âGet up.â
Seo Jun-Ho looked up and slowly stood up upon hearing Reijiâs words.
Reiji walked around Seo Jun-Ho as if she were a trainer examining her students and said, âHow many days has it been since you got here?â
âTen days.â
â...Well. Youâve improved somewhat. Itâs probably because you have an excellent teacher.â
âDoes that meanâŠâ Seo Jun-Ho trailed off, sounding expectant.
Reiji nodded and said, âYouâre starting to get the hang of hiding your claws, so letâs end your training here.â
âThank you so much! ButâŠâ Seo Jun-Ho trailed off. He had realized something while he was learning how to suppress the enormous energy he was emitting as a creature of the Star Destruction Stage.
âDo you think Iâll be okay with this? Iâm not capable of completely hiding my power yet.â
âYou really do have high hopes, donât you? You already want to learn how to fly when youâve just learned how to crawl?â
âPardon?â
âWhat do you think Iâm about to say to you?â
â...Donât be cocky?â
âIâm glad you know. Itâs only been a few days since you reached the Star Destruction Stage, and youâre already thinking of hiding your power completely. How cheeky. Only those on the cusp of reaching the Transcendent Stage could do such a thing.â
âOh, I see.â
âI didnât know that it would be that difficult. I must have looked very arrogant then.â
Seo Jun-Ho nodded with a disappointed look.
âI understand. Still, I learned a lot, and itâs all thanks to you.â
âThatâs good to know. Here, take this.â
Reiji threw something toward Seo Jun-Ho.
Seo Jun-Ho quickly snatched it out of mid-air and found that it was a small ring.
âWhat is this ring?â
âWear it, and youâll find outâ
Seo Jun-Ho put the ring on his middle finger, and his eyes widened.
âHuh? Wait. This isâŠâ
âWhat do you think? Itâs barely noticeable, isnât it?â Reiji grinned.
Just like she said, Seo Jun-Hoâs power as a Star Destruction Stage creature vanished the moment he put on the ring. However, it had a glaring disadvantage; it was also acting as a limiter for his magic. He could only wield a portion of his magic.
âIs this a gift?â he asked.
âTake it. I donât need it anymore.â
âThank you, butâno, never mind.â
âI would have saved at least ten days if she had given this to me earlierâŠâ
Reiji lifted an eyebrow after seeing through Seo Jun-Hoâs thoughts.
âYou ungrateful bastard. I saved you from drowning, but youâre asking me to pay for your medical fees as well?â
âNo, thatâs not what I mean. Itâs justâŠâ
âA mere ring isnât enough to contain all that power in you. What are you going to do if your uncompressed power destroys that ring?â
âYou are absolutely right.â Seo Jun-Ho hurriedly nodded and apologized with a deep bow. âItâs not good to completely rely on external tools.â
âFuck off now, youâre pissing me off.â
âThank you. ReallyâŠâ
âI told you to fuck off. You want more knuckle sandwiches?â
âI-Iâm leaving, but the exitââ
Reiji threw an annoyed look at Seo Jun-Ho before interrupting him with a wave of her hand.
Seo Jun-Ho disappeared into thin air.
Left alone in the training ground, Reiji lit her cigarette.
âIs it really going to be okay?â said Gray as he emerged from a rift in space.
âWhat are you talking about?â asked Reiji.
âThe ring you gave Player Seo Jun-Ho. Wasnât that Dark Leapâranked 899th in the Weapon Rankings?â
âIt is.â
âThe higher-ups will scold you for what youâve done; theyâll think that youâve done too much for him. They still frown at the mention of your name, Miss Reiji. It seems that theyâre still holding a grudge from the Hole of Repentance incident,â said Gray.
âThose damned boomers. Weâre about to die, so how come theyâre still being a stickler for the rules?â Reiji clicked her tongue. She breathed out a white mist before saying, âI will be fine. Donât worry because it wasnât for free.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âIt was more like a trade, but I earned more than he did.â
Gray tilted his head out of curiosity at Reijiâs confident remark and asked, âDid Player Seo Jun-Ho have something so valuable that it was worth trading with Dark Leap?â
âHe did.â
Snap!Â
Reiji snapped her fingers, and an unassuming sword on the couch stood up.
âWhat do you think? I earned more, right?â
âBut⊠isnât that Helicâs holy relic? I thought she told Player Seo Jun-Ho to collect it and return it to her.â
âAnd what is she gonna do about it? I own it now, but donât worry, Iâll give it back to her later.â
Reiji had basically avoided being scolded by the higher-ups by trading Dark Leap for Helicâs Holy Sword.
âI think Helic will get in trouble for what youâve done, Miss.Reiji.â
âSo what?â Reiji smiled as if that was none of her business. âI donât care as long as I donât get in trouble.â
***
Seo Jun-Ho hesitated in the Dimensional Elevator. He had been on the 9th Floor, but he hadnât gone there voluntarily. This was the first time he would press the button for the 9th Floor himself.
âAre you nervous?â
âTo be honest, yeah. Iâm pretty nervous.â
The Frost Queenâs arms were crossed in front of her chest, and she was leaning against the elevator. She smiled upon hearing Seo Jun-Hoâs response.
âDo not be afraid. Youâve grown up enough, and⊠the same is true of myself.â
The Frost Queenâs strength had grown beyond imagination after she had become one with the 8th Floorâs Frost Queen. In fact, the Frost Queenâs massive growth was the biggest reason Seo Jun-Ho had decided to clear the 9th Floor.
âYou wonât need me for a while, right?â
âIt might be best to keep a low profile.â
Reiji said that there were quite a few demons capable of seeing Spirits on the 9th Floor, and the demons would definitely get suspicious of him the moment they noticed that he had a Spirit.
The Frost Queen nodded and said, âAll right. I will be resting for a while, then. Summon me when youâre in danger.â
âTake a good rest. Iâll do my best so that I wonât have to summon you.â
Seo Jun-Ho recalled the Frost Queen, and she dissipated into innumerable light particles, leaving Seo Jun-Ho all by himself.
- Iâm with you, Partner.
â...â
âRight. I have Intuition with me.â Seo Jun-Ho smiled slightly and finally pressed the button for the 9th Floor.
[Youâve arrived on the 9th Floor.]
Seo Jun-Ho had already visited the 9th Floor, so the Bringer of Spring title didnât activate. âIt doesnât matter. Pioneer is active because the Heavenly Demon is dead.â
Pioneer (S) would bestow him an additional two hundred and fifty stat points as long as he had the highest level among the Players. Seo Jun-Ho had to be diligent and hard-working, as he wasnât the only Player who was grinding throughout the universe.
â...The air is so murky here.â
Seo Jun-Ho stepped out of the elevator, and a red wilderness filled his eyes.
âWhere should I go?â
Seo Jun-Ho contemplated for a while and asked, âIntuition. Which direction should I go?â
- Go south.
âAll right.â
The destination was decided at Keen Intuitionâs answer.
âConquering the 9th Floor starts from the south.â
***
The gatekeeper looked up at the sky. He had been working as the gatekeeper of this city for many decades now, and he often looked up at the sky to spend time whenever he was bored.
âThe skies are clear. No wonder we are getting so many tourists,â he muttered.
The Underworldâs skies were generally cloudy, so tourists would flock to territories where the skies were clear. In fact, two large merchant groups had already arrived at the city this morning.
âAh, speak of the demons. Thereâs another one coming.â The gatekeeper saw a man approaching from the far end of the red wilderness. The gatekeeper squinted his eyes and tilted his head. âHeâs not riding on anything, and he doesnât have any luggage.â
This was very strange and unusual. The nearest city from the city of Verman was at least fifteen days away using a carriage.
âHalt,â said the gatekeeper. Identify yourself and tell me the purpose of your visitââ
The gatekeeper shut his mouth upon making eye contact with the man whose smooth hair came all the way down to his waist. The manâs hair was pitch-black in color, looking as if it were made out of darkness itself.
The quick-witted gatekeeper fell into deep contemplation. âDamn it. Whatâs going on?â
The man had come from the wilderness, but his clothes were clean with nary a sign of dust or dirt. However, a horn wasnât sticking out of his head, aside from a tiny bump on his forehead. In other words, the man was barely a Low demon.
âBut why⊠why canât I feel his energy at all?â
The gatekeeperâs instincts were screaming at him, and he quickly bowed. âMy apologies, sir. You do not have to tell me the purpose of your visit. Shall I let the lord know that youâve come here to visit?â
âNo, I will only stay here for a few days,â said the man. He was fluent in the common language of demons, and his accent was both refined and elegant. The gatekeeper was finally convinced that the man couldnât possibly be a lowly demon from the outskirts.
He had to be at least a High demon working in the capital.
âI knew it! Perhaps heâs a Noble hiding his strength.â
The gatekeeper recalled the rumors about how High and Noble demons would often hide their strength and horns for fun while traveling around the Underworld.
The gatekeeper let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that he hadnât made things difficult for the man in front of him.
âP-please go on in,â he stammered.
The man nodded once and walked into the city. His eyes scanned the streets.
â...â
âI thought things would be a lot different here since this is a city of demons, but itâs not too different compared to the cities of humans.â
The man could feel the demonsâ piercing gazes.
Perhaps it was all because he was an outsider.
âI need more information,â thought the manâSeo Jun-Hoâas he casually walked down the streets. Seo Jun-Ho didnât have that much information about the Underworld.
The reason he was fluent in the common language of demons, as well as how he discovered Verman, was all thanks to Mellis, the High demon he had encountered at the Arcade Center.
âHis memories arenât good enough. I need more information, and it has to be the latest ones.â Seo Jun-Ho had chosen Verman to get more information, as it was the easiest city to extract information. âWas it that way?â
Seo Jun-Ho walked down the streets according to Mellisâ memory and headed for the largest and highest building in the city.
âStop right there.â
The gatekeeper stopped Seo Jun-Ho.
He looked much stricter than the gatekeeper of the city gates.
He scanned Seo Jun-Ho from head to toe and asked, âIâve never seen you around here before. Are you a Noble from another city?â
âNo.â
âHmm. So youâre just an ordinary visitor. Whatâs the purpose of your visit?â
âIâve come to see the lord.â
â...â The gatekeeper went silent.
He hesitated because Seo Jun-Ho was strangely confident.
âAre you an acquaintance of the lord?â
âNo, but I brought news that must be delivered to him in person,â said Seo Jun-Ho. âTell him that Iâve come bearing Mellisâ last will.â
âMr. Mellisâ last will?â
The gatekeeperâs eyes widened. Mellis was the pride of Verman. He had become a High demon in just a few years, and he had also become one of the top 3000 demons in the Underworld.
The Lord of Verman treated Mellis as if the latter were his younger brother, even though they werenât related by blood.
âThe lord was upset that Mellis had stopped communicating with him the moment the latter left for the capital. It is unusual that he left a will for the lord.â
The gatekeeper hurriedly said, âC-come inâno, please come in.â
Seo Jun-Ho was guided to the parlor, and it didnât take him that long to see a man from Mellisâ memories. The man had come with a few of his subordinates.
âOh, wow. Are you the one who came to deliver Mellisâ last will?â
âThatâs me.â
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â...Ha, haha.â
Seo Jun-Hoâs informal speech bothered the lord, but he simply laughed it off as he sat in front of Seo Jun-Ho. âItâs been a while since I heard the news of Mellisâ death, so Iâm surprised that youâve come this late to deliver his will.
âAnyway, go ahead and tell me. I am the lord of this city.â
âAll right.â
Seo Jun-Ho said the lines he had prepared in advance.
âThank you for taking good care of me when I was young.â
âHaha, that guy. I didnât really do much for himâŠâ
âYou truly are a humble man, my lord. It is no wonder Mr. Mellis left you a last will.â
âItâs such a great honor to serve you, my lord.â
âOh, stop it. You are making me blush in front of a guest.â
The lord shook his hand to the subordinatesâ flattery and looked at Seo Jun-Ho.
âAnd? And what else did he say?â
Seo Jun-Ho saw greed in the lordâs eyes. Perhaps because he was the lord of such a remote city, but he seemed to have high expectations for what Mellis had left for him. It wasnât really strange; Mellis was a High demon, after all.
However, Seo Jun-Ho simply shrugged. âThatâs all.â
â...What?â
âThat was all. He said thank you for taking good care of me when I was young. Stay healthy. Thatâs it.â
â...â The lordâs smile abruptly vanished. His subordinates saw the displeasure on their lordâs face, and they promptly mustered their demonic energy.
âSigh.â
The lord leaned against his chair and glared at Seo Jun-Ho.
âDid you waste my precious time to speak bullshit to me?â
âYou didnât seem that busy. You came here running in less than a minute.â
âTsk!â The lordâs face turned ugly. He stood up and ordered his subordinates.
âCut off his tongue, beat him to your heartâs content, and kick him out. What a fucking lunatic.â
âMellis will be sad.â
â...What?â asked the lord, seemingly baffled.
Seo Jun-Ho took a sip of the unknown bitter tea and murmured. âHe told you to stay healthy, but youâre trying to get yourself killed."
âYou crazy bastard! Your horns are still growing; how dare you speak to me like that!â screamed the lord.
The lordâs subordinates rushed at Seo Jun-Ho with fierce looks as Seo Jun-Ho slowly took off the ring on his middle finger.
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