queen¡¯s dungeons.

    So, he faithfully followed Yong-ho¡¯s order, the King of Greed.

    ¡®The King of Pride.¡¯

    Although there were many generations before his family, Gusion still hated that name. Looking north, he roared once again then turned. He egged on Ophelia who said she saw something strange to find out the dungeons that needed his support.

    ***

    The King of Lust sat down on the floor, clutching his chest. It wasn¡¯t just because he was injured while fighting Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. His subordinate spirit just died. It was none other than Orobas, who he made his subordinate spirit only two days ago.

    His n went wrong. Something unexpected happened.

    The King of Greed was back. Moreover, he had the Sin of Gluttony and the Godly Energy, in addition to the magic spear of the red lotus.

    He was not Mammon. But he looked like Mammon. Aamon in the hands of the new King of Greed proved that he was Mammon¡¯s true sessor.

    Maybe Aamon wasn¡¯t the only one who survived. At first nce, he felt like he saw Scathach on the battlefield. It was probably one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits that defeated Orobas.

    The King of Lust raised his head. Sitting in a bush far from the battlefield, he looked southwest.

    As if he was overwhelmed by the sense of guilt and regret that weighed heavily on his mind, he called out his lover¡¯s name, ¡°Bellial.¡±

    He had no time. The dragon corps must have moved by now. He was not sure what kind of trick the King of Greed who returned might use against him. So, he had to fight it out as soon as possible.

    The King of Lust turned into smoke again. Then he headed north, wishing the King of Pride victory.

 Chapter 256 - Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride (1)

    <h4>Chapter 256: sh between King of Violence and King of Pride (1)</h4>

    Yuria was depressed for the past several days.

    She was very happy when Sister Scathach made a pinky promise that she would sleep with her at night, but something wrong happened after that.

    Everyone was serious. Master Yong-ho was also serious, so was Sister Kaiwan.

    Even Sister Catalina, who looked so cute when she pped her tail like Baduk, was also serious.

    Old butler Eligos, who was always nice and kind to her, didn¡¯t say anything with his lips tightened, so she didn¡¯t dare to ask him what happened.

    The situation did not improve even after Yong-ho brought a woman with wings and a very pretty sister to the house. She thought everything would be okay until tonight, but the situation was still the same. Scathach was busy taking care of the winged sister and the very pretty sister all night long. In Yuria¡¯s eyes, it seemed that Scathachpletely forgot her promise to sleep together.

    Yuria was upset, but there was nothing she could do because something really important happened.

    Yuria squatted down in the yard of Scathach¡¯s mansion and looked up at the artificial sun.

    Her back hurt because she dug up potatoes with Skull all day long. The dragon soldiers alsoined that their back hurt all the time, but she didn¡¯t know the reason. Nheless, she was happy when she thought she could make delicious french fries with the potatoes.

    Two nights had passed since the winged sister and the very pretty sister came here. Master Yong-ho and some others hurriedly went downstairs in droves but didn¡¯te up. It looked like they went out of the dungeon.

    What happened? Did something bad happen?

    ¡°Whining, whining...¡±

    When the baby dungeon meerkat called her, Yuria stopped looking up at the sky and turned her head to the baby meerkat. The meerkat, who was sitting almost like Yuria did, handed out the chicken voucher to her with both hands. It was crumpled all over because she carried it in her arms, which was asrge as her body. Upon closer look, it was a voucher for the master¡¯s ¡°fried chicken¡± that was very valuable even inside the dungeon of the Mammon family.

    ¡°Are you giving it to me?¡±

    ¡°Whining, whining.¡±

    The meerkat quickly nodded. It seemed like she wanted to cheer Yuria up with the voucher.

    Watching them, Baduk swallowed, even though the voucher belonged to Yuria.

    Yuria giggled then hugged the meerkat. She pressed down the voucher before opening and lifting it high.

    ¡°I hope our master cane quickly, as well as our sisters. Isn¡¯t it better for us to enjoy the fried chicken together?¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Whining, whining.¡±

    Baduk answered ahead of the meerkat.

    Right at that moment, there was a big noise inside the mansion.

    Yuria suddenly got up and looked inside the mansion through the window. The baby meerkat climbed and stood upright and found out what happened inside the mansion with her unique ability to observe something.

    The winged sister got up from the bed and shouted something. Grandma Yustia, dressed in a ck dress, who the meerkat was not familiar with, was also looking at the same ce like the winged sister.

    Yuria and the dungeon meerkat rolled their eyes at the same time. They saw a very pretty old sister sleeping quietly in the blue water in the middle of the mansion.

    The blue water was split automatically. The winged sister, Samael, raised her voice again.

    ¡°Sitri!¡±

    Sitri responded to her call and woke up from a deep sleep.

    <hr />

    Typically, dragons were rarely conscious of the concept ¡°we.¡±

    As the descendants of the Dragon King, they could exist alone, so they were often indifferent to their own race as well as to the world. In that respect, each of them could be called azy individualist.

    The dragon army under the King of Violence was a quite mysterious group from a dragon¡¯s point of view. It was strange that they formed the army, but it was even more strange that its members were from different ns.

    The dragon army was led by the giant dragon Ancablosa, called the ¡°farthest watcher.¡±

    As a blue dragon, she was positioned with her forces along the eastern border at the order of the King of Violence. Her primary duty was to keep the King of Gluttony in check.

    Ancablosa sensed the movement of the King of Gluttony¡¯s forces during the night. However, she did not move recklessly because her duty was to keep them at bay rather than striking them first.

    It had been a while since the forces of the King of Gluttony moved. By now, they must have already confronted the forces of the Queen of Fury.

    Ancablosa finally spread her wings and stood up. But she didn¡¯t head north where the fight was going on. Rather, she looked to the west, where there was no fighting whatsoever.

    She received no order from the King of Violence. She didn¡¯t receive any new message from him, either.

    However, she looked west for a while. Feeling ominous enough, she activated themunication magic. There was no response. No, it didn¡¯t work at all. As if there was something interfering with themunication, the magic that was transmitting to the west broke down suddenly.

    She did not dy any more. After ordering the flying monsters to stand by, who consisted of the majority of the dragon army, she soared into the sky, apanied by her close aides.

    Something unusual happened. Otherwise, there was no reason for themunication to fail like this.

    She hastily pped her wings, hoping her gloomy foreboding would not be true.

    <hr />

    The distribution channels of the Dungeon Market were connected everywhere in the demon world. Compared to other areas, however, there was only a small number of distribution channels in the territory of the King of Violence in the west of the demon world.

    Dragons were less dependent on the Dungeon Market than other masters of the demon world. They liked tomand several races living in their territory rather than buying them from the Dungeon Market.

    Since the number of their distribution channels was small, they had fewer options.

    Abrasax chose the distribution channel closest to the King of Violence¡¯s hideout ce called Rare.

    The moment the King of Gluttony¡¯s army attacked the forces of the Queen of Fury, the door of space at the end of the distribution channel opened. It was the door of space that Abrasax had prepared to use just one time for the attack today.

    A lump of blue mana spread out through the gap of the split air. Led by Abrasax, quite a number of his men arrived in thend of the King of Violence.

    The time during which the door of space was open was very short. At best, it was only a minute or two. Moreover, the door of space was more than a few kilometers away from the King of Violence¡¯s Rare.

    However, the moment the door of space was closed, Abrasax realized that he was spotted. He was caught opening the door of space in the territory of the King of Violence.

    Abrasax hastily opened his arms. Without any dy, he freely released an enormous mana from the seven horns on his head.

    During the surprise attack this time, Abrasax had only one mission. Namely, he was supposed to scatter mana in the air to iste the King of Violence by interfering with all kinds ofmunication magic and space moving magic.

    When the tremendous mana was released, the forest filled with trees shook violently.

    Abrasax clenched his teeth, but his mana didn¡¯t pay off. The forest didn¡¯t shake because of Abrasax¡¯s mana. Some other movements were taking ce throughout the forest.

    Not content with erecting his six horns, Bifronz turned into a giant spider¡ªhis original body.

    He rolled his eight eyes to grasp the surroundings and sensed the vibrations of the ground with his eight feet.

    Dragons with huge bodies rarely created underground dungeons like demon kings. They built their dwellings in open basins or high mountains where they could fly at any time.

    Therefore, the dragon¡¯s dungeons were not limited to the Rare like the King of Violence. The entire estates around it could be called their own dwellings.

    However, the size of their dwellings was usually hundreds of meters in diameter around the Rare. Even the dwellings of the Ancient Dragons who lived for a long time didn¡¯t exceed one kilometer in diameter.

    But the King of Violence¡¯s dwelling was an exception. Bifronz shuddered with fear. If he had been in the form of a humanoid, not a spider, obviously, cold sweat would have broken out on his back.

    They were already inside the Rare of the King of Violence. The entire forest was the dungeon of the King of Violence!

    Even the five directors of the Dungeon Market were not aware of this fact, something so embarrassing to them.

    The reason why the entire forest shook violently was because the subordinate spirits of the King of Violence started to move their operation. As soon as the door of the dungeon was opened, numerous spirits with powerful mana poured out in session. It was natural that they responded to the opponent¡¯s hostile attack.

    There were many ns who were living under the protection of the King of Violence.

    Bifronz sensed through the vibration of the ground that thousands of spirits were moving toward him. His eight eyes spotted flying monsters rushing toward him from all directions.

    While Abrasax¡¯s duty was to obstruct the movement of the King of Violence¡¯s forces interfering, Bifronz¡¯s mission was tomand his troops. Although the enemies wererger than he expected and their response was quick, Abrasax and Bifronz came into the King of Violence¡¯s territory with a ¡°war¡± with him in mind from the beginning.

    Most of the spirits who apanied the two were magic summoners. Prodded by the two, they hurriedlypleted the formations of their summoning targets. When the thirty-six summoners recited the spell at once, a pile of bright light was formed in the red sky, and a new light spread from the pile of light in no time. In the blink of an eye, several giant formations of spirits in the shape of light were drawn in the air.

 Chapter 257 - Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride (2)

    <h4>Chapter 257: sh between King of Violence and King of Pride (2)</h4>

    Three Zombie Dragons and four Bone Dragons stuck their heads out at the same time. Each of them was a giant monster who was dozens of meters tall.

    After that, flying spirits appeared in a row, following seven Undead Dragons. Griffon and Pegasus carrying the warriors of the alien world soared into the sky, and the beasts that did not carry the monsters screamed wildly.

    Their summons did not happen only in the air. Brainwashed Elf Spirits summoned all kinds of spirits, and the Elder Lich raised up Golems. Vampire Lords summoned the undead spirits such as skeletons and zombies.

    Dozens of groups quickly swelled into thousands now. The majestic posture of the seven Undead Dragons that filled the sky was terrific.

    Watching them, Abrasax smiled a pleasant smile again. Bifronz also regained confidence again.

    There was also movement on the part of the King of Violence. The forces that shook the entire forest finally appeared.

    Drakes and Wyverns, called the dragon¡¯s subspecies, covered the sky. They numbered at least one hundred.

    Dark elves armed with magic bows and spirit magic became united with the forest and surrounded the forces of the Dungeon Market. The dragon soldiers escorted them, and Mountain Giants and other giants stuck their heads out over the bushes suddenly. Heavily armed dwarves and orcs were on standby at major crossroads.

    Dragons were also mixed with them. They were the young men of the Red Dragon n who inherited the blood of the King of Violence. Thergest ones among them were only about twenty meters tall because they hadn¡¯t fully grown yet, but they numbered more than 20.

    Only a few minutes had passed since the door of space opened. Nevertheless, there was already a war looming in the surrounding area. It seemed like a huge battle would begin anytime soon.

    But the war didn¡¯t start yet because the most important person didn¡¯t yet appear.

    Someone was crouching down in the Dragon Rare over there.

    He rose to the position of a king by using his power only when he had nothing like the Seven Deadly Sins.

    The atmosphere was torn hard with a roaring sound like an explosion.

    It took ce right after the great being soared into the sky. Even though he was a few kilometers away, his presence seemed to fill the whole sky.

    The ground turned ck under the red sky because of a huge shadow. The scene of a creature several times asrge as a fully grown Ancient Dragon, with its body over two hundred meters long soaring above the sky, was very unrealistic.

    Once again, the atmosphere shook violently. The wind caused by just pping his wings once made the whole forest howl.

    The King of Violence was flying over his forces on the ground.

    Red and huge being, who looked like a god.

    All of them on the ground couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed by his magnificent grandeur. It took tremendous courage for them to dare to face the king of great dragons overlooking the ground.

    The King of Violence looked down at the army of the Dungeon Market. He did not warn them. He opened his mouth to those who were overwhelmed by his presence. Then he exercised the power of the great Dragon King.

    Dragon Breath.

    Light colored the world. It looked like the whole world was shaking. The power of the greatest dragon traversed the space, crushing everything in front of it. One Bone Dragon that was exposed to Dragon Breath was smashed even before he could avoid it or block it. A huge line was drawn on the surface, and all the beings within that huge line disappeared.

    The remains of the smashed Bone Dragon fell on the ground. There were quite a few vibrations, but no one looked back.

    Abrasax couldn¡¯t breathe properly. The Dragon Breath passed by only a dozen meters away from him. What would have happened if that strong power had hit him?

    He would have stopped it. He would have protected himself somehow because he was called ¡®the strongest mana¡¯ of the Dungeon Market.

    But he could not immediately imagine himself defending himself against such an attack. The King of Violence¡¯s mighty images stopped him from even imagining it.

    Abrasax finally realized that he was the King of Violence. He was a being that had to be called that way.

    The King of Violence, who imed to be an ¡®observer,¡¯ never went out of his territory. His battle against the former King of Gluttony over two hundred years ago was hisst battle in the history of the demon world. Perhaps, that was why Abrasax ignored that fact.

    Abrasax breathed with an effort. One second was like an eternity to him.

    Thisnd was the dungeon of the King of Violence. All the masters of the demon world showed their strongest power when they were within their own dungeons.

    Maybe they made the wrong choice. Maybe they should have never touched the opponent from the beginning. Abrasax momentarily thought so, but in no time, he regained his reason. By generating mana, he shook off the feelings of overwhelming fear that paralyzed his thinking.

    The King of Violence¡¯s Dragon Breath missed him. Someone twisted that terrifying force in front of him. That was why the Dragon Breath drew a diagonal line on the surface.

    That guy twisted the trajectory of Dragon Breath with the power of Envy, which was in the shape of ck smoke.

    An enormous mana swirled from the Godly Energy of Envy in the form of a ring. The owner of the Godly Energy let down the Godly Energy of Pride in the form of a longsword.

    The King of Pride smiled feebly then looked at the King of Violence with the three-eyed telescope on his head.

    This was the first time he actually faced the King of Violence. However, the moment he encountered the dragon king, he could find out lots of things.

    The King of Violence was not surprised to see the King of Pride handling the Godly Energy of Envy. The King of Violence had something more important in his mouth, which was his own voice.

    The voice of the King of Violence, which could be called thunderous, echoed from heaven down to earth. It was a voice that seemed to resonate directly from his head.

    [King of Pride, or the ¡®the Royal Family of Pride¡¯]

    It was a weird title. A smile close to a bigughter was on the King of Pride¡¯s face, who asked without any hesitation. His voice was so small,pared to that of the King of Violence, but everybody could hear it.

    ¡°Did you know about it?¡±

    [I was suspicious of you, and now I have be convinced.]

    Abrasax could not understand what they were talking about. But Bifronz understood it intuitively. He looked at the King of Pride before he knew it.

    Unlike the other kings, the King of Pride inherited the Sin of Pride to form a ¡°royal family.¡±

    What if he didn¡¯t form a royal family? What if he was just one of the kings?

    Such a possibility didn¡¯t exist. Bifronz had met the former King of Pride. He was different from the current King of Pride. He was apletely different person.

    But the King of Pride did not deny what the King of Violence said. He took control of the Godly Energy of Envy and that of Pride at the same time. The ck smoke and pure white light, the result of his intense emotions, engulfed the King of Pride.

    The power of sin was the power of the soul. Thousands of years weighed upon the power of both sins.

    The King of Violence did not ask about his situation. He soared high and prepared Dragon Breath for the second time.

    The King of Pride raised his head high. He released the mana from his body that he hadpleted as the best possible one over a thousand years.

    Shaking off all his doubts, Bifronz ordered his subordinate spirits to attack the King of Violence. Six undead dragons flew at the same time, and the forces of the Dungeon Marketunched an attack against the forces of the KIng of Violence. They shed in the sky and on the ground at the same time.

    The war between the King of Violence and the King of Pride finally began.

    <hr />

    No one knew who was the first who possessed the Seven Deadly Sins.

    It was unclear when the spirit of the Demon God was divided, or when the divided soul was conceptualized as the Seven Deadly Sins.

    Perhaps, the first person who possessed the Seven Deadly Sins did not know that he had them.

    But there was a man. He was not convinced that he was the first who possessed the sin of Pride. However, it was clear that he was the first who had been called the ¡°King of Pride¡± by the majority of men.

    The first King of Pride. Belial, the Demon King of Rule.

    The ¡°royal family of the King of Pride¡± began with him.

    <hr />

    The King of Violence soared into the sky. Four of Bifronz¡¯s eight eyes turned to the sky. He quickly moved his fingers to control the undead dragons.

    Although one of them was killed, there were still six left. The way the six undead dragons, who were dozens of meters long, flew at the same time was enough to cause fear among the forces on the ground.

    But Bifronz couldn¡¯t feel rxed. Those on the ground who looked up to the sky shuddered at the terrifying posture of the King of Violence, who seemed to press down the six dragons with his giant body covering the sky.

    The giant body of the King of Violence was 200 meters long. The distance between the ends of his full wings was even longer than the length of his entire body, so much so that he could easily wrap all the six undead dragons soaring toward the sky under his wings.

    Zombie Dragons under themand of the King of Pride let out their own breath toward the King of Violence all at once. Bone Dragons flew higher as if they were trying to make a suicidal attack.

 Chapter 258 - Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride (3)

    <h4>Chapter 258: sh between King of Violence and King of Pride (3)</h4>

    The Zombie Dragons¡¯ breath surging up toward the King of Violence took on lots of forms. Looking down at them, the King of Violence released mana, which alone brought about a strong resistance. The breath targeting the king was distorted or sent off in the wrong direction that they had originally targeted. What the King of Violence used was called secret dragon magic that had been passed down only among dragons.

    Three types of breath containing light, mes, and lightning scattered everywhere, dazzling the eyes of those looking at them. Three Bone Dragons that discerned the scattering fragments of the breath attacked the King of Violence at the same time.

    Each of the Bone Dragons was dozens of meters long. But the King of Violence was several times asrge as them. It was like a child attacking an adult.

    The King of Violence rotated his body in the air. Then, his huge and long tail, one-third of his long body, showed a terrifying movement. It struck one of the Bone Dragons after tearing the atmosphere.

    It was a tragedy. The Bone Dragon plunged to the ground faster than he soared. At the moment he crashed on the ground, the fragments of his broken body also poured down like a meteor.

    Zombie Dragons stumbled because of the torrent of the atmosphere created by the King of Violence¡¯s tail attack, which could be called the strongest strike ever.

    One of the Bone Dragons that escaped his tail attack bit the king¡¯s neck. Another dragon struck the king with its tail as violently as possible as if he was imitating the king.

    At that moment, Bifronz felt hopeless, watching them fighting the king.

    The Bone Dragon¡¯s teeth could not prate the king¡¯s red scales. Despite an attack by another dragon backed by its massive weight, the King of Violence did not move.

    The King of Violence bit one of the Bone Dragons. Even though he was already an undead, the dragon screamed. The sharp, powerful teeth of the King of Violence crushed the bones of the Bone Dragon to pieces.

    The energy of death exploded at that moment. It was the power Bifronz created by making the Bone Dragon explode when he was bitten by the King of Violence. An intense energy of death engulfed the King of Violence, but it was again useless. The energy of death that tried to curse the king could not prate his might. When the Bone Dragon exploded, its bone fragments bounced off and messed up the king¡¯s mouth, but that was it. When the King of Violence again used the dragon¡¯s secret magic, his damaged mouth was restored to its original condition.

    Bifronz gave up the hand-to-hand fight. The Zombie Dragons and one remaining Bone Dragon dispersed. Those Bone Dragons that crashed on the ground shuddered, unable to stand up again.

    Four undead dragons wandered around the King of Violence and fired magic and breath. Instead of dealing with them one by one, the King of Violence pped his wings once again.

    In an instant, he raised his altitude more than a few hundred meters high. He then opened his mouth wide toward the ground. He let out Dragon Breath for the second time.

    The King of Violence¡¯s breath was like a huge pir of light. The undead dragons pped their wings desperately, screaming. Dragon Breath prated through them and headed for the ground. The original target of the King of Violence was not the undead dragons. It was Bifronz whomanded them all on the ground.

    Looking up at the disaster pouring out from the sky, Bifronz kept swallowing. He didn¡¯t close his eyes to the end, and a miracle happened at that moment.

    Dragon Breath was distorted. Pitch ck smoke, a symbol of an intense emotion, distorted the trajectory of Dragon Breath again.

    Light covered the ground. Dragon Breath, which prated the ground, exploded, eliminating the surrounding area. A powerful earthquake shook the entire forest.

    However, Bifronz survived. Gasping for breath, he looked at the sky. The King of Prie, the owner of the ck smoke, was standing in the air alone. Those who were in the realm of the power he created were not swept away by the explosion of Dragon Breath because of the ck smoke from the Godly Energy of Envy that neutralized the explosion.

    The King of Pride no longer looked up at the King of Violence. He took off into the sky. The broad wings spread behind his back made the King of Pride soar high in the sky with just a p of his wings.

    The King of Violence hurriedly raised his head and looked up at the King of Pride, who was now rising over his head. The King of Pride looked down upon him now.

    At that moment, the King of Violence triggered powerful magic. The scorching heat that the King of Violence brought about with his determination struck the King of Pride. But the ck smoke of Envy surrounding the king stopped the heat. At the same time, the powerful gravitational magic of the King of Pride pressed down on the King of Violence.

    The King of Violence pped his wings. His strong will broke the gravity magic. Although he lowered his altitude slightly, he never plunged to the ground.

    Four undead dragons charged at the King of Violence again. The King of Pride lifted the Godly Energy of Pride.

    Once again, the light and their roaring noise shook the sky.

    ***

    Like all the lords of the demon world, the first King of Pride had one power.

    The demon king of domination.

    The power of domination.

    He could freely dominate those who inherited his blood and his subordinate spirits. Not only their bodies but also their souls belonged to the King of Pride.

    Time passed.

    The King of Pride, who used everything around him as a tool, could not avoid death.

    The king did not properly remember what happened at that time. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was his will or just the instinct of the living that he didn¡¯t want to die. Maybe none of them was true.

    When the King of Pride became aware of himself again, it was all over. The King of Pride looked down on his body only when he was old, weak, and eventually died.

    The King of Pride ruled his sessor. He robbed the sessor¡¯s body, not content with ruling him. Then he swallowed up the sessor¡¯s soul.

    The Seven Deadly Sins were to dwell in the soul, not the body. Although he acquired a new body in the sessor, he was still the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride lived that way. For him, his descendants were no longer the heirs who could inherit everything he possessed. His sessor was just a tool to be taken away by the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride was independent.

    Those who did not know the situation thought that the Sin of Pride would be inherited through generations through his bloodline. They called it the royal family of the King of Pride.

    Time passed again.

    One day, the King of Pride met the person.

    The person lived in eternity like the King of Pride.

    If the eternal life of the King of Pride was based on his power, his or her eternal life was based on Sin.

    The person was freed from time because he could be anybody, old or young, man or woman.

    A woman with the Sin of Lust.

    The King of Lust, Asmodeus.

    ***

    The war did not take ce only in the sky. A deadly fight was going on in the entire forest.

    Although it was the battle between the two giant kings, their subordinate spirits were actively engaged in the battle, helping their masters. They had a role to y on their own.

    The army of the Dungeon Market aimed at the King of Violence¡¯s hideout, Rare, but the King of Violence¡¯s subordinate spirits tried to block their efforts.

    Their individual attack was obviously weak. But what if one hundred spirits cast their magic at the same time? What if one hundred healers heal the King of Violence? What if the huge flying weapons attack the undead dragons and the King of Pride?

    The forces of the King of Violence aimed at Bifronz and Abrasax. At the same time, they defended their master¡¯s Rare. They wanted to help their master, roaming in the sky.

    While the fight in the sky was magnificent, the fight on the ground was desperate. Thousands of troops on both sides fought for their own lives.

    Dark Elf Yertiger shot a magic arrow. He was an excellent sharpshooter. As if to prove his excellentpetence, the magic arrow urately hit the target. The vampire woman who controlled ghouls grabbed the magic arrow stuck in her neck and screamed. White smoke soared from the wounds on her neck.

    The ghouls went around even more violently. Yertiger was about to hurriedly shoot his second arrow when a rock as big as a house falling from the sky struck the tree on which Yertiger was sitting. The huge earth spirits controlled by brainwashed elves were responsible for the attack.

    Yertiger rolled on the ground, and the dragon soldiers, the defending warriors of the Rare, ran over him. Armed with magic weapons, they chopped up the ghouls and rushed toward the brainwashed elves.

    Orc warrior Ur¡¯s ax cut the neck of a Griffon who fell on the ground. The alien warrior who was lying on top of the Griffon quietly hurriedly moved his hand and stabbed Ur¡¯s chest with a spear.

    Ur copsed with a scream, and the Orc warriors behind Ur swung their axes on the alien warrior¡¯s head. Blood sttered with a cruel hitting sound.

    Drakes breathed out fire from their mouths. The alien warriors aboard Pegasus and Griffon cut Drakes and Wyverns while crisscrossing the mes raining down on them from all directions.

    The young Red Dragons expressed their anger. Although they were not good at magic because they hadn¡¯t grown up fully, they were still dragons. They were already born with the weapon of a strong body. The Red Dragon¡¯s mes were much more powerful than Drakes¡¯ fire. The alien warriors who were blocking the mes with their magic shields were burned, and the Red Dragons struck them hard with their tails.

 Chapter 259 - Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride (4)

    Chapter 259: sh between King of Violence and King of Pride (4)

    However, they were not invincible. Huge steel Golems grabbed the tails of the young Red Dragon, who were in the thick of ughtering the alien warriors in session. Using their mighty power, the Golems smashed the young dragons on the ground and trampled on their necks. The elder Liches killed the weakened dragons using powerful curse magic. Some of them resurrected young dragons who were just killed as the undead.

    It was a fierce battle. Both the forces of the King of Violence and the Dungeon Market were attackers as well as defenders. The war situation was so tight that neither side had the upper hand.

    But time was on the side of the forces of the King of Violence. Abrasax, who interfered with variousmunications and the magic of space, felt nervous. He could sense it because he was covering the entire surrounding forest with his own magic. Somebody wasing toward him from a distance. They were not the dragon corps located in the east. They were dragons nesting not far from the Rare of the King of Violence.

    They also had eyes. The battle between the King of Violence and the King of Pride in the sky was so spectacr and dazzling enough to be noticed from tens of kilometers away.

    The storm of lightning swept the sky and the ground at the same time. A Zombie Dragon, who could not withstand the magic torrent, fell to the ground, and Bifronz cursed in dizziness. It was not because there were only three undead dragons left.

    The King of Violence¡¯s huge body in the sky suddenly headed to the ground. He flew down faster than a falling Zombie Dragon. Landing in the middle of the Dungeon Market¡¯s forces, he caused an earthquake due to the impact of hisnding. And that wasn¡¯t the end.

    The King of Violence rotated his body. His tail, which struck down the Bone Dragon, swept the ground.

    <hr />

    Although the way they lived was different, they were two men living in eternity.

    They were naturally attracted to each other, and they shared a long time together.

    The King of Lust, who was identified as a woman, loved the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride doled on his new tool, namely the King of Lust.

    Time had passed again.

    Seven kings with the Seven Deadly Sins ruled in the demon world.

    The King of Pride ruled as the king of the northern area. He was clearly different from the King of Lust who changed his identity every now and then, building his own forces and secluding himself from the real world. Because of this, only the King of Pride formed a ¡®royal family,¡¯ although they lived in life. Therefore, they were two people living for eternity the same way, but only the King of Pride formed a ¡°royal family.¡±

    The King of Pride was a superior being just like the King of Lust became the best swordsman in the demon world. The King of Pride had so many experiences and skills over a long period of time.

    All the people said that the royal family of the King of Pride was the best among the seven kings. But that was it. Just because he was the King of Pride, he could not easily subdue other kings. Actually, he was not powerful enough to ovee thebined attack of other kings.

    But the King of Pride was satisfied with it. Even if he alone couldn¡¯t overpower the two kings, he was the best demon king. Even those kings who were in rivalry with the King of Pride admitted it. There was no other king in the demon world who was above the King of Pride.

    Then one day, the man appeared.

    He was the man who realized anything without any problem that the King of Pride only imagined.

    He was the man who defeated the Queen of Fury and the King of Gluttony, took their Sins, and unified the southern area of the demon world.

    Mammon, the King of Greed.

    The King of Pride could not recognize his presence.

    <hr />

    It seemed as if the world was splitting apart. The army of the Dungeon Market felt like a huge cliff was being thrust against them.

    By twisting his body only once, the King of Violence broke the ranks of the Dungeon Market¡¯s troops. The king of violence didn¡¯t stop there and pped his wings using the power of rotation. The scene of his huge body flying in beautiful curves caused another surreal horror.

    The King of Violence bit the Zombie Dragon¡¯s neck. He thrust the dragon struggling with his limbs into the ground violently then burned the surface of the earth with mes.

    The ground where the dragon fell melted immediately. His bones and skin were stuck to the ground. The forces of the Dungeon Market, who were near the dragon, turned into a handful of ashes.

    The King of Violence repeatedly soared into the sky then headed toward the ground. He was fast and agile like a feline beast. He stopped the breath of the Zombie Dragons with his secret dragon magic. This time, he crushed the head of one of the two remaining dragons with his hand then sted out the wave rather than the mes, disrupting the flying of thest Zombie Dragon. When he was caught in the wave, the dragon struggled in the air before falling back to the ground. Once again, his fall caused great shock and vibration on the ground.

    After defeating all the Zombie Dragons, the King of Violence kept vignt against the sky.

    The King of Pride, who was still standing alone in the sky as if he didn¡¯t want to get involved in the fighting on the ground, swung his hand slightly toward the King of Violence.

    Suddenly, the sky was split, and a burning meteorite emerged through the clouds. The disaster of the sky, which came to this world, enchanted by the King of Pride¡¯s power, was divided into numerous fragments and turned into a rain of fire. The burning fragments turned everything on the ground into hell, regardless of the force of the King of Violence and the army of the Dungeon Market.

    The King of Violence once again pped his wings. After crushing the head of a Zombie Dragon in his hand, he activated telekic power by releasing mana. After using the body of the Zombie Dragon like a shield, he soared over the King of Pride.

    The King of Prideughed. This time, he fidgeted with his left hand. A bolt of huge lightning struck from apletely different angle from the meteorite, and it hit the Zombie Dragon hard. The skin of the dragon, tattered by the rain of fire, was smashed at once, and the King of Violence flew through the remains of the dragon. He opened his huge mouth toward the King of Pride and released Dragon Breath for the third time.

    He was now close to the King of Pride. Moreover, Dragon Breath this time was so strong that it was hard to evenpare it to the previous two breaths.

    That was why the King of Pride didn¡¯t avoid it this time. He swung the Godly Energy of Pride in his right hand. The de of light soared above the sword-shaped de of the Godly Energy of Pride. As long as dozens of meters long, it split the Dragon Breath squarely.

    Now Dragon Breath was split into two. Split by the Godly Energy of Pride, it pierced the sky then the scattered fragments got mixed with the rain of fire, and it faded.

    The pir of lightpletely disappeared. The King of Violence, who had exhausted his mighty power at once, stumbled for a moment, and the King of Pride swung his left hand wearing the Godly Energy of Envy violently. Then, the ck smoke that was surrounding the king quickly formed the shape of a giant. He struck the King of Violence by wielding an ax made of ck smoke.

    For the first time since the fight began, the King of Violence moaned in pain. His giant red body shook momentarily, and the ck smoke scattered, losing the shape of a giant. Then, it prated into the body of the King of Violence and exploded.

    But the King of Pride also felt it hard to confront the King of Violence, but he didn¡¯t fail to smile. A sense of great satisfaction surging deep inside his heart made him pleasant.

    Mammon, the King of Greed. The man who died over a thousand years ago. The man who was now gone. He insulted the King of Pride a lot.

    He first reached out, suggesting they join hands to stop the invasion of the celestial world. He sincerely moved to save the demon world and acted as if he was the king of the whole demon world.

    However, the King of Pride could not defeat Mammon. The King of Lust described Mammon, the King of Greed, as something like a miracle. The King of Envy was jealous of Mammon more than he was jealous of the King of Pride.

    So, he betrayed Mammon. In fact, he had Mammon pay the price suitable for him. He pushed Mammon, who was running wild like the king of the demon world, into the threshold of death.

    But the King of Lust was fiercely opposed to this. He begged the King of Pride to change his n to close the door of the celestial world by joining hands with the only three remaining kings after Mammon¡¯s death, arguing it was too risky.

    But the King of Pride made up his mind. He wanted to see Mammon¡¯s fall. He wanted to see Mammon giving up the celestial door to survive while struggling after he was betrayed. The Sin of Pride craved for it.

    At the end of the day, however, the King of Lust eventually followed the King of Pride¡¯s decision. The King of Envy got even more enthusiastic about the King of Pride¡¯s decision.

    And when hisst minute finally came, Mammon humiliated the King of Pride more than ever.

    He remained alone and shut the door of the celestial world. Professing he was the lofty king of the demon world until the end, he saved the demon world from the attack of the celestial world.

    The King of Lust suffered from a great sense of guilt while the King of Envy was delighted, saying they got the best results.

    However, the King of Pride fell into a pit from which he could never escape.

 Chapter 260 - Clash between King of Violence and King of Pride (5)

    <h4>Chapter 260: sh between King of Violence and King of Pride (5)</h4>

    Although the King of Pride devastated the House of Mammon and its Labyrinth of Greed, he couldn¡¯t feel happy at all. It was just meaningless for him to trample on the Mammon family without Mammon.

    He had to surpass Mammon. He thought he had only one way to ovee Mammon who was already dead, no matter how hard he pondered over it.

    The royal family of the King of Pride had changed since the day Mammon, the King of Greed, died. The King of Pride, or the Sin of Pride, was not satisfied with simply acquiring a new body.

    Like the King of Lust said, Mammon was something like a miracle. It was a monster born by sheer coincidence.

    The King of Pride wanted to recreate the monster. Just like farmers improved their crops and hunters worked hard to raise hounds and falcons suitable for hunting, he continued to improve his descendants.

    To the King of Pride who valued only himself, his descendants were nothing more than tools that he would throw away after using them. He badly treated those who inherited his blood as if they were a dog or a pig, focusing solely on creating beings with a stronger DNA.

    As a result, the generations of his descendants changed so quickly over a long period of time. People thought the number of the previous kings of pride who ruled the northern area over the past one thousand years was around five at most, but it was not true. There were hundreds of experimental beings during the intervening years of the former King of Pride that Bifronz said he saw directly, and the current King of Pride.

    And he finally created a superb being that surpassed Mammon¡¯s qualities and potential, which could be called a perfect fit for the king.

    The King of Pride faced the reality now. While the King of Violence was falling down, he was staring at the King of Pride squarely. Looking down at the King of Violence, he tightened his arm, holding the Godly Energy of Pride.

    The Sin of Pride dwelled in his soul. The power of the demon king also dwelled in his soul.

    The King of Pride could rule the soul as well as the body of his descendants. Because of this, he always had two powers.

    He kept picking various forms of power until he finally chose the best one.

    The demon king of magic. Its power was simple, clear, and best.

    All the seven horns that sprouted on the king¡¯s head disappeared.

    He cultivated the power over a thousand years, to which the power of the King of Envy was added now. Thus, his power was now sublimated into that of a god.

    Eight horns of light sprouted on his head instantly.

    Besides, six wings of light spread behind the back of the King of Pride.

    A huge halo formed over his head.

    It was truly powerful like a god¡¯s power.

    So, the King of Pride was convinced that he was equal to Mammon of yesteryear. Rather, he surpassed Mammon and became the strongest being in the history of the demon world.

    The King of Pride looked at the King of Violence¡¯s eyes. Hoping that his huge eyes would be filled with fear and despair, he stabbed into the air with the Godly Energy of Pride. Then a sword of light, whose length would exceed 100 meters, was formed in the air. A giant in the shape of a ck smoke grasped the sword of light, and it threw the King of Violence on the ground after piercing him with the sword.

    Now, this was his n of action. First, he would kill the King of Violence and take away his Godly Energy of Greed as well as the dragon heart of this monster who was the most powerful dragon in the history of the demon world. Then he would kill all the remaining kings and take away their sins, so he can put together all the seven Godly Energies as well as the Seven Deadly Sins except for the Sin of Greed. Finally, he would rise to the throne of the true Demon God. After that, he would close the door of the celestial world that showed signs of reopening. Or he would fling it open and subdue the celestial world with the power of the Demon God.

    If his action n were realized, he would surpass Mammon beyondparison. All of Mammon¡¯s achievements would look trifling,pared with the true Demon God¡¯s great achievements.

    The King of Violence who was thrown on the ground saw the King of Pride indulging in daydreaming like that. He made up his mind at the moment he, who had remained only as an observer of the demon world for a long time, witnessed the enormous mana being released by the King of Pride¡¯s eight horns and his madness.

    [My subordinate spirits, fight with me until the end!]

    His voice reached all the forces under hismand. It was the king¡¯s order, and they had no power to reject his order. The King of Violence became a tyrant for the first time since he ascended to the throne and squeezed out the power of his subordinates.

    Thisnd was the dungeon of the King of Violence. But the king¡¯s forces confronting their opponents under themand of the King of Pride copsed helplessly. Those who fell to the ground were not just the races of Dark Elf or Orcs. Dragon soldiers and other dungeon warriors who were empowered by the King of Violence also copsed, let alone the descendants of the King of Violence who were fighting in the sky.

    The power of the dungeon was united together. After swallowing the power of all the spirits of the dungeon, the power was delivered to the King of Violence, the owner of the dungeon. The King of Pride felt that power, too.

    The King of Violenceughed fiercely. He soared in the sky, ignoring the sword of light that pierced the middle of his back. The sword of light split his body and caused tremendous pain, but he ignored it.

    The King of Violence pped his wings. The King of Pride hastily pressed down the King of Violence with a gravitational field. But the King of Violence did not stop attacking. He triggered the vortex of mana and disrupted the gravitational field. With the red sky being stained with blood, the two kings narrowed their distance.

    The King of Pride swung the Godly Energy of Pride again. A huge sword of light pierced the King of Violence, but he didn¡¯t reject it. Hitting against the sword of light with his chest, he further narrowed his distance with the King of Pride.

    The power of envy wrapped the King of Pride and became a ck giant. But the King of Violence immediately rushed and chewed it hard. His target was only one from the beginning.

    Bifronz also realized it. He deactivated the mana with which he was controlling the forces of the Dungeon Market. Then he hastilyid a barrier to protect himself. Abrasax did the same thing.

    He could not afford to stay fearful of the dragon army now. He withdrew all the mana directed toward the sky.

    The teeth of the King of Violence had cut the ck giant. The King of Pride again swung the Godly Energy of Pride inside the ck giant.

    The sword of light pierced the heart of the King of Violence. The King of Violence no longer dyed. He could easily narrow the distance with the King of Pride and bite the ck giant¡¯s neck.

    The strongest Red Dragon ever.

    The power of all the dungeon spirits concentrated on the King of Violence.

    All of this exploded at once. It turned into one light and covered the whole world.

    ***

    Themander of the dragon corps, Ancablosa, called ¡°the farthest watcher,¡± stopped pping his wings because she sensed something unusual.

    Although it was taking ce far away, she could see what was happening.

    The King of Violence¡¯sst order was delivered to her.

    Instead of heading west, she headed east again.

    The king¡¯s order was as follows, ¡®Gather all the dragon armies scattered all over my territory and look for the King of Geed. Then help him block the worst Demon God because only the King of Greed can save the demon world again.¡¯

    Ancablosa showed no tears. Like a strong dragon, she thought of revenge. She headed east at full speed.

    ***

    The Queen of Fury, who was crying over the tragedy that happened at the Temple of the eight ns while she was absent, turned her head before she knew it. She began to shed tears again, although her eyes were swollen because of her crying too much.

    She could not know the reason exactly, but her heart ached a lot.

    She grabbed her chest.

    ***

    Sitri finally recovered and stood up, supported by Samael. The King of Violence was her contractor. That was why she could learn what had happened to the King of Violence.

    She saw how the King of Violence was killed during hisst moment. He left behind a mental message for her.

    She clenched her teeth, and made up her mind like the King of Violence did.

    ***

    The King of Violence¡¯s hideout, Rare, was now gone. His vast dungeon disappeared without leaving behind a handful of ashes. It was as if the God who created the world took away part of the western area.

    The short time that the King of Violence needed to narrow his distance with the King of Pride.

    During that short span of time, the king conveyed hisst order to the dragon corps and a mental message for Sitri.

    It was thend that determined the fate of the demon world a thousand years ago.

    It was thend where Sitri, the Queen of Sloth, stood beside the King of Greed until hisst moment. It was thend where the grave of Mammon, the great King of Greed, was located, which only Sitri and the King of Violence knew.

    The Godly Energy of Greed located there like a tombstone wriggled. The Godly Energy of Greed, which the King of Violence had ced there in honor of Mammon, soared into the air. It was thest secret weapon of the King of Violence. The Godly Energy of Greed soared into the air and raced toward its other half.

 Chapter 261 - The King of Greed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 261: The King of Greed (1)</h4>

    Several things happened at the same time.

    At the moment when the forces of the King of Gluttony shed against the forces of the Queen of Fury, the army of the Dungeon Market led by Orobas, the strongest Herculean power, hit the Temple of the eight ns and other important areas.

    Right at the moment when the Queen of Fury shed with the King of Lust, the King of Pride led Bifronz, the best intellect, and Abrasax, the strongest magical power, to attack the King of Violence.

    When Yong-ho, the King of Greed, saved the Queen of Fury from the King of Lust, Gusion, regarded as the strongest among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, defeated Orobas.

    In the meantime, there was a final battle going on between the King of Violence and the King of Pride in the western region.

    All three battles were over finally. But Yong-ho did not move, leaning back in the captain¡¯s seat of the giant red dragon¡ªTiamet.

    Shortly after Yong-ho led his subordinate spirits through the door of space to support the Queen of Fury, Tigrius headed north with Tiamet, the giant red dragon. Whatever the oue of the battle, he needed to pick up Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits immediately. The 24 hours required for the reopening of the door of space were too long.

    When Yong-ho drove out the forces of the King of Gluttony by joining hands with the Queen of Fury, Tiamet led by Tigrius arrived timely.

    Despite the tragic massacres at the temple and elsewhere, the Queen of Fury fought it out tenaciously. She btedly cried out at the tragedy, but she wept behind Yong-ho¡¯s back. Tears were all over her face even though she tried to hide it. She also got aboard Tiamet, trusting Yong-ho¡¯s hypothesis that the King of Violence might have been ambushed. Some representatives of the eight ns were strongly opposed to her riding Yong-ho¡¯s flying vehicle, Tiamet, only with her bodyguards, she didn¡¯t give up.

    Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, trusted Yong-ho as an ally as well as a man. Besides, the giant red dragon, Tiamet, was essential in supporting the King of Violence. Tiamet, Mammon¡¯s gship flying vehicle, which waspleted by Sitri, could fly in the sky several times faster than the giant wild bird, Astra.

    But everything was toote.

    Shortly after Tiamet headed west, Yong-ho heard several other news.

    Sitri woke up after recovering.

    The King of Violence¡¯s secret hideout, Rare, disappeared from the ground.

    Sitri didn¡¯t say much perhaps because the Queen of Fury was right next to her or perhaps because she was still feeling unwell. Sitri only said that the King of Violence made himself explode to defeat the King of Pride, adding that she would talk more at the Garden of Life.

    Now, about thirty minutes had passed since Yong-ho was briefed about the war status.

    [Master, you have arrived at the Temple of the eight ns.]

    [The Queen of Fury is preparing to get off Tiamet.]

    Lucia whispered to Yong-ho in a cautious voice. Feeling a bit heavy, Yong-ho raised himself. When he got out of the captain¡¯s door, Catalina, who was sitting in the hallway, quickly stood up.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe inside?¡± Said Yong-ho.

    When he expressed sympathy, Catalinaughed awkwardly and said timidly, ¡°Because I thought you wanted to stay alone there.¡±

    She let down her ears as if she was blue, but her tail fluttered slightly. He felt light-hearted when he noticed her lovely posture. After patting her hair pleasantly, he stepped forward hurriedly.

    There were already lots of people gathered when he got off Tiamet. The Queen of Fury and her bodyguards including Kirtimuka were in one ce while Kaiwan and the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon were on stand by across them.

    The Queen of Fury, standing with her shoulders drooping as if feeling mncholic, quickly corrected her posture when she saw Yong-ho. She first walked to him with strides and reached out.

    He did not hesitate to shake her hands again this time. He held her little warm hand. A smile was once again on her face.

    ¡°Thank you for helping me a lot today. I think I owe you so much that I can¡¯t pay it back easily.¡±

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just that he saved her from the King of Lust. Gusion and other subordinate spirits he dispatched saved the Temple of the eight ns and their representatives. Although half of them, including King Yaksha and King Mahoraga, were killed, she had to give Yong-ho the credit for the survival of other representatives.

    Her sincere look and voice also boosted Yong-ho¡¯s morale.

    He said, tightening his hand holding hers, ¡°You¡¯re wee. We are allies.¡±

    The Queen of Furyughed again. Not only the King of Violence and the heads of the eight ns were arms were like adult protectors that she could rely on. Despite the loss of half of them, she could not lose her courage not because she was the queen, but because of her alliance with the House of Mammon, which they formed without any detailed n at first.

    ¡°I look forward to seeing you again sooner orter. It¡¯s time for us to really work together.¡±

    It was certain that the King of Violence made a suicidal attack against the King of Pride, but it was unclear what happened to the King of Pride and the two directors of the Dungeon Market. Moreover, the King of Lust was still alive.

    ¡°I look forward to working with you, too. Goodbye,¡± Yong-ho said goodbye to her.

    The Queen of Fury let go of his hand reluctantly. Looking back at him once more, she got off Tiamet with her bodyguards.

    Watching all this, Kaiwan narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She pointed at the queen with her chin. She whispered to Catalina next to her, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think she is openly trying to woo him? What do you think as a seasoned expert in this field?¡±

    Catalina opened her eyes wide at her unexpected question because she recalled Yustia¡¯s love horoscope.

    The owner of the third card. A pure virgin. Like Catalina, she was born under the same star sign and was protected by a drunk dragon.

    While blinking her eyes, Catalina quickly raised her tail as if she was a bit upset. Why was she called a gullible pure virgin like her? But she admitted the reality easily and pondered over her question.

    While Kaiwan and Catalina chatted like this, new passengers appeared at Tiamet, the red giant dragon. They were Gusion and the arena spirits under hismand.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°Gusion.¡±

    Instead of shaking hands, Yong-ho and Gusion lightly touched their palms. Just a quick look at their body could confirm how violent and intense their battles were.

    ¡°How about Orobas? Was he strong enough?¡±

    ¡°Well, he is a level lower than you, master.¡±

    Cracking a joke like that, Gusion stepped aside. Ophelia and Eligos, who appeared behind this giant monster Gusion, once again got a lot of load off Yong-ho¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Thanks for your great work, Eligos and Ophelia.¡±

    ¡°I, Ophelia, the daughter of Enderion, am honored to see you, our master of the Mammon family.¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯s nice to see you back.¡±

    Ophelia greeted Yong-ho politely while Eligos, who was momentarily embarrassed by Ophelia¡¯s verbose greetings, replied as usual while trying in vain toe up with some nice greetings.

    Yong-ho tried to appreciate the great fighting of the arena spirits. In fact, he felt a bit awkward to do so because there were some previous masters of the Mammon family among them, but none of themined to Yong-ho because they had been in the arena for so long, and they recognized him as the King of Greed.

    Right at the moment when Yong-ho was about to praise the arena spirits, he shuddered with some moaning.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    ¡°King of Greed!¡±

    At that moment, all their voices, including Gusion¡¯s, were silenced by a big shouting.

    It was the shouting of the Queen of Fury who got out of Tiamet, the giant red dragon.

    Yong-ho felt his heart was beating. It was pounding more violently than ever. When he got the Godly Energy of Gluttony or faced the Queen of Fury right before his eyes, his heart didn¡¯t beat so violently as it did now.

    Breathing out roughly, he hurriedly jumped out of Tiamet. He saw the Queen of Fury and her bodyguards waiting for him outside. All of them were pointing in one direction, and the Queen of Furyid her hands on her chest as if she felt something strange.

    Yong-ho also looked at the sky. It was approaching him. The more he closed the distance with it, the more his heart was pounding.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Godly Energy of Greed!¡± He said spontaneously.

    ¡°Cane?!¡±

    Catalina, who had the strongest eyesight among them, spoke. But it was only a moment. Catalina witnessed the object flying from a distance change its shape. Initially, it looked like an old-fashioned magic wand, but it now turned into a simple stick. Then it transformed itself again and finally took the form of a spear.

    Yong-ho raised his hand. He held the spear that flew through the sky in his hand. It was such an exquisite crossover that nobody knew whether he caught it, or itnded on his hand.

    But not only Yong-ho, but everyone else knew what it was. The Queen of Fury, who had the Sin of Fury and the Godly Energy of Fury, clenched her chest. Both Sins were resonating violently at the moment.

    The Sin of Greed.

    The Godly Energy of Greed.

    The Godly Energy of Greed was crying in his mind. It was truly a curious experience for him. Perhaps, it was because he obtained it only a moment ago, but the Godly Energy of Gluttony had never expressed its feelings like this.

    The crying of the Godly Energy of Greed never expressed itself with concrete words. So, Yong-ho just felt it. It seemed like it wasining why he changed the flying direction.

    Heughed unwittingly. Theint of the Godly Energy of Greed was very brief, but it conveyed a due message to him that it should.

    It was none other than the Godly Energy of Greed that the great King of Greed Mammon had used over a thousand years ago.

    This was the Godly Energy of true Greed.

    It was also thest gift of the King of Violence to Yong-ho.

    It was an object that he put up like a tombstone in Mammon¡¯s grave to pay homage to his master.

    That was all. All kinds of color radiated from the magic field mounted on Yong-ho¡¯s left arm, which had been called the new Godly Energy of Mammon or new Greed.

    It wasn¡¯t just a simple resonance, and Yong-ho noticed it.

    The magic field that he needed to get the recognition of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits was not something like the Godly Energy of new greed.

    Scathach was mistaken about it.

 Chapter 262 - The King of Greed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 262: The King of Greed (2)</h4>

    The purpose of this artificial Godly Energy, which Mammon had designed but neverpleted, was never a substitute for the Godly Energy of Greed.

    It had a different purpose.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t know what the purpose was, but it was now clear.

    He sorted out hisplicated thoughts. His heart, which was beating so violently as if it would burst at any moment, returned to normal. The true Godly Energy of Greed that was held in his right hand turned into a bracelet and was ced on his wrist as if to imitate Aamon. It was just next to Aamon.

    [The Godly Energy of Greed.]

    [She is finally back.]

    Aamon spoke in a wistful voice. Yong-ho could feel the Godly Energy of Greed responding to Aamon¡¯s voice.

    At that moment, he remembered something that also had remained in both Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed.

    Mammon, the King of Greed, didn¡¯t deal with Aamon alone, the magic spear of the red lotus. What he dealt with was Aamon that became one with the Godly Energy of Greed.

    When Mammon was climbing the stairs of the celestial world alone, he separated Aamon from the Godly Energy of Greed. After leaving Aamon behind, he headed for the celestial door with the Godly Energy of Greed.

    Finally, Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed became one again. Aamon regained its true power as the magic spear of the red lotus that could burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea by wielding it only once.

    ¡°Are you the King of Greed?¡±

    The Queen of Fury called Yong-ho. He hesitated for a moment as to what to say, but he made up his mind to tell her.

    He spoke confidently to his ally, ¡°The Godly Energy of Greed hase back.¡±

    Now, Yong-ho had not only the two Sins of Greed and Gluttony but also two Godly Energies pairing with them. Even though she was his ally, he was now a formidable partner for her.

    But the Queen of Fury was not afraid or jealous of him. Rather, she was really pleased.

    Kaiwan and Catalina murmured, ¡°Yeah, she is behaving as expected.¡±

    Yong-ho quickly spoke to the queen, ¡°I will be back soon. Please take care of your own people and wait here.¡±

    She didn¡¯t expect it, but she nodded cheerfully.

    ¡°Okay, I will wait.¡±

    He turned right away. He had to hurry back to the Labyrinth of Greed. He needed to meet Sitri and talk a lot with her, but he couldn¡¯t because he still had a lot of work to do.

    [Master! Giant flying vehicles are approaching this way!]

    Lucia shouted through Tiamet¡¯s terminal. The surviving representatives of the eight ns, whose invisible air barrier system was broken by some directors¡¯ ambush of the Dungeon Market, btedly discovered them approaching their way.

    Catalina identified the flying creatures first this time again. They were so enormous that she could discern them from a far greater distance than when she noticed the Godly Energy of Greed.

    They were blue.

    It had big wings, a big tail, and gorgeous scales.

    ¡°A dragon?¡±

    It was Yong-ho¡¯s first-time seeing a dragon. Shortly after Catalina shouted, others could also confirm the dragon¡¯s appearance. Moreover, it was not just one. Behind the giant blue dragon¡¯s back was a red dragon and another was a ck dragon.

    Extremely wary of dragons, Kirtimuka urgently triggered an urgent alert. Then the Queen of Fury¡¯s bodyguards were on abat mode immediately, and the spirits of the Mammon family that were on tense alert took their own weapons.

    But Yong-ho didn¡¯t show any concern. The Queen of Fury knew who was flying toward her.

    ¡°Ancablosa!¡±

    As if responding to the queen¡¯s call, the huge blue dragonnded on the ground.

    The overwhelming presence of her giant body, which was dozens of meters long, dwarfed Bone Dragon.

    Landing in front of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, she took the shape of a human by casting the spell of transformation, one of the dragon¡¯s strong merits. She now turned into an Afsaras with impressive dark hair.

    An Afsaras was characterized by her slimness, but given the attribute of Ancablosa, she was more tough than slim. She showed due manners to Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, apanied by two other dragons who turned into an Orc and a Dark Elf respectively by triggering their own magic.

    ¡°Commander of the Dragon Legion, the farthest watcher, Ancablosa, is honored to meet the King of Greed and the Queen of Fury.¡±

    She looked at them alternately and soon realized that they were the ones that the King of Violence referred to in his final message to her.

    Ancablosa was a woman by any standards. As soon as she exchanged greetings with them, she immediately got down to the point without giving them any background exnation.

    ¡°His Majesty the King of Violence referred to the King of Greed in hisst will. Can both of you lend me your hands for a moment? I would like to convey hisst will to you.¡±

    Although she was using honorifguage to them, it seemed she was talking informally perhaps because of her lofty and stately atmosphere unique to Ancablosa.

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t hesitate to take the hand that she stretched out. The Queen of Fury was about to reach out to Yong-ho too but withdrew it behind her back, noticing she didn¡¯t have to. It seemed she was mistaken that their hands including his would form a triangle shape.

    It was an interesting situation at the moment, but Ancablosa was so serious that both Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury just focused on holding their hands.

    Ancablosa immediately conveyed thete King of Violence¡¯s will to them. The voice of the King of Violence was echoing in the heads of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury.

    ¡®Mobilize the dragon army! Find the King of Greed and help him! Stop the worst Demon God with him!¡¯

    What the King of Violence meant by the ¡®worst Demon God¡¯ was the King of Pride. Yong-ho could figure out why the King of Violence didn¡¯t refer to the King of Pride merely as a king but the Demon God. The King of Pride had strength, terrifying mana, and Godly posture.

    After conveying his message, Ancablosa first let go of her hand. She exined what she knew because as the same dragon as the King of Violence, she had the direct chance to listen to the king¡¯sst will.

    ¡°The King of Violence made a suicidal attack on the King of Pride as soon as he conveyed hisst will to me. I think he had two reasons for that. First, he wanted to damage both the King of Pride and the Dungeon Market. Secondly, he didn¡¯t want to have his essence taken away by the King of Pride.¡±

    The King of Violence was recognized as the strongest dragon in the demon world. As such, it would bring about the worst situation if the King of Pride took his essence.

    Ancablosa continued, ¡°We don¡¯t know the condition of the King of Pride, but he must have been dealt a fatal blow.¡±

    In fact, when the King of Violence made a suicidal attack, not only his hideout, Rare, but also its surrounding area disappeared without even leaving any trace. Given such a strong explosion and its impact, it was highly unlikely that the King of Pride avoided his fatal attack.

    Ancablosa said, ¡°Currently, the generals of the dragon are gathering their troops scattered across the territory of the King of Violence in one ce, and at the same time, they are destroying the facilities of the dungeons still left intact within the King of Violence¡¯s territory. I came here to meet you, the King of Greed, ahead of my main troops.¡±

    Ancablosa paused for a moment and gazed at Yong-ho for long. Her gaze was as sharp as a de.

    ¡°If you have anything to order me, please tell me. I and my dragon army will obey yourmand.¡±

    She made a simple deration, but at first nce, it felt like a test to him.

    So, he responded naturally after making eye contact with her.

    ¡°Help the Queen of Fury destroy the distribution channels of the Dungeon Market and its branches in her territory. Besides, I want you to protect the territory of the Queen of Fury.¡±

    In fact, he discussed the matter of destroying the various facilities of the Dungeon Market within her territory. Since his order was rational and reasonable, Ancablosa epted his request readily.

    ¡°Sure, I will. Let me get down to the business right away.¡±

    The Orc behind her turned into a red dragon again and flew away. It seemed that the Orc wanted to convey Yong-ho¡¯s order to the Dragon Legion.

    Yong-ho looked at the Queen of Fury again and said, ¡°Dritarastra, I would like to repeat it, if I may.¡±

    The current situation was obviously not good. However, it didn¡¯t mean the situation was necessarily bad for Yong-ho because he couldbine all the troops under his integratedmand. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet the Queen of Sloth. See you back soon.¡±

    Sitri, the Queen of Sloth.

    Yong-ho did not hide the fact that she was with him and his subordinate spirits at the moment. It was nothing new to the Queen of Fury, but the queen smiled at him warmly. Although she was exhausted by the tragic happenings in various parts of her territory, she tried not to look weak to him.

    ¡°I will be waiting for you.¡±

    At that moment, Yong-ho wanted to touch her face, but he quickly controlled the urge. She was not Catalina or Kaiwan.

    Yong-ho wrapped up the meeting with Ancablosa politely then hastily returned to Tiamet, the giant red dragon and his main base. Although he had the strong support of the powerful Dragon Legion, he was rather nervous and ufortable because of the King of Violence¡¯sst will to him.

    His subordinate spirits including Catalina gave Yong-ho some time to think alone. Rather than thinking about the King of Pride, he leaned deeply back in the captain¡¯s seat and pondered over other things.

    He lifted his right hand where Aamon and the Godly Energy of Greed were embedded.

    Although he received it so suddenly, the true Godly Energy of Greed was finally in his hand.

    Since he had the experience of exercising the true power of Gluttony through the Godly Energy of Gluttony, he became curious about the power of Greed.

 Chapter 263 - The King of Greed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 263: The King of Greed (3)</h4>

    The Sin of fury turned its owner¡¯s anger into strength. The angrier the owner of the fury was, the stronger her power was.

    The power of the Sin of lust was temptation. All those who could not ovee the temptation became ves of the King of Lust.

    The power of gluttony was eating. Using the power of gluttony, Yong-ho could eat not only pure mana but even the magic once processed or the energy of the sword.

    Then, what was the power of Greed?

    [I do not know either.]

    Yong-ho blinked his eyes before he knew when Aamon replied.

    Aamon continued, [Mammon used the power created by the mix of Greed and the Godly Energy of greed only to neutralize and weaken the power of other kings.]

    [I don¡¯t know why.]

    [Maybe he did so because of the peculiarity of Greed or because I may have not grasped the true power of Greed.]

    The more he heard it, the more confused he was. So, he focused on the Godly Energy of greed just like he did when he exercised the power of Gluttony. But its reaction was different. Unlike the Godly Energy of gluttony that he could instinctively understand how to use, the Godly Energy of greed did not tell him anything.

    ¡®I wonder if it has no power at all.¡¯

    But the Godly Energy of greed immediately responded to his thinking like that. To be exact, it must have been mad at him.

    ¡®The power of greed is the power of possession.¡¯

    Maybe there was a clue there. Maybe the power of Greed was somewhat irrelevant to the battle just like the power of evolution.

    [Master, it seems I¡¯m pushing you hard, but I have something to tell you by all means.]

    Aamon changed the topic. When Yong-ho concentrated on something else, Aamon kept talking, [When you fought the King of Lust, you used only the power of gluttony while forgetting your greatest power and the power of Greed that you have been using for a long time.]

    [The special ability that is activated bybining Sin and magic is obviously powerful. But that¡¯s not all. I believe the owner will know it well.]

    Aamon was right. When fighting the King of Lust, Yong-ho did not properly use the power of Greed. It would be more correct to say he didn¡¯t put it to operation.

    Yong-ho had two Sins¡ªgreed and gluttony. In terms of a car, it was like having two engines.

    If so, he had to exert the power of both engines.

    The King of Pride acquired the power of Envy. Unlike Yong-ho, he used both the power of Pride and the power of Envy at the same time. The synergy effect of thebined powers was much more powerful than he thought.

    Yong-ho immediately understood what Aamon was trying to remind him. He had to learn to use two Sins at the same time to confront the King of Pride properly.

    After he was done talking with Aamon, he cleared his mind in a break with what he used to do.

    While Tiamet was carrying him to the Labyrinth of Greed, he wanted to take a break, so he closed his eyes.

    ***

    Apparently notified by Lucia, all the spirits of the House of Mammon including Yuria came out to wee Yong-ho even though it was veryte at night.

    He stroked Yuria¡¯s hair, whose eyes were shining brighter than usual, then headed straight to the Garden of Life. Yuria seemed a little disappointed when everybody including Yong-ho was busy, but he could not afford to pay attention to her now.

    The closer he got to the Garden of Life, the more impatient he was. Even though he already heard from Lucia that Sitri was in good condition, he was still very worried about her health and safety. He needed to check her condition by himself before he could feel relieved.

    Kaiwan was as impatient as Yong-ho, so the two quickened their steps in no time and almost ran to the Garden of Life.

    So, they finally arrived at Scathach¡¯s mansion. As soon as he opened the front door, Yong-ho gasped for breath while Kaiwan rolled her eyes to look for Sitri. They saw Yustia and Samael momentarily, but they didn¡¯t care. They were looking at only the red-haired woman buried deep in a chair made of blue waves.

    ¡°Sitri!¡± He shouted.

    The red-haired woman responded to his call like the way she did, as always.

    ¡°My beloved customer.¡±

    Her familiar and simple greetings were more than enough to make him feel so much relieved.

    He smiled broadly at her response. Then he stepped forward and approached her. Sitri opened her arms to him, and the two naturally hugged each other.

    He felt warm when he hugged her. He could see what made her different from Catalina and Kaiwan. The difference wasn¡¯t that he was holding her but that he was being held in her arms.

    ¡°Sitri.¡±

    He called her again, and Sitri tapped him on the back lightly.

    Their short but friendly hugging ended.

    ¡°What a relief,¡± he said. Sitri nodded quietly. Then she hugged Kaiwan, who approached her hesitantly.

    Only after she hugged them did others exchange greetings with her.

    ¡°I, Samael, director of the Dungeon Market, am pleased to greet you, master of the Mammon family.¡±

    She still used her title as a director of the Dungeon Market. He looked at Samael. Seeing her severed left arm, he agonized a bit but said softly, ¡°I am d to see you in person like this. Scathach can heal your wounded left arm.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±

    After bowing to him politely, she sat next to Sitri. Right at that moment, Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits including Catalina, Scathach, and Gusion arrived at Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    After greeting them all, Sitri started talking again.

    ¡°My beloved customer, as you know, so many things happened during thest few days. It is no exaggeration to say that the bnce of power of the demon world haspletely copsed.¡±

    Three of the six kings died. The King of Violence, the King of Envy, and the King of Gluttony no longer existed.

    The King of Pride absorbed the power of the King of Envy, and the King of Lust helped him.

    Yong-ho, the King of Greed, took away the power of the King of Gluttony and joined hands with the Queen of Fury and the Queen of Sloth.

    Besides, there was a realignment of various forces under various kings.

    The King of Pride had the support of the Dungeon Market, with the addition of the territories of the King of Envy, King of Lust, and King of Gluttony.

    On the other hand, Yong-ho had the support of the forces of the King of Violence led by the Dragon Legion and the Queen of Fury, his ally. He also owned the unimednds in the south, his stronghold.

    The South and North were divided. This kind of ambiguous power structure would be changedpletely within a few days.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why the King of Pride gained so much power. However, he is both the enemy of the Mammon family as well as the demon world. So, you have to stop him.¡±

    Thest will that the King of Violence left behind just before his death was truly strong.

    The current King of Pride could be said to be the worst demon like the King of Violence pointed out.

    Sitri paused for a moment to catch her breath. She had a lot to talk about with Yong-ho, but what she had to tell him and others right now was the forces of the King of Pride.

    ¡°Three directors of the Dungeon Market were all under themand of the King of Pride. As a result, various resources of the Dungeon Market, such as its spirits and distributionworks also fell into the hands of the King of Pride. But this area in the south was not upied by the king.¡±

    It was only been several days since the coup happened at the Dungeon Market. The three directors didn¡¯t touch Sitri¡¯s territory at all.

    ¡°I did not form any separate force. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t care at all. My beloved customer, I understand you have already peeked into my warehouse, right?¡±

    Yong-ho recalled what he saw in the virtual space of the Dungeon Market. He saw dozens ofrge flying vehicles including the giant red dragon, Tiamet, and mammoth flying spirits in her warehouse.

    Sitri gently reached out and grabbed Samael¡¯s left hand, who was seated next to her.

    Samael said to Yong-ho, ¡°I also have some power that I hid somewhere. The traitors didn¡¯t take away all of my power. Some of the distributionworks in the territory of the King of Gluttony are still in my hands. The most valuable items in a special auction house are also in my possession.¡±

    It was not that all of the properties of the Dungeon Market were stolen by the three directors. Neither Sitri nor Samael were easy targets to them.

    When Samael was done talking excitedly, Sitri touched her hand again.

    After pausing for a moment, Sitri continued, ¡°My beloved customer, I am the Queen of Sloth, but at the same time, I¡¯m the founder of the Dungeon Market. So, I can do something. I would say it¡¯s the kind of insurance that I have prepared for myself.¡±

    Sitri quietly fidgeted with her fingers. Then there appeared in the air a light map of the demon world. Sitri pointed to the northern part of it and said, ¡°I have a master key to freely use all distribution channels and warehouses at the Dungeon Market. Of course, Abrasax and Bifronz do not know this.¡±

    The distributionwork of the Dungeon Market was drawn above the map of the demon world. Distribution channels connected to each other like a spider web were located widely not only in the territory of the King of Pride but also throughout the northern part.

    Besides, there was specific information about the location of several warehouses and facilities.

    All this was very valuable for strategic purposes. And Sitri said clearly that she could use all those distribution channels and warehouses with the master key.

    ¡°Perhaps, you have only one chance to use it properly because Bifronz will notice the existence of the master key after you use it. But how fatal your one-time use depends entirely on you.¡±

    The bnce of power of the six kings was broken, while there was formed a new bnce between the North and South. And Yong-ho now possessed a dagger that he could stab into the heart of the north, although he could use it only once¡ªthe master key.

    Sitri continued to talk about what Yong-ho had to do next.

 Chapter 264 - The King of Greed (4)

    <h4>Chapter 264: The King of Greed (4)</h4>

    Sitri went on, ¡°The King of Violence was not deprived of his essence by the King of Pride. The King of Pride¡¯s n to defeat the King of Violence may have been sessful, but his n to go to a higher level through the King of Violence failed. Moreover, he must have been hit hard.¡±

    Although the King of Violence¡¯s suicidal attack was very unfortunate, Yong-ho didn¡¯t think the King of Pride was killed by his attack, for the power of the King of Pride was too powerful.

    The King of Pride had eight horns of light, six wide wings of light, and a huge halo of light rising above his head. Indeed, it was God-like power and majesty.

    Sitri¡¯s rtionship with the King of Violence wasn¡¯t that deep by nature. It was more than a thousand years that they existed in the demon world, but they met face to face for a dialogue only a few times, and even in that case, she talked to him as one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, not as the Queen of Sloth.

    It was only a few months ago that their rtionship changed.

    Knowing what happened to Mammon in the past through the Godly Energy of Greed, the King of Violence also discovered the true identity of Sitri.

    The King of Violence had no ambition to rule the demon world. He simply sought knowledge as an observer of the world.

    The King of Violence first contacted Sitri. He did not covet the Sin of Sloth or its Godly Energy. He just wanted to meet her to hear from her more about what had happened on that day and the ce where Mammon¡¯sst fight took ce.

    Meeting the King of Violence, Sitri realized that his pure respect for Mammon was genuine. Thus, Sitri signed a contract with the King of Violence. Through a special magical contract, she told him specifically about what happened on that day, and the King of Violence granted her request in return.

    The reason why he made the King of Gluttony restless by suddenly moving the Dragon Legion to the eastern border was because Sitri wanted it. It wasn¡¯t just because of Sitri that the King of Violence told the Queen of Fury to use him more actively, but Sitri yed a role to some extent.

    Her conversation with the King of Violence gave Sitri an unexpected joy. She found it was not as painful as she thought to share Mammon¡¯sst moment with him. While talking with the King of Violence about it, Sitri felt that her wounded heart was healed.

    That was why she could maintain her rtionship with the King of Violence. And their contractual rtionship was useful in unexpected moments. The moment when the King of Violence was ready to attack the King of Pride at the risk of his life, and Abrasax, terrified in advance, deactivated the disturbing magic he had cast in the air, Sitri could receive more information than expected through her contractual rtionship with the King of Violence.

    Sitri thought of the King of Violence.

    Reminiscing about the king, who was wise and intelligent unlike his nickname of violence, Sitri continued, ¡°You should not neglect the death of the King of Violence. You have to use the Dragon Legion he left behind and the time he gained for you.¡±

    She seemed to be tired after talking long, so she paused for a moment and caught her breath before continuing.

    ¡°Under the best scenario, the King of Pride was severely injured, and Abrasax and Bifronz were killed. But that would be an overly optimistic scenario. So, let me tell you under the assumption that the King of Pride was injured heavily, and we have gained time because of his wounds.¡±

    The territory of the King of Gluttony was expanded in the light map of the demon world. Samael raised her left hand to point to the king¡¯s territory.

    ¡°A surprise attack through the Dungeon Market is now impossible. So, there will be an all-out war between the South and North. If that¡¯s the case, the first thing we need to attack is the territory of the King of Gluttony. There is currently no king in that territory, and there is a big turbulence in the country at the moment. Moreover, you can mount a surprise attack through the distribution channels that are still in my possession. It¡¯s time for us to ambush the King of Pride now.¡±

    The King of Gluttony¡¯s territory changed its hand overnight. Even though the King of Pride tried to attack the forces under themand of the Queen of Fury by mobilizing a huge army, he didn¡¯t get anything. Besides, the suprememander, King of Pride, was severely wounded. It was no exaggeration to say that the territory of the King of Gluttony was in turmoil.

    Catching her breath, Sitri spoke again, ¡°You don¡¯t have to upy the territory of the King of Gluttony. Like you did before, you canunch a hit-and-run strategy of dungeon attacks on arger scale. The important thing is to gather the essence of the dungeon and grow your beloved dungeon soul, Lucia, so she can take full control of the Labyrinth of Greedpletely.¡±

    [What?]

    As if she was surprised by Sitri¡¯s sudden mention, Lucia shouted.

    Sitri looked at Yong-ho after smiling for a moment.

    ¡°Complete Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy. Completely upy the Labyrinth of Greed to be the true owner of the dungeon and unleash all its power. You have to be on par with Master Mammon of the past in order to confront the King of Pride who boasts of the most mighty power.¡±

    The power of the dungeon was its master¡¯s power.

    The growth of the dungeon soon caused the master¡¯s growth.

    The Labyrinth of Geed was the dungeon of Mammon, who could be said to be the strongest demon king ever. So, it was the strongest dungeon.

    Yong-ho could understand fully why Sitri told her topletely conquer the Labyrinth of Greed. He had to conquer it toplete the Godly Energy of Mammon.

    But Sitri¡¯sst words provoked Yong-ho.

    ¡°Wait a minute, wait, Sitri.¡±

    She clearly said he needed to be on par with Mammon to confront the King of Pride.

    Yong-ho felt something different when she mentioned it. Not only Yong-ho but the others that were also gathered there felt the same way.

    ¡°Sitri.¡±

    This time, Gusion whispered to him. He intensely red at Sitri with an angry expression, so much so that everyone in Scathach¡¯s mansion turned their eyes at him.

    ¡°Gusion.¡±

    Sitri calmly called him, which made him even angrier.

    ¡°Our Master Mammon had three Sins. And now, Yong-ho, our new master, has two Sins of Greed and Gluttony.¡±

    In other words, Yong-ho needed another Sin and Godly Energy to be on par with Mammon. Although it might sound weird, obtaining Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy was easy. Since it was a tool, all he had to do was just obtain it.

    But in the case of the Sin, it was different. To obtain another Sin, Yong-ho had to kill the owner of the Sin.

    If so, who should he kill to obtain another Sin? King of Lust? King of Pride, his greatest enemy?

    Catalina, who btedly grasped what was going on, uttered an exmation before she knew it.

    Kaiwan looked at Sitri, clenching her fists.

    Gusion opened his mouth again, almost growling.

    ¡°If you are going to say you will sacrifice your life to our master, I¡¯m not going to forgive you.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s soul is broken. But she was still a queen with one of the Seven Deadly Sins, with as many as seven horns. If Yong-ho could kill her and take her essence, he could obtain the third Sin and rise to a higher level than now.

    With everybody keeping silent, Sitri faced Gusion. Faced with him who was like an angry bull at the moment, she didn¡¯t lose herposure.

    ¡°Gusion, you hate me, right?¡±

    ¡°Sitri!¡± Shouted Gusion.

    His loud shouting shook Scathach¡¯s mansion, let alone the Garden of Life.

    It was not just Gusion who reacted violently. Unlike Gusion, Yong-ho was upset, too. He could not take her essence by killing her.

    Sitri looked at Yong-ho. She saw Scathach, who was about to cry at any moment, and heard Aamon who already arose into the mes of the red lotus.

    Sitri shook her head and held Yong-ho¡¯s hand gently. She didn¡¯t want to create a sad atmosphere like this, but she was touched by their violent reaction or resistance to her insinuation.

    She said in a tearful voice, ¡°My beloved customer, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t want to diefortably as if I was running away from you, leaning all the dirty work to you. I was Mammon¡¯s former lover. I¡¯m very greedy like him. I would like to see my beloved master happier than now with lots of children in the future.¡±

    Then she turned her eyes at Catalina and Kaiwan. Catalina flinched the moment she heard it, and even Kaiwan blushed. Sitri smiled, looking at them.

    ¡°The power of Greed is possession, so it¡¯s something that only the King of Greed can do.¡±

    Besides, Yong-ho had the Godly Energy of Greed. The basic function of the Godly Energy was to reinforce the power of Sin.

    ¡°My beloved customer, you can use Kaiwan¡¯s power of distortion and Tigrius¡¯s power of unity becaue you have made them your subordinate spirits, who had such power for many years. However, not all the masters can use the power like you. Even if they obtain power in the same way, they can¡¯t exert their power properly because the moment they be another master¡¯s subordinate spirits, their power bes very weak. Over time, it may even disappear.¡±

    Yong-ho was different from other masters. Even now, Kaiwan and Tigrius could use their power as well as they did before they were made Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits, and Yong-ho could also make good use of their power. The only thing that Yong-hocked was his skill in using them.

    Greed never missed out on the power that came into its realm.

    ¡°Power is the power of the soul that the master has. It¡¯s also the same with Sin. If power is the power of the master, Sin is the power of the king.¡±

    Yong-ho now could understand what Sitri was talking about. Everybody was surprised.

    ¡°My soul is still poisoned by the celestial power. Because of this, if you get connected to my soul, it can hurt you, my beloved customer.¡±

    Sitri grabbed his hand tightly and said, looking straight into his eyes, ¡°Take the Queen of Fury as your subordinate spirit. Just obtain not only her body and soul but also her Sin.¡±

    Sitri¡¯s suggestion was ridiculous. The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight ns. She was Yong-ho¡¯s ally. She obviously had a favorable opinion of him, but it had nothing to do with her bing his subordinate spirit.

    But Sitri didn¡¯t back off. When Yong-ho was embarrassed, she continued to persuade him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it right now.¡±

    Yong-ho still had some time. He could make her his subordinate spirit even after defeating the King of Pride.

    ¡°You are the King of Greed. You¡¯re the most greedy man in the demon world. So, I believe you can do it. Can you do it?¡±

    Letting go of his hand, Sitri smiled yfully and even winked at him. Gusion, who got sullen and upset because of Sitri, was dumbfounded, while Scathach blinked. Kaiwan and Catalina sighed at the same time. Yustia rummaged the fortune cards again. Skull burst intoughter after a long time.

    And Aamon whispered alone in mes, making everybody confused.

    [Is it because of your anguish in the end?]

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t reply. Only the Sin of Greed and its Godly Energy gave off a subtle power.

 Chapter 265 - Massive strike (1)

    <h4>Chapter 265: Massive strike (1)</h4>

    The light that the King of Violence created by sacrificing himself eliminated the western area from this world. Not only the King of Violence¡¯s hideout, Rare, but also the surrounding forest and its inhabitants were also eradicated without any trace from this world.

    The dragons did not go back to the area where everything was gone. The dragons that were living near the king¡¯s hideout moved north and east ording to the king¡¯sst will, preparing for the uing war.

    The night of the demon world was dark blue. The sun,ing from the east, turned the whole world blue or almost ck, with its red ray.

    The sunlight reached thend that was gone now. The sun drove away the full night in that ce where even small birds didn¡¯te back because of their instinctive fear.

    The wind blowing from the east wandered around on the emptynd, and it soon turned into a little whirlpool. There was nothing or nobody in thend. So, no one witnessed the tiny whirlpool created by the wind quickly transforming into something else.

    It was a twist. Mana raged in the whirlpool created by the wind, which created a passage to a ce that would have been impossible normally.

    Only mana would swirl in a small twist. But in a slightlyrger twist, some other beings from other ces descended through the passage.

    But this time, nothing special came out of the twist. It was neither mana nor any special being that came out of the twist. It was something different from mana, or something that could be called a force.

    The mana scattered around the twist had been altered or rather ¡°contaminated.¡±

    It was an unusual distortion.

    Actually, it happened everywhere in the demon world a long time ago.

    A strong wind blew again, passing through the traces that the cracks of the world left behind, which could no longer be called a twist.

    ***

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t want to open his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t want to wake up to face the reality. It was always dangerous outside one¡¯s nket.

    But unfortunately, he opened his eyes wide before he knew it.

    Half asleep, he looked at the ceiling with a nk expression.

    His bedroom was on the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, namely, on the first basement level, so there was no window or sunlight. But the room was bright because Lucia turned on the lighting device of the room at the scheduled time.

    [Sleepyhead, it¡¯s time to wake up]

    [Please tell me if you want to sleep a little more.]

    [Let me tell your subordinate spirits including Gusion and Scathach that you want to put off today¡¯s schedule a littleter.]

    Of course, Yong-ho could not sleep any longer. He moved his fingers after oveing the temptation to stay a little longer on the bed, which was stronger than the temptation of the Subus. In the corner of a bed which was spacious enough for a mixed martial arts game, though not for running, Catalina was crouching with the nket all over her body. She usually sleptte in the morning.

    He reluctantly got up from the bed and looked at the other side of Catalina. Unlike Catalina, Kaiwan was an early riser, but she was not seen on the bed. Apparently, she got up early and went out to wash.

    A long and tedious day passed and another day broke.

    It was no exaggeration to say that the world was overturned by the King of Pride, but Yong-ho didn¡¯t need to be obsessed with the new reality. He needed some break to fight back.

    Finally, he got up from the bed. After taking off Catalina¡¯s nket, he left the bedroom with her on his back, who was still half asleep.

    It was time for him to start the day.

    ¡°This is the essence of the guy called Orobas. I¡¯ve brought it here because I thought it would be better for you to take it than me.¡±

    Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits gathered at the gate control station in the space located on the 9th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, not Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    Yong-ho looked at Samael for a moment after receiving the essence of a brilliant color from Gusion. Having lost all her subordinate spirits to the three directors of the Dungeon Market, she made eye contact with Yong-ho with a calm expression.

    In fact, she already expressed gratitude to Gusion for taking revenge on Orobas.

    Without hesitating any more, Yong-ho grabbed Orobas¡¯s essence.

    As the strongest power of the Dungeon Market, he had six horns. As a Red Demon, his mana was clearly one level below Yong-ho¡¯s maximum mana, but it was still very powerful. Orobas was much stronger than Kaiwan or Catalina who had six horns like him.

    Orobas¡¯s essence looked really tasty. Not only Greed but also Gluttony was craving for it in Yong-ho¡¯s soul.

    However, Yong-ho did not immediately take it. He overcame the temptation even by exercising ¡®patience,¡¯ the power of Yustia embedded in Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy.

    Of course, it was because he wanted anything like an ordeal that he suppressed the temptation. It was because he wanted to create a synergy effect for an instant big growth.

    When he raised his right hand that didn¡¯t hold Orobas¡¯s essence, Scathach and Samael stepped forward at the same time. The two women knelt in front of him and raised their hands to hold his hands.

    [From now on, the ceremony of making Scathach and Samael Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits will take ce.]

    [The current subordinate spirits of the Mammon family, please unleash your power to help our master.]

    In fact, Yong-ho nned to make Scathach his subordinate spirit a long time ago. In the case of Samael, Samael herself strongly requested it, while Yustia politely refused it.

    Yustia said she could give Yong-ho advice freely as an ordinary spirit, not his subordinate spirit. But Samael, craving for revenge, needed more power. It was only Yong-ho who could give her more power than when she was a director of the Dungeon Market because she lost her own dungeon and her subordinate spirits.

    The directors of the Dungeon Market were considered to be on par with the kings in terms of power, although they didn¡¯t have Sins or Godly Energies like them. Even from Yong-ho¡¯s point of view, it would be greatly helpful if he could make Samael, the fastest wing, his subordinate spirit. Despite a decrease in her mana, she still had six horns.

    He closed his eyes. All of the subordinate spirits shared their strength through Brigada.

    Lucia registered Scathach and Samael as Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits at the same time. He took Orobas¡¯s essence at the moment when his mana was about to increase as a result of their registration.

    By simple calction, Yong-ho now had three types of mana that was equivalent to six horns.

    His Gluttony devoured all of its power. His greed did not allow even the slightest leaking of power out of his body.

    Soon, his body changed.

    The six horns on his head disappeared at once, and instead, seven horns of light appeared.

    Like the King of Lust, he now had seven horns. It meant that his mana now went beyond the power of a seven-horn mana.

    [I can feel the power!]

    [Ah ah ah ah ah-!]

    Lucia screamed in a mixture of pain and pleasure so did his subordinate spirits who gathered in a circle around him. Eligos, Ophelia, and Tigrius enjoyed a remarkable increase in their power. A sixth horn soared between the five horns that sprouted over their heads.

    Samael was thrilled. She now felt a stronger force than she was as a director of the Dungeon Market. Kaiwan and Catalina, who already had six horns, gained mana that was close to the average mana of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Despite the rule that as the number of subordinate spirits increases, the amount of mana that they could gain would diminish, Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits¡¯ mana increased remarkably.

    Yong-ho thought it was possible because of everybody¡¯s cooperation.

    Orobas¡¯s essence that Gusion obtained, taking Scathach and Samael as Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits, the synergy effect of the Sin of Gluttony and the Sin of Greed, Tigrius¡¯s synthetic union and Yuhoyuan¡¯s power, harmony, and the subordinate spirits¡¯ sharing of their power through Brigada.

    As soon as they were done, they gasped for breath. As the moment that seemed like an eternity passed, the mana filling the space door control station scattered in search of its owner.

    Catalina and Kaiwan squatted down, and even the strong Red Demons¡ªOphelia and Eligos¡ªtrembled their knees. Tigrius broke into a cold sweat, leaning against his cane. It was only Skull and Gusion who were standing without moving at all.

    Wet with sweat, Samael raised her body and said after bowing to Yong-ho, ¡°Master of the Mammon family as well as my body and soul, I¡¯m going to attack the territory of the King of Gluttony. Please give me a go-ahead.¡±

    In fact, Yong-ho set up the attack n yesterday. The more quickly she ambushed them through her own distribution channel, the better. Moreover, it would be possible to check out the situation of the King of Pride¡¯s camp through the surprise attack.

    ¡°Sure, let me approve it. Go and strike them as much as you can.¡±

    Responding to him with a smile, Samael magically connected the space door control station to her dungeon distribution channel. In the meantime, Yuria and Baduk, who was watching from a distance, ran quickly and handed out the energy recovery potion to all of the subordinate spirits.

    Yong-ho devised two teams for the attack on the territory of the King of Gluttony. Gusion¡¯s team included Eligos and Ophelia while Samael¡¯s team included Skull, Scathach, and Tigrius.

    Since they were going to attack through the distribution channel of the Dungeon Market, not just the door of space, Yong-ho could mobilize arge number of troops. Each team included the exclusive spirits of the arena, Skull¡¯s unit as well as the spirits of the Dungeon Market taken from the warehouses of Sitri and Samael.

    Headed by Skull abroad Bucephs, all the subordinate spirits except for Aamon, Catalina, and Kaiwan left the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho couldn¡¯t figure out how many times he would dispatch them in the future, but he felt he could evolve all of them once more before having it out with the King of Pride. Given the synthetic reinforcement, he could strengthen them much more than now.

    After seeing them off, Yong-ho got down to the next job right away. The reason he had Kaiwan and Catalina with him was he had some work to do with them.

 Chapter 266 - Massive strike (2)

    <h4>Chapter 266: Massive strike (2)</h4>

    The 11th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    It was the ce guarded by Yuno in Virgo, thest one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    The 11th floor, where the Mammon family¡¯srge banquet room and various living spaces were located, had a huge number of dungeon monsters. Moreover, as if to prove their power, even the weakest monster was powerful enough to be a four-star spirit by the standards of the Dungeon Market.

    However, it was the King of Greed, his guardian knight, Catalina, and hispanion, Kaiwan, who entered the 11th floor now. Even the dungeon monsters that drove the masters of the Mammon family to the upper floors couldn¡¯t be their match.

    Aamon, who became one with the Godly Energy of Greed, proved that all the old legends of the demon world were true. The green mes full of the energy of Greed spread ferociously to burn the dungeon monsters all at once.

    Catalina and Kaiwan also unleashed their new strength freely. A dark shadow and the whirlpool of the sword swept the dungeon monsters.

    There were only three on the 11th floor, but it took less than an hour for them to destroy all the dungeon monsters on the 11th floor.

    As the attack was done so quickly, Smi, who followed Yong-ho¡¯s party as a possible reinforcement, just looked at his master andpanion nkly, not knowing how to help them.

    [We have intelligence given by the dungeon spirit Yustia.]

    [Yuno in Virgo is currently located in therge banquet hall. If you go straight ahead, you will see the door of therge banquet hall.]

    As Lucia said, the grand banquet hall where Mammon used to hold a banquet with not only the 12 Spirits but also all the dungeon spirits of the Mammon family was vast. When Yong-ho opened the door, he saw a muchrger and wider space than the Garden of Life.

    There were lots of white tables and chairs under the blue sky and green trees. Guided by Greed, Yong-ho crossed them all and stood in front of a small white building resembling Scathach¡¯s mansion.

    A round blue door opened automatically. The colorful mosaics shining in the sunlight and the beautiful yet elegant interior where white doves seemed toe out didn¡¯t draw Yong-ho¡¯s attention. Yong-ho, Catalina, and Kaiwan all looked at the woman with silver hair sitting in the middle of the house, with their eyes closed.

    The legendary story about her was true. She was a surprisingly beautiful woman. She was the woman who could bepared with Sitri, the most beautiful woman Yong-ho had seen in his lifetime. While Sitri was a living beauty, the woman in front of him was a mystery itself, who seemed to disappear anytime soon, as if she was a woman taken out from a painting.

    Unlike the Sin of Gluttony that was quiet at the moment, the Sin of Greed once again raised its voice. Then, as if responding to this, the woman in Virgo slowly opened her eyes. Yong-ho and his party were reflected in her eyes that changed colors ording to the direction she looked at.

    Extremely tense before she knew it, Catalina swallowed, and Kaiwan also looked at the woman with her lips tightly closed.

    The woman blinked and soon tilted her head.

    Then she said in a voice which was as beautiful as her appearance, ¡°Elune?¡±

    No one expected her to mention that name. That was why none of them could respond immediately, and the woman who got up from her seat, Yuno in Virgo, approached Catalina.

    She said, ¡°You can¡¯t help it, too. Were you born again under the same star sign as before? Did you get the drunk dragon¡¯s bliss? Besides, this time, you have be the guardian knight of the Mammon family?¡±

    ¡°Uh... pardon?¡±

    Catalina was embarrassed when Yuno asked a barrage of questions unexpectedly. She couldn¡¯t understand what Yuno was talking about.

    Yuno looked straight at her with her unshakable eyes and said, grabbing her hand, ¡°I¡¯m Yuno who is counting the stars and who discerns one¡¯s soul. You have been born with the spirit of Elune. I can tell you that the souls that went through the Astral Line were all the same, but I can say clearly that you can still be called Elune¡¯s reincarnation. Please forgive me for treating you informally. I was so happy to see you that I didn¡¯t take into ount your situation.¡±

    Catalina¡¯s eyes twinkled violently.

    At that moment, Kaiwan cut in quickly, ¡°Wait, wait a second. Did you say Catalina is Elune¡¯s reincarnation? Then, Catalina¡¯s previous incarnation was Elune?¡±

    Even Kaiwan was apparently dumbfounded, unable to put together the mysterious puzzle.

    Yuno said calmly, ¡°As I said before, I can¡¯t equally treat the soul that passed through the Astral Line, the vast sea of souls wrapping around the stars, and the soul that didn¡¯t. However, there is something left behind after the soul passes through the Astral Line. You can call it the essence of the soul. And in that sense, this woman can be rightly called Elune¡¯s reincarnation. Of course, she is a bit different from the reincarnation you think of.¡±

    Catalina and Kaiwan found it hard to understand her exnation.

    However, what she kept repeating shocked Catalina.

    ¡°I am Elune¡¯s reincarnation...¡±

    Catalina raised her hands unwittingly and covered her blushing face. If someone had said it, Catalina would have ignored it out of hand, but it came directly out of Yuno¡¯s mouth, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits. So, she trusted Yuno, and her heart was full. How could she not be thrilled when she heard that Elune, the object of her admiration, was her own past life? Her ears and tail pped violently.

    Yuno looked at her very curiously.

    She continued, ¡°I¡¯m just amazed to know that you are born under the same star sign as Elune not only in your past life but also in your current life. Besides, you have the blessings of the drunk dragon. I¡¯ve never seen a soul like you. You really deserve to be Elune.¡±

    While she got carried away with the uncontroble thrill, Catalina recalled the alter ego of Elune on the third floor of the Labyrinth of Greed and soon covered her face fully with both hands. Somehow she blushed and felt shy. Her pping ears and tail drooped.

    At that moment, Kaiwan cut in again.

    ¡°Hey, what about me? How was my previous life?¡±

    She spoke in a very excited voice, something Yong-ho hardly noticed before.

    Yuno replied after tilting her head, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think you are included in the list of people that I know.¡±

    In fact, this was normal. After throwing cold water on Kaiwan¡¯s high expectations, Yuno finally turned to Yong-ho. She gracefully expressed due manners by slightly lifting the hem of a pure white dress that matched her silver hair and neat look.

    ¡°Please forgive me for introducing myself to you. You¡¯re the new King of Greed! Heir to the great Mammon family! I, Yuno, one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits who is counting the stars, am honored to meet you.¡±

    Her calm introduction made Yong-ho feel less embarrassed. He looked at thest of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, and she looked at him calmly.

    Then she said in a voice mixed with yearning and wistfulness.

    ¡°You look very like him.¡±

    Yong-ho didn¡¯t even have to ask who he was. Catalina, who seriously thought about sticking her nose in the dish with her face covered with her hands, raised her head suddenly. She seemed to expect something new.

    ¡®Really? I can¡¯t believe it!¡¯

    Wasn¡¯t Yong-ho the reincarnation of Mammon, the great King of Greed?

    Yong-ho was born with the Sin of Greed for the first time since Mammon. Moreover, he had the power of evolution like Mammon. He also knew how to use Aamon, who used to be Mammon¡¯s best friend.

    Besides, there were lots of things that Yong-ho achieved.

    It was no exaggeration to say that each of Yong-ho¡¯s achievements was a miracle. He was a special being, no matter what anyone said.

    Kaiwan kept swallowing with her fists clenched. Then she suddenly shook her head.

    ¡®Oh, no. I can¡¯t!¡¯

    Come to think of it, there was Sitri. If Yong-ho was Mammon¡¯s reincarnation, what would be his rtionship with Sitri? Yuno said that the reincarnation she mentioned was different from what Kaiwan or Catalina thought of, but she did not specifically exin what was different. Moreover, the question was how Sitri would take it.

    Kaiwan looked at Yuno with an expression mixed with anticipation and worries.

    Yuno shook her head then said in a voice mixed with wistfulness and regret from the beginning.

    ¡°You look like Mammon a lot, but you are not him. The one who is right in front of me is thepletely new King of Greed.¡±

    Having said that, she turned to Kaiwan. It seemed that she mentioned it with Kaiwan and Catalina in mind, in particr.

    Catalina blinked her eyes and slowly pped her ears while Kaiwan let out a sigh of relief for some reason.

    Yong-ho also felt strange at that moment.

    She said he was not Mammon¡¯s reincarnation. In a way, what she said was right, but it seemed that he was expecting to hear something like a special secret of his birth from her.

    Yuno smiled again and said, ¡°But it¡¯s very strange. I feel like His Majesty Mammon is right now with the new King of Greed.¡±

    This time, Yong-ho was also persuaded by what she said. Indeed, he had lots of Mammon¡¯s legacies, so much so that he was another Mammon.

    When Yuno was done talking, the mes of the red lotus arose right next to Yong-ho.

    Yuno, who was talking to them in a small voice, spoke up for the first time, ¡°Aamon!¡±

    [It¡¯s been a while, Yuno.]

    [I want to share my joy with you slowly, but the time is not good.]

    [Currently, the House of Mammon is faced with a very grave danger.]

    Aamon briefed her about the current situation shortly and clearly.

    Yuno¡¯s fine eyebrows frowned. She realized the crisis of the Mammon family, but some other factors made her feel unpleasant.

    The King of Pride who took possession of the Sin of Envy, and the King of Lust helping the King of Pride.

    It was exactly the same political situation as it was a thousand years ago.

    Among the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed, Fury, and Gluttony were with the Mammon family, while the Sin of Pride, the Sin of Envy, and the Sin of Lust were hostile toward the Mammon family.

 Chapter 267 - Massive strike (3)

    <h4>Chapter 267: Massive strike (3)</h4>

    [Yes, she is still alive. She is with us now. But she has been poisoned by the celestial world.]

    Yuno¡¯s face hardened even harder when she heard the expression ¡®poisoned by the celestial world.¡¯

    Instead of asking for further exnation, she immediately said to Yong-ho, ¡°The new King of Greed! It would be useless for me to test Your Majesty in the current crisis. I recognize Your Majesty. I will provide you with power that the great Mammon has secured for me.¡±

    Since Yong-ho already experienced it several times, he immediately lifted up the magic field in his left hand. When Yuno gently touched the magic field, a light pink color filled the few remaining holes of the magic field.

    The power of Yuno in Virgo, who was counting stars, was love.

    She could be said to be a collection of all emotions.

    Aamon had already belonged to Yong-ho, so now Yong-ho had to get the recognition of Richard in Leo. Once he recognized him, Yong-ho would finally get the recognition of all the 12 Spirits of Mammon.

    Yuno looked at the remaining hole then raised her head again to see Yong-ho.

    ¡°But Your Majesty, I cannot be your subordinate spirit. My soul has been contaminated with the power of the celestial world like Sitri.¡±

    That was why she stiffened her expression when she heard about Sitri. Yuno knew better than anyone how serious it was to have one¡¯s soul contaminated by the power of the celestial world.

    ¡°The Labyrinth of Greed and the Godly Energy of Mammon are based on Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits. So, if you want to bring out the power of bothpletely, you must have all the 12 Spirits first.¡±

    Yong-ho currently has ten of them.

    He started off with Catalina and Eligos. Skull was his first subordinate spirit.

    Ophelia and Tigrius devoted themselves to Yong-ho when he was in the process of upying the unimednd in the south.

    As Yong-ho¡¯spanion, Kaiwanid the foundation for the Mammon family to stand tall.

    As Mammon¡¯s former deputies, Gusion and Scathach pledged their loyalty to Yong-ho.

    Samael dedicated her body and soul to Yong-ho to get even with the King of Pride and the three directors of the Dungeon Market who destroyed her dungeon as well as her subordinate spirits.

    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, had been with Yong-ho anywhere.

    Now, the only one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits that Yong-ho had to obtain was Richard, who had mightybat powerparable to that of Gusion.

    ¡°My job is to count the stars in the sky and check out people¡¯s rtions. It seems that the person who is fit to inherit the power of love is already hovering around Your Majesty, King of Greed. I can feel your bondage with her.¡±

    Catalina quickly looked at Kaiwan, but Kaiwan nodded with a sigh because she could figure out who Yuno was referring to.

    ¡®I am wondering if he can really make her his subordinate spirits.¡¯

    Catalina, who was Elune¡¯s reincarnation, inherited her power, ¡°justice.¡±

    Kaiwan herself inherited Magnadon¡¯s power¡ªpassion¡ªwhile Ophelia took Asclepius¡¯s ¡°honor¡± as her strength. Skull and Tigrius chose ¡®Death¡¯ and ¡®Harmony¡¯ that best suited them.

    Scathach and Gusion possessed ¡°life¡± and ¡°courage,¡± respectively, and Richard¡¯s strength was ¡°trust.¡±

    Since Samael inherited Baruna¡¯s ¡°creation,¡± what was left for possession was Justina¡¯s ¡°patience¡± and Yuno¡¯s ¡°love¡±.

    It wasn¡¯t yet decided whether Eligos would inherit patience or love, but no matter how much Yong-ho thought about it, love was not suitable for him.

    Kaiwan connected love with Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury. To her chagrin, she felt it was a perfect match for the Queen of Fury.

    If Kaiwan could put aside her own ego and private feelings, she would wee with open arms Yong-ho having the Queen of Fury as his subordinate spirit.

    In that case, Yong-ho would be able to add the power of the queen in addition to the Sin of Fury.

    ¡®But is it really possible?¡¯

    The Queen of Fury was the head of the eight ns in her territory. There were countless people who trusted and followed her there.

    As the name suggested, a subordinate spirit was literally subordinate to its owner. Because of this, such a being was supposed to dedicate not only his or her body and soul but also their lives to the master. In the case of Kaiwan, she offered to be his subordinate spirit. Others in her position would not have be his subordinate spirit even at the risk of their lives.

    If the Queen of Fury became Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit, it would mean that the entire people of the eight ns would also belong to him. Could the Queen of Fury, head of the eight ns, make such a decision? No matter how much she liked Yong-ho, that was something possible and something impossible in the demon world.

    Of course, there was one variable. It was the King of Pride.

    If not only the eight ns but also the whole southernnd would be in danger of being taken over by the King of Pride, who the King of Violence even described as the Demon God, the queen might change her mind. Of course, it could happen only under the worst scenario.

    Yong-ho thought there was somethingcking. He needed some more to make the queen his subordinate spirit.

    Kaiwan, who also had a lot on her mind at the moment, frowned.

    Yong-ho put his hand on Kaiwan¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do what we can do now.¡±

    ¡°Uh? What is it?¡±

    Instead of answering, Yong-ho ordered Lucia, staring into the air.

    ¡°Lucia, please register Yuno as a general spirit first.¡±

    [Okay, Master.]

    Lucia immediately started registering Yuno as a general spirit. Unlike the subordinate spirit, being registered as a general spirit didn¡¯t need to connect his or her soul to their master, so Yuno did not reject the registration. Moreover, she needed to be registered at least as a general spirit in order to leave the mansion where she was staying, just like Justina did.

    Yong-ho then looked at the ceiling and floor. Upstairs was thest one of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, Richard in Leo, and below were the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed and the 13th floor, thest one. Either way, there was no reason for him to dy things anymore.

    ¡°Catalina, choose it,¡± said Kaiwan cheerfully on purpose.

    Catalina erected her tail. She pouted her lips and pointed at the ceiling.

    Yong-ho respected Catalina¡¯s wishes.

    <hr />

    Many things changed before and after the death of the King of Violence.

    The forces under themand of the King of Pride fought a fake war with the forces of the King of Envy no longer.

    The kingdoms of the demon world could survive because they had a strong central point called ¡°king.¡± After realizing that the King of Envy was killed, those masters under hismand didn¡¯t resist anymore. Just like the masters under themand of the King of Gluttony did, they gave up their loyalty to thete king and joined the forces of the King of Pride.

    The forces of the King of Lust, who had remained silent for a long time, finally revealed himself in the demon world. In addition to the Subus and Incubus, several witches and lustful demons who organized and participated in Sabat formed the main pir of his forces. And those dungeon monsters and beasts, who had been seduced by the forces of Lust, posed themselves as the vanguards.

    Although the forces of the King of Gluttony suffered great damages by Yong-ho and his party¡¯s ambush, their power could not be ignored. Among the three masters who surrendered to the King of Pride, the two surviving masters¡ªthe third was killed by Samael¡ªgave up not only the dungeons destroyed by the surprise attack of the Mammon family but also the whole southern territory adjacent to its unimed area. Then they gathered all their troops in the north and formed a solid alliance with the forces of the King of Lust.

    The King of Pride and the King of Lust were nowhere to be seen. However, the movement of their forces suggested that the two kings were still up and running. Even the Dungen Market openly supported the King of Pride.

    As the forces in the north moved, so did their counterparts in the south. They moved their troops at the same time as if the cogs were meshing together.

    The forces of the Queen of Fury, which destroyed all distribution channels of the Dungeon Market in the queen¡¯s territory, gathered at the border to confront the forces of the King of Lust and the King of Gluttony. The Dragon Legion that flew from the west also joined the queen¡¯s forces.

    It seemed like a great war would happen anytime soon. It was terrible tension and tranquility that dominated the borders that the Queen of Fury, the King of Gluttony, the King of Lust, and the King of Envy shared with each other.

    On the fourth day after the death of the King of Violence, one of the eight-n reconnaissance units from the Karvinka n lost contact with the Queen of Fury.

    Since they were operating in the territory of the King of Pride, it wasn¡¯t unusual to lose contact with them anytime. Because of this, the eight ns mourned the death of the reconnaissance unit but did not feel strange about their death.

    A small vige on the periphery of the King of Gluttony¡¯s territory disappeared. Since everyone focused on the border areas, very few people noticed that the vige had disappeared. Even those who noticed it were not interested anymore. They just thought it was only one of the many damages caused by the Mamon family¡¯s surprise attack.

    Several wanderers disappeared from the west of the unimednd destroyed by Embrio. Since they were literally wanderers, no one knew when and how they disappeared.

    Rather, it was not known at all that they disappeared.

    The Green Dragon, Caidelion, shuddered. Though he tried to scream as hard as he could, all he could do after squeezing his voice was just murmuring.

    He was still very young, but he was a dragon. Since he changed to his original body, he was a dozen meters long.

    However, Caidelion couldn¡¯t fly or kick off the ground. At that moment, a huge, white, glowing hand gripped Caidelion¡¯s neck and did not let go of it.

    It was a bizarre scene. Although he twisted his body in the air, it was tightly held by the huge arm. One huge arm was filling the twist in the air. It was not known what was beyond the twist. But what was clear was that the being beyond the twist wanted toe over this way.

    Caidelion felt instinctively that it wasn¡¯t just physical force that pressed him. His body and soul were being destroyed by the force that squeezed his neck.

    Caidelion, who had been struggling for a long time, eventually closed his eyes and drooped.

    He didn¡¯t move anymore.

    The twist that was rotating while creating cracks in the air now diminished. The shining being beyond the twist, which struggled to increase the twist even a little more, soon withdrew the huge arm as if it gave up.

    The Green Dragon, Caidelion, disappeared with the huge arm. And his extinction, just like other extinctions urring simultaneously throughout the demon world, was not known to others.

    The twist has disappeared. The passage between the worlds that was opened for a while was closed, and another passage was opened from a distance.

    That number was still low. However, the speed at which the passage opened became slightly faster. A greater twist urred.

    Chill wind from the north blew hard. At the moment when the South and the North started the war, some kind of erosion began in an invisible ce.

 Chapter 268 - Dritarashutra (1)

    Chapter 268: Dritarashutra (1)

    Richard in Leo was a silent man who valued actions rather than words. And he kept his reticence even at the moment when Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits gathered together for the first time after a thousand years.

    ¡°Anyway, that guy¡¯s mouth is as close as an oyster.¡±

    Gusion grumbled about him, but he was smiling though. Hugging Gusion¡¯s arm, Scathach gazed at Richard warmly, who was always the same.

    Therge banquet hall on the 11th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Richard in Leo lowered himself on one knee in front of Yong-ho. Since he was so big, Richard could see him at eye level even though he lowered his posture deeply.

    Yong-ho also did not go to the trouble of exining to him about the necessity to make him his subordinate spirit. So, he epted Richard in Leo as his eleventh subordinate.

    A blue light was added to Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy. The blue light symbolized Richard¡¯s power, ¡®Trust¡¯.

    The Life of Scathach, the Immortal Witch.

    The Death of Baphomet, the demon of ughter.

    The Justice of Elune who cuts the moon.

    The Creation of the eight-handed Baruna.

    The Honor of Asclepius, the knight of the sun.

    The Harmony of YuhoYuan in yin and yang.

    The Courage of Gusion with the Herculean power.

    The Trust of Richard, the Silent Warrior.

    The Passion of Magnadon who scolds the earth.

    The Patience of Yustia who leads the way.

    The Love of Yuno who counts the stars.

    Eleven soft lights radiated from the circr te attached to the surface of the Godly Energy of Mammon.

    Aamon whispered in the mes of the red lotus.

    [I also acknowledge you as my master.]

    [The new King of Greed!]

    Finally, the twelfth light was added. It was bright red, symbolizing Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus.

    Those subordinate spirits who stayed connected with Yong-ho could feel it. Yuno and Yustia, who signed a contract as Yong-ho¡¯s general spirits, knew it through the twelve lights.

    At this moment, Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy had beenpleted.

    Now that Eligos inherited Yustia¡¯s patience, all he needed was his 12th subordinate spirit who could inherit Yuno¡¯s love.

    Yong-ho reaped power from Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy. Yong-ho had Richard stand up by putting his hand on Richard¡¯s shoulder lightly. He then looked at the stairs leading to the 12th floor.

    [I¡¯m now opening the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    Lucia spoke, and Yong-ho stepped forward. Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits and Yong-ho¡¯s new 12 Spirits followed.

    Unlike previous floors, the 12th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was a space only for Mamon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Whenever Yong-ho moved one step forward, darkness retreated automatically. There was no single dungeon monster on the 12th floor which was filled with Mammon and his 12 Spirits¡¯ power.

    Smi, who was following Bucephs walking after Skull, looked around, blinking his eyes endlessly. Although Smi evolved into a spectacr spirit after being upgraded from ¡®Fire Elemental Dragon¡¯ to ¡®Great Fire Elemental Dragon Emperor,¡¯ he was still Smi. The omnipotent mana excited him.

    The structure of the 12th floor was simple. There was arge rotunda in the middle, and twelve rooms were ced around it.

    Kaiwan nudged Catalina in the ribs with her fingers and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you recall anything now? Something like the memories of your previous life.¡±

    If each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed was an exclusive space of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, the 12th floor was a private space. ordingly, there must be more private memories embedded in this space than any other floor.

    Recognized by Yuno as Elune¡¯s reincarnation, Catalina struggled to recall anything, but eventually, she failed with her ears and tail drooping.

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have any memory of this ce. I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    Was it really true that she was Elune¡¯s reincarnation?

    While Catalina was feeling gloomy, Mamon¡¯s 12 Spirits, watching her feeling dejected, nodded almost at the same time. Obviously, she was like Elune¡¯s reincarnation.

    Since Lucia needed some time to take over the 12th floor, Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits stepped toward their own room. The new 12 subordinate spirits belonging to Yong-ho also did not just stay in the hall. As if guided by their inherited power, all of them headed to the rooms of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Watching Kaiwan heading to Elune¡¯s room while holding Catalina¡¯s hand, Yong-ho grabbed the air with a smile. Then he entered Aamon¡¯s room in front of him, holding Aamon in his hand.

    It was a spacious but deste space. There were no proper decorations between the stone walls, the floor, and the ceiling. What was in the room was a low-sized altar, located alone in the innermost part.

    But Yong-ho couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the altar. Standing before it as if he was bewitched, he looked at the hole where he could put the spear and the decorations around it. He uttered exmations before he knew it, ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    [Yes, my master.]

    [This is the ce I met my master for the first time.]

    [Probably, you could have reached this ce thanks to a special connection like the arena.]

    Aamon spoke in a low voice. His voice rang nostalgic as if he missed that day.

    It was only several days after Yong-ho became the master of the Mammon family that he met Aamon. It was not that long ago, but it looked like a distant past to Yong-ho.

    ¡°I hugged you here for the first time,¡± said Catalina rather proudly as if she was boasting to Kaiwan.

    Kaiwan frowned while Yong-ho chuckled.

    It seemed like Catalina talked about her going down the floor with him after falling down.

    ¡°Yes, I know. I hugged you for the first time here.¡±

    It was true that he hugged Catalina and rolled over the floor, but it was also true that this was the ce where he evolved her for the first time. To be precise, her evolution took ce at a ce that connected Aamon¡¯s room with an unknown space, but he didn¡¯t have to mention it.

    Yong-ho, who recalled he touched Catalina¡¯s thigh for the excuses of strengthening her agility, acknowledged his lustful inclinations at that time.

    [I think I know what you¡¯re thinking.]

    [Your anguish is rising.]

    Ignoring what Aamon just said, Yong-ho left Aamon¡¯s room with Catalina and Kaiwan. As if he was waiting, Skull approached him.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull was holding veryrge scythes in both hands. One was a long, sharp sword and a ck de all in one.

    Yong-ho had never seen it before, but he could see what it was as soon as he saw it.

    A purple color that symbolizes death rose softly from Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy.

    ¡°Is it Baphomet¡¯s sickle?¡±

    Skull nodded. The pitch-ck scythe wasn¡¯t just a weapon, but it was Baphomet¡¯s alter ego.

    Baphomet needed that scythe to exist as the incarnation of death. Because of this, Magnadon, who was wary of Baphomet¡¯s dangers, weakened his power by separating Baphomet from the sickle.

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull¡¯s request was simple. He wanted Yong-ho to unite him with Baphomet¡¯s sickle through synthetic reinforcement.

    But this kind of synthetic reinforcement, whichbined Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit with an artifact could only be done once, unlike Yong-ho¡¯s other evolutions. That was why it was best to do it with a good artifact, given the choice.

    But the problem was that Yong-ho could miss the right time for synthetic reinforcement while looking for the best possible artifacts. At a moment when his war with the King of Pride was around the corner, it was foolish for him to postpone the synthetic reinforcement, waiting for better artifacts.

    During the past few days, Yong-ho did a number of things at the same time, apart from taking a surprise attack on the territory of the King of Gluttony. One of his tasks at the moment was the selection of the artifacts for reinforcing the synthetic reinforcement of his 12 subordinate spirits. The treasure storage of the Labyrinth of Greed, the warehouse that only collected exclusive magic devices of Sitri¡¯s Dungeon Market, and the auction items that could be called the legend of Samael¡¯s special auction house.

    Kaiwan chose the dragon heart, which she had been coveting all the time. It was the dragon heart of Ernasaga, the silver dragon lord that became the material for the silver dragon armor, Yong-ho¡¯s favorite. At that moment, Yong-ho did not forget to pay a silent prayer for Ernasaga who left it behind.

    Eligos and Ophelia each selected ¡°Green God¡¯s Fury¡± and ¡°Green God¡¯s Wrath¡± from Samael¡¯s special auction items. It was armor worn on each arm and leg. Both carried the power of a powerful god of the alien world called the ¡°Green God¡±.

    Tigrius chose the magic cane that Magnadon used during his lifetime, and Catalina chose the moonlight sword, Elune¡¯s beloved sword after thinking it over. What Samael chose was the heart of the ancient king, which was kept in Sitri¡¯s warehouse. It was a magical device made of Brigada, but it seemed designed to increase the efficiency of the mana she received from dragons.

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, including Gusion and Richard, were done with synthetic reinforcement or didn¡¯t want it, so they were just satisfied with acquiring new weapons.

    [Master, I¡¯ve taken control of the 12th floor.]

    [Let me open the 13th floor, thest floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    All the subordinate and general spirits who were looking around the rooms gathered in the hall again. They looked down the stairs leading to the 13th floor.

    On the 13th floor was Mammon¡¯s room, which was the true heart of the Labyrinth of Greed. Even Sitri, who was following quietly, found her eyes welled with tears.

    The door that was blocking the stairs opened. Upon arriving on the 13th floor, they stood before a steel door embossed with a giant dragon emblem representing Mammon.

    Yong-ho opened the door again. The heart chamber of the Labyrinth of Greed sensed the King of Greed immediately and weed the king gently.

    The heart room was monotonous. There was only a small passage leading to Mammon¡¯s room and an old stone throne. But it was by no means an ordinary throne.

    After all, Scathach couldn¡¯t control her emotions. She burst into tears like a child, and Gusion also tried hard to suppress his emotions, but he eventually showed tears.

    Yuno bit her lips. Yustia made a densely emotional smile.

    Yong-ho slowly approached the throne. There was nothing on the throne, but Yong-ho could also feel it. Amon whispered to him.

    [It is now a throne for you, master.]

    [Mammon must be very satisfied with youing here.]

 Chapter 269 - Dritarashutra (2)

    <h4>Chapter 269: Dritarashutra (2)</h4>

    Yong-ho touched Mammon¡¯s throne. He was seated on the throne with the present and past 12 subordinate spirits of the Mammon family watching him.

    This time, Catalina and Eligos were choked with emotions, and Yong-ho also shared their feelings.

    He knew it the moment he sat on the throne.

    The Labyrinth of Greed was watching him, which remembered everything that had happened in the Labyrinth of Greed from the first day Yong-ho first came to the House of Mammon until all the happenings until now, such as the days when Yong-ho had only two subordinate spirits Catalina and Eligos and the day when he put a straw mat on the red carpet in the demon king¡¯s room, eating and sleeping there.

    Later he added dungeon spirits starting with Goblin John and Ron to the House of Mammon. Eligos smiled brightly, watching the small makeshift trap and torture chamber, and Yuria and Baduk met for the first time through the jail bars. Skull rolled over the floor like a stone. Rikum and Burgrim joined hands with other dungeon spirits to improve the dungeon little by little.

    Many other things happened after that.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yong-ho who saw it. Everyone in the heart room could see their own memories.

    ¡°I, Ophelia, Enderion¡¯s daughter, am honored to see you, the great King of Greed.¡±

    Ophelia knelt in front of Yong-ho and expressed her courtesy. Eligos, who shed tears a lot, knelt before him along with her. He could not speak because his voice was hoarse, but his action a moment ago was enough. Instead ofughing heartily as he did, Skull also showed due manners to Yong-ho.

    It wasn¡¯t just the new 12 subordinate spirits of Yong-ho who bowed to him politely. Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits also did the same. And thest one of them approached him.

    ¡°My beloved customer, as the Queen of Sloth, I, Sitri, am pleased to see you, the new King of Greed that I admire.¡±

    At that moment, everyone in the Labyrinth of Greed knew. Rikum and Burgrim, who were working on the ground floor of the House of Mammon, and Yuria, who was digging potatoes along with Baduk and the Dungeon Meerkat, also realized it.

    [I havepletely captured the Labyrinth of Greed.]

    [My beloved master, the Labyrinth of Greed is nowpletely yours.]

    Lucia announced, and new mana was injected not only into the heart chamber but also into the entire Labyrinth of Greed.

    Now, the Labyrinth of Greed had returned to the Mamon family after a thousand and hundreds of years.

    <hr />

    The reason why the heart of the dungeon was called ¡®heart¡¯ was not simply because it was the most important facility of the dungeon. Just as the heart of a living thing supplied blood to the whole body, the heart of the dungeon also injects mana into the dungeon.

    Until now, it was the heart of the dungeon located on the ground floor of the House of Mammon that supplied mana to the Labyrinth of Greed.

    But now it was different. Since Yong-hopletely took control of the Labyrinth of Greed, he could utilize the true heart chamber that had been sleeping for thest millennium.

    The rtionship between the dungeon and its master was close.

    The stronger the dungeon was, the stronger its master was. When the master became stronger, his dungeon also became stronger.

    Lucia, the soul of the dungeon, was like Yong-ho¡¯s alter ego. Therefore, he vividly felt the process of everything about Lucia being transferred from the heart chamber on the ground floor to the deepest one as if it happened to him.

    On the day Mammon died, the soul of the Labyrinth of Greed also died. In order to prevent the destruction of his 12 Spirits, Mammon terminated his contract with them. As a result, the Labyrinth of Greed was separated not only from Mammon but also from his 12 Spirits.

    Lucia soothed the solitude of the Labyrinth of Greed. She became united with the Labyrinth of Greed on behalf of the soul of the dungeon where Mammon lived and died.

    The heart chamber of the dungeon was filled with Lucia¡¯s energy. A blue light, which was like Lucia¡¯s symbol, spread everywhere into the wall, the floor, and the ceiling. It was as if a new stream of water dipped the dry riverbed.

    A lump of blue light gathered before Yong-ho¡¯s eyes. It was the magic of space leap.

    The light immediately exploded, and a girl with blue hair appeared among the shattering piles of light. It was Lucia.

    Lucia, with translucent butterfly wings behind her back, rotated in front of Yong-ho. Lifting the white hem slightly, she smiled at him broadly.

    [Ain¡¯t I cute like a fairy?]

    [Thanks to taking control of the Labyrinth of Greed, I have grown a lot, too.]

    The way she pped herrge butterfly wings was pretty cute.

    However, Yong-ho expressed doubts about her look.

    ¡°You¡¯re still the same as before except for your wings.¡±

    Lucia looked like a girl less than 10 years old. Thanks to her young age, her butterfly wings looked well on her, but it had nothing to do with her ¡®growth.¡¯

    Lucia replied after clicking her tongue, [I could have been a well-proportioned beauty, but if I do, I have to feel sorry for Yuria, right?]

    [She is my only friend in this dungeon, so we need to grow together.]

    Lucia¡¯s original body couldn¡¯t leave the dungeon¡¯s heart chamber while Yuria couldn¡¯t go down alone to the innermost floor where the dungeon¡¯s heart chamber was located. Because of this, even though they became friends with each other, both had little time to y together.

    But it would be different in the future. Lucia, who became the true soul of the Labyrinth of Greed, gained freedom of movement. She could now freely move anywhere within the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Now Lucia could y together with Yuria. How much loneliness would Yuria feel if Lucia alone became an adult? Lucia wanted to be her friend, not her sister.

    Yong-ho was moved to hear Lucia talking about Yuria like that, so he looked at her warmly.

    It was the same with other subordinate spirits. However, only one, Aamon, responded differently, [Well-proportioned beauty?]

    [This is the first time I¡¯m hearing that, but I think I know what it means.]

    [Our master¡¯s anguish...]

    But Yong-ho stopped him from talking anymore by violently shaking his right arm where Aamon was embedded. Then he took a deep breath. He quietly moved his fingers in the air and checked out the map of the entire Labyrinth of Greed. As expected, only one ce was left for him to conquer.

    It was a ce that Yong-ho hadn¡¯t been to yet. Even now, he didn¡¯t know what was in that ce,

    although he was the true owner of the dungeon.

    But he didn¡¯t have to mention it now because not only him but all his subordinate spirits knew where it was located.

    Yong-ho looked at everyone before he stood up from the throne.

    Then he asked Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits in a low voice, ¡°Is it okay?¡±

    He was asking them whether he could step into that ce or make it his own.

    Scathach nodded first and said, ¡°The true owner of the Labyrinth of Greed is now our young master, oh, no, our master. Definitely, you can.¡±

    ¡°If youe across anything that should not be seen, it¡¯s the fault of our Master Mammon who died without hiding it,¡± Gusion added.

    Yustia and Yuno also showed approval by smiling at him.

    Lastly, Sitri approached him and spoke while gently ovepping her hand on the back of his right hand, ¡°It¡¯s his room. But it¡¯s my beloved customer¡¯s room now. So, he wouldn¡¯t even care.¡±

    Mammon¡¯s room on the 13th floor of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    The bedroom of Mammon who made the greatest achievements in the history of the demon world.

    Yong-ho stood up from the throne. At that moment, Catalina, who was standing side by side with Kaiwan, fluttered her ears. He didn¡¯t need to use the rapport between his status as the master and his subordinate spirit to talk to her. He read her mind immediately and ordered readily.

    ¡°Come on, Catalina. Just like my escort knight,e with me.¡±

    Her tail pped fiercely, like a puppy who heard she was okay to eat a snack.

    Kaiwan hugged her arm and said in passing, ¡°Well, I¡¯m going with you because I¡¯m his wife.¡±

    It was none other than Mammon¡¯s room. Kaiwan definitely wanted to go in and look at it.

    Ophelia closed her lips tightly, barely holding up the urge to follow him, while Eligos wiped his tears as if he was touched by what was happening before his eyes.

    When Catalina and Kaiwan walked with him on both sides, he approached Mammon¡¯s door, located right behind the throne. He opened the door engraved with a red dragon, Mammon¡¯s symbol.

    It was not a very big room. Actually, it wasrge enough to house a whole basketball court, but it was never too big to be called Mammon¡¯s room, who built the most powerful force in the history of the demon world. Besides, its interior was just in, with luxurious furniture.

    His room had nothing like furniture except for a bed, a table, and a few chests of drawers.

    Only his bed was unusuallyrge, which reminded Yong-ho of his own room.

    Nheless, Yong-ho felt the room was special because it was Mammon¡¯s room.

    Catalina and Kaiwan began to look at the details closely, such as the walls and ceilings, one by one, like those who entered a museum.

    ¡®Did I expect too much?¡¯

    Yong-ho slightly let down his shoulders. Of course, he didn¡¯t expect any great treasure in Mammon¡¯s room. What Yong-ho wanted was a conversation with Mammon.

    Elune, YuhoYuan, and Magnadon left their own alter egos on each floor of the Labyrinth of Greed. Thanks to this, Yong-ho could chat with them, though briefly.

    ¡®Any possibility that Mammon left his own alter ego here? If that¡¯s the case, can I have a conversation with him?¡¯

    Of course, even if he could talk to Mammon, Yong-ho didn¡¯t want to ask him how to ovee the current crisis or any know-how on increasing his power drastically.

    He just wanted to chat with the great Mammon with a pure heart.

    ¡®Well,e to think of it, it must have been pretty hard for him to send off his 12 Spirits.¡¯

    Of course, like Elune, he could have left behind his alter ego before going to the battlefield, but it looked like Mammon would not do that.

 Chapter 270 - Dritarashutra (3)

    <h4>Chapter 270: Dritarashutra (3)</h4>

    Actually, Yong-ho saw the ¡°memory¡± Mammon left behind when he obtained the Demon God¡¯s heart in the human world. Come to think of it, there was something strange about it.

    Mammon said he did not regret his choice.

    What was that choice that he mentioned at that time? Did it mean his alliance with other kings to prevent the invasion of the celestial world? Or did it mean his decision to block the door to the celestial world alone? The two choices didn¡¯t make any sense anyway.

    For example, as for the alliance, he would have mentioned anything like ¡®regret¡¯ because the other kings didn¡¯t yet betray him back then. As for his decision to stand up to the celestial world alone, he had little time to do so. In fact, he was in an urgent situation where he had to return his 12 Spirits back to the demon world. So, it was unreasonable for him to open the door to the human world in order to send the Demon God¡¯s heart.

    If so, then what was it? Why did Mammon leave the Demon God¡¯s heart in the human world? And why did he mention the qualifications of his sessor?

    Yong-ho shook his head lightly and got all the doubts out of his mind. Maybe he was thinking too deeply. He was not quite sure if Mammon¡¯s regrets were necessarily rted to the door of the celestial world or the other kings¡¯ betrayal.

    Catching his breath calmly, he set about his next task. Invoking the power of Greed, he found a passage to a secret room somewhere in Mammon¡¯s room.

    The room itself responded to his Greed. The wall that Catalina was looking into suddenly cracked, revealing a secret door.

    Startled, Catalina looked at Yong-ho, and Kaiwan quickly approached the secret door.

    The steel door engraved with the dragon¡¯s head was tightly sealed.

    Yong-ho put his hand in his pocket then took out the key to the secret room¡ªthest reward that he obtained in Mammon¡¯s arena.

    <hr />

    The pure white sand in arge bowl formed various shapes high and low. A little bit of color was added to this, which soon created a great map of the entire demon world.

    The red sand moved over the three-dimensional map of the demon world. The sand was lumped together in four, all of which was inching toward one point.

    As if rising up against the red sand, the blue sand also moved on the map of the demon world, but its number was not even half that of the red sand. It seemed to be swallowed up by the red sand wriggling threateningly.

    ¡°Too many.¡±

    The red sand was the northern forces, while the blue sand was the southern forces.

    Dritarastra, the Queen of Fury, stared at the map, with her teeth clenched.

    It was natural that the northern forces were overwhelming numerically.

    They were abined army of the four forces of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, and the King of Gluttony. Of course, the earlier fight between the forces of the King of Pride and the King of Envy reduced the number of their troops to some extent while the forces of the King of Gluttony lost half its troops. Despite that, the four armies of the four kings formed a unified army with powerful military strength.

    On the other hand, the southern forces were abined army of the Queen of Fury and the King of Violence. Although there was an unimednd in the south, it didn¡¯t build up arge army like other kingdoms because it had been divided for a long time.

    Comparing the military strength between them, thebined forces of the four kings were twice the number of their counterparts. Besides, they had the additional resources of the Dungeon Market¡¯s forces. So, they had a tremendous numerical superiority in the number of troops.

    ¡°Although we are numerically inferior to them, we are superior in terms of the quality of the troops and their military strength. Even if they have hundreds of thousands of Skeleton soldiers or Goblins, they won¡¯t be able to outpower our dragon army,¡± said the blue dragon, Ancablosa, clearly, who was sitting next to the Queen of Fury. Even though she was in a polymorphic state of a slender Afsaras, she had a discerning judgment.

    The dragon corps numbered only one hundred. However, theirbat power was recognized as the strongest in the demon world. Ancablosa didn¡¯t say that merely tofort the Queen of Fury in this crucial situation.

    The northern forces totaled more than one hundred thousand. It was the first time in the history of the demon world that such arge army was created as a group like that.

    However, most of the troops consisted of low-level soldiers such as Skeleton Soldier, Orc Warrior, and Goblin Rider. ordingly, the dragon army could easily defeat them, given the choice.

    ¡°Besides, we do have the forces of the King of Greed, right?¡± Asked Ancablosa.

    When she quickly moved her long and thin fingers, new green sand was added to the top of the map of the demon world. The number of the sand was only a handful, so much so that when added to the blue sand, it didn¡¯t make much of a difference.

    But its quality was different. Ancablosa had learned over the past few days how the forces of the King of Greed led by Yong-ho smashed the forces of the King of Gluttony.

    The subordinate spirits under themand of the King of Greed, namely Yong-ho, were unusually strong. Although they numbered just a little over ten, all of them were strong enough to have more than six horns, which was literally incredible.

    Besides, some of them, whose power was almost equal to the king despite theirck of Sin and Godly Energy, also belonged to Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits.

    Indeed, they were an elite force that could be found in legends.

    When Ancablosa told her about the power of the forces of the King of Greed, the Queen of Fury, who was full of worries until a moment ago, made a rxed smile.

    Watching her smile brightly, Ancablosa smiled bitterly. As a matter of fact, the King of Violence loved the queen¡¯s pure and innocent heart.

    ¡°Ancablosa, you¡¯re right. Now is not the time for us to despair. It¡¯s time we found a way to win.¡±

    As if she pulled herself, the Queen of Fury spoke energetically.

    As if on cue, Gardimundi opened the door of the queen¡¯s barracks and came in.

    ¡°The spies of the Karvinka n in the rear noticed the reinforcement of the King of Greed. You can confirm it through the telescope.¡±

    The Queen of Fury changed her expression once again. But she flinched a bit instead of standing up right away. Ancablosa understood her feelings. She expressed gratitude to the queen for her warm consideration then suggested, ¡°It would be nice if you could go out for fresh air for a moment and check the forces of the King of Greeding to us.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, do you really think so?¡±

    After all, Ancablosa grinned at her instead of smiling bitterly.

    Then she said with a nod, ¡°Yes, I think so.¡±

    The Queen of Fury stood up from her seat and stepped forward with a bright smile.

    Shortly afterward, the Queen of Fury nkly looked at the big telescope directed toward the sky in the south. Kirtimuka opened her eyes wide, and Ancablosa was embarrassed to see the King of Greed¡¯s forces flying toward them.

    The King of Greed and his forces were overwhelming, to say the least, surpassing the Queen of Fury and her deputies¡¯ expectations. Ancablosa realized that some of the Dungeon Market¡¯s forces were included in the king¡¯s forces.

    It was argebined army led by the giant red dragon, Tiamet.

    Dozens of flying vehicles and flying spirits were flying the sky with such a terrifying force that the Queen of Fury and her people on the ground were overwhelmed at their grandeur might.

    <hr />

    [I, Dritarastra, Queen of Fury, would like to wee the King of Greed.]

    The queen¡¯s voice was not heard in real-time but in the video recorded through magic. Moreover, the background of the video was not on her fortress or her field barracks but on the back of the wild bird, Astra.

    Yong-ho, seated in the captain¡¯s seat of the giant red dragon, Tiamet, knitted his brows. The Queen of Fury in the video was hiding her tense look with a casual smile. She made this video on her way to the battlefield because she had no time to greet him in person due to the enemy¡¯s sudden attack.

    ¡°What is the status of the war?¡±

    [It seems that the battle is about to begin.]

    [Communication is not smooth because there is a strong magic field all over the battlefield.]

    After replying, Lucia spread the light map of the entire demon world right next to the video of the Queen of Fury.

    The current battlefield was the ins in the northeastern part of the Queen of Fury¡¯s territory. The queen chose to make a turn to stop the northern army that appeared out of the blue sky.

    As a matter of fact, therger the size of the army was, the more difficult they could carry out a covert operation.

    Anyway, the northern army was arge army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, so the southern army did not miss the movement of this huge northern army. ording to the observation, their fighting should have broken out three or four dayster at the earliest.

    But such a prediction was wrong. The forces of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust were suddenly added to the forces of the King of Gluttony who were facing the southern army up close. About half of the northern army began their march at a terrifying pace and forced the southern army to confront them. This was possible because of various movement magics and the Dungeon Market distribution channels installed all over the northern area.

    Of course, Yong-ho himself used the distribution channels to ambush the forces of the King of Gluttony, but he could not hide his surprise at the massive movement of the northern army.

    There was a fundamental difference between moving one hundred elite forces and moving tens of thousands of forces.

    Even Samael, one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market, was also embarrassed.

    Yong-ho changed his strategy immediately. What was important now was the battle between the forces of the North and the South. Since the troops mobilized by both sides were so huge, the King of Pride and the King of Lust could appear. Yong-ho concluded that he could not leave the Queen of Fury confronting the two kings.

    ¡°I ordered the supply troops to be separated from the main forces. The main forces must move to the battlefield right away.¡±

    The battle fleet of the Mammon family filling the sky was divided into two. The battleships headed by the giant red dragon, Tiamet, picked up their speed to head toward the north.

 Chapter 271 - Dritarashutra (4)

    <h4>Chapter 271: Dritarashutra (4)</h4>

    The wind was strong. The Queen of Fury let down a huge ax of lightning on the floor, wearing armor with a powerful thruster. Behind her were the ground troops consisting of the eight n¡¯s soldiers that were staring north, fully prepared for theing war.

    The squadrons of the Asura and Yaksha ns also lined up. Behind them were dragons that had subdued various huge beasts while the Garura and Karvinka tribesmen prepared to fly at any time, holding their spears and bows. The Deva tribesmen whose mana was particrly strong among the eight ns operated the magic guns that fired mana in the rear, and the tribesmen of the Mahoragas and Gandarabas ns were mixed with other forces of the eight ns, depending on their specialties.

    The southern troops that the Queen of Fury hastily mobilized for the war totaled about 32,000.

    The number of the northern army was estimated to be about 70,000 to 80,000, so the southern troops led by the queen were less than half of the northern troops.

    However, the southern army did not consist solely of the tribesmen of the eight ns. The Queen of Fury had a strong alliance called the Dragon Legion.

    Now, the queen looked far away. She noticed the flow of magic swirling wildly under the red sky. It was caused by the magic field that the northern army activated to interfere with therge-scale magic of the southern forces.

    On the battlefield of the demon world, magic was always a variable that produced miracles.

    ordingly, the northern army with an overwhelming number of troops had to get rid of this magic by all means.

    The Queen of Fury noticed giant dungeon spirits among the skeletons, Orc warriors, Goblin riders, and other misceneous infantrymen. Cyclops, the one-eyed giant grasping a rock the size of a house, was so big that it looked like it was carrying the sky on its head. Chimeras with the heads of lions, Griffon and Drake cried out viciously, and the Hydras with nine heads and potent poisons and many unknown beasts showed off their extraordinary presence.

    It was one of the reasons why the Queen of Fury gave up her dungeon fortress and took the lead to fight them. The high wall of her dungeon fortress was meaningless in front of dozens of superrge enemy spirits. Rather than being beaten unterally in one ce, it was better for her to confront them on a wide in.

    The Queen of Fury bit the big horn in her mouth. She was counting the numbers, staring at the northern forces that started marching toward her army.

    The dirt had risen densely everywhere. Even though she was far away from them, she felt as if the hot breath of the Goblin riders seemed to tickle the tip of her nose.

    The roaring of the northern forces filled the sky. The earth was shaken by the clouds of tens of thousands rushing toward the southern army.

    But the southern army stayed patiently. Holding their weapons, they suppressed their growing tension and clenched their teeth.

    At some point, the Queen of Fury finally blew the horn. Its loud and magnificent sound prated through the northern army¡¯s roaring.

    The queen didn¡¯t order the army to charge at their northern counterparts. The southern troops were patient again this time. The sound of the queen blowing the horn reached the sky, and the second reason why the queen chose to fight became apparent. The Dragon Legion appeared suddenly in the sky. Ancablosa, who stood out among the dragons in the red sky, pierced through the clouds and appeared herself, and the dragon soldiers lined up behind her opened their mouths at once.

    It didn¡¯t matter that the queen couldn¡¯t use massive magic because of the magic field. The most powerful weapon of the dragons was never magic.

    Their huge shadows in the sky were cast over the northern army¡¯s heads. Then the Dragon Breath of the dragon soldiers from the sky rained down on the northern troops on the ground.

    Light, lightning, and mes struck the ground. At that moment, the Queen of Fury blew a second horn. Now, the southern army screamed violently and rushed toward the northern army.

    The queen threw the horn and stood at the forefront of the southern army, holding a huge ax of lightning.

    The queen knew her strength and weakness. So, she chose to fight at the front line instead ofmanding the army in the rear. It was Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, in the sky thatmanded the southern army.

    Biryubakcha¡¯s order was issued to each unit of the southern army. Since this was a battle between tens of thousands of troops on both sides, it would not end up being a simple confrontation. Both the southern and northern forces had their own formations for the battle.

    The southern and northern forces finally shed. The Queen of Fury, who was at the forefront of the southern army, wielded the huge ax of lightning with all her might. The Ogre¡¯s upper body exploded when he was rushing toward her recklessly. With the Ogre¡¯s blood gushing and the fragments of his bones scattering in all directions, the queen again swung the ax and struck the ground this time. The thunderbolt that urred around the struck ground killed dozens of the Orc warriors around the Ogre.

    Screams and explosions filled the battlefield. A massive ughtering war began on the ins.

    The Queen of Fury moved her eyes more than her hands. She tried to check out the fighting in the sky, let alone the fighting on the ground.

    In the sky, the Dragon Legion and the northern army¡¯s flying fleet were engaged in full-scale airbat. The giant eagles, which were said to live only in the north, attacked the dragons in groups, and the battleships apparently belonging to the Dungeon Market fired the magic mes. Just like the dragon soldiers¡¯ Dragon Breath was a surprise attack, the ambush by the northern forces¡¯ flying squadrons was something they never expected. Since both sides hid their secret weapons, they were startled by each other¡¯s unexpected strike.

    The Queen of Fury immediately rolled her eyes, briefly watching Ancablosa trampling on the back of the behemoth with seven heads and biting his neck. She wanted to find and support those soldiers of the southern army who were on the defensive at the moment.

    The whole battlefield looked like a chaotic mess with huge beasts raging from both the sky and the earth and tens of thousands of troops colliding violently. But it wasn¡¯t. Looking down from high in the sky, Biryubakcha, the generalmander of the southern army, knew that both the southern and northern forces were fighting as part of their grand strategies. The two armies pushed against each other in a strange bnce, and many of their units on the left and right began aplex operation.

    ¡°Kirtimuka! Help them on the left!¡±

    Shouting at her, the Queen of Fury swung the huge ax at the same time. Six Orc warriors were smashed into pieces at once, and her bodyguards headed by Kirtimuka threw themselves toward the queen.

    Some of the southern units on the left were crumbling. There were too many northern soldiers on the right who rushed to defeat them. Left neglected without any support, the southern units were certain to be defeated, which would change the tide of the battle.

    On the battlefield, the passage of time could be weird. As the moments between life and death continued, every minute and second felt much longer.

    Finally, the Queen of Fury grabbed the huge ax again then injected a stronger mana into the Godly Energy of Fury. At that moment, the queen saw the head of the Garura n shouting. A very good piece of news was delivered through themunication device attached to her ear.

    [They are here!]

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    The sound of a bizarre roaring echoed into her ears clearly.

    The Queen of Fury swallowed. She shouted with joy at the arrival of the reinforcements in the rear that she forgot to notice because she was so absorbed in the fighting.

    They attacked the northern forces who struck against the left wing of the southern army. At the forefront of them was Skull, the incarnation of death on top of a pitch-ck beast.

    Skull, the Avatar of Death, who was created through Yong-ho¡¯s final synthetic reinforcement.

    Skull¡¯s violet eyes shed from his pure and white skull. A purple or almost ck light sparkled between Skull¡¯s ck armor, and his dark red cloak broke the surroundings.

    Then Skull swung Baphomet¡¯s sickle. He fully inherited the power of the incarnation of death that hade to the alien world in the distant past, dealing a fatal blow to all those who touched the tip of the sickle. It didn¡¯t matter whether they were Orcs, Ogres, and Trolls.

    Even several huge beasts and demon beasts could not dare to block Skull. And behind that incarnation of death, the Corps of Death made a silent roar.

    They were none other than Skull¡¯s unit with a dozen Death Knights taking the lead. All of them, armed with magic weapons, were in sync with Skull. They rushed without any hesitation. They crushed, cut, kicked, and trampled the northern forces.

    They had tremendous destructive power. The right-wing of the northern forces was shattered by the Skull unit¡¯s strike. Moreover, their striking speed was very fast. The Skull unitprising of only several hundred were certain to annihte the right-wing of the northern army, which was more than ten times their size.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull roared. His violet energy of death covered the earth, which brought about a terrible and surprising thing. The northern soldiers, who were smashed to pieces, became the undead and stood up. Then they rushed toward the northern soldiers who were their allies a little while ago.

    Many soldiers of the northern army died but stood up again as undead. The more the northern army¡¯s soldiers died, the number of undead also increased. More and more northern soldiers were dying ordingly. Indeed, it was a series of nightmares for the northern army.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. The Queen of Fury felt her heart was beating fast. She got thrilled, clutching her chest before she knew it. In great excitement, she turned her head toward the southern sky.

    ¡°The King of Greed!¡±

    Smi, who was transformed into a huge heatwave dragon, flew behind the Skull unit. And on his back Yong-ho¡ªthe King of Greed¡ªwas standing. He was dressed in silver dragon armor, ording to the wish of the Queen of Fury.

 Chapter 272 - Dritarashutra (5)

    <h4>Chapter 272: Dritarashutra (5)</h4>

    Twelve lights symbolizing the twelve subordinate spirits radiated from the magic field fitted on Yong-ho¡¯s left hand. Besides, the green mes of Greed arose from Aamon who became united with the Godly Energy of Greed.

    Yong-ho looked straight ahead. He then swung Aamon toward the rear of the Skull unit. He wanted to demonstrate its legendary force of the past once again.

    The magic spear of the red lotus. With just a single swinging Aamon could burn heaven and earth and evaporate the sea! It could no longer be called a wave of green mes.

    It was a tsunami of mes. A huge and enormous me engulfed the entire Skull unit then passed by them and burnt the right-wing of the northern army.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull ran through the me. Skull and his unit were not injured in the mes of Greed.

    They ughtered the northern forces with the mes of Greed that never extinguished.

    Shouting loudly, Smi rotated his body. Yong-ho broke through the air, led the beating of his heart and Greed. Jumping off Smi¡¯s back, hended next to the Queen of Fury.

    The Queen of Fury saw Yong-ho. Yong-ho also saw the queen. At that moment, a storm of the sword caused by the shadow of a de and a de whip swept around Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. The northern forces around them turned into ashes and almost evaporated, gushing blood.

    Catalina and Kaiwan joined Yong-ho, and ten bullets were fired from Yong-ho¡¯s main battleship, Tiamet, the giant red dragon. It was Gusion who flew like a cannonball and jumped into the middle of the northern forces. Next to him were Eligos and Ophelia, who were strengthened through the synthetic reinforcement like Skull. Each of them unleashed their beast brutality right next to Gusion, who could be called the final crystal of the Red Demon.

    The flying air unitmanded by Samael, the fastest wing, supported the Dragon Legion¡¯s fight. The dragons that the King of Gluttony collected one by one to deal with the Dragon Legion now supported them. They fought the northern forces with them.

    Like Dragon Lord Ancablosa said, the power of the King of Greed¡¯s forces could not be assessed simply by the number of his troops.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± Yong-ho said to the Queen of Fury. But the queen shook her head violently.

    With her face blushing, she shouted, ¡°It¡¯s okay! I would like to wee you from the bottom of my heart!¡±

    It looked like she wanted to hug him right away. If she had not met him here on the battlefield, she would probably have done so.

    The situation had changed a bit from the moment it was revealed that Yong-ho was the new King of Greed, so Kirtimuka made aplicated expression, while Catalina, wearing shadow armor all over her body, was focusing only on the fight around her. Kaiwan grabbed her whip sword tightly, shaking her head.

    But this was a battlefield, and their fighting was still in full swing. She could not afford to chat with him leisurely.

    Yong-ho brought out the power of Greed and Gluttony at the same time then opened up the seven horns of light at once.

    Startled, the Queen of Fury turned around to see him. It was only 15 days when they joined hands to confront the King of Lust. Now, his mana was much stronger than then.

    Instead of exining, Yong-ho wielded Aamon, and the queen just smiled instead of asking questions. Listening to her heart beating again, she empowered the Godly Energy. She tried to get furious even while she was holding back the urge to smile.

    A fierce battle ensued. The blood of the troops was strewn everywhere as the fighting went on.

    How long did it pass?

    Yong-ho suddenly raised his head and looked far away. He did so, led by instinct, so did the Queen of Fury and Sitri. The eyes of the three met at a distance. Yong-ho and the queen did not know why, but Sitri was thrilled. They screamed at the same time.

    The air split.

    There was a huge twist over the heads of the northern army.

    The twist was a torrent of mana. Mana was abundant in the sky and the earth in the demon world, and ordingly the inhabitants there were sensitive to the flow of mana.

    But even so, there were limitations. The northern forces already spread the magic field all over the sky on the battlefield. So, a couple of distortions at this point would not make any meaningful change. Moreover, they were engaged in the fighting now.

    Therefore, the reaction of everyone on the battlefield was abnormal.

    It didn¡¯t matter whether they were sensitive or not, nor did it matter whether they were fast or not.

    Some Ogres who were trampling on the heads of the Yakshas who fell on the ground raised their heads before they knew it.

    The warrior of the Asura n and the Orc Warrior who were staring at each other, equipped with their swords, took their eyes off each other at the same time. Even though they were facing each other, who could take each other¡¯s life at any moment, they just looked up at the sky as if they were bewitched.

    Even the goblin, who was dying while painfully squeezing the intestines protruding through his torn stomach, moved to see what was in the sky tearfully.

    It didn¡¯t take long for both the southern army and the northern forces everywhere to react the same way. It took only a few seconds at most then sudden silence fell to the noisy battlefield.

    It was creepy, indeed. The screams, shouts, and roaring that suddenly stopped made them feel as if time stopped.

    At first, it was a piece of crack. It was a crack in the sky.

    There was a hole when the crack opened, then mana swirled and distorted everything near it like any other twist.

    Almost everyone didn¡¯t know what the hole in the sky was. But those who witnessed the twist noticed it instinctively. That wasn¡¯t like a mere twist.

    Like everyone, Opelia, who looked at the hole as if she was possessed, suddenly turned her eyes to the side because there was something that caught her eye in addition to the bizarre phenomenon in the sky.

    Gusion¡¯s fists were trembling hard.

    He was not fearful or angry. There was some intense emotion on his face that was difficult to define.

    Gusion moved his lips as if to say something, but he didn¡¯t say it.

    The Queen of Fury¡¯s heart was beating. She grabbed her own chest. She felt a subtle pain.

    A terrible feeling that she had never felt in her life seemed to grip her. The Sin of Fury was groaning.

    Finally, the hole was opened. It was a huge hole that was a dozen meters in diameter.

    Both the northern and southern forces stared at the ck hole. Naturally, their eyes met.

    It was a huge eye. A shining eye looked out from inside the hole. Then it made eye contact with both the northern and southern forces.

    Yong-ho instinctively knew it. The eye was smiling.

    He had goosebumps on his back. And at that moment, the silence broke. The northern forces, who were right under the hole, fell on the ground like a broken marite. Now, everyone on the battlefield who looked like they were possessed came to their senses. Then they screamed all at once.

    A glowing hand protruded from the hole. A giant¡¯s hand, wrapped by a pure white light, swept the ground. All kinds of light arose from the scattered bodies of the northern forces. Then they were sucked into the hole. It was as if their essence was being absorbed.

    Hundreds of them fell simultaneously. Hundreds of lights soared simultaneously. When the white giant¡¯s hand swept through the northern forces, more lights were sucked into the hole.

    The northern army ran away, screaming. The southern army was in a strange mood, watching them fleeing toward them rather than attacking them. The southern troops just saw the giant¡¯s shining arm trying to get out of the hole without even wielding a weapon at them.

    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, thought about it. He was faithful to the basics because he didn¡¯t know what the hole was or what the glowing arm protruding from the inside was.

    The battlefield was wide. Although the hole wasrge, it was notparable to the battlefield where tens of thousands of troops shed.

    So, the Queen of Fury had to take advantage of this confusion. Rather, now was the time for the southern army to rush them.

    But she could not bring herself to issue the order. What came out of her mouth was something like a groaning of fear.

    The Queen of Fury turned. She looked at the sky, with her back against the northern forces.

    ¡°Oh, no!¡±

    A line was drawn high above the heads of the southern forces. It was also a crack, and it quickly got distorted. It distorted everything around it and became huge. A shining eye from the inside of the ck hole looked down at the southern army.

    ¡°No!¡±

    The Queen of Fury shouted. The tribesmen of the eight ns right under the hole fell on the ground. All kinds of lights soared, and a couple of hands protruded from the inside of the hole. Filling the hole, the mysterious being grabbed the hole instead of smashing those on the ground like they did to the northern forces. Then, it opened the hole wider as if opening a door. Then it stuck out its head suddenly!

    It was a pure white light. Not only its head but also its shoulders came out of the hole now. The giant of light, reminiscent of the King of Violence, smashed the southern army with his flexible arms. At the same time as the earth was shaken, hundreds from the eight ns had their essence taken away by the giant of light before being scattered on the ground and died without even a single scream.

    It was a silent horror. The giant of light moved his arms without crying or roaring. In just a few seconds, while everyone was distracted by this unrealistic situation, the giant of light took the lives of hundreds of the southern soldiers. It was a catastrophe caused by their close formation.

    ¡°Run away! Biryubakcha, have the troops retreat!¡±

    The Queen of Fury shouted desperately.

 Chapter 273 - Dritarashutra (5)

    <h4>Chapter 273: Dritarashutra (5)</h4>

    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, came to his senses suddenly and opened his mouth wide again, but he could not issue an order. The northern forces were right in front of his eyes. If something went wrong, there would take ce a major catastrophe. As a matter of fact, the majority of killing in battles urred while they were fleeing.

    Biryubakcha¡¯s hesitation dyed the troops¡¯ retreat by a few seconds. During that short span, however, more than a hundred southern soldiers were killed. It was no exaggeration to say that there were almost none who survived right under the hole. A huge nk was created in the middle of the southern army.

    ¡°Scatter to the left and right!¡±

    Finally, Biryubakcha ordered his southern troops. Moving his hands, he issued a moreplex order this time. The southern troops located far from the hole got into ship-shape immediately as if to show off the efficiency of their usual training, but those close to the hole did not. Those who fled in fear and confusion were wounded or killed in the process. Too many of them were trampled to death or injured by the same race, namely the tribesmen of the eight ns.

    There was big confusion in the sky. Ancablosa, who wasmanding the Dragon Legion, was embarrassed. The dragons and beasts in the sky near the hole were visibly weakened as if they were poisoned. The flying monsters that followed the dragon army couldn¡¯t fly properly and fell down. After they fell, all of them had their essence taken away by the giant of light.

    The same thing was happening to the northern forces. So, the northern forces were not responsible for this whole bizarre phenomenon. If so, what the hell was it?¡¯

    ¡°The celestial world!¡±

    Ophelia suddenly screamed. Eligos also realized it. It was the same situation that Gusion once described.

    [You must stop it!]

    [Defeat the godly man and close the hole. If left unchecked, more godly men will appear. In the worst case, you will summon the door of the celestial world Mammon closed!]

    Aamon shouted urgently. He had experienced fighting the guys from the celestial world directly. Yong-ho didn¡¯t know what Aamon meant by the godly man. But it was clear that the godly man was far from an ordinary being.

    [Awaken the power of Sin.]

    [That hole is not a proper door of the celestial world. So, you can close it with the same trick as stopping the twist.]

    Yong-ho focused on the current situation. He didn¡¯t think about why the celestial world got reconnected with the demon world or why the twisting urred right above the ce where the southern and northern forces were engaged in the fighting.

    The Seven Deadly Sins, the fragments of the Demon God¡¯s soul, responded to the power of the celestial world. In particr, Greed cried out more angrily than usual.

    Yong-ho stepped in the air. Instead of calling Smi, he brought out Catalina¡¯s mana to spread the wings of the shadow. He erected Aamon and stepped straight toward the godly man.

    Kaiwan followed him without any hesitation. Catalina carried her on the back and took off.

    Skull riding on Bucephs started rushing backward. Skull, who had prated deep into the right-wing of the northern army, led the Death Knights to lead the Skull unit. He then injected Brigada with the power of death taken from Baphomet¡¯s sickle. Skull gave it to his master, Yong-ho.

    Ophelia and Eligos also turned to the southern army. Gusion gazed for a moment at the celestial hole above the northern forces¡¯ heads but soon raced toward the southern forces. He could not afford to care about the hole above the northern army.

    The giant of light, who was trying to stick his chest out of the hole after his head and shoulders, saw Yong-ho charging at him quickly. He shook both arms with which he smashed the southern soldiers. A wall of pure white light was shot toward Yong-ho.

    But the green mes that ran from top to bottom broke the wall of light. The mes of Greed burned away the celestial power that formed the wall of light.

    Yong-ho did not stop for a moment. He read the flow of the mana. Just like the hole did, the celestial power arising from the godly man¡¯s body distorted his mana. Yong-ho could read the movement of the godly man through the twisting of the mana.

    The godly man¡¯s arm broke through the air at a terrifying speed. Yong-ho urgently lowered his altitude to avoid his arms before raising it again. Then Yong-ho burned the celestial power with the mes of Greed when thetter rushed to demolish his mana. Finally, he reached the head of the godly man and met his eyes.

    There was a ck hole in the pile of light where the silhouette was not clearly visible. And there were eyes shining in the hole again.

    The godly man opened his mouth wide. Yong-ho stretched Aamon toward the head of the godly man. Then he strengthened his mana by activating the Demon God¡¯s heart king¡¯s mighty power. He injected a tremendous amount of mana into the man through Aamon.

    The power of the celestial world was scattered at once, and the godly man shuddered. He screamed silently and swung his arms recklessly. Numerous tentacles of light came out from the space between the man and the ck hole. They were aiming for Yong-ho.

    But Catalina and Kaiwan did not let them attack Yong-ho. Catalina¡¯s de of the shadow and Kaiwan¡¯s whip sword cut the tentacles of light. The Queen of Fury, who btedly followed the two, struck the head of the godly man with the Godly Energy of Fury.

    The power of the Queen of Fury, which became stronger when she got more furious, was terrifying. The godly man¡¯s head was shaken greatly then shattered and scattered light.

    Yong-ho withdrew mana then fired the green mes toward the godly man¡¯s chest, who was staggering at the Queen of Fury¡¯s attack.

    The godly man¡¯s chest was pierced by the ultra-high mes, and the godly man couldn¡¯t sustain himself anymore. He released enormous celestial power at once then slipped back into the hole as if he was running away. But the green mes arising from his chest destroyed his body.

    [Now is the chance!]

    [Seal the distortion!]

    Yong-ho now forgot the godly man. After turning Aamon back into a bracelet, he concentrated mana on both hands. Just like how he closed the twisting in the past and just like how he stopped the mana of the swirling seven colors, which was Magnadon¡¯sst trap, he controlled the mana in the surrounding area. The horns of light that sprouted on his head radiated even more intense light.

    The hole was twisted again. It rotated in the opposite direction from the beginning. Then it began to get smaller. Then, the light tentacles poured out from the inside of the hole. But these tentacles trying to block him were stopped by his 12 subordinate spirits and the Queen of Fury who finally arrived at the right moment.

    ¡°Surround your body with mana! You have to shut down the power of the celestial world!¡±

    Gusion shouted at the top of his voice not only at the subordinate spirits but also the whole southern army. The power of the celestial world was no different from poison to the demons. So, they had to avoid the situation where they were inevitably exposed to the poison.

    And finally, the hole was closed. The power of the celestial world was scattered by the mana before disappearing, and the swirling flow of mana was also stabilized by Yong-ho¡¯s control.

    Yong-ho breathed out roughly. Even though it wasn¡¯t a real celestial door but a kind of dog hole, he had to consume a considerable amount of mana to close it.

    But the fighting wasn¡¯t over yet. There was still another hold in the sky over the northern troops.

    Yong-ho turned and so did the Queen of Fury. The two felt some sharp chest pain.

    They felt the power of Sin in the northern forces. It must be the power of the King of Lust. Besides, it wasn¡¯t only the King of Lust that was out there.

    Gusion gnashed his teeth. Scathach, who was healing hundreds of tribesmen of the eight ns at the same time, stared into the north. The Sin of Sloth was crying deep down in Sitri¡¯s heart.

    Ancablosa was thrilled. She remembered thest will of the King of Violence.

    ¡°The King of Pride,¡± said Yong-ho.

    At that moment, tremendous mana urred in the northern army as if it exploded. It swallowed up the torrent of mana created by the hole of the celestial world. The godly man, who was sticking his head and shoulders out of the hole, groaned, trampled down by mana.

    The Queen of Fury finally knew the King of Violence¡¯s heart. She truly understood why he chose to make a suicidal attack against the King of Pride.

    There was a god-like being beyond that world. The title ¡°Demon God¡± used by the King of Violence when referring to the being was by no means an exaggeration.

    As if he was desperately struggling, the godly man released the power of the celestial world. And at that moment, another hole began to open above the heads of the northern forces.

    Yong-ho concluded that it was not time for him to just stand as an onlooker.

    ¡°Dritarashutra! Withdraw the southern army right now! You have to retreat!¡±

    It was not the time for him to deal with both the northern army and the celestial world.

    There was no guarantee that the King of Pride and the King of Lust would give priority to closing the door of the celestial world like Yong-ho. There was a high possibility that they would rush toward Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury, totally ignoring the safety of the northern and southern forces.

    Now was not the time for Yong-ho to fight against the northern forces. He had to concentrate on saving even one more southern soldier.

    Fortunately, the Queen of Fury understood his intentions right away. She was a queen who loved her people more than anyone else. So, she ordered the head of the Garura n, Biryubakcha, to withdraw the southern forces immediately. The northern army could not pursue them. Although Yong-ho felt the presence of strong mana beyond the hole, the King of Pride and the King of Lust didn¡¯t show themselves.

 Chapter 274 - Dritarashutra (6)

    <h4>Chapter 274: Dritarashutra (6)</h4>

    The retreat of the southern forces was quick. They had to retreat urgently in a situation where their core forces copsed because of the godly men¡¯s attack. However, they could ovee the chaotic situation in no time because there were virtually none who chased them.

    As soon as they arrived at the dungeon fortress located on the eastern border of the Queen of Fury¡¯s territory, the queen and the heads of the eight ns convened a meeting. Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits also attended the meeting, which was held at the conference room on the top floor of the Queen of Fury¡¯s dungeon.

    Since they came to the meeting from the battlefield without taking any break, everyone was inbat uniform. They could not afford to dy things. The main topic of the conference was definitely about the twist that suddenly appeared on the sky of the battlefield and the giants of light that suddenly came out of it.

    It was Sitri who took the lead in the discussion, while the Queen of Fury and the heads of the eight ns were silent. Only after they were done talking did the head of the Asura n opened his mouth. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    His voice was weak. He didn¡¯t take issue with Sitri or Yong-ho, of course.

    There were so many alien zones in the demon world, which had numerous small andrge passages that were connected with each other.

    For example, there were dozens of alien spirits traded at the Dungeon Market every year.

    So, the existence of the celestial world was nothing new.

    However, when they talked about other kings, Seven Deadly Sins, and other stuff, the heads of the eight ns were thrown into confusion.

    Mammon, the King of Greed, who saved the demon world by sacrificing himself a thousand and several hundred years ago. The King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Lust who betrayed Mammon and concealed the relevant facts in history.

    One thousand years was a long time for the dragons. Moreover, the dragons who went through the times of Mammon, the King of Greed, thoroughly lived as outsiders.

    Dragons were and now werezy individualists. So, the current situation in which the dragons formed a legion and participated in the war was very unfamiliar to them.

    Perhaps if they could scrutinize the records of the previous generation or the generations prior to that, they would be able to find some records about the celestial world or the godly men. Nothing would be more detailed than what Sitri had to tell right now.

    The Queen of Fury decided to recognize what Sitri was going to say from now on. Otherwise, she couldn¡¯t take a step forward.

    ¡°Okay, let me sort out my thoughts for a moment. Please confirm what I¡¯m about to say, Queen of Sloth.¡±

    Sitri nodded slowly.

    The Queen of Fury caught her breath and said as calmly as possible, ¡°First, the power of the celestial world is no different from poison to the demons. Weak demons can die just by being exposed to that power, and even those who are strong can be debilitated when exposed for a long time.¡±

    The moment the hole was opened, a huge amount of celestial energy was released. The reason that the soldiers of the northern and southern armies right under the hole lost their lives en masse was because they were unprotected and exposed to the celestial energy.

    ¡°Second, it¡¯s the door of the celestial world that connects the demon world and the celestial world. As the celestial door opens little by little, distortions take ce throughout the demon world. The more the celestial door opens, the more distorting takes ce on arge scale. ¡±

    Sitri nodded again.

    The Queen of Fury said finally, ¡°Third, the giant of light that appeared this time is a godly man. The appearance of a godly man means that more than a third of the door of the celestial world has already opened.¡±

    The godly men were by no means ordinary beings.

    Aamon added right after the Queen of Fury was done talking.

    [We saw several celestial beings while we were fighting against the celestial world. And we divided them into two main types.]

    [One of them are those who are considered to be general inhabitants of the celestial world.]

    [They have covered their entire bodies with a dim light close to gray. Small ones are the size of goblins, andrge ones are equal to Ogres.]

    [They are not very strong, except that they have celestial energy.]

    [We judged these godly men as the celestial soldiers.]

    Those they saw in today¡¯s fighting had never been caught by Yong-ho¡¯s party. However, Catalina and Kaiwan remembered the beings behind the tentacles of light when they attacked Yong-ho. Perhaps, they were the godly men.

    [The godly man is covering his whole body with a bright white light.]

    [He emits not only an enormous amount of celestial energy but also, he is huge in size.]

    [As we saw him today, the way he attacked us is not that powerful. In some respects, he is just a huge monster. What matters is his celestial energy.]

    The number of soldiers killed by just two godly men who appeared in the camps of the northern and southern armies was huge. But what mattered was the way they killed the soldiers.

    The godly men killed the soldiers that were gathered in close formation with their huge bodies. If there were any giant monsters as huge as the godly men today, they could fight as well as the godly men in today¡¯s fighting.

    However, the godly men could not defend the strike of the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho. Just like Aamon said, they were no more than huge monsters when their celestial energy was removed.

    Of course, their huge size itself was a tremendous weapon, and separating the celestial energy from them was unthinkable, but the important thing was the fact that they were not absolute beings like God. This meant that the Queen of Fury and Yong-ho¡¯s forces could easily confront them.

    [There are not so many godly men. Usually, one godly man appears when a mid-orrge-sized hole is opened.]

    [Even in the final and decisive battle in front of the door of the celestial world, there were only a few dozen goldy men.]

    Kirtimuka opened her mouth wide as if she could not believe him. Aamon said there were only a few dozen, but each of them was a giant over a hundred meters tall. She seemed to now know why the kings of the olden days joined hands to fight against them.

    [What we should be vignt against most is not the godly man. There are godly men who are almost asrge as Ogres.]

    [Mammon, the King of Greed, called these godly men godly generals. Like the godly man, they not only emit a huge amount of celestial energy, but they are also very strong. They show up only when a supersized hole is made, and among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, there are only three who can confront these godly generals. They are Gusion, Richard, and Elune.]

    As a matter of fact, Gusion, Richard, and Elune could be called the three greatest powers of Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits.

    Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many godly generals. The number of godly generals that Aamon witnessed during the battle with the celestial world a thousand years ago was around 20.

    Aamon was silent for a while. Only after everyone around him recognized the existence of the godly man and godly generals did he continue.

    [It is not known what the purpose of the godly man is. We have made several attempts tomunicate with them, but we have never had any meaningful conversations with them.]

    [One thing is clear though. It is the fact that the power of the celestial world is in direct opposition to the demon world. If all the doors of the celestial world are opened and the connection between the celestial and the demonic world is fully secured, no one can be sure what will happen in the future]

    [There might be a possibility that the demon world itself will perish.]

    Everybody was silent while Aamon was speaking. The faces of the heads of the eight ns turned pale while Kirtimuka gulped in a tense mood.

    Gusion, who was listening to Aamon quietly until now, spoke in a rather harsh voice, ¡°We don¡¯t have to be scared too much. We can confront the celestial energy with our mana. As long as we can block or endure the celestial energy, we can confront them without any problem.¡±

    This time, Scathach added, ¡°The power of the celestial world acts like a poison not only to those in the demon world, but also those from alien worlds. However, its effect on these alien beings is weaker than that of those in the demon world. So, I think if any of those among the eight nse from the alien world, they can more effectively deal with the godly men.¡±

    In fact, there were more northern soldiers than their southern counterparts who lost their lives right after the hole was opened. Even though both sides were exposed to the celestial energy helplessly, the southern soldiers were killed much less than the northern soldiers because they were from the alien world, not from the demon world.

    When she finished speaking, Scathach turned to Yong-ho who was listening to her seriously. Yong-ho was not purely from the demon world, of course. Although Mammon¡¯s blood was flowing in his body, the blood of the human world was also flowing in his body at the same time.

    The Queen of Fury was not also purely from the demon world. Of course, it had been several hundred years since the eight ns including her came to the demon world, so they could be recognized as pure demons, but strictly speaking, they could fall in the category of alien beings.

    Scathach found hope in such a fact.

    ¡°How much time is left for the celestial door to fully open?¡±

    The head of the dragon n, Surka, asked with a nervous expression.

    Scathach didn¡¯t bother to lie to him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. But if I look back at what happened during Mammon¡¯s times, I would say there are only a couple of months left before the celestial door is fully opened.¡±

    The head of the dragon n closed his eyes tightly.

 Chapter 275 - Dritarashutra (7)

    <h4>Chapter 275: Dritarashutra (7)</h4>

    At that moment, Aamon spoke again, [I am not trying to create anxiety or fear among you.]

    [However, the fact that the godly man has appeared means that the situation has already be quite serious.]

    [If you consider that you haven¡¯t noticed the existence of the twisting until the godly man appeared, I think it¡¯s possible that the celestial door will open faster than it did a thousand years ago.]

    This time, there was a more chaotic silence spreading among the participants in the meeting. Dragon Lord Ancablosa, who did not lose herposure amid such a chaotic mood, asked Scathach, ¡°Why don¡¯t we close the celestial door just like Mammon, the King of Greed, did a thousand years ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the solution. It will solve everything,¡± said Scathach with a light smile.

    That was what not only Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury but also Ancablosa and the Dragon Legion wanted badly. The dragons of the past were not united as one, so their fight against the celestial world was not very helpful. However, the current Dragon Legion was different.

    Everyone was calcting the gains and losses of this option.

    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, said with a sigh, ¡°Is it unreasonable for us to ask for a ceasefire with the northern army?¡±

    ¡°You know what? These are the bastards who betrayed Master Mammon one thousand years ago. We can never believe them,¡± snapped Gusion angrily.

    Gusion, who felt the Sin of Pride directly on the battlefield, was convinced that the guy in the rear of the northern army was the King of Pride. He was definitely the King of Pride of the past who betrayed Mammon, not the current King of Pride.

    Gusion wasn¡¯t curious about how that king was still alive or how he gained such great power.

    The only thing that mattered to him was to take revenge on the King of Pride. His desire to take revenge on the king, which had been dormant deep down in his heart for the past one thousand years, was strongly rekindled.

    With the atmosphere getting more and more serious, the head of the dragon n asked again in a weary voice, ¡°Is there any possibility that the King of Pride will shut the door of the celestial world again? If we don¡¯t act, all of us in the demon world will have no choice but to perish together.¡± What he said was a real possibility.

    But Sitri shook her head and said, ¡°Well, I think the King of Pride would rather choose to kill us first even before the celestial door opens. He will try to close the door after taking away the powers of the King of Greed, the Queen of Fury as well as mine.¡±

    Sitri was also convinced of the existence of the King of Pride of the past. He was a lunatic. Despite the possibility that Mammon could not close the door of the celestial world, he betrayed Mammon because he put more priority on Mammon¡¯s death than preventing the destruction of the demon world.

    Because of this track record, it was impossible for Yong-ho to close the celestial door in cooperation with the King of Pride.

    If he were the same King of Pride of the past, he would prioritize defeating Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury over closing the celestial door.

    ¡°So, this is our best option. We have to defeat the King of Pride first then fight the godly men of the celestial world in order to close the celestial door,¡± shouted Gusion loudly.

    The head of the dragon n and the head of the Garura n felt averse to Gusion¡¯s deration at the moment, but they soon understood him. In fact, the King of Pride had been advocating the annihtion and envement of different races from the alien world by promoting the supremacy of pure blood of the demon world. He was a guy who could not coexist with the eight ns from the beginning.

    The Queen of Fury closed her eyes. She let out a long breath then said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a short break. Queen of Sloth and Mammon people, thank you for your preciousment and insight.¡±

    In fact, like the southern forces, the northern army also retreated in the face of the godly man¡¯s unexpected attack. So, she could take out some time for a break.

    When the Queen of Fury left the meeting room, Kirtimuka and Gardimundi hurriedly followed her. The head of the dragon n and the head of the Garura n also expressed due manners to Yong-ho and Sitri before leaving. Some representatives from the eight ns who were waiting outside the conference room approached Yong-ho and his party to show them to a break room.

    Sitri looked at Yong-ho silently, who nodded to her slowly.

    <hr />

    The Queen of Fury sat nkly in the sky garden on the top floor of Vimana, her dungeon. The night air was cold, but she didn¡¯t think it was cold. She just wanted to be united with the darkness of the night.

    But she could not if she wanted to. No matter how much she closed her eyes to try to forget the situation, she had to face the cruel reality. Not only the northern army but also the celestial world were both a tough challenge for her.

    The Queen of Fury went to the trouble of humming a song. Although she hummed it lightly, her singing created a beautiful melody, just like the head of the Gandharva n who were good at singing and dancing. The moonlight and starlight seemed to melt into her singing.

    After she was carried away with the excitement of her singing for a moment, she quickly closed her lips and stopped humming. Vimana was her dungeon, so she could know all the little things that were happening in Vimana. She noticed there was a visitor waiting in front of the sky garden.

    Her heart was pounding. By now, she could have gotten used to his visit, but she could turn to the visitor only after she took a big breath.

    The visitor said with a gentle smile, ¡°Can I talk to you for a minute?¡±

    ¡°Of course. As I told you many times today, I would like to wee you very much.¡±

    Rather than overreacting to him in an excited voice, she sat down on arge rock.

    Yong-ho settled next to her casually.

    Because of an awkward atmosphere, either Yong-ho or the queen needed to break the ice first.

    The Queen of Fury hesitated nervously while Yong-ho moved his lips several times. Atst, he said, looking at her, ¡°Queen of Fury, or let me call you Dritarashutra.¡±

    The queen flinched for a moment then nodded obediently. She turned slightly to face him.

    He looked at her briefly. In fact, it was quite surprising that the two met face to face like this in the queen¡¯s dungeon.

    Yong-ho himself was now in the dungeon of the Queen of Fury, and the queen faced him without her bodyguards.

    This kind of casual meeting was possible because they trusted each other as allies.

    ¡°I would like to tell you something as your ally and strong friend. You may feel unpleasant or offended by what I have to say, but I hope you can hear me out.¡±

    At that moment, he was very serious. Looking at him squarely, the queen corrected her posture immediately and said, ¡°Please give me a second.¡±

    The Queen of Fury put her hand on her chest. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After taking a deep breath several times, she faced him again and said, ¡°Now you can go ahead. I am ready to hear what you have to say to me.¡±

    The Queen of Fury was also serious. It wasn¡¯t Dritarashutra, the woman who was in love with him, but the head of the eight ns in her capacity as the Queen of Fury, who was facing him.

    Instead of beating around the bush, Yong-ho put it bluntly, ¡°The King of Pride is very strong. It would be difficult for us two to confront him together. As you know, he is apanied by the King of Lust when he is fighting.¡±

    Most of the southern forces did not see the King of Pride, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the celestial holes and the presence of the godly men, but Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury certainly saw him. While fighting on the battlefield today, the two clearly realized why the King of Violence made the extreme choice of suicidal attack against the King of Pride, and why he called the king the Demon God.

    The amount of mana that the King of Pride unleashed at thest minute exceeded that of Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury. Moreover, the King of Lust was also very strong. Although Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury didn¡¯t yet fully get used to their Godly Energies, the King of Lust not only blocked their attack but also escaped from the scene.

    The Queen of Fury nodded at Yong-ho¡¯s exnation. She wanted to forget about it, but as the queen of the eight ns, she could not turn away from reality.

    The King of Pride was strong. The Queen of Fury knew she could not confront him alone, let alone the King of Lust.

    Instead offorting the Queen of Fury who seemed to have resigned to reality, Yong-ho changed the topic.

    He said, looking at the Godly Energy of Greed fitted on his right arm, ¡°The power of Greed is possession. I never let go of what I have in my hand. You know Kaiwan and Tigrius, my subordinate spirits, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know them.¡± The Queen of Fury nodded quickly. In particr, she was familiar with Kaiwan because she met her several times.

    ¡°Both of them are former masters of their own houses. As you may know, when the master bes a subordinate spirit, his or her power is greatly weakened. It may disappear altogether after a long time. But they still have their own power. Moreover, I can use their power as if it were my own. I can do all this because I have the power of possession by way of Greed.¡±

 Chapter 276 - Dritarashutra (9)

    <h4>Chapter 276: Dritarashutra (9)</h4>

    The Queen of Fury stiffened her face. Although she was naive and innocent in some respects, she wasn¡¯t foolish. While she was listening to what he was trying to exin to her, she instinctively found out something that she could not ignore.

    Yong-ho did not stop talking. As if holding onto the Queen of Fury eagerly, he said something important, ¡°Power is the power of the soul. Sin is no different.¡±

    Young-ho¡¯s words were no different from his announcement to her. It seemed as if some violet light peculiar to the queen¡¯s eyes was twinkling.

    The Queen of Fury was suppressing herself. She held back the urge to get up right away and shout at him but listened to him respectively. He was not done talking yet, and the Queen of Fury clearly promised him that she would hear him out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you. I¡¯m not threatening or ckmailing you now. I¡¯m serious. Even after I defeat the King of Pride, I would like to maintain a strong alliance with you.¡±

    Of course, he didn¡¯t think so from the beginning. He didn¡¯t think of being lenient toward her because she was a beauty. He fought several masters in the process of unifying the southern areas. Of course, there were also female masters among his opponents.

    It was by necessity that Yong-ho made an alliance with the Queen of Fury. Therefore, he hid from her the fact that he possessed the Sin of Greed, and that he killed the King of Gluttony. He was not sure what would happen to his alliance with her after he defeated the northern troops.

    However, after fighting the King of Lust, he changed his mind when he revealed to her that he was the King of Greed.

    The Queen of Fury still regarded Yong-ho as a strong ally. Instead of ming him and doubting himself for hiding the facts, she reached out to him again.

    Of course, she might have done so because she also needed his help. But he didn¡¯t think so. He could feel she was sincere toward him, so he wanted to respond sincerely.

    He didn¡¯t want to fight the Queen of Fury. He wanted to take her as his strong ally.

    He didn¡¯t even think of killing her and taking away her Sin and essence.

    ¡°Please be my subordinate spirit.¡±

    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth at that moment. He looked straight at the queen.

    ¡°After I defeat the King of Pride and stop the advance of the celestial world, I will release you from the status of my subordinate spirit as soon as you wish for it. Let me promise it under the swear of a dragon.¡±

    It was the suggestion offered by Yuno who counted the stars.

    The subordinate spirit was fundamentally created by mutual contracts. Even if one became a subordinate spirit and devoted one¡¯s body and soul to one¡¯s master, it was impossible for the master topletely control one¡¯s heart.

    Yong-ho¡¯s pledge was a particrly powerful one among various contract magics that existed in the demon world.

    Even if Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury were in a rtionship between master and the subordinate spirit, his pledge remained strong. If he broke his pledge, it would punish him because of the strictness of the contract. And there was only one punishment, which was death. In that respect, Yong-ho¡¯s request to her to be his subordinate spirit was risking his life.

    That was why he also offered his life as coteral.

    If Yong-ho rejected her request to break out of the contract of being his subordinate spirit when she wanted it, he would have to lose his life.

    Since the dragon¡¯s pledge was activated only when the contract was broken, the Queen of Fury could not kill Yong-ho.

    This would be an ideal situation when Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury focused on the contract alone, aside from the scrutiny of those around them as well as their status.

    Armed with Greed, he could obtain the power of Fury. By making the queen his subordinate spirit, he would obtain more power, and so would the queen. The contract of the master and subordinate spirit rtionship brought about the growth of both.

    However, this was only possible when theypletely trusted each other.

    The Queen of Fury was not alone. She was the leader of the eight ns.

    ¡°Will you give me some time to think for a moment?¡±

    The Queen of Fury said, straining her voice.

    He said, with a nod, ¡°I am sorry for making such a tough request to you.¡±

    The queen replied, ¡°I think today is probably the hardest day since I became the queen.¡±

    Having said that, the queen smiled with an effort then stood up from her seat.

    She felt the night air was unusually cold.

    ¡°Take a break. I think you are also exhausted,¡± she said.

    Then the queen left the Air Garden of her dungeon. He noticed Gardimundi and Kirtimuka silently following her. Fortunately, the two women quietly listened to his request to the queen without balking at all.

    [You conveyed your sincere message to her. Now is the time for you to wait until you hear from her.]

    Aamon whispered to Yong-ho. He closed his eyes.

    <hr />

    [Master, wake up.]

    Yong-ho blinked his eyes. It seemed that he fell asleep after closing his eyes briefly.

    He was still in the Air Garde of the queen¡¯s dungeon. No one came to pick him up as if Aamon already informed his subordinate spirits about his location.

    Not long after opening his eyes, Yong-ho understood the situation. The Queen of Fury was standing at a distance from him. Dressed a little more loosely thanst night, she walked toward him and stood in front of him. She had bloodshot eyes at the moment.

    ¡°Probably, I¡¯ve never been in greater agony than today since I was born.

    The smell of her fragrant flesh peculiar to the Gandarva n tickled the tip of his nose.

    The Queen of Fury boldly took a seat next to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it all night.¡±

    The queen breathed in the cold night air. Then she covered her face with both hands and raised her head after a while.

    ¡°I¡¯ve a couple of conditions.¡±

    Yong-ho was silent. She turned to him with her jewel-like eyes shining in the dark.

    ¡°First, you have to keep it to yourself that I¡¯m going to be your subordinate spirit. Of course, I understand you can¡¯t hide it to the Queen of Sloth and your 12 subordinate spirits, but you should not reveal it to anybody else. What I mean is the ordinary tribesmen of the eight ns as well as the general dungeon spirits of the Mammon family should be kept in the dark about it.

    This is the condition Gardimundi wants you to agree to.¡±

    Of course, she set out the condition, keeping in mind the situation where she would be freed from the status of his subordinate spirit.

    Yong-ho thought the condition was reasonable. He could understand that her people would not easily ept the fact that she became another master¡¯s subordinate spirit, no matter how strongly she felt the necessity. Anyway, she thought it would be better to deal with the contract secretly if it was needed for Yong-ho¡¯s short-term battle with the King of Pride.

    ¡°And the next condition is...¡± She slurred.

    Only after she moved her lips hesitantly did she face him again and said sharply, ¡°Okay, this is my second condition. Take responsibility for me and my people.¡±

    ¡°Dritarashutra?¡± Yong-ho immediately asked before he knew it.

    There was no more shame or shyness in her face.

    She said in her capacity as the queen of the eight ns, ¡°King of Greed, you are the one who has got here alone from the alien world, without rtives or friends. So, you don¡¯t have your own people or family here.¡±

    As she said, Yong-ho was from the human world. Based on Gardimundi¡¯s background investigation of Yong-ho, only Kaiwan had a kinship with Yong-ho and the House of Mammon.

    The Queen of Fury admitted calmly that the King of Greed was strong and that the bnce of power between them was broken a long time ago.

    When it was revealed that Yong-ho was the King of Greed, Kirtimuka thought that the queen should give up the political marriage of the Mammon family and the eight ns, but Gardimundi and the heads of the eight ns didn¡¯t agree. They believed that Yong-ho was the perfect candidate for the queen. In a situation where the bnce of power among the kings copsed, it was best for the queen to cultivate stronger power or acquiesce to the stronger power in order to survive.

    ¡°Treat the eight ns as your race. By defeating the King of Pride and the celestial world, please let the eight ns live in a peaceful demon world. Please cherish and love them.¡±

    That was her most important condition. She did not ask him for anything more.

    ¡°If so, I, Dritarashutra, will live with you for the rest of my life. Of course, I¡¯m going to make the dragon¡¯s contract with you, just in case.¡±

    At the end of her words, she suddenly got shy.

    Yong-ho was happy and embarrassed at that moment.

    He said, ¡°Oh, wait a moment. So, what you mean is...¡±

    ¡°Oh, not yet. I am willing to be your subordinate spirit temporarily to help you defeat the King of Pride, but I need time to be on more intimate terms with you, so I can confirm whether you can really care about my people.¡±

    After babbling quickly like that, the queen stood up suddenly, then reached out to him, looking at him gently.

    ¡°I will trust you, King of Greed.¡±

    She really offered her real trust in him. He took her hands and said, ¡°Thank you, Queen of Fury. I¡¯ll surely pay back your trust.¡±

    This time, his promise to her was different from what Mammon made to the King of Pride and the King of Lust. In some respects, it was like the promise between Mammon and Sitri who would never betray each other.

    ¡°By the way..¡±

    The queen, who was fidgeting with her fingers on his big hand, turned her gaze from him.

    Then she said shyly, ¡°Now, how about talking to each other informally? We have be closer than before, and we¡¯re going to be much more closer...¡±

    He chuckled at her suggestion and nodded cheerfully.

    ¡°Sure, Dritarashutra.¡±

    The queen smiled brightly. Instead of replying, she grasped his hand once again.

 Chapter 277 - Mammon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 277: Mammon (1)</h4>

    Mammon, the King of Greed, shut the door of the celestial world. He sacrificed his life to save the demon world.

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits did not see Mammon¡¯sst moment. Even Aamon, who was always with Mammon, didn¡¯t see it either. They saw himst when he was climbing the stairs to the celestial door alone.

    But Sitri was beside him during hisst moment. Even when Mammon forcibly sent back his 12 Spirits to the Labyrinth of Greed, she was with Mammon. That was why she could see what happened to him more than anybody else.

    Sitri saw Mammon, the King of Greed¡¯sst moment, and what he did after closing the celestial door.

    Sitri remembered them all. She never forgot them. Rather, she could never forget them.

    <hr />

    All of the major figures of the Mammon family and the eight ns gathered at Tiamet, the giant red dragon.

    It was a secret meeting. There were only a few among them in both camps who knew why they gathered in one ce early in the morning.

    By using the core of the giant red dragon, Tiamet, as a terminal, Lucia spent hours creating a mana-sharing passage between the Labyrinth of Greed and Tiamet. Since the Labyrinth of Greed at the southern end of the demon world was very far away from the dungeon fortress of the eight ns where Tiamet was currently located, it was a really tough job for Lucia, but she made it in the end. It was literally the result of her sweat and hard work.

    Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury stood, facing each other. Behind him were his 12 subordinate spirits, headed by Catalina and Kaiwan, while the queen was apanied by her subordinate spirits, Gardimundi and Kirtimuka, as well as the surviving heads of the eight ns, namely the head of the Asura n, Rakshika, and the head of Dragon n, Sukura, and the head of the Garura n, Biryubakcha.

    Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits and the heads of the eight ns did not stand up randomly. Under their feet was a magic circle drawn by Yuno who counted the stars and Yustia who led the way. It was in the shape of a huge magic circle consisting of lots of small magic circles.

    [Come on, please feel rxed.]

    [I think I should do something like a speech, but let me skip it!]

    When Lucia spoke in a somewhat exaggerated voice, the 12 subordinate spirits as well as the heads of the eight ns grimaced at her suddenly.

    The Queen of Fury blushed. She rolled her lips into her mouth once then gently raised her head and looked at him.

    They were faced with a situation where there was an imminent attack from the celestial world. Besides, the King of Pride¡¯s forces were still active in the northern area.

    But it would be no good at all if they shuddered with fear, doing nothing.

    The Queen of Fury only concentrated on what was going to happen now. She was there to make the contract with Yong-ho on her being his subordinate spirit, but it was of greater significance to her personally.

    Her two eyes were bloodshot because she agonized over it all night.

    Yong-ho finally made eye contact with her. After smiling at her gently, he ordered Lucia to proceed with the ceremony.

    [We are going to begin the ritual.]

    [I hope you can rx and release your mana naturally.]

    All 12 subordinate spirits opened up their horns. Since the weakest of them had six horns, a huge amount of mana filled the space. The heads of the eight ns, who were about to release as much mana as them, once again keenly felt the power of the House of Mammon. Convinced that their choice was right, they injected power into the magic circles.

    A bright light came from the magic circles that swallowed up not only the mana transmitted from the Labyrinth of Greed but also the mana of the 12 subordinate spirits and the heads of the eight ns. Mana was concentrated on the ce where Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury met.

    What Yong-ho was trying to do wasn¡¯t just a simple contract on making her his subordinate spirit.

    Typically, any master who became another master¡¯s subordinate spirit had to give up many things, such as freeing his or her own subordinate spirits and cutting off the connection with the soul of the dungeon.

    But Yong-ho did not want to force all of those things on the Queen of Fury, so he prepared a special contract.

    This was possible because Yuno and Yustia, who made the first contracts for the master¡¯s subordinate spirits in the demon world, were present at the ceremony. Instead of drastically increasing the mana required for the contract on the queen¡¯s subordinate spirit, they made sure the queen kept many of what she currently had.

    For example, it was impossible for her to increase a new subordinate spirit, but she was not supposed to lose her existing subordinate spirits. She could also get connected with the soul of the dungeon.

    Their collected mana was refined. A white ray of light wrapped around Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury.

    [We¡¯re proceeding with the ceremony on the contract on her subordinate spirit.]

    [Master, please give her the certificate on her subordinate spirit.]

    He gently raised the queen¡¯s hand then put a Brigada bracelet on her white, thin wrist.

    Then he put a ring on her finger, which Burgrim made skillfully.

    The lightpletely covered him and the queenpletely. When he gave the ring to her, the contact was fully effective now.

    Soon they felt a change. The 12 subordinate spirits felt a new figure was added between them and Yong-ho. The Queen of Fury was thrilled to know she could get connected with the soul of her dungeon immediately. She unwittingly let out an exmation of surprise.

    Both Yong-ho and the Queen of Fury had experienced executing this kind of subordinate spirit contract before. As a result, he had as many as eleven subordinate spirits, while she had Kirtimuka and Gardimundi.

    But it was different this time. It was no exaggeration to say that the difference between the past contract and the current contract that the two executed was night and day.

    This was a contract that required the Queen of Fury with one of the Seven Deadly Sins to be another king¡¯s subordinate spirit. It was the first time that the King of Greed created a contract on his subordinate spirits since the opening of the demon world.

    Yong-ho felt the power of Fury.

    Dritarashutra, the Queen of Fury, trembled with thrill when she felt the mana of Greed and Gluttony transmitted through Brigada. She was letting out a breath full of pain and pleasure.

    Greed, Gluttony, and Fury.

    The three Sins had be one under the King of Greed. Mammon¡¯s body and soul were put together once again. The Demon God¡¯s heart was beating violently.

    Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy also responded. It delivered thest power that could not find its original owner, namely the love of Yuno who counted the stars, to Dritarashutra.

    Scathach¡¯s Life, Skull¡¯s Death, Catalina¡¯s Justice, Samael¡¯s Creation, Ophelia¡¯s Honor, Tigrius¡¯ Harmony, Gusion¡¯s Courage, Richard¡¯s Trust, Kaiwan¡¯s Passion, Eligos¡¯ Patience, and Dritarashutra¡¯s Love.

    And Aamon.

    Finally, Yong-ho had aplete set of 12 subordinate spirits. Only now did heplete Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy.

    Yong-ho realized the real reason why Mammon, the King of Greed, created his Godly Energy, and what he wanted to achieve with it.

    Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy united the three Sins into one. It reminded them of the fact that they had been originally one but scattered for so long.

    Sitri grabbed her chest. She felt the Sin of Sloth that wanted to be united with the three Sins.

    She looked at Yong-ho, suppressing her pounding heart.

    A new horn of light sprouted from Yong-ho¡¯s head. It started with one. It then grew to seven at once. Moreover, it didn¡¯t stop there.

    He had an eighth horn now as the result of the enormous power created by the three Sins as one!

    The 12 subordinate spirits screamed all at once. Even the Queen of Fury hugged her shoulders and screamed.

    Yong-ho roared, too. He peeked into the great achievements of Mammon, the King of Greed.

    <hr />

    The tribesmen of the eight ns who gathered at the dungeon fortress realized that something tremendous happened. However, they couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. All they could do was take a glimpse of the moving dungeon, Vimana, and the giant red dragon, Tiamet, which the King of Greed got aboard toe here.

    The ritual of the queen bing Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit was over. Yong-ho¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits, who consumed enormous mana during the ceremony,y down without exception, and it took nearly half a day for all of them to recover.

    ¡°As you may already know, my name is Dritarashutra. I hope I can get along with you well in the future.¡±

    Three women gathered in one of the cabins of Tiamet, the giant red dragon and Yong-ho¡¯s main battleship.

    Since she was born and raised in the culture of polygamy and polyandry among the eight ns, the Queen of Fury didn¡¯t seem to be conscious of Catalina or Kaiwan.

    Kaiwan was nervous when the queen held out her hand in a friendly manner with a bright smile.

    She cleared her throat then replied in a bit of a sulky voice, ¡°Well, I¡¯m your senior in terms of Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit. So, when we are together like this, I won¡¯t treat you as the Queen of Fury. Got it?¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    The queen responded readily again this time, and Kaiwan felt somehow defeated.

    She felt even ashamed of herself because she knew what she just said to the queen was immature and rude. Although the queen responded kindly, she was still the head of the eight ns anyway.

    Above all, she was the Queen of Fury who was much more powerful than Kaiwan had thought.

    At that moment, Catalina, who was quietly standing next to her, touched Kaiwan¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m your senior in terms of Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit...¡± Catalina said timidly.

    As soon as she heard that, Kaiwan red at Catalina, who let down her ears and tail without ending her words.

    Silencing Catalina immediately, Kaiwan looked back at the Queen of Fury.

    She said, gently holding her hand, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you. I¡¯m Kaiwan. And this girl here is...¡±

    ¡°Oh, my name is Catalina, our master¡¯s escort knight,¡± Catalina answered immediately, correcting Kaiwan¡¯s funny introduction. Given that she erected her tail, she was obviously upset with Kaiwan.

    The Queen of Fury opened her mouth for a moment then stroked Catalina¡¯s head.

    Then she said with a bright smile, ¡°I feel like we can hit it off very well. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

 Chapter 278 - Mammon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 278: Mammon (2)</h4>

    Catalina, who was blinking, immediately nodded. Her reaction was almost instinctive. Kaiwan groaned at the fact that Catalina and the Queen of Fury got along so well so quickly.

    ¡®Oh my god!¡¯

    Aside from the Queen of Fury, what was Catalina pping her tail at?

    Kaiwan quickly reached out and pulled Catalina toward her then said, hugging her tightly, ¡°No, Catalina, you¡¯re mine. You¡¯re on my side.¡±

    Kaiwan called her urgently before she knew it. The Queen of Fury looked at Kaiwan this time then nodded dly. As she was advised by Gardimundi in advance, the queen said after changing her tone a little, ¡°Alright, no problem.¡±

    Kaiwan once again gulped, aghast at the queen¡¯s unexpected action, while Catalina pped her ears and tail.

    <hr />

    On the day when the ceremony was held, the northern forces did not show any movement. As far as they could detect to the best they could, the new hole of the celestial world was not opened either. This development was fortunate for the southern forces.

    [All of the celestial holes except for the celestial door are iplete.]

    [Therger the size, the longer it will take, but if left unattended, the door will close someday.]

    That was a characteristic of general twisting. The hole in the celestial world was special in that there was a celestial world beyond it, but the fact that it was a temporary passage to the alien world was the same as the other twisting.

    [So, it might sound a bit irresponsible, but it¡¯s best to leave the hole out of your reach just neglected as it is.]

    [If you close the celestial door as quickly as possible, you can minimize the damage.]

    During Mammon¡¯s times, they responded a little differently. Not only Mammon, but his 12 Spirits went out to close the hole of the celestial world.

    But they couldn¡¯t do it now. Unlike Mammon¡¯s days, Yong-ho and his subordinates were engaged in a war. Yong-ho could not disperse his forces recklessly now and when the northern army would resume their attack.

    The damage caused by the celestial hole would never be small. If a hole was opened enough for the godly man toe out, quiterge ces such as the Free City or the masters¡¯ dungeon could be destroyed.

    But Yong-ho had to refrain from taking any action now. Ending the war as soon as possible was the best option that he could take.

    When Aamon was done talking, Gardimundi said, ¡°The course of the northern forces has changed significantly. Everyone, please look at the map.¡±

    There was a sand map of the demon world in the middle of the conference hall of the mobile dungeon Vimana. When everybody focused on it, the red sands showing the northern forces began to move.

    The northern troops gathered near the eastern border of the Queen of Fury¡¯s territory headed northwest. Those who didn¡¯t join the northern forces also moved with them.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re trying to stop fighting and retreating. If so, the forces of the King of Lust and the King of Gluttony would have returned to their territories respectively.¡±

    The amount of red sand that was united as one was truly enormous.

    Gardimundi continued, ¡°It seems that the northern forces are trying to force us to fight them on arge scale instead of dividing themselves into several units to attack us. Based on the information collected until now, the expected path of movement of the northern forces is as follows.¡±

    A line of light was drawn over the map of the demon world. The line was passing through the collective residences of the eight ns located throughout the territory of the Queen of Fury.

    It was a fairly reasonable prediction. However, there was something dubious about it. If they wanted to force Yong-ho¡¯s army to fight like this, they didn¡¯t have to go to the trouble of changing their infiltration route.

    Why?

    Were they scared of the possible opening of the celestial hole again?

    ¡°I think I know their intention to some extent,¡± said Gusion suddenly.

    Scathach nodded. She fidgeted with her fingers in the air on behalf of Gusion, who was poor at magic skill. Then a new line of light was drawn over the line that Gardimundi drew. It was slightly different from the path of infiltration that Gardimundi anticipated, but it passed through the unimednd between the territories of the Queen of Fury and the King of Envy.

    There was no dungeon or Free City there. So, there was no reason for the northern forces to pass through it.

    But Mammon¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits thought differently. Yuno and Yustia groaned while Scathach realized once again that it was the King of Pride who led the northern forces.

    The unimednd without any people or resources.

    Yong-ho knew it instinctively.

    Sitri said to him on behalf of Mammon¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits, ¡°On that day, one thousand and several hundred years ago, it¡¯s the ce where the celestial door opened.¡±

    <hr />

    The northern army was a huge army unprecedented in the history of the demon world.

    Even though all of them were not yet gathered, the number of spirits included in onerge group exceeded 100,000.

    The movement of therge army was like a mountain and a forest walking on the ground. Moreover, the northern army was notposed solely of ground forces. Several flying monsters and giant monsters filled the sky.

    Regardless of the enemy or friendly forces, their massive movement was a spectacr scene. In fact, the scouts of the Karvinka n who observed the movement of the northern army from a distance were overwhelmed with awe and fear.

    Asmodeus, the King of Lust, was in the midst of such arge army. He was inside a battlewagon pulled by a giant Hydra with seven heads.

    It was huge, befitting a carriage pulled by the Hydra. It looked like a pce on the move.

    The King of Lust stood by the window. Instead of the red sky of the demon world, a gray cloud fell over his head. A cold wind was blowing through the falling rain.

    The celestial hole opened again. The look of the godly man was the same as before. The celestial power still acted as a deadly poison to demonic beings.

    It was a thousand and several hundreds of years ago, but the King of Lust didn¡¯t feel like that. It wasn¡¯t just because he had lived so long.

    Even now, if he closed his eyes, he felt like he would go back to that time, when the kings with the Seven Deadly Sins gathered together for the first time in the history of the demon world, and when they were united against an external enemy called the celestial world.

    But the King of Lust did not close his eyes because he knew it was just futile sentimentalism. More than a thousand years had already passed. Even if he recalled the past, nothing would change, just like one¡¯s past would not change no matter how often one regretted it.

    When the King of Pride¡¯s surprise operation to subdue the demon world overnight failed, the King of Lust had a different idea from the King of Pride briefly.

    ¡®What if I just stopped fighting like this? Do we have to subdue the south?¡¯

    The King of Violence was dead. The King of Gluttony and King of Envy were long gone as well.

    The King of Pride had risen to the position of the King of Greed, Mammon, of yesteryear.

    In terms of mana alone, the King of Pride had already surpassed Mammon.

    Of course, there was the Queen of Fury, the Queen of Sloth, and the King of Gluttony, but none of them were strong enough to beat the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, and the King of Gluttony had their own territory, but even Mammon could not obtain such argend when he was alive.

    So, the King of Lust just wanted to stop fighting. He felt the masters in the south would never be able to target the north. If the King of Pride made up his mind, he would be able to enjoy peace amid tension, just like he did a few months ago.

    The raindrops were cold. The King of Lust woke up from a dream. It was stupid. He had lived for more than a thousand years, but he hadn¡¯t changed now or in the past.

    The days when he fought against the celestial world with Mammon were never honorable. The King of Envy waspelled to surrender, and the King of Pride expressed a sense of intense inferiority. The King of Lust didn¡¯t know what to do, looking at the two kings.

    It was impossible for the King of Lust to stop the King of Pride. Just like he acquiesced after he failed to persuade the King of Pride not to betray Mammon, he couldn¡¯t stop the King of Pride¡¯s determination to attack the south.

    When Mammon saved the demon world by sacrificing himself in the end, the King of Lust keenly realized it. At the very moment, when the House of Mammon virtually copsed, the King of Lust understood it, looking at the vanity on the King of Pride¡¯s face.

    The King of Pride that the King of Lust used to know was no more. The King of Pride crossed the river of no return on the day when Mammon saved the demon kingdom.

    The King of Lust turned. There was arge throne in the middle of the dark room. The king was asleep, half lying on the throne. He didn¡¯t even move as if he was turned into a statue.

    The current King of Pride got rid of the royal family of his predecessor. This had nothing to do with any figurative meaning. Heavily wounded by the King of Violence¡¯s suicidal attack, the King of Pride brought together all the royal members that he had given birth to and raised over the past one thousand years and killed them all overnight. Then he devoured all the essence they had.

    He didn¡¯t even miss those failures that came out in the process of making the best one. The total of essences absorbed by the King of Pride numbered one thousand, and his power of dominance minimized the loss incurred in the process of him absorbing their essences.

    The King of Lust approached the King of Pride. Only Abrasax and Bifronz survived among those who followed the King of Pride on the day when the King of Violence made a suicidal attack. And they were now somewhat at a distance from the King of Pride because they were scared that the king might take away their essence anytime if they were near him.

 Chapter 279 - Mammon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 279: Mammon (3)</h4>

    But the King of Lust did not stop walking toward the King of Pride. After reaching his throne, he looked at the monster named King of Pride.

    What would have happened if the King of Lust himself was on the side of Mammon, the King of Violence one thousand and a hundred years ago?

    What would have happened if the King of Lust rejected the request of the King of Pride for help and helped the King of Envy instead?

    The King of Lust embraced the King of Pride. The King of Lust thought that he made an impossible assumption again. The King of Lust never could disobey the King of Pride.

    The King of Pride was a monster that had survived by taking the flesh of his descendants for thousands of years. He was a maniac who made himself the best by treating his descendants like dogs and cows for a thousand years. He was a ughterer who killed and ate his flesh and blood over a thousand years.

    Nevertheless, the King of Pride did not covet the King of Lust¡¯s essence and Sin.

    In fact, the King of Pride didn¡¯t even think of it, just like the King of Lust himself could not leave him at the end of the day.

    The door of the celestial door was opening again. In the south were Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits and Sitri, the Queen of Sloth who had experienced several kings¡¯ betrayal a thousand years ago. Because of this, they could not even think of anything like a great alliance to deal with their public enemy, the celestial world.

    The celestial door was like a time limit. It was good topare it with the water that rose up to one¡¯s ankle.

    They had to end the fight before the time was up.

    ¡®When this fight is over...¡¯

    What was the next task after they defeat the southern forces and close the celestial doorpletely?

    Would the King of Pride be satisfied with that situation? Could he shake off Mammon¡¯s shadow and smile again?

    The King of Lust thought no more. He buried his head in the King of Pride¡¯s arms. He pressed his face against his warm chest then closed his eyes. He dreamed about the future instead of recalling the past.

    <hr />

    The Garden of Life was quiet because the skeletons that were farming day and night under the blue sky disappeared.

    There was no Skull¡¯s heartyughter, and there were no dragon soldiers who tried to ck off whenever they could. There was no sound of hundreds of them plowing the fields under themand of the Death Knights.

    It was already one month ago, which was too long for Yuria, who just turned one year old.

    Treant, the chief guard of the Garden of Life, waddled to the potato field and stood. He was standing there to make a shade for Yuria, who was absorbed into farming today, just like she was yesterday in the Garden of Life where even Scathach had left.

    While squatting down and digging for potatoes, Yuria put down the hoe before she knew it.

    Then she looked around, raising her head. It was vast.

    When she was with the Skull unit, she had never thought of this, but today, she felt it was too vast and wide.

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Whining! Whining!¡±

    Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat looked at Yuria at the same time. Instead of responding to the two, Yuria rummaged through the pocket she had around her neck and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a chicken voucher the baby dungeon Meerkat gave herst time.

    She nned to use it immediately when Yong-ho came back, but she couldn¡¯t. Even after Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits came back, they were all busy.

    Yuria was quick-witted, sensitive to what was going on around her. She also heard something from Uncle John and Ron of the Goblin Ranger, one of the elders of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Yong-ho and the Mammon family members were facing a big fight that would control the fate of the entire demon world.

    So, she knew she should not overstep. She decided to wait quietly until everything was over. She thought when the fight was over, everything would go back to normal like before. She decided to be a little more patient.

    ¡°I wish our master coulde back as soon as possible.¡±

    Yuria showed a big smile on purpose. Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat smiled like her. The three started hoeing once again.

    Treant shook its branches to make a cool breeze for them.

    <hr />

    Burgrim worked sincerely, as always. After leaving the Labyrinth of Greed and joining Yong-ho¡¯s northern expedition, he was finally checking the weapons that the elite forces of the Mammon family would use.

    Rikum, the garrisonmander of the House of Mammon and the leader of the ck Orc Squadron, sat face to face with Burgrim and inspected his armaments.

    Burgrim was reticent by nature, while Rikium said a few words while fighting. Because of this, there was silence between them now.

    Burgrim struck the hammer. Suddenly, Rikum raised his head and tried to say something to him, but he immediately stopped and looked at his sword again.

    It seemed like yesterday that Rikium stormed into the House of Mammon at the order of Poras, but a lot of time had already passed.

    ¡®But I felt pretty close to him back then.¡¯

    Suddenly, he recalled the time when he visited the Free City with the master of the Mammon family. He also remembered when he opened his eyes wide, watching the master smashing the Land Worm.

    Rikum smiled before he knew it because he recalled the time when he fought against Embrio¡¯srge army. He felt he was going to be killed back then.

    ¡®It was terrific.¡¯

    It was the first time he saw a Bone Dragon. He also watched Yong-ho smashing a Bone Dragon alone.

    Yong-ho, his master and the King of Greed.

    Rikum shook his head. He got the useless thoughts out of his mind. What he felt long and distant was not important to him. Rikum himself was the proud garrisonmander of the House of Mammon. That was enough for him.

    Burgrim struck the hammer again. The sound of his hammering was rhythmical.

    <hr />

    The top of the deck of the giant red dragon Tiametmanded a view of the camp of the southern forces. Standing alone against the sky that was gradually turning ck, Tigrius had a cigarette in his mouth. The wind from the north was particrly cold because of the heavy rain pouring down in the far north.

    Tigrius said, ¡°What about Eligos?¡±

    ¡°Eli brother is meeting Yong-ho right now. The night is long. I¡¯ll see himter anyway, so it¡¯s okay.¡±

    Ophelia, standing next to Tigrius, had a cigarette in her mouth as well. Unlike Tigrius¡¯s, she was using a short pipe with a ssical atmosphere.

    Since the days when the Mammon family badly needed a hand, they had been taking care of the housekeeping of the Mammon family day and night. Besides, they worked together to build a fortress city in the unimed area in the north, so they were close to each other. In some respects, they had something like a grandpa and granddaughter rtionship.

    Tigrius politely smoked a cigarette, and Ophelia puffed out a long white smoke.

    She said as if she suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°A lot of things have changed, and that in a short time, right?¡±

    In the meantime, Yong-ho did exactly what the King of Pride wanted. Just like the northern forces, the southern forces were on the march to the ce where the celestial door was opened a thousand years ago.

    They would arrive there in several days. In a few days, the fate of the demon would be decided. Fixing his eyes on the north, Tigrius opened his mouth.

    ¡°History...¡± He blurred at the end of his words.

    Ophelia looked at Tigrius, who then made a gentle smile worthy of an old gentleman.

    ¡°I thought I could see it in a history book.¡±

    Ophelia alsoughed. Chuckling like a girl, she grabbed the short pipe again.

    ¡°I agree. Who would have thought that the hostess of a remote southern tavern would be here with you?¡±

    If her father, Enderion, saw her with six horns, what would he say? Would he be happy, saying he was proud of her? Or would he be jealous, saying he wanted to be like her?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we have met a very good master, do you?¡±

    Although they were forced to join the House of Mammon in the first ce, they didn¡¯t feel like thatter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t deny what you said.¡±

    Tigrius put the cigarette he smoked on a portable ashtray and turned.

    Since he was about to go down in the history of the demon world, he wanted to keep his name firmly known in the history books.

    ¡°Wow, you still look young. Look at that muscle!¡±

    Looking at Tigrius¡¯s solid build, Ophelia shouted then put down the short pipe.

    She looked at the northern sky where there was the celestial gate.

    <hr />

    The arena spirits, one of the main forces of the Mammon family, were chatting, gathered in one ce. They numbered over one hundred, but they were from different races over a thousand years old. Even if they could not feel the passage of time in the arena, a thousand years was enough time for them to build a strong bond among themselves.

    The former masters of the House of Mammon stood out among the arena spirits because they liked to group together, in particr. While they were chatting away, Yukrasion, the master ten generations ago, raised her head. She blinked her big eyes under her gray hair.

    ¡°Are you Kaiwan?¡±

    Instead of answering, Kaiwan waved lightly and approached the former masters.

    Yukrasion tilted her head and said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you staying with our master, full of desire?¡±

    Another former master quipped, ¡°Aren¡¯t you feeling emotional if you have an uing battle and want to act cute before your lover?¡±

    Their voices were cheerful unlike when they were in the arena.

    Kaiwan replied, ¡°Can you please stop paying attention to me? The battle is around the corner.¡±

    Then she sat down by her favorite ancestor, Yukrasion.

    She looked around quickly and asked, ¡°How about Gusion?¡±

    ¡°Of course, she is flirting with her lover now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look for him now. He will be greatly embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Were you dumped by our master?¡±

    The former masters began to tease Kaiwan again. When they were in the arena, they just zipped their lips, but as soon as they were freed from the arena, they were so noisy.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk nonsense! I¡¯m just staying away from him. Besides, he has someone ahead of me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to go back to him at night and have a great time.¡±

    Grumbling like that, she lifted up one of the empty sses before Yukrasion. Instead of filling her cup, Yukrasion opened her eyes wide and asked, ¡°Has Yong-ho really dumped you?¡±

 Chapter 280 - Mammon (4)

    <h4>Chapter 280: Mammon (4)</h4>

    Kaiwan felt embarrassed when Yukrasion seemed to be sincerely concerned about her, unlike other masters who just enjoyed exchanging banter with her lightly.

    She pondered over how to respond to Yukrasion¡¯s question for a moment then just filled the ss instead of replying.

    In the meantime, the Queen of Fury and her bodyguards filled up their sses.

    Kirtimuka, who was filling the queen¡¯s wine ss, asked in a subtle voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see him?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You know what I am talking about.¡±

    Covering her mouth with a big hand, Kirtimukaughed frivolously. Although the queen was innocent, she knew the meaning of Kirtimuka¡¯s loaded question.

    With her face blushing, the queen snapped, ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you stop talking nonsense?¡±

    Kirtimuka said, shaking her head again, ¡°I know you haven¡¯t had a wedding ceremony, but...¡±

    The queen was at a loss, not knowing how to respond.

    Gardimundi, who was watching them quietly, just smiled at the queen.

    Since the Queen of Fury became the King of Greed¡¯s subordinate spirit, the status of Gardimundi and Kirtimuka was also changed Their master-subordinate spirit rtionship with the queen was still maintained, but they could no longer influence each other. As a result, Gardimundi and Kirtimuka could not share the power that the queen newly gained after bing the King of Greed¡¯s subordinate spirit.

    With the war with a fatal influence on the fate of the demon world just around the corner, Kirtimuka was busy bantering with the Queen of Fury. Even though the battle for the devil¡¯s fate was only a few days ahead, it was good to see Kirtimuka bantering with the queen, while the queen was struggling to get out of her embarrassing suggestion. Rather than shuddering with fear of the war, they tried to shake it off by spending their time as happily as they could.

    After agonizing for a moment, Gardimundi also decided to chime in with Kirtimuka, her long-cherished foe. She knew her behavior was rude to the queen, but at the same time, she found it so amusing to see the queen sweating, bungling, and shuffling when she was strongly asked to go to Yong-ho¡¯s bedroom.

    When her two faithful friends as well as subordinate spirits started teasing her at the same time, the queen was so embarrassed as to feel like crying anytime.

    <hr />

    Gusion and Scathach said nothing, holding each other in their arms. They enjoyed each other¡¯s warmth through close physical contact.

    They didn¡¯t need any new resolution. They cried bitter tears enough on the day when they had to see Mammon leaving alone to save the demon world. They didn¡¯t have to go to the trouble of renewing their determination that they had made during the past one thousand years.

    Scathach kissed Gusion¡¯s lips. Gusion hugged her slender body tightly.

    Yustia didn¡¯t read the star sign cards. In a situation like this, she was just following her fate like she did a thousand years ago.

    Yuno didn¡¯t me Yustia. She went to see Richard, who kept silent all the time. He was tight-lipped, standing there like a rock as he had done a thousand years ago.

    But he was far from dumb. Yuno still remembered Richard¡¯s voice and his screaming back then.

    Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits didn¡¯t talk to each other. They just remembered the past and brushed up on themon goal they had shared.

    <hr />

    A red carpet wasid on the floor of the captain¡¯s seat of the giant red dragon Tiamet.

    Catalina and Eligos were by the side of Yong-ho, who sat down with a straw mat on it.

    Skull rolled on the floor here and there.

    Although Skull gained the status of Avatar of Death, something like a mythical being, he just enjoyed rolling on the floor like he used to. Yong-ho grinned, recalling the days when Skull was a skeleton worker.

    Eligos was baking pancakes directly in front of Yong-ho. That was a familiar scene Yong-ho was exposed to every day when he just became the master of the House of Mammon.

    Eligos had much fewer wrinkles than before, and his strong build looked good, but he had one thing that didn¡¯t change at all like Skull. He was still Yong-ho¡¯s butler at the House of Mammon.

    ¡°It smells good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡±

    Smiling warmly, Eligos slowly turned the frying pan on a simple stove that Yong-ho had bought from the human world.

    It was because of Yong-ho¡¯s request that Eligos suddenly baked pancakes. Although he was not in the room of the demon king at the House of Mammon, Yong-ho felt nostalgic, watching the straw mat on the carpet, Skull on the floor, and Eligos baking the pancakes.

    Yong-ho always saw this kind of scene in the RPG games he had yed or from the cartoons he watched as a child. Namely, right before the final battle, the fighters gathered together and chatted among themselves in a rxed mood.

    At the time, Yong-ho grumbled, unable to understand why they looked so miserable before the final battle, but he seemed to understand now as he was in the same situation. When he was faced with a big, probably final battle with the fate of the demon world at stake, he wanted to chat with his subordinate spirits or his colleagues.

    On that day five years ago, or exactly six years ago, his father said something like this, ¡°The blood of the demon king flows through our family.¡±

    And five yearster, Catalina and Eligos visited Yong-ho himself.

    So many things happened after that.

    He survived life-threatening moments so many times. There were so many things that he would not have experienced if he had been a normal college freshman in the human world.

    Yong-ho turned his head to the side. Catalina, whose eyes were weak in the morning and strong at night, was staring at the pancakes with her eyes shining.

    ¡°Catalina, you¡¯re still the same.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Catalina looked back at Yong-ho, pping her ears a bit.

    Watching her reaction, he clicked his tongue.

    ¡°At first, I thought you were really a cool knight here. But you were weak and dumb.¡±

    He suddenly recalled her getting cold feet when he asked her if she could confront Crimson Ogre. Pouting her lips, Catalina touched his arm by pping her tail. Since she was so timid, she expressed her protest and anger like that.

    Right at that moment, Yong-ho opened his eyes wide and raised his voice.

    ¡°Uh? What the heck?¡±

    Catalina was embarrassed because Yong-ho was disturbed by her pping tail, so she immediately calmed down her tail, pretending to be innocent.

    But it wasn¡¯t because she pped her tail to touch his arm that he reacted like that.

    In fact, he would not be upset or feel bad even if Catalina hit him with her tail.

    Bursting intoughter, he said, ¡°Is your evolution EXP already full?¡±

    The evolution EXP could be acquired not only throughbat but also through one¡¯s daily life. Actually, Catalina¡¯s evolution EXP was already full when she pped her tail just once.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Yong-ho proceeded with synthetic reinforcement of Catalina, but her evolution was done a long time ago.

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    Yong-ho then activated the power of evolution.

    Somehow, he saw the window of her evolutionary status after a long time.

    [Name: Catalina (Female)]

    [Race/Title: Shadow Queen (Mixed Demon)]

    [Category: Demon (Superior)]

    [Attribute: Wind Level 4 / Darkness Level 10]

    [Individual nature]

    [Innocent/Dumb/Seductive]

    [Individual aptitude]

    [Charm / Mana / Agility / Skill]

    [Evolution EXP: 100/100]

    [Attraction Specialization Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]

    [Fitness Specialization Level 5 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(4.5)]

    [Agility Specialization Level 9 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï(6)]

    [Mana Specialization Level 9 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]

    [Skill Specialization Level 8 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]

    [Attribute Enhancement Level 7 | ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î(5.5)]

    Her evolutionary status was so splendid that it could not even bepared with when Yong-ho first met her. He couldn¡¯t help butugh after checking her individual nature.

    Innocent, dumb, and seductive was the exact description of Catalina as she was now.

    ¡°Okay, let me have you go through evolution after a long time.¡±

    Catalina was d to hear him mention ¡®evolution.¡¯ She pped her ears and blushed when Yong-ho openly talked about her individual nature marked by ¡®innocent, dumb, and seductive.¡¯

    She erected her tail tightly as she was nervous at the moment.

    [Master.]

    [Your anguish is rising sharply.]

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    Skullughed heartily, and Eligos alsoughed warmly.

    With Catalina at a loss of what to do, Yong-ho put his hands on her thighs. It wasn¡¯t because he was sexually aroused. In fact, the day he first discovered Aamon, he wanted to recreate the moment when he had evolved Catalina.

    After all, Catalina alsoughed, but he focused his consciousness.

    Then he activated the power of evolution.

    <hr />

    It waste into the night. While everyone was sleeping, Sitri woke up alone and looked into the darkness. She felt it was the same as in the past, but this time, she felt different.

    It was the same that a final battle was going on under the celestial door, but this time, the target and purpose of the battle were different.

    There was no unjust betrayal this time. It was a simple fight that they should confront the enemy, namely the celestial world with their might.

    Sitri reflected on the past, as always. She recalled the bitterest and clearest memory in her life.

    Namely, the moment when Mammon died in her arms.

    The moment she herself ended Mammon¡¯sst breathing.

    Back then, Mammon had told her not to cry. He was even smiling during hisst moment.

    ¡°Mammon.¡±

    There was Mammon¡¯s tomb in the unimed area under the ce where the celestial door was opened. Itmanded a good view of Yong-ho¡¯s final battle with the King of Pride.

    Sitri hugged her own shoulders. Recalling Mammon¡¯sst smile, she once again renewed her determination. She firmly decided that she would not repeat the same mistake under any circumstances.

    It was already veryte into the night, but it didn¡¯t take long for Sitri to feel that dawn was breaking slowly.

    <hr />

    The northern forces headed for the promisednd.

    The southern forces also headed for the promisednd.

    It was thend where the celestial door was opened one thousand and several hundreds of years ago.

    There was nothing left in thend after the great war on that day.

    The main pir of the southern forces was the tribesmen of the eight ns. When the forces under themand of the Queen of Fury joined the southern forces, they numbered almost 60,000.

    The Dragon Legion now boasted of their strongest power since they were founded.

    The number of dragons was over one hundred and thirty, and among them, the number of fully grown ancient dragons was twenty-three. The number of flying beasts and flying monsters following the Dragon Legion was almost 10,000.

    The flying fleet of the House of Mammon, backed by the main forces of the Dungeon Market with the support of Sitri and Samael, strongly reinforced the Dragon Legion. The spectacr grandeur of the 23 flying monsters flying through the sky stood out even when more than one hundred dragons were filling the sky.

 Chapter 281 - Mammon (5)

    <h4>Chapter 281: Mammon (5)</h4>

    The promisednd was not far away, so the Skull unit and the ck Orc squadron descended from Tiamet, the giant red dragon, and moved together with the southern forces.

    With Skull on his back, Bucephs raised his head and looked at the sky. Smi, who was his evesting opponent and bad friend, was not in the sky. Actually, Smi was on standby inside Tiamet to help Yong-ho out during the most crucial moment of the battle.

    Bucephs did not know the outline of the operation of the uing battle properly. His dear boss, Skull, exined something to him, saying ¡°Skull Skull,¡± as always, but Bucephs couldn¡¯t understand it at all.

    But he didn¡¯t care because his duty was always the same. He was supposed to carry his boss on his back and run around the battlefield with vehemence.

    Bucephs made a loud noise to express greetings to Smi. Of course, he didn¡¯t get any reply from Smi, but he didn¡¯t care. He was convinced that his message was clearly conveyed to his boss, Smi.

    Smi moved his crouched body slightly, making a little groaning. He could not be seen from inside the hangar of the giant red dragon Tiamet, but he knew from his experience that Tiamet was now heading for the battlefield. The start of the real fighting was imminent.

    Smi curled up a little more. He saved his stamina, thinking of Bucephs who must be marching on the ground. He couldn¡¯t show his shabby status at the moment to Bucephs.

    [You will arrive at the first gathering ce in 30 minutes.]

    [The northern forces are gathering. It looks like both the northern and southern forces are entering the promisednd at about the same time.]

    The southern forces were the enemy of the northern forces, but strangely enough, they nevermunicated with each other about when and where they would fight. But they were drawn to each other. Adjusting the speed of their movement, they marched to the promisednd.

    The northern troops at the first gathering ce were close to 200,000, which was almost twice the total of the southern forces.

    There were three reasons why the southern forces responded to their northern counterparts¡¯ demands for fighting.

    First, they would ravage the territory of the Queen of Fury if they were not stopped.

    Second, the southern forces could not afford to drag their feet long because of the celestial world.

    Third, the southern forces believed they could beat their northern counterparts this time.

    [You are lying if you can say you are not scared about this fighting, right?]

    Lucia said to Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirits gathered at the bridge.

    But Gusion said sarcastically, ¡°I am not scared at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not either.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not!¡±

    Kaiwan and Eligos shouted in the negative respectively.

    Scathach and Ophelia smiled gently at the same time. With Gusion making a heartyugh, Catalina, who was looking around nervously, tapped her chest, after erecting her ears and tail.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all, either.¡±

    While everyoneughed and showed confidence, Yong-ho, who was sitting in the captain¡¯s seat, turned his gaze slightly to the side. He naturally made eye contact with Sitri.

    Instead of saying something, Sitri simply smiled with her eyes then put her hand on Yong-ho¡¯s shoulder. It was her small move, but he felt heightened a lot.

    They were nearing the promisednd now.

    It was time for the real fighting.

    <hr />

    The Queen of Fury once again held the horn in her hand.

    Unlike the other subordinate spirits, she stayed on the ground, not joining Yong-ho¡¯s expedition army. Since she was the head of the eight ns despite Yong-ho¡¯s subordinate spirit, she thought of standing at the forefront of her forces, as always.

    But this time, she couldn¡¯t just take the lead to fight. In this battle, she had to carry out a mission that only she could do in her capacity as the head of the eight ns.

    The tribesmen of the eight ns stopped marching and lined up. It was the first time that the Queen of Fury saw so many of her eight ns gathered in one ce.

    Everyone looked at the queen. Over 70,000 eyes of the tribesmen in the sky and on the ground were fixed on her.

    The queen took a deep breath. She was thrilled with lots of mixed feelings. When they looked at her, their eyes were full of mixed feelings of fear, courage, respect, and affection.

    The southern army was silent. With their mouths shut, they just waited for the queen to give an order. In no time, they were letting in and out a breath like one. It was the breathing of a huge army as one.

    Kirtimuka squared her shoulders and raised the g in her arm. Gardimundi also raised a royal banner next to it, symbolizing the Queen of Fury.

    Finally, the queen opened her lips. She shouted in a thunderous voice, which nobody imagined coulde from her small and slender figure with everybody tight-lipped.

    ¡°Fighters of the eight ns!¡±

    ¡°Warriors in arms!¡±

    Feeling thrilled at her thunderous shouting, they strongly responded to her by raising their weapons simultaneously.

    The queen kept shouting, ¡°Descendants of the Dragon Lord! All demon warriors in the south!¡±

    The Dragon Legion watched the Queen of Fury. The spirits belonging to the Mammon family and the Dungeon Market shone their eyes.

    When herrge army cheered and shouted with joy, the queen didn¡¯t agonize to impress her soldiers with eloquent speech. As always, she just spoke her mind honestly, ¡°The enemy is over there. Let¡¯s defeat them all together to save the demon world. Let¡¯s save our lives.¡±

    Her goal was to defeat the northern army and close the celestial door. In other words, she wanted to save everyone who lived in the demon world.

    There was a thunderous apuse from the southern forces again. The Queen of Fury turned then stared at the northern army located in a ce that was not far away. She had a horn in her mouth and blew out loud without hesitation.

    Everyone heard the sound of her blowing the horn.

    Now, the battle began finally between the southern and northern forces.

    The arrows shot from both sides filled the sky. Magic bullets fired from the wild monsters burned the sky in a beautiful curve.

    With all of that attack going on, the southern army rushed to their northern counterparts. The northern forces also charged at them. Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, saw tens of thousands of monsters rushing toward them. Dragon Lord Ancablosa ordered the Dragon Legion to just wait even though the monsters were rushing toward them.

    The distance between the southern and northern forces gradually narrowed. In a few seconds they were going to collide, and at that moment, hundreds of them would be killed.

    Bucephs also rushed. Skull, which was on Bucephs¡¯s back, lifted Baphomet¡¯s sickle. At that moment, Sitri, standing on the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet and looking down at the battlefield, began to move. She lifted the wand that she had made on the same day when the Dungeon Market was born in the demon world. It was Sitri that made the Dungeon Market, but she could not dominate it alone. The demon world was too vast for her to manage alone, and she needed time to heal the poison of the celestial world. While she had been asleep for dozens of years or several hundred years, she needed somebody who had to run the Dungeon Market on her behalf.

    So, Sitri set up the system of five directors. In return for downgrading her status as one of them, Sitri could maintain the welfare policies that Mammon had introduced. Over time, her status became gradually equal to that of the other four directors of the Dungeon Market.

    Because of this, Sitri had prepared one secret weapon from the time she created the Dungeon Market. Although she becamecent over the course of one thousand years, she had been thoroughly betrayed by the other directors a thousand years ago.

    Her secret weapon was the master key of the Dungeon Market. She had kept it from the other directors until now and put it in total secrecy.

    Sitri injected mana into the cane. As the owner of the Dungeon Market, she ordered all those who had gone through the Dungeon Market until now.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Her short order soon became a reality. The mana unleashed from the master key filled the entire battlefield.

    The various subordinate spirits that Abrasax took out of the warehouse in the north obeyed her order. Even though the southern forces were nearing them, they just would not move. They literally stopped on the spot.

    About half of the beasts flying in the sky stopped pping their wings. They also stopped using their superpower that helped maintain their existence in the sky. Left to gravity naturally, they just crashed to the ground.

    The subordinate spirits of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, the King of Lust, and the King of Gluttony also faithfully obeyed Sitri¡¯s order. Most of them experienced going through the Dungeon Market before. The crest of the Dungeon Market still remaining under the crests of the four kings blocked their movement.

    Sitri knew that the moment she used the master key of the Dungeon Market, the whole demon world would know it, so she could not use it twice. It was a massive power that she could never use twice once she activated it.

    The entire northern army got frozen on the spot. There were still some of them moving, but they had no choice but to stop because the rest of them didn¡¯t move.

    But the southern army did not stop marching. They stared into the eyes of those northern forces who could not move properly but who were conscious.

    Those at the forefront of the northern army were terrified. The reality that they could not move even their fingers when their enemies were right in front of them created a tremendous fear.

    They could not even think of their death because they were totally overwhelmed by fear.

    Standing at the forefront of the southern army, Skull swung Baphomet¡¯s sickle violently.

    Rikum and the ck Orc squadron struck the helpless northern army with their own weapons.

    The vanguard unit of the southern forces struck the northern army right in front of them.

    Without slowing down their vehement strike, the southern forces destroyed, trampled upon, and smashed the northern army. The bodies of those at the forefront of the northern forces were shattered to pieces and scattered in all directions.

    Nheless, the northern forces could not move. The increasing bodies of their fellow soldiers drove their tense hearts to extremes. The blood and flesh of their dead fellow soldiers covered their faces, followed by the southern forces¡¯ relentless attack with spears and swords.

 Chapter 282 - Mammon (6)

    <h4>Chapter 282: Mammon (6)</h4>

    Bifronz, who was in charge of the entire northern army, instinctively realized what happened. That was why he clenched his teeth. He knew why his enemy didn¡¯t use this power in thest battle. At the same time, his old friend whispered into Bifronz¡¯s ear. The northern forces were being killed at a terrifying rate. If the current massacre were not stopped, the entire northern forces could be ¡°annihted¡± in a matter of time.

    Bifronz clenched his teeth. It was only then that he realized who he had betrayed.

    Sitri, before she was the Queen of Sloth, she was one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. She was the very woman who created the Dungeon Market in the demon world!

    Abrasax shouted in anger. He desperately struggled to get out of the current impasse, but the northern forces who got frozen on the spot would not move. Even if there was someone who flew over their heads, none of them signaled danger or tried to attack. Even if Sitri had not activated the master key, the northern forces would not have captured her.

    It was none other than Samael, the fastest wing of the Dungeon Market, who crossed the space. She flew at a speed that was even difficult for one¡¯s eyes to catch and rushed to Abrasax. With the master key, Sitri naturally found out the exact location of Abrasax, who wielded the power of the Dungeon Market.

    Abrasax also saw Samael. Erecting seven horns on his head, he unleashed the strongest mana of the Dungeon Market.

    But Samael was not scared. She brought out the power of her master, Yong-ho, as well as the power of Greed, Gluttony and Fury through Brigada. She destroyed Abrasax¡¯s mana by wielding much stronger power than she had as a director of the Dungeon Market. Right at this moment, she wanted to take revenge on him on behalf of his subordinate spirits including Karot.

    Bifronzughed bitterly. Yong-ho¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits appeared before him. The two Red Demons who had been fired like bullets from the giant red dragon Tiamet rushed to Bifronz like a beast as soon as theynded on the ground. They were Eligos and Ophelia, the two beasts under themand of the King of Greed. Moreover, Tigrius stood behind them.

    Faced with the three subordinate spirits with six horns, Bifronz raised his cane instead of giving up. Since he knew instinctively his final moment was imminent, he enjoyed this moment.

    He unleashed mana violently.

    Sometimes, people felt the passage of time differently, depending on their feelings.

    Only a few seconds in the eyes of others seemed like such a long time to Sitri.

    Sitri¡¯s master key was by no means an absolute power. There were only twenty seconds left for Sitri to halt the entire northern army. The highly advanced the subordinate spirits and the strongly they were under the influence of the King of Pride or the King of Lust, the faster they would be freed from the influence of the master key.

    It was impossible to annihte over 200,000 northern troops within 20 seconds. Because of that, Sitri didn¡¯t depend on the master key alone.

    The King of Pride, who had an overwhelming army, did not appear himself directly in thest battle. Even now, he didn¡¯t reveal himself openly when he had more troops.

    His action was taken for granted. The King of Pride considered everything other than himself as a tool. He would be satisfied with the oue if he could wear out the King of Greed and the Queen of Fury in return for sacrificing tens of thousands of northern troops.

    So, Sitri had to exactly find out the location of the King of Pride. By finding him, she had to change the nature of this battle from one between the tworge forces to one between the kings.

    Sitri knew that the freezing of the northern forces wouldst only 20 seconds. But do Bifronz and Abrasax know that? Can the King of Pride and the King of Lust detect it?

    Faced with an unimaginable situation at the moment, the King of Pride had to act. He had to expose himself in order to ovee this difficult situation.

    Sitri gulped in a tense moment. She stared at the battlefield, feeling one second was like eternity. And she recognized something at some point. Her heart was pounding.

    Now the king¡¯s mana exploded. Everything screamed at the explosive outburst of mana. The explosion was seen beyond the northern army. Right there, the King of Pride unleashed his power. Erecting as many as eight horns, he radiated the Sins of Pride and Envy. The ck giant, the power of the Sin of Envy, was formed over the head of the northern army in the center.

    The King of Lust could no longer hide his position, either. The king revealed his position by erecting the Godly Energy of Lust. He was in the left-wing of the northern forces.

    This was the right moment. Those who had been waiting for this moment for a massive attack began to move at once.

    Dragon Lord Ancablosa and twenty-two ancient dragons opened their mouths immediately. Instead of aiming at the monsters who had stopped on the ground, they let out Dragon Breath toward the ground. Twenty-three rays of light became a huge one and crossed the northern forces. Regardless of those northern forces who could move or not, Ancablosa¡¯s army killed them all.

    Ancablosa was still far from the King of Pride. Besides, the Dragon Breath swept through the northern army who were located between them, so when she reached the King of Pride, her power was greatly weakened. The ck giant of Envy wielded the light of Pride to smash the Dragon Breath at once.

    But Ancablosa was satisfied with that because her primary purpose was to open the way for the smooth marching of the southern forces.

    Roaring loudly, Smi spread his wings of me. Yong-ho, Catalina, and Gusion that were on his back gripped Smi¡¯s back handle.

    Then, Smi got close to the Dragon Breath in full swing at the moment. Sparks from the breath lit the atmosphere. Smi stopped running when the ck giant of Envy smashed the Dragon Breath. With the ck giant of Envy only dozens of meters away, Smi soared vertically at Yong-ho¡¯s order.

    Now there was really little time left before the freezing of the northern forces stopped. The ck giant of Envy saw Smi surging into the sky. The King of Lust also turned his eyes at Smi¡¯s strange movement. But the king had no choice but to look ahead immediately.

    ¡°The King of Lust!¡±

    The Queen of Fury, who traversed the northern armies, shouted at the king in anger.

    The King of Lust, who had the power of temptation, could not fight his ally. So, the best option would be for him to attack her in the middle of the southern forces.

    The main role of the Queen of Fury was blocking the King of Lust.

    She was the only one among the southern forces who could fully ovee the King of Lust¡¯s power of temptation.

    Kaiwan wielded her whip sword to get rid of those northern forces around the Queen of Fury. Kaiwan¡¯s role this time was to assist the queen. Kaiwan kept the proper distance from the two kings and again swung her whip sword. Instead of looking straight at the King of Lust, Kaiwan looked at the sky where Yong-ho took off a moment ago.

    The leadership of the southern forces initially had no intention of making this fight a battle between the tworge armies, for there were too many northern forces for them to confront sessfully.

    But they knew they could win this battle by defeating only the King of Pride whomanded the northern army. What was important was not the annihtion of the northern army, but the destruction of the King of Pride.

    It was difficult for the Queen of Fury to confront the King of Lust alone.

    It was also hard for Yong-ho to fight the King of Pride alone. The king¡¯s mana was more powerful than Yong-ho¡¯s.

    So, Yong-ho had to devise a way to make up for hiscing mana, and support the numerically inferior southern forces.

    When Smi soared high enough, Yong-ho raised Mammon¡¯s Godley Energy, the magic field. Then he issued an order, emitting twelve lights that symbolized his subordinate spirits.

    ¡°Come to me! Labyrinth of Greed!¡±

    He was referring to something he found in a secret room on the 13th floor, the deepest ce of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    He could do it because he became the true master of the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Magnadon, who beat the earth, said clearly that he had moved the Labyrinth of Greed and that he hid it right under the ground floor of the House of Mammon.

    If so, what about the opposite? Would it be possible to move the Labyrinth of Greed back to its ce again!

    Lucia responded. The unimaginable grand magic, which waspleted over the course of a thousand years, a great miracle, hade true. A huge dungeon jumped between space and time!

    It was a huge dungeon with thirteen floors. It was hundreds of meters high, and its width was also beyond imagination. A huge weird lump of strange rocks was summoned in the middle of the northern forces, which smashed those around the stormy swirling rocks.

    ¡°The Labyrinth of Greed!¡±

    The King of Pride screamed loudly, to which the King of Lust had no choice but to turn his eyes. The Queen of Fury was charging at him right before his eyes, but he could not suppress his impulse.

    The dungeon of Mammon, the King of Greed.

    It was the very dungeon he believed had beenpletely destroyed one thousand and several hundred years ago by the three Kings of Pride, Envy, and Lust!

    Smi shrieked loudly over the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho felt the same sense of security like when he was located deep in the Labyrinth of Greed.

    He once again ordered Lucia.

    ¡°Labyrinth of Greed! Assist your Master!¡±

    When the master became strong, the dungeon also became strong.

    When the dungeon became strong, its master became strong as well.

    The power of the dungeon was the power of its master. Therefore, the master could bring up his strongest power when he was in the dungeon.

    An aura of great power arose from the Labyrinth of Greed. Yong-ho empowered the entire southern army as well as the Mammon family spirits within that aura. It was as if the entire battlefield became the Labyrinth of Greed.

    The dungeon breathed with the dungeon spirits. They delivered the strongest power to the master of the dungeon.

    Yong-ho jumped off the back of Smi. He spread his ck magical wings widely, Catalina¡¯s power, then encircled his body with the power he received from the Labyrinth of Greed. Grasping Aamon, who became united with the Godly Energy of Greed, Yong-ho stared at the ck giant of Envy standing in front of him, and the King of Pride inside it.

    ¡°The King of Greed!¡±

 Chapter 283 - Mammon (7)

    <h4>Chapter 283: Mammon (7)</h4>

    The King of Pride shouted at Yong-ho violently. The moment the king faced Yong-ho, he knew it immediately. He didn¡¯t even need to check his heartbeat. He saw a vision of Mammon right before his eyes. He even felt the three Sins of Greed, Gluttony, and Fury, which Mammon had obtained one thousand years ago. And that fact evaporated the king¡¯s reason and drove him into irresistible anger.

    ¡°The King of Pride!¡±

    Yong-ho wasn¡¯t scared at all. He brought out all the power of the King of Pride, who possessed the most powerful mana in the history of the demon world with himself pitted against the king¡¯s own royal family.

    Yong-ho immediately activated all his power at once. The Sins of Greed, Gluttony, and Fury instantly became one in his soul.

    The King of Pride erected eight horns of light over his head.

    Yong-ho also erected eight horns of light.

    The King of Pride spread six wide wings of light while Yong-ho spread the wings of ck mana.

    The hugely destructive power of the two kings¡¯ mana collided head-on.

    It seemed as if the whole earth would be split because of the big collision of the two powerful kings. Indeed, the ferocious sh between the two mighty kings was beyond description.

    The fighting on the ground had be a mess. Those who were near the ce where the two kings¡¯ mana collided with each other were crushed as if they were caught between huge walls, regardless of whether they were the northern or southern forces.

    Not only small humanoid monsters such as goblins and imps but also even medium-sized monsters such as Ogres and Trolls could not avoid the fate of being crushed to death. Even the giant beasts in the air fell to the ground, hit hard by the two kings¡¯ mana.

    Demon God.

    It was indeed like God¡¯s power.

    They could not help but look at the two kings¡¯ fierce fighting. Even those dungeon spirits who got ¡®frozen¡¯ by the master key of the Dungeon Market rolled their eyes.

    Hundreds of thousands of the northern and southern troops¡¯ eyes looked at the sky at the same time. They were just absorbed into watching their battle breathlessly as if they forgot how to even breathe.

    With everybody on the ground overwhelmed by the fighting in the air, the Queen of Fury had a horn in her mouth. Instead of attacking the King of Lust, she blew the horn as hard as he could.

    Her horn was like the sound of awakening the southern forces. The Queen of Fury was aware that Sitri had only ten or more seconds left to freeze the northern forces. To ensure the survival and return of even one more southern soldier, she had to defeat the northern forces right now. It was a cruel and selfish idea, but she was the head of the eight ns.

    The huge silence was broken by her blowing the horn loudly. It was the heads of the eight ns who came to their senses first.

    ¡°Tear them off!¡±

    Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, issued an order. The armed warriors who had been trained to protect their oppressed and abused race for many years responded immediately. Without wasting even one second, they attacked the northern forces around them.

    It was just a few seconds, but during that short span of time, lots of changes took ce throughout the battlefield.

    The dragon corps, including Dragon Lord Ancablosa, no longer looked at the King of Pride. Each of them prepared the best possible attack on their own. They were ready to wipe out the flying monsters and beasts of the northern army positioned in the sky.

    Lucia was located in the Labyrinth of Greed, not Tiamet, the giant red dragon, and unleashed the power of the greatest dungeon freely in its deepest room. As a result, arger aura injected power into the entire southern army.

    Sitri counted the remaining time until the freezing was lifted. For now, she had only several seconds.

    Yong-ho and the King of Pride were staring at each other. The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust already started exchanging attacks with each other. Ancablosa filled her mouth with Dragon Breath, and several ancient dragons of the Dragon Legion were fully ready to use the secret weapon of demon magic. Samael¡¯s fatal blow broke the magic field of Abrasax while Eligos and Ophelia destroyed Bifronz¡¯s magic at once.

    The moment Sitri finished counting down the time, Dragon Breath filled the whole sky. A lightning storm, a rain of fire from the sky, and an earthquake that shook the earth swept through the northern army. The northern forces were killed as soon as the dragon soldiers used the demon magic at once.

    Even though the master key didn¡¯t work any more, the northern forces could note up with a quick counterattack because it took time for them to recognize that their freezing was lifted. But the moment they realized it, they were faced with the permanent freezing without even screaming when the southern forces didn¡¯t miss the golden chance to attack them.

    Yong-ho and the King of Pride no longer stared at each other. He rushed, and the king swung his hands wide inside the ck giant of Envy. The light of Pride from the ck giant¡¯s both hands blocked him.

    The green mes of Aamon collided with the light. Their fighting was no longer going on in a physical realm. It was only the difference in what form their mana was released.

    The Sin of Gluttony devoured the light of Pride. The remnant light was burned by the Sin of Greed. Yong-ho, who strengthened himself with the Sin of Fury, threw himself at the ck giant of Envy. By wielding Aamon violently, he tore apart the ck giant, a lump of terrible emotions!

    ¡°King of Pride!¡±

    Abrasax shouted at him. Right after he screamed, however, he had to look back. He couldn¡¯t afford to look back at the King of Pride at the moment. The fastest wing, Samael, was the fastest among the five directors of the Dungeon Market. It was impossible for Abrasax to avoid her attack while looking at the King of Pride. All he could do was to simply pour out enormous mana to fill all directions with a magical field.

    Orobas¡¯s absence at the moment was so painful to him. Among the three betrayers of the Dungeon Market, Orobas was the only one who could effectively defeat Samael.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    It was useless even if he tried to crush her with the overwhelming mana itself. Samael, who became the subordinate spirit of the King of Greed, was so different from her days as one of the five directors. His mana that didn¡¯t target her exactly strayed from her mana.

    Abrasax now felt impatient. Born with enormous mana from birth, he did not know how to fight other than crushing his opponent with his mana. Bifronz would have tied up Samael¡¯s feet bybining various magic, but Abrasax couldn¡¯t. For the first time, he found himself on the defensive, and he was so embarrassed by the deadly attack by a woman who he always thought was inferior to him. As a result, he could not even use half of his power.

    ¡®The number of horns in battle is not absolute.¡¯

    That was what Gusion said before. Samael agreed. Once again, she disappeared from Abrasax¡¯s sight and aimed at his back.

    Now Bifronz felt his final moment wasing. His old friend devised several survival options for him, but he came to the same conclusion at the end of the day.

    He activated four kinds of magic by fidgeting with his four hands, but the situation did not improve. Tigrius, the wizard of the Mammon family, canceled out his magics by triggering different magic with both hands, and the two beasts of the Mammon family crushed or endured Bifronz¡¯s magics by mounting a reckless attack. Eligos and Ophelia¡¯s attack was so strong and fast that Bifronz could not take the time to prepare another magic. The magics he improvised at the moment could not counter the simultaneous attack by the three subordinate spirits of the Mammon family. The subordinate spirits of the King of Lust could not go to help Bifronz. All they could do was to protect the forces of the King of Gluttony from the onught of the southern army. Moreover, the subordinate spirits of the Mammon family were much more than expected.

    Richard, the silent warrior, broke his long silence. He roared loudly and smashed the forces of the King of Lust. He was second only to Gusion, who was said to be the strongest fighter among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits. ordingly, there was nobody among the King of Lust¡¯s forces who could confront Richard. It was like a tiger moving around in the flock of sheep. Each time he swung his ck club, those soldiers around him were shattered to pieces.

    Scathach showed off her infinite vitality. She wasn¡¯t content with treating the wounded soldiers of the southern army. She broke into the northern forces to prove why she was called the Immortal Witch. There were no attacks that inflicted a fatal injury to her who had transcendental regenerative power. Scathach, who dealt with the power of life, attacked the northern army in her own way. Whenever the blue wave struck them, the northern soldiers who received excessive vitality from her saw their bodies bursting out. Some of them lose their lives because dozens of arms sprouted from the wounded areas.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    The Skull unit was already a battlefield nightmare to the northern forces. Skull, the incarnation of death, was not satisfied with sprinkling death everywhere. The dead stood up and followed the skulls advancing ferociously. The more the northern forces were killed, the more they followed the Skull unit.

    Bucephs let out a green breath. Not content with rushing forward, he destroyed those who stood in his way. He brilliantly carried out his mission, befitting his image as the King of Nightmare.

    Both life and death were the enemies of the northern forces. They fell into extreme confusion and fear now. Some of them couldn¡¯t move even now, as if they felt they were frozen.

    The King of Pride didn¡¯t care about the northern army from the beginning. The King of Lust could not take care of them. Abrasax and Bifronz couldn¡¯t waste even a second, only focusing on surviving.

    The southern forces were united and strong while the northern forces were in disarray without any central leadership. The nature of the battle quickly transformed from an intense fighting into a war of ughter.

    ¡°I belong to Yong-ho! I belong to Yong-ho!¡±

    Shouting loudly, Kaiwan swung her whip sword in all directions. While ughtering the northern forces with the storm of her sword, she tried to see elsewhere other than the King of Lust.

 Chapter 284 - Mammon (8)

    <h4>Chapter 284: Mammon (8)</h4>

    The power of temptation of the King of Lust was indeed very strong. Kaiwan could understand why no one except for the Queen of Fury with the same Sins and Godly Energies could confront the King of Lust. It was difficult for him to endure the power of Greed through Brigada. Even the power of passion Kaiwan inherited from Magnadon did not help much.

    Kaiwan wanted to help the King of Lust. She wanted to kiss the top of his feet. She wanted to be held in the king¡¯s arms. She wanted to listen to whatever the king told her to do. She was willing to bark if the king wanted her to. She felt happy when she bowed to the king and obeyed him.

    ¡°Bullshit! Yong-ho is mine!¡±

    Kaiwan fought off all those delusions by thinking of Yong-ho whenever she was seduced by the King of Lust. She was the one chosen by Yustia among the subordinate spirits of the House of Mammon as the one who could best resist the king¡¯s temptation. Catalina couldn¡¯t resist the King of Lust since the blood of a Subus was flowing in half of her body. It was none other than Kaiwan who had the most affection for Yong-ho among the remaining subordinate spirits.

    ¡°Ahhhh! It¡¯s my determination as his official wife!¡±

    Kaiwan shouted again desperately then empowered her whip sword. She distorted the space itself, so no northern forces could approach the King of Lust and Queen of Fury.

    The Queen of Fury heard Kaiwan shouting desperately. She wanted to refute or deny it, but she couldn¡¯t afford it. Maybe she didn¡¯t even think about it.

    ¡®Are you going to hit me?¡¯

    ¡®No, because it hurts.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t do it!¡¯

    ¡®Just love me!¡¯

    The power of temptation of the King of Lust was so strong. Sins and Godly Energies neutralized the power of other Sins but didn¡¯t offset them.

    The King of Lust had lived for at least one thousand years. Given how long the king possessed the power of Sin, the Queen of Fury was no match for the king. The queen was far inferior to the king in terms of the ability to understand and use the Sins and Godley Energies.

    The Queen of Fury put up with it by clenching her teeth. She thought of hundreds of thousands of tribesmen of her eight ns whomitted suicide, sumbing to the temptation of the King of Lust. Finally, the queen brought out the Sin of Fury more intensely with anger and remembered Yong-ho¡¯s love while relying on the mana of Greed through the Brigada ring.

    ¡°Kuaaaaat!¡± The Queen of Fury gave a cry.

    At that moment, the Godly Energy of Lust in the shape of a long sword broke the queen¡¯s powerful thruster weapon. It did not stop there, leaving a sharp sword wound on the white and soft skin of the queen.

    The Queen of Fury was often called a war fanatic because she had experienced so many battles. She had been the hope of the eight ns since she was born, so she went through rigorous martial arts training since childhood to be the best warrior of her people.

    But she was not a match for the King of Lust.

    In short, the King of Lust was a sword demon. He was already called the best swordsman in the demon world a thousand years ago. Although the Queen of Fury was a famed war veteran, she could not confront the king alone.

    ¡®Let¡¯s try to gain as much time as possible. That¡¯s all I have to focus on right now. I have to trust Yong-ho, my love!¡¯

    The Queen of Fury relied on the Sin of Fury, which made its owner stronger as she became more furious. Although she was inferior to the king in terms of mana and skills, she outpowered the king in terms of her Herculean power and defensive power. The Queen of Fury blocked the attack by the king with her body literally.

    The role of the Queen of Fury was to gain time for Yong-ho. If Yong-ho defeated the King of Pride, it meant the victory of the entire southern army.

    Of course, the best scenario would be for the Queen of Fury to defeat the King of Lust then help Yong-ho fight the King of Pride, but that was more than she could chew.

    The Queen of Fury clenched her teeth and swung her fists endlessly. Thanks to the way she fought in battle, marked by her relentless attack without stopping, the queen could make up for her inferior strength,pared with the King of Lust. Just like the queen was struggling to put up with the difficult situation, the king could not overpower her as easily as he thought.

    The Godly Energy of Fury, which looked like a beast¡¯s teeth, bit off the air. The King of Lust managed to avoid the attack by jumping off the ground. Then, after narrowing the distance with the queen, the king approached her from the side and swung the Godly Energy of Lust violently.

    The king¡¯s swift attack while jumping down from the sky was beautiful. The queen hurriedly twisted her body and avoided the Godly Energy of Lust. But the long sword passed barely over her shoulders and chest, leaving a long scar on her white skin once again.

    The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust looked at each other. The queen pulled her fist, and the king withdrew his sword surprisingly quickly. However, their actions were far from their attack against each other. As if they promised to do so, they stepped back at the same time. Both of them looked up at the sky, with their hearts pounding hard.

    There were cracks all over the sky.

    The celestial door was opened.

    ***

    Even after a thousand years, nobody could find out exactly where the celestial hole was opened. In some cases, the celestial hole was opened in an unexpected ce, and in other cases, it opened and disappeared in thend where no one lived.

    However, it did not mean that the celestial beings could not fully control where to open the celestial hole. The more widely the celestial door was opened, the more aggressively they opened the celestial hole, just like they chose a city or an army garrison instead of and with nobody or nothing.

    Yuno and Yustia, who belonged to the nonbat series among Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits, stood on the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet and looked down at the sky. Yustia¡¯s cards were listed in the air automatically, indicating the number and size of the celestial holes. There were already five holes in the celestial world that were already open and opening at this moment.

    It was different from thest battle. It was not a situation where the southern and northern forces could withdraw their forces. They had to fight the celestial world in a situation where the two forces were entangled. They were already ready for it when they witnessed the appearance of a couple of super-sized godly men.

    After taking back the stack of cards, Yustia snapped her fingers to leap into the room where the core of the giant red dragon Tiamet was located. The best they could do was to lend whatever power they had to the Labyrinth of Greed through Tiamet.

    Yuno remembered her memory one thousand years ago. Just thinking about it made her shudder. She was breathing more and more roughly.

    ¡°It will be different this time. It will be different.¡±

    Yustia said that, and Yuno nodded. The celestial door was not fully open yet.

    Yuno, who counted the stars, prayed for Mammon, the King of Greed. Together with Yustia, she delivered all of her mana to the Labyrinth of Greed.

    ***

    A superrge godly man stuck his head out of the hole. His ck eyes were even more terrifying because his whole body was covered with white light.

    There were five celestial holes, and the superrge godly men stuck their heads out of the four of them. Celestial beings wrapped in gray light wereing out of the one remaining hole toward the earth as if water was pouring out.

    The northern forces were in extreme confusion. One of the generals in charge of them could not even swear, overwhelmed by fear. He was just thinking of stopping the fight and running away from the battlefield.

    The southern army was also agitated because they witnessed what the superrge godly men had done in thest battle.

    Skull, who was smashing the northern forces at the forefront of the southern army, quickly turned his head. He made up his mind, watching the superrge godly man who came out of the hole. After entrusting the Skull unit to the Death Knights, he jumped off the ground. Bucephs carrying Skull on his back soared into the air and rushed toward the super-sized godly man.

    The celestial power emanating from the super-sized godly man was rushing toward Skull like a storm. But Skull cut off the power of the celestial world by wielding Baphomet¡¯s sickle with the wicked energy of purple light. Then he tore it apart with the powerful mana and opened the way.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull was determined to defeat one godly man from the celestial world. Watching him from a distance, Biryubakcha, the head of the Garura n, came to his senses.

    He hastily issued a new order.

    ¡°Surround yourselves with mana! Prepare for celestial power!¡±

    Unlike the disorderly northern forces, the southern forces were in good shape and fully prepared for the fight. Although they witnessed the celestial doors, they were not overwhelmed with fear.

    [The power of the celestial world ising! Be prepared for its shock!]

    Shouting like that, Lucia sprinkled the power of the Labyrinth of Greed over the heads of the southern army. The aura that empowered the southern forces now became a barrier to the celestial power.

    Some of the northern forces right under the hole were killed at once without even giving a cry.

    ¡°Help me! Help me!¡±

    Some of the northern forces abandoned their weapons and jumped into the southern army.

    Most of them were killed by the southern forces wiedling their swords, but some of them survived. The southern army remained cool-hearted even at this moment. Because of this, they could notpletely turn away the northern forces stricken with fear and shock. Even though they were fighting against each other, they tried to keep the gentleman¡¯s agreement in an urgent and dangerous situation like this.

    ¡°Leave the northern forces alone! Just prepare for the godly men! Just keep your position!¡±

    Biryubakcha issued another order. The battle between the godly men wrapped in white light and the southern army finally began.

    Gusion cursed at them. While looking for a chance to help Yong-ho, who was in the thick of fighting the King of Pride, he turned his head. Two godly men appeared from a hole in the sky.

    They weren¡¯t as huge as those from the other four holes. But they were even more dangerous.

    They were none other than the godly generals.

 Chapter 285 - Mammon (9)

    <h4>Chapter 285: Mammon (9)</h4>

    Ancablosa roared. She let out Dragon Breath toward one of the godly generals who appeared above the southern army¡¯s head. The dragons around her also fired wide-area mana toward the godly men in session. Although they mocked the magics of the demon world thanks to the power of the celestial world, they could not block it when the magics were ovepped.

    The dragon corps secured their own territory in the sky.

    The monsters nosedived to the ground. It was really a terrifying spectacle to watch dozens of monsters plunging to the ground with their bodies entangled with dozens of godly men. The battlefield, which was a mess because of the sh between the northern and southern forces, fell into even greater chaos.

    And their mana collided with each other in the center of all this chaos. Yong-ho and the King of Pride did not hide their murderous intentions toward each other.

    Basically, mana on both sides was too powerful. Whenever Aamon¡¯s Godly Energy collided with that of the King of Pride, heaven and earth shook. There were huge craters deep down in the ground while there wasn¡¯t a single cloud left in the sky.

    ¡°The King of Greed! King of Greed! King of Greed!¡±

    Laughing loudly, the King of Pride wielded the Godly Energy of Pride against Yong-ho. Whenever he wielded the Godly Energy of Pride in the shape of a huge sword of light, a tremendous amount of mana moved with it. The movement of their mana itself was much more threatening than the king¡¯s sword attack itself.

    Since the king¡¯s sword attack was not simple, Yong-ho had no choice but to face it with mana.

    The Godly Energies of Aamon and the King of Pride collided again, but Yong-ho clenched his teeth. His arm holding Aamon¡¯s Godly Energy was so painful as to be torn off, but he endured it with all his might.

    The King of Prideughed again. He suffered a lot of damage every time he exchanged attacks with Yong-ho, but he couldn¡¯t hide his dness. Yong-ho had more Sins than the king, but he was inferior to the king in terms of the total amount of mana and physical strength. The more intensely they fought, the more pronounced this kind of difference between the two was.

    ¡°I¡¯m the demon world itself! I¡¯m the demon world itself!¡±

    The King of Pride shouted violently at Yong-ho. He had lived for thousands of years. His body, which he hadpleted over the past one thousand years, was the crystal of the demon world.

    The King of Pride decided that he would not lose to Yong-ho with the blood of the alien world. In his mind, the strongest one in the demon world was Pride, not Greed!

    [Master!]

    Aamon screamed. Yong-ho vomited blood. The tight bnce of power between the two was finally broken. Although Yong-ho managed to block the King of Pride¡¯s sword attack, he could not stop the mana the king unleashed right after that. When the King of Pride added a new power to the Godly Energy of Pride that was pressing down Aamon¡¯s spear, Yong-ho fell helplessly. He plunged to the ground at a tremendous speed.

    ¡°You¡¯re done!¡±

    The King of Pride cursed at him tantly. The Sin of Envy, which became stronger in proportion to the intensity of its owner¡¯s feelings, pursued him. The ck smoke wrapped around the King of Pride quickly took shape as a ck giant, who then swung his huge fist toward Yong-ho, who fell to the ground.

    Kwaaaaaaaakang!

    Heaven and earth were shaken. At the same time, Yong-he screamed then he vomited blood.

    Yong-ho¡¯s mana blocked his fist but failed to push it out. It was still being held down by his power.

    At that moment, the green mes arose to burn the dark feelings of Envy. The Sin of Gluttony ate up the mana of Pride ferociously.

    However, that was not enough. It was too difficult to reverse the dynamics that had once tilted in favor of the King of Pride.

    ¡°Yong-ho!¡±

    Kaiwan screamed. As his subordinate spirit, she immediately recognized the danger her master was in. But there was nothing she could do. Although she raced toward Yong-ho and the King of Pride, she was still far away from them. Besides, the king¡¯s mana in the surrounding area blocked her approach.

    The Queen of Fury also wanted to help Yong-ho. But the King of Lust did not allow it. The king decided to hold the queen rather than overpowering her.

    Catalina turned boldly in spite of the possible attack by the godly general behind her back. But her two alter egos of dark mana blocked his attack. She regarded her body as a single sword. She collected ck mana in order to prate the King of Pride¡¯s mana.

    Yong-ho¡¯s other subordinate spirits also realized their master was in danger. However, there were very few of them who could leave their location, unlike Catalina and Kaiwan.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    Skull left a trace of death on the godly man¡¯s huge neck. Then he passed by the killed godly man to run toward the ce where Yong-ho was. Eligos and Ophelia stabbed Bifronz¡¯s chest for the seventh time then turned their heads to Yong-ho immediately.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    Gusion screamed. Richard roared. Scathach shouted desperately.

    Sitri stepped forward while the three were screaming.

    Yong-ho felt his heart was beating. It was the moment when he was on the verge of death, but he knew it.

    The Queen of Fury and the King of Lust also knew it. The queen was gasping for breath while the King of Lust felt pain and urgency at the same time.

    The King of Pride, who was showing intense hatred toward Yong-ho, turned his head. Actually, he had to because he suddenly felt his heart was pounding.

    ¡°The Queen of Sloth!¡±

    Sitri, who stood by Mammon to the end and watched hisst moment.

    ¡°The King of Pride!¡±

    Sitri¡¯s soul was poisoned by the power of the celestial world. She had been keeping the power of Sloth for over a thousand years, but she was the weakest in terms of fighting. So, it was reckless for her to challenge the King of Pride with eight horns.

    Nheless, she acted. The King of Pride felt threatened by the Queen of Sloth.

    She jumped over space and stepped on the air. She approached him from the side. The invisible barrier of corrosion that originated from the power of Sloth pushed out the king¡¯s mana and opened a way. As the distance between them narrowed, the strength of the invisible barrier of corrosion increased more.

    ¡°Sitri?¡±

    Kaiwan slowed down before she knew it. For the first time, Catalina realized that she was the reincarnation of Elune. She noticed one fact when she looked at Sitri from behind.

    The dark energy of Envy enveloped Sitri before being dismantled and disappeared.

    Normally, Sitri could never have done it. But the King of Pride understood it. That was why he concentrated his power to disrupt Sitri¡¯s attack instead of Yong-ho.

    The invisible barrier of corrosion opened the way to the King of Pride by breaking his mana. through the magic of Pride. The power of Sin was the power of the soul. Sitri burned her own soul. She waspletely different from when she confronted the three directors who betrayed her. She wanted to survive back then, but not now. She would die where she was standing. She nned to bite the king¡¯s neck by exhaling the power of Sloth as much as possible.

    The King of Pride was already like a demon god. Even if Sitri burned all her soul, she could never destroy him. But she could deal a fatal blow to him so that Yong-ho could stand up again and confront him. She believed that Yong-ho could overpower the weakened king and destroy him at the end of the day.

    She knew she was content with her role like that. By doing so, she could save the demon world.

    ¡°Sitri!¡±

    Yong-ho shouted from the ground, trying to stop her. But she didn¡¯t listen. She took another step forward. Now, she recalled Mammon, throwing herself toward the King of Pride who was about to use all his might to disrupt her attack. Smiling at Yong-ho for thest time, she brought out as much power of Sloth as possible.

    There arose a beautiful and enormous me caused by her sacrificing herself.

    The me didn¡¯t re up, but it faded away instead.

    The King of Pride was not responsible for it, nor was Sitri.

    Yong-ho¡¯s shouting stopped it. He could not tolerate her sacrifice. His will and shouting finally awakened Yong-ho again. The resonance of the Seven Deadly Sins gathered in one ce awakened him from his long sleep. He could never sit idle, watching her sacrificing herself before his eyes.

    ¡°[I won¡¯t allow for it because you are mine, and your soul is mine!]¡±

    The moment the invisible barrier of corrosion was removed, Sitri bounced off, pushed out by the king¡¯s mana. Catalina caught her in the air. The two looked at her, aghast.

    Tears came down Sitri¡¯s eyes.

    The King of Pride shuddered. He felt scared before he knew it.

    He barely spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a lie!¡±

    The Queen of Fury was thrilled. The King of Lust couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.

    Gusion shouted loudly while Yong-ho¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits also screamed.

    ¡°My King!¡±

    Yong-ho and Mammon, the unified King of Greed, responded to their shouting.

    ***

    The day when Mammon, the King of Greed, disappeared from the demon world.

    On that day, a thousand and hundreds of years ago, Mammon closed the door of the celestial world and died, totally emaciated.

    The King of Pride thought so, and Mammon¡¯s 12 Spirits also thought likewise.

    But the King of Greed, never died that way.

    ***

    Yong-ho felt and understood it. Yuno, counting the stars, told him that he was not the reincarnation of Mammon, but that Mammon was always with him.

    She wasn¡¯t talking about Mammon¡¯s legacy. What Yuno saw was more essential.

    ***

    Mammon, who killed numerous godly men, finally shut the celestial door. Although he was exposed to tremendous celestial power, he was still the greatest king of the demon world.

    Sitri, the Queen of Sloth who stood by him to the end, met Mammon.

    He made the following request to her who was weeping.

    ¡®Kill me with your power.¡¯

    Mammon in her arms was like a bomb. His body contained arge amount of celestial power beyond imagination. He could not control it with his mana anymore. The moment Mammon breathed hisst breath, the power of the celestial world would grow explosively, which would inflict another irreparable damage to the demon world.

    So, Mammon asked her to erase him from the demon world along with the power of the celestial world by using her invisible barrier of corrosion.

    Mammon would shortly face hisst moment, and he was destined to die anyway.

    Nheless, his request was so cruel to her.

    Sitri hugged him with trembling hands. Then, she activated the invisible barrier of corrosion to ept his request and ended his life. At that moment, her soul was poisoned by the celestial power, and she had an indelible wound deep down.

    ***

    The reason why he could meet Aamon as soon as he started exploring the dungeon.

    The voice he heard while he was peeking into Scathach¡¯s memories.

    His memory of Mammon in the human world.

    Why had not there been a sessor born for the past one thousand years since Mammon¡¯s death?

    What happened to the Sin of Greed during those years?

    And why did Sitri not get the power of Greed, Gluttony, and Fury?

    Yong-ho could understand all of them now.

    ***

    Mammon did something for thest time before he died in Sitri¡¯s arms. He could do it because Sitri¡¯s power of the invisible barrier of corrosion neutralized the celestial power.

    The Seven Deadly Sins were the fragments of the demon god¡¯s soul.

    Mammon, the King of Greed, did not let go of the Sin of Greed. He owned it by himself, which became the Sin of Greed itself over one thousand years.

    ***

    Yong-ho felt Mammon. He was Greed, which was with himself. It already became united with him.

    He stepped forward. He jumped over space and stood next to Sitri and Catalina. Holding the crying Sitri in his arms, he unleashed the Godly Energy of Greed.

    The power of the Godly Energy of Greed was possessiveness.

    The King of Pride raised his head. He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening before his eyes, but he acted instinctively. He swung the mana of Pride to stop the King of Greed and gathered the light of Pride and the ck energy of Envy to attack him.

    But it was toote. Yong-ho hugged Sitri so hard as to almost crush her. He possessed her to ept her body and soul. Devouring the celestial power that poisoned her, he dered the contract on making Sitri his 13th subordinate spirit.

    The demon god¡¯s heart within him began to pound. The seventh w broke into Yong-ho¡¯s chest. The four Sins of Greed, Gluttony, Fury, and Sloth became one in Yong-ho¡¯s soul.

    All eight horns of light that sprouted above Yong-ho¡¯s head disappeared. It was impossible to measure his power by the number of horns.

    The light of Pride and the ck smoke of Envy scattered, and the celestial power evaporated.

    Everyone on the battlefield forgot to fight. Even the celestial beings were forced to stop and look.

    The King of Greed, rather, the Demon God of Greed.

    Yong-ho grabbed Aamon and fired up the mes of Greed.

    He looked down at the King of Pride.

 Chapter 286 - Demon God

    <h4>Chapter 286: Demon God</h4>

    Coincidence and inevitability met, giving birth to the present situation.

    Mammon, who became united with Greed over the course of a thousand years, could no longer be called a human being. However, Yong-ho felt Mammon¡¯s will. He was now with Yong-ho himself.

    It was a battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people gathered together, but there was no sound of them even swallowing. It was as if the whole world stopped.

    Four Sins gathered in one ce.

    Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy that united the powers of different Sins.

    The heart of the Demon God that guided the power of the owner¡¯s soul to a higher ce.

    The King of Pride opened his mouth. But he couldn¡¯t speak properly. Although he had the mana as powerful as that of God, he never thought of wielding it. He just got frozen with the shock that he met a much more powerful being than him.

    Yong-ho looked down at the king and lifted Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy, guided by Mammon¡¯s whispering. He broke the huge silence by shouting at the king.

    ¡°Own it, Labyrinth of Greed!¡±

    Lucia responded to his shouting. The Labyrinth of Greed took root in the earth. It didn¡¯t just emit an aura, but it owned the surrounding area. It turned the entire battlefield into the Labyrinth of Greed!

    The surface of the ground rose and became a wall. The protective walls did not differentiate between the southern and northern forces. They were all inhabitants of the demon world. In other words, they were the people of the Demon God.

    The celestial power that crushed the entire battlefield was pushed back. The demonic beings who were groaning in pain and fear felt calm in the dungeon.

    Yong-ho¡¯s power grew even stronger.

    As the demon king became stronger, the dungeon also became stronger.

    The beings of the celestial world rushed to the beings of the demon world, screaming silently. But they were different from before. The demonic beings located inside the dungeon were no longer helplessly destroyed by the power of the celestial world. A fierce battle broke out in both heaven and earth.

    Bifronz smiled. With his heart destroyed by the mighty attacks of Eligos and Ophelia, he could not continue living. It was impossible for him to even say a few words.

    But he was satisfied. Although he made the wrong choice, and it was impossible for him to see clearly what was happening before his eyes, he knew that the demon world would be one. He also knew his longing woulde true.

    Instead of giving a fatal blow to Bifronz, Eligos ran toward Yong-ho. Ophelia also ran next to Eligos. Tigrius also did not look back.

    Abrasax denied reality. He had seven horns. He was called the strongest mana of the Dungeon Market. But why was he so powerless now?

    Samael did not answer. She withdrew the sword that pierced his back and heart. She turned around and looked at her master. She spread her fastest wings wide and soared into the sky.

    Richard smashed the godly general¡¯s head. He opened his mouth amid the scattering light. Instead of shouting, he made articte words for the first time.

    ¡°My King, My King!¡±

    Yustia and Yuno cried in the Labyrinth of Greed. Scathach smiled afterughing.

    Gusion burst intoughter loudly.

    The King of Lust sat down helplessly. He barely breathed. He then shed a stream of tears.

    It wasn¡¯t just because he umted regrets for more than a thousand years.

    With a tearful voice, he cried, ¡°Bellial.¡±

    The King of Pride. The King of Lust, disguised as a woman, had been loving the king for several thousands of years.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

    The King of Pride screamed. By shouting like that, the king gathered mana once more. Then he radiated the light of Pride, which was the power of his presence, and the dark energy of Envy, which was a lump of terrible emotions.

    It was a thousand years. The King of Pride recreated his body in the best shape as much as he could over the past one thousand years, so he was far superior to Mammon of the past,

    But why was he defeated?

    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me like that!¡± The King of Pride shouted.

    His mana was really powerful, so much so that he could be called the Demon God.

    But his opponent was a tough challenger. Yong-ho unleashed his remaining Fury.

    He swung Aamon violently, arousing the green mes of Greed.

    Yong-ho¡¯s mana devoured the king¡¯s mana. The green mes, which contained not only Greed but also the power of Gluttony, burned the light of Pride and the dark energy of Envy. The power of Sloth canceled out the aftermath of the collision, and the power of Fury empowered Yong-ho.

    Yong-ho pierced through the green mes. He swung Aamon violently once again to strike the king strongly, but the king hurriedly lifted the Godly Energy of Pride and stopped his attack.

    Their eyes met while they were wielding their swords and spears. Now, the situation was unfolding differently from before. The King of Pride could not withstand Yong-ho¡¯s power as well as the Demon King¡¯s power anymore. The king vomited blood.

    Once again, their spears and swords shed in the air. Yong-ho discovered how the King of Pride acquired the mana as it was now. He witnessed countless souls howling inside the king¡¯s soul.

    The King of Pride spread its six wings wide. But it was useless. Each time Yong-ho swung Aamon, his wide wings were broken one by one. Obviously, the king¡¯s mana was so powerful as to shake heaven and earth, Yong-ho¡¯s power was stronger.

    ¡°The King of Greed!¡±

    The King of Pride screamed. Confronting his despair, jealousy, and anger, Yong-ho injected strength into Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy. Then he condensed all the power of his 12 subordinate spirits as well as those in the dungeon.

    [My master!]

    Aamon responded. Yong-ho felt everyone in the endlessly growing power.

    Demon God.

    He was the only master of the demon world. He was the man who ruled the dungeon named the demon world.

    Aamon broke the Godly Energy of Pride. And Aamon¡¯s green mes burned everything that stood in the way. His final blow pierced the king¡¯s heart!

    The King of Pride saw Yong-ho. He opened his lips and said something he couldn¡¯t even think of before. The moment he was facing hisst moment, he could think of only one name that upied his mind.

    ¡°Asmo... deus...¡±

    It was the name of the King of Lust who had loved him alone for several thousand years.

    Aamon¡¯s green mes burned the King of Pride. Yong-ho reached out and grabbed the king¡¯s essence¡ªPride and Envy, the two Sins.

    The Sin of Greed was empowered at the moment and owned it all.

    <hr />

    Six out of the Seven Deadly Sins had gathered together.

    The King of Lust no longer resisted. He put everything down and left himself to the natural attraction.

    The Seven Deadly Sins were originally one. So, the Sin of Lust wanted to be united with other Sins. The Sin of Lust now belonged to the King of Greed.

    The King of Lust, disguised as a woman, fell on the floor and cried. He was the only one in the world who would cry for the King of Pride.

    <hr />

    The celestial beings attacking the southern and northern forces stopped attacking and headed for the sky. They did so to preserve their power, but they were instinctively scared of the incredible power of the Demon God.

    Not only the celestial men but also the godly generals headed to the sky, and new celestial holes began to open high in the sky.

    <hr />

    Yong-ho stood at the highest ce in the Labyrinth of Greed.

    Although he defeated the King of Pride, he had to conquer the celestial door. Today¡¯s fight was not over yet.

    The red sky was turning blue, which was evidence that the celestial door was opening.

    The vortex of mana created by the sh between Yong-ho and the King of Pride prompted the celestial door to open.

    Yong-ho recognized it through Mammon¡¯s memory.

    It was a coincidence that Mammon left his offspring in the human world. Maybe even that was guided by his fate, but he didn¡¯t think so.

    Mammon visited the human world again shortly before the final battle with the celestial world. He did so to prepare for the possible copse of the demon world just in case he could not block the attack of the celestial world.

    Mammon looked for his descendants in the human world and gave them the heart of the Demon God. If one day a qualified person was born, he would own the heart of the Demon God.

    More than a thousand years have passed.

    Finally, a new King of Greed appeared, and he obtained the heart of the Demon God and Mammon¡¯s Godly Energy. By collecting all the Seven Deadly Sins, he rose to the level of the true Demon God. And now, the celestial door was opened in front of him.

    The celestial world was the worst alien world to the demon world. The existence itself was the opposite of the demon world, so it constantly longed for the demon world.

    Even Mammon did not know clearly about the celestial world. However, when he looked into the celestial world through its door, he was convinced that he should not be merely content with shutting down the door itself. This time, he had to cut off the connection between the celestial world and the demon world by using his power as the Demon King.

    The 12 subordinate spirits of the past and present gathered by Yong-ho¡¯s side.

    Although the celestial door was opening in the sky, none of them expressed fear.

    Sminded next to Yong-ho. He flinched a bit at the overwhelming presence of Yong-ho, who became the Demon God, but soon, he wagged his tail as always.

    Yong-ho looked at the sky. He saw the stairs he had seen in his memory many times. It was another evidence that the celestial power was getting stronger again.

    ¡°Skullkull,¡± Skull said.

    Yong-ho turned at his calling and smiled before he knew it.

    Above the entrance to the first floor of the Labyrinth of Greed, Yuria, Baduk, and the dungeon meerkat stood, gasping for breath. Behind him were standing not only Rikum and Burgrim but also the Goblin Rangers. Also, behind them was Trient, who was waddling up the stairs.

    Yuria did not know what kind of fighting took ce today. She didn¡¯t know who Yong-ho was going to fight from now on. But she guessed that his fighting was different this time.

    The ce Yong-ho was going to head for now was a really dangerous ce. Maybe he would nevere back.

    Yuria held back the urge to burst into crying before she knew it. She looked up at him thenughed reluctantly while fiddling with the chicken voucher in her hand.

    She bowed to him and said, ¡°Bye.¡±

    Baduk and the meerkat also bowed. Rikum and Burgrim also bowed to him while the Goblin Rangers and Trient, who arrivedte, did the same.

    Lucia was seated next to Yuria. She, the soul of the dungeon as well as Yong-ho¡¯s alter ego, nodded to him instead of speaking long.

    Watching them, Yong-houghed. He stroked Lucia¡¯s hair and sat down before Yuria at her eye level. He said, holding her hand tightly, ¡°I will be back. Let¡¯s eat chicken together when Ie back.¡±

    Yuria nodded. Eventually, she shed tears. He wiped her tears off and stood up again.

    Lucia smiled like a grown-up.

    [Bye.]

    [My Master, King of the Demon World!]

    Yong-ho turned. He looked up at the stairs leading to the celestial door. Then, this time, 12 subordinate spirits spoke one by one.

    ¡°I, Enderion¡¯s daughter, Ophelia, will be with you, master of the great Mamon family.¡±

    ¡°I, the butler, am thest bastion of the dungeon. But this time, I will be the bastion of my master.¡±

    Ophelia and Eligos stood by Yongho¡¯s side.

    Gusion and Scathach said one after another.

    ¡°I will never let you go alone this time.¡±

    ¡°I told you to fight with your subordinate spirits, right?¡±

    At that moment, the godly men and godly generals wereing out in droves from the hole of the celestial world. As they were standing in the ce closest to the sky, they could feel the threat directly.

    However, the 12 subordinate spirits did not stop. Samael and Tigrius quietly stood by Yong-ho, and Richard stood behind Gusion.

    ¡°I will protect you by sacrificing my life.¡±

    Catalina pped her ears and tail. She was always an escort knight guarding him at hand.

    ¡°Because I am his official wife, let me forgive you for using me as the shield against the attack.¡±

    Then Kaiwan hugged Yong-ho¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Because you are my master as well as the King of the eight ns, I¡¯ll be with you. Besides, I have to hold a wedding ceremony with you after the fight.¡±

    Dritarashutra, the Queen of Fury, blushed and spoke a little timidly.

    Skullughed and stood at the forefront.

    Yong-ho finally looked at one person next to him.

    ¡°My beloved customer. I trust you.¡±

    Sitri smiled at him and felt Greed that existed within his body. He also smiled at her. Without any further dy, he stepped forward.

    The stairs leading to the celestial world.

    It was the path where Mammon, the King of Greed, climbed alone and saved the demon world.

    From heaven and earth, everyone in the demon world looked up at him. The celestial beings looked down from the sky that turned blue.

    [My master.]

    [I will stay with you until the end.]

    Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus. He had always been Yong-ho¡¯s strong support.

    Yong-ho opened up the power of the Demon God. Heaven and earth shook with his overwhelming mana, which evaporated the celestial energy that was filling the sky.

    Yong-ho climbed the first staircase by jumping through space.

    Then he ordered his subordinate spirits, ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡±

    That was the word that Mammon could not say back then.

    Following the King of Greed, they climbed the stairs to the celestial world.

 Chapter 287 - Epilogue (1)

    <h4>Chapter 287: Epilogue (1)</h4>

    The war between the North and the South, which involved the whole demon world, finally ended.

    The warsted only one month, but its aftereffects were devastating.

    When the war between the celestial world and the demon world, followed by the war of the northern and southern forces, was finally over, the changes that the demon world experienced were far greater than all the changes over thest thousand years.

    ***

    Samael looked at the copsed dungeon. Just a few months ago, there were numerous people going in and out of the dungeon.

    The special auction house of the Dungeon Market. It was broken and ruined. On its walls and floors were the traces of the day when the special auction house copsed. Samael clenched her teeth when she found the darkened bloodstains all over the walls.

    Among the changes caused by the war of the northern and southern forces, the copse of the Dungeon Market was most talked about by the busybodies everywhere.

    Dungeon Marketpletely copsed.

    It wasn¡¯t because three of the five directors there were gone.

    Although they were greatly destroyed, the distribution channels of Dungeon Market were still connected throughout the demon world, and its various production facilities were also in good shape. In fact, since the Dungeon Market monopolized the entire demonic world, there was nopetitor to rece it in the event of a crisis.

    Nheless, the Dungeon Market copsed.

    The demon world no longer believed the Dungeon Market.

    ¡°But I¡¯m going to build it again.¡±

    Samael thought of Siri¡¯s words, slightly lifting her wings.

    Sitri, the founder of the Dungeon Market, shared all the remaining properties of the Dungeon Market with Samael. Sitri asked Samael to create a new Dungeon Market.

    Even if the inhabitants of the demon world do not trust the Dungeon Market, they still needed it in the demon world.

    ¡°Master, the time is up.¡±

    When she heard the voice from behind her back, Samael turned around. It was the voice of Incubus Henry, Samael¡¯s new butler. He was the younger cousin of Karot, who was killed while defending her dungeon, even though he was overwhelmingly inferior to the enemy in military strength.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think I have been dyed too long.¡±

    Samael was the owner of the new Dungeon Market, but she had only one master.

    ¡°I should not bete. Let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    Today was a special day.

    Just like Karot, Henry escorted Samael politely. The fastest wing, Samael, who was one of Yong-ho¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits, ascended on a flying wagon heading for the Labyrinth of Greed.

    ***

    The age of the six kings hade to an end.

    People in the northern area, who lost their king, fell into great chaos, but only for a brief period. The situation in the northern area soon went back to normal.

    The unimednd in the northern area.

    It was a ce where dozens of house masters ruled their respective dungeons andpeted with each other.

    However, it was different from the southernnd that had been divided over the past one thousand years because Yong-ho existed in the current demon world.

    He was the one and only greatest king in all the history of the demon world.

    The masters of the northern area sent their envoys to the southpetitively to curry favor with him. Today was a very special day for the entire demon world.

    ***

    The territory of the King of Lust, like the territories of the King of Pride and the King of Envy, became an unimednd because of its division.

    The vassals of the King of Lust kept his dungeon, waiting for the king¡¯s return, but the king did not appear before them.

    The King of Lust was alive.

    Even now, when both the war of the North and the South, as well as another great war, was over, the soul of the dungeon of the King of Lust was alive. This meant that the dungeon owner, the King of Lust, was alive.

    Asmodeus, the King of Lust.

    Sword demon, the king who had lived longer than anyone else in the demon world and cherished the Sin of Lust.

    The King of Lust had been with Lust for so long. It was no exaggeration to say that the king was already the Sin of Lust.

    Because of this, even after the war ended, the king still existed like before. In fact, he was simr to the Queen of Fury or the Queen of Sloth who shared the power of sin with Yong-ho after they were made his subordinate spirits.

    Yongho did not kill the King of Lust. Following Mammon¡¯sst will, he freed the king.

    The King of Lust wandered in the wilderness. While wandering aimlessly, the king stopped on a small hill in the north. It was the ce where the king first encountered the King of Pride a long time ago.

    A rough wind blew. The king¡¯s snow-white hair was twined around her chest and shoulders.

    The King of Lust did not resent Yong-ho. This time, the king didn¡¯t have any deep regrets either. She just shed tears for the King of Pride.

    ¡°Bellial.¡±

    That was the name of the King of Pride that Asmodeus, the King of Lust, remembered.

    The King of Lust did not rush. She waited a little more, facing the blowing wind.

    She remembered her love for the King of Pride.

    ***

    The war between the celestial world and the demon worldsted three days and three nights. For this reason, there were some who called the war the Three Days¡¯ War.

    The biggest feature of the war was that all those in the demon world became united as one.

    The survivors of the southern and northern forces, who had once gathered together to fight against each, joined hands under one g and fought the celestial world. Although they fought only three days, they all became the greatest king¡¯s subordinate spirits during the battle.

    The war made the whole demon world united as one with the King of Greed as the central leader.

    The Labyrinth of Greed, which was the great battleground, no longer existed in the center of the demon world because it returned to the ce where it was originally supposed to be.

    ***

    Dragons werezy individualists even now as they used to be.

    On the day when the war between the celestial world and the demon world ended, the Dragon Legion was disbanded. As a matter of fact, they could be established because of the absolute charisma of the King of Violence. Now that even the King of Violence¡¯sst will was gone, there was no reason to maintain the dragon army anymore.

    Dragon Lord Ancablosa returned to a free blue dragon. While she was goofing off in her own hideout Rare, she woke up at the urging of Dark Elves who were her subordinate spirits.

    ¡°What the heck?! The promised day has note yet!¡±

    What sheined about was that she had not yet slept for a month when the war was over in less than a month. ording to her original schedule, she was supposed to wake up two monthster than now, on the day when the King of Greed would get married to the Queen of Fury.

    The Dark Elves trembled and expressed fear at their master¡¯s annoying voice.

    Ancablosa suppressed her anger and asked again with a slightly softened voice, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been crazy, you wouldn¡¯t have woken me up for no reason. What happened while I was sleeping?¡±

    The Dark Elves nodded. Then they delivered urgent news to Ancablosa, who turned into an Afsaras with long dark blue hair.

    ***

    ¡°We must hurry to return even by ourselves.¡±

    Tigrius of Harmony, one of Yong-ho¡¯s 12 subordinate spirits, spoke, gently touching Smi¡¯s back. The reason why Smi, Yong-ho¡¯s private car, was carrying Tigrius on his back, was simple.

    Yong-ho ordered Smi to give him a ride because he could not take a break even after the war was over, who had to lead the northern expeditionary force.

    When the war was over, the territories of the King of Pride, the King of Envy, and the King of Gluttony became no king¡¯snd.

    The territories of the King of Pride and the King of Envy were located far too far from the ¡°Land of Greed¡± in the south. However, it was not the territory of the King of Gluttony, so Yong-ho organized a northern expedition with Tigrius as the head.

    ¡°Skullkull.¡±

    Another pir of the northern expedition force, Skull, responded with a heartyugh.

    The Skull unit, which made great achievements in the war with the celestial world, was advancing at the forefront of the northern expedition force under the feet of Bucephs running through the sky with Smi.

    Originally, the northern expeditionary force should have already arrived at the Labyrinth of Greed, but due to unexpected troubles, they didn¡¯t arrive on time. If they led the northern expedition force as they were now, they would not be able to participate in the event.

    ¡°Well... I understand that you also agree. Then, let¡¯s leave themand to Wicross until you return.¡±

    Skullughed again this time, and Tigrius cast a spell while feeling a bit anxious.

    He conveyed the message that he would leave the return of his expeditionary force to Vampire Lord Wicross, who was in charge of the northern expedition force in the center.

    ¡°All done. Now, then let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Skull Skull.¡±

    Skull nodded and put the spur on Bucephs. Bucephs ran at full speed, leaving behind green mes, while Smi, which started btedly, was upset with Skull. Even though Tigrius didn¡¯t convey any message, Skull spread the wings of the mes and sped up.

    Tigrius¡¯s hair and beard were quickly messed up because he had no time to cast the windshield magic. But instead of expressing anger, Tigriusughed like Skull. Grabbing the handle on the back of Smi, he enjoyed the blowing wind.

    ¡°Skullkull!¡±

    He had to hurry. Today was the day of the wedding of Yong-ho, their beloved and respected owner.

 Chapter 288 - Epilogue (2)

    <h4>Chapter 288: Epilogue (2)</h4>

    ¡°Wow! My son is a king!¡± Yong-ho¡¯s father shouted in excitement.

    He was the descendant of Mammon as well as the father of Yong-ho, the King of Greed.

    Dressed in a stylish formal dress, he, who was wearing an apron, looked around the wedding hall in excitement.

    Headed by dungeon garrison leader Rikum, the ck Orc Squadron dressed in sparkling armor were standing around the hall. Although they were standing there as the guards, Yong-ho¡¯s father thought of the thinly sliced green onions wrapped in fried chicken while looking at them proudly. Each of them was brightening the atmosphere of the wedding hall.

    Even now, when he closed his eyes, he remembered the day when he met his third daughter-inw. He was so shocked back then.

    Turning up the corner of his mouth slightly, Yong-ho¡¯s father showed satisfaction once again.

    Although he spent the happiest days of his life while staying in the Labyrinth of Greed during thest few days, he was happiest when he liked to fry chickens like this, standing in the wedding hall. It wasn¡¯t that Yong-ho made his father fry chickens on his wedding day because he was a bad son. Actually, Yong-ho¡¯s father volunteered to fry chickens.

    Yong-ho¡¯s father could not believe that chicken was the special menu of those at the Labyrinth of Greed, praised as the best food in the demon world that demons wanted to eat. He was the happiest today after he opened his chicken shop in the human world 30 years ago.

    The wedding hall was busy with guests from all over the ce. Among them were those who didn¡¯t look like demon people at all, such as winged Harpy, the big Trient, and the crawling Slime, etc.

    ¡°Give me some fried chicken!¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Whining! Whining!¡±

    Yong-ho¡¯s father lowered his head when the dungeon trio shouted at the same time.

    He saw Yuria smiling brightly over the white tablecloth. She looked so lovely when she showed him a couple of crumpled chicken vouchers.

    ¡°OK! Here you go. I don¡¯t need anything like this voucher today.¡±

    Returning the chicken voucher that got hand-stained, he served them a generous amount of freshly fried chicken.

    Smiling brightly, Yuria said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Wal! Wal!¡±

    ¡°Whining! Whining!¡±

    Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat ran around with joy. Yong-ho¡¯s father straightened himself after stroking Yuria¡¯s head. Looking at the waiting rooms of the bride and the groom, heughed heartily again.

    <hr />

    ¡°Whew! Although this is a joint ceremony with Catalina, that¡¯s fine with me because I¡¯m his official wife,¡± said Kaiwan, wearing her shoes made of silver dragon leather. She was wearing a silver dragon leather suit looking like a leotard as if to show everybody she was Kaiwan.

    Kaiwan in Scorpio, the Queen of Sword.

    Because of the suit, she felt like she was wearing abat suit, not a wedding dress.

    Catalina, who Kaiwan always called a dumb and innocentdy, pouted her lips when Kaiwan cast a jealous nce. Unlike Kaiwan, Catalina was wearing a white robe, revealing her womanly beauty. It was a beautiful dress made by Yuno in person.

    Kaiwan, who saw Catalina¡¯s tail drooping, smiled and gently hugged her softly. Then, she rubbed her cheek against Catalina¡¯s face even at the risk of ruining her makeup.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind it because I love you so much, Catalina, right?¡±

    After all, Catalina burst intoughter, too. pping her ears and tail, she nodded.

    Catalina in Libra was in charge of escorting the King of Greed, but she was lovely, as always.

    Watching the two women, the Queen of Fury, Dritarashutra, frowned. Although she put on the formal dress befitting the head of her eight ns, she was not wearing a wedding dress like them.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m very much inferior to them.¡±

    Dritarashutra in Virgo is in love with Yong-ho.

    She was supposed to hold a wedding ceremony with him two monthster. Unlike Kaiwan and Catalina¡¯s joint wedding ceremony, she was having a separate wedding ceremony with him.

    Definitely, it would be a wedding involving the marriage of the Queen of Fury as the head of her eight ns and Yong-ho, as the master of the House of Mammon. Naturally, their wedding would be different from the current wedding in terms of scale. Tens of thousands of guests would watch their wedding ceremony in the most spectacr event of the demon world.

    Nheless, the Queen of Fury felt she was losing. She didn¡¯t expect at all that the two asked to have the wedding ceremony ahead of her.

    ¡°Why does she think she is losing when she is going to have such a great wedding ceremony soon? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Kaiwan said with a sarcasticugh.

    Moreover, even Catalina, who the Queen of Fury trusted, chimed in, pping her ears and tail.

    ¡°It seems like our master has been outdone.¡±

    Gardimundi whispered to Kirtimuka.

    ¡°Gardimundi!¡±

    Gardimundi turned away from Kirtimuka, as always, while the King of Fury trembled, watching Kaiwan sticking her tongue out. She clenched her teeth, then turned to Kirtimuka.

    ¡°Dang it, I can¡¯t stand it, Kirtimuka, it sounds crazy, but can you ask them to send me a wedding dress?¡±

    ¡°Please be patient,¡± Kirtimuka said, embarrassed.

    Then Gardimundi snapped sharply, ¡°Just break in his room on the wedding night!¡±

    ¡°Gardimundi!¡±

    Kirtimuka got enraged again, but Gardimundi turned away her eyes again. While Kaiwan and the Queen of Fury exchanged fierce nces, Catalina looked toward the wall, pping her tail, where there was the groom¡¯s waiting room.

    <hr />

    ¡°The bride¡¯s waiting room is noisy,¡± said Yong-ho, dressed in dark red robes, with a rather tense expression. Unlike his confident attitude he showed after dismantling the celestial door, he looked a bit diffident now, waiting for the opening of the wedding ceremony.

    Instead of answering, Sitri took a step closer to him and said, adjusting his clothes, ¡°My beloved master is so blessed.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t deny it.¡±

    Yong-ho and Sitri looked at each other and smiled.

    She opened her lips again, unable to speak out her mind before she knew it.

    ¡°My beloved customer, would you please stay still for a moment?¡±

    He nodded. She quietly hugged him and buried her head on his chest for a moment.

    Mammon.

    She didn¡¯t say it loudly. She just felt Mammon who became Greed itself.

    At thest moment when he defeated numerous godly men and generals and stood before the celestial door, Yong-ho heard Mammon¡¯s voice. Together with Mammon, he destroyed the celestial door with the power of the great Demon God. He cut off the connection between the celestial world and the demon worldpletely.

    And that was it.

    Sitri never heard Mammon¡¯s voice again. What she heardst from him was that he would not allow her tomit suicide.

    Yong-ho also couldn¡¯t feel the presence of Mammon¡¯s will anymore. He just felt that Mammon was with him, or Mammon was already united with himself.

    Hesitating for a moment, Yong-ho hugged her. The two shared their warmth for a long time.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sitri said, raising her head.

    He replied, slightly blushing in embarrassment, ¡°You¡¯re wee. You can ask me a favor anytime.¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, you won¡¯t take back what you have just said, right?¡±

    Sitri suddenly spoke provocatively, and he blinked.

    ¡°Sitri?¡±

    ¡°Master, you¡¯ve got only ten minutes before the wedding ceremony.¡±

    At that moment, he heard assistant butler Jun serving him a gentle reminder as if she was checking the wedding time. As the Goblin Ranger¡¯s only female member, she, like the butler Eligos, was essential in the Labyrinth of Greed.

    ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡±

    Yong-ho replied, and Sitri suddenly withdrew her hands.

    She made a mischievous smile at him.

    <hr />

    Yong-ho¡¯s wedding began.

    Yong-ho stood on the podium while Catalina and Kaiwan stood on both sides.

    Catalina pped her tail without hiding her excited feelings while Kaiwan was shy unlike her confident attitude in the bride¡¯s waiting room.

    ¡°Brother Eli, when will we get married?¡± Asked Ophelia, who was watching them with a warm smile.

    While he was moved to tears for a moment, Eligos responded, blinking his eyes, ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Are you pretending not to know what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Ophelia grinned at him, nudging him in the ribs gently. He cleared his throat, flinching at her unexpected question for a moment.

    Looking back at Yong-ho, Eligos shed tears of joy again.

    ¡°I¡¯m d Kaiwan wasn¡¯t dumped by him,¡± said Yukrasion, feeling great relief, in the presence of the former masters of the House of Mammon. All of them smiled at Kaiwan when she was shy, not knowing what to do at the moment.

    ¡°It looks like they feel like this when they marry off their children,¡± said Gusion, shaking his head a bit, standing in the middle of the spirits of the arena.

    Opening her eyes wide, Scathach said, ¡°Oh my goodness! Is our master your child?¡± Scathach asked gently.

    Yuno and Yustia looked up at Yong-ho on the podium, just like Gusion did.

    At that moment, there was a small voice heard from the mes of the red lotus next to them.

    [I also agree with Gusion just for today,] said Aamon, the magic spear of the red lotus, who had always been with Yong-ho until now.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t our master being anguished highly now?¡±

    Aamon justughed at Gusion¡¯s question.

    ¡°Oh, he has just started it!¡± Yuno said.

    As she said, Yong-ho on the podium kissed Catalina and Kaiwan. Burgrim put the rings on the two women, which he made borately. Those participants watching them broke out into exmation with joy.

    <hr />

    Baduk was absorbed into enjoying fried chicken, and the baby dungeon meerkat, enjoying chicken, raised her head upright and watched the wedding of the greatest king of the demon world.

    pping her wings, Lucia looked to the side. Instead of putting the crispy fried chicken in her mouth, she lightly touched Yuria¡¯s shoulder, who was looking at Yong-ho, Catalina and Kaiwan, blushing. They didn¡¯t need to talk to each other about it.

    Lucia looked askance at her while Yuria nodded enthusiastically.

    Demon God of Greed, Yong-ho Cheon.

    Master of the great Mammon family.

    The one who had saved the demon world, just like Mammon in the past.

    Yong-ho hugged Catalina suddenly. He then kissed Kaiwan and held Dritarashutra in his arms, who came running to him when she couldn¡¯t stand it.

    He was the most greedy man in the demon world, after all. He didn¡¯t give up anything heid his hand on.

    Sitri looked at him and smiled brightly, shaking off her thousand years of agony.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!