RKP 701-710

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Part 2, Episode 117

Ding.

A dwarf's message echoed in my head.

'How did you get this body?'

Ding.

A tribune's message echoed in my head.

'How did you earn this name?'

An ominous message, as if something was wrong, resounded ceaselessly.

'How did you seize this freedom?'

Crack.

I bit down on my teeth at the message that cluttered my head.

I didn't taste the bitter taste of blood.

Because it wasn't even remnants, just dregs of divine power.

'This body can't possibly collapse!!!'

It was the moment I shouted that with a voice that wouldn't come out.

Ding.

[‘Administrator of the Tower’ is wielding a newly created magic wand.]

'That wicked dwarf bastard….'

Ding.

[Unique skill ‘Pandora’s Box(???)’ has been activated.]

'What power are you trying to seal this time….'

[Unique skill ‘King’s Imprint(???)’ has been activated.]

'……?'

[All restrictions placed on ‘Isolator of the Three Thousand Worlds’ are temporarily lifted.]

'……!!'

[‘Tribune of the Tower’ scolds loudly.]

[‘Administrator of the Tower’ is running away.]

'Dwarf!!'

[‘Administrator of the Tower’ emphasizes that there is not much time left for ‘New Brother’!]

The dwarf's desperate message was the last.

Time, which had seemed to have stopped, began to move as before.

The five senses return.

I can know.

What I can do.

The power that I could use with just a flick of my finger if I were in the mental world.

The identity of the 'Youma' and the source of the 'Predator's' power.

Ding.

[Unique skill ‘Predation(???)’ has been activated.]

While appreciating the satisfying message I heard in my ear.

[Searching for target.]

'Tear them all apart and eat them.'

[Target has been specified.]

Crunch.

With the sound of something being bitten off.

Whoosh.

My vision recovered.

Gilfer, facing death, was before my eyes.

[Amazing.]

She murmured quietly.

A murmur directed at no one in particular.

[I don't feel any divine power. How did you get out?]

The voice was filled with complex emotions.

“…….”

I used all the powers of all the demon races in the Demon World.

And thus, I pierced the magic stone directly.

“It’s regenerating.”

Taehyun opened his mouth as he checked his fully recovered body.

As if such a thing had never existed in the first place.

Kiiii- Kiiiiii- Kaaaaaa-.

The magic stones inside the body rotate heatedly.

Taehyun raised his head.

A single horn.

Crude wings and tail.

It only has the appearance of a low-level demon, and no subtle magic power is felt.

"Pathetic."

[It’s hard to deny.]

Gilfer smiled brightly.

"You're smiling?"

Taehyun asked with a displeased face.

Barely a day since I got a body.

I had rolled to the bottom several times before even starting the Tower.

If it were the old days, I would have ripped off her head and made her pay the price.

[The original Devil did everything he could.]

She poured divine power into the thorns and destroyed all the magic stones.

She used Rosaria and Elven's magic power to enter Taehyun's mental world.

That's because she thought her brother would be sealed somewhere there.

That was not it.

She exhausted all her remaining life force to search for her brother's energy.

[No trace of brother was found.]

She looked around.

Red sky. Land like a desert.

Nowhere could she find any trace of Kim Taehyun and his Doppelganger.

As if no one else had ever existed in the mental world from the beginning.

[The original Devil understands that brother and you are as good as one.]

If one disappears, the other will suffer permanent damage.

If the Doppelganger is occupying the body, then Kim Taehyun should be in the mental world.

[But why isn't brother's existence being detected?]

At the end of the battle, she asked a natural question.

"Tch."

Taehyun clicked his tongue and calmed his emotions.

This is the original's mental world.

The space where he once resided and an absolute domain where countless enemies were slaughtered.

He thought he wouldn't need to enter again after getting a body.

Not only did she find it, but she even dragged in an uninvited guest.

"I'll kill you."

He can do it whenever he wants if he sets his mind to it.

He has recovered all his power, while the demon in front of him has lost all his power and is facing death.

“But that would be an easy death.”

It was unpleasant.

That a mere insect had driven him into a corner.

That she would disappear without knowing how useless her actions were.

Without even knowing that she was interfering with the original Devil’s plan.

That she had done her best but failed.

He didn’t like how she seemed to be trying to leave with a light heart.

That must have been why.

Why he materialized the throne instead of an agari.

Thud.

“Yes, this is the view.”

A red sky as if stained with blood.

A vast desert with no moisture to be found.

Satisfaction bloomed on Taehyun's face at the comfort of being back home.

[…….]

He belatedly recognized Gilfer, who was staring blankly at him.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat and waved his hand.

Swish.

A crude chair was created behind her.

“It suits your level. Sit down.”

[Why?]

“Because I’m going to tell you how useless what you did was.”

[…….]

Gilfer obediently sat down.

She had expected him to tear her apart and kill her right away.

She had plenty of reason to get along with him just by doing what he was doing now.

"If I use mind control, I can easily manipulate you, but… tsk tsk."

Taehyun scanned the body of the fallen Demon King, clicked his tongue, and shook his head.

“I can no longer handle the power of this body.”

Even if I control the amount of magic power, she will disappear the moment I touch her.

A ghost that should have disappeared a long time ago if this were not the mental world.

The body outside the mental world no longer exists.

[You should get your words straight. Mind control is Rosaria's power.]

“All the powers that exist in the Three Thousand Worlds belong to this body.”

[…….]

"If you don't want to die, focus on listening to what this body has to say from now on."

Taehyun twisted his lips as he confirmed her presence, which was close to 0.

"Well, even if you disappear halfway through, it's something that happened due to your lack of ability. Don't resent this body even after you die."

At the clear ridicule, a smile appeared on Gilfer's lips.

[That will never happen. I will listen to the truth you speak.]

“I’m looking forward to seeing how that upright attitude will crumble.”

Well then.

Where should I start?

Taehyun licked his lips.

Unlike Hazar, the purpose of this conversation is psychological shock.

“Okay. It would be good to start with Kim Taehyun’s second regression.”

A not-so-short story began.

Compressing it, about 1 hour.

That's how long it took to inform Kim Taehyun about his second regression and the reason why he had to go outside.

[I see.]

Surprisingly, there was no big change in Gilfer's expression.

“Now do you understand? That your disappearance is a dog's death."

[…….]

Kilkilkikil.

Taehyun laughed at her, who couldn't make any excuses.

"If you knew how to use the remnants of divine power, you should have told this body the truth."

He mocked that if she had, he would have considered the Tower.

"I wonder what kind of face the Predator will make if he knows this fact."

[Predator… Are you completely considering yourself Kim Taehyun?]

"Of course. That guy passed his name and duty onto me."

Even if you only achieve the rank of mid-level constellation at the end of the Tower, ownership of the body will be completely reversed.

"I'm telling you because he's about to disappear, but this body didn't take on the burden to stop at a mere mid-level constellation."

[……?]

“I will seize all the possibilities designed by the Tower and become a high-level constellation.”

He declared that he would go outside to eat the 'Youma' and 'Predator', and finally eat the 'Dragon' and reign as the only constellation in the Three Thousand Worlds.

"It wouldn't be bad to become the owner of the Fusion Universe."

Perhaps he could aim for the rank of Great Constellation using the Fusion Universe as a background.

The more he thought about it, the better the future felt.

Taehyun wore a twisted smile.

"But you won't be able to watch."

[…….]

"Idiot."

Taehyun waved his hand at her, who still had no reaction.

"Now disappear. It seems like you're at your limit of enduring."

Gilfer still didn't move.

"Or do you want this body to finish it off?"

Crack.

An agari opened beneath Taehyun's feet.

The opened agari expanded its range to Gilfer's feet.

[Devouring.]

An agari that she had watched countless times and had faced as an enemy.

She opened her mouth as she watched its power.

[The original Devil wants to live.]

"Now you're showing your true colors."

Gilfer shook her head.

[The original Devil gave up his power long ago to escape oblivion.]

She abandoned her innate 'desire' as an ancient great demon and was called 'undesirous'.

[Contractor. I was able to meet my brother and become a complete Demon King.]

I suppressed those who were fighting for the position of Demon King and obtained the power of 'evolution'.

[At the end of the territory war and the race war, I even became the next Lower World King.]

Taehyun picked his ears and gestured with his chin as if to tell her to speak.

[Even so, in the end. I can't go outside.]

"Ah, yeah. You're going to disappear here, so."

Demon King Gilfer.

"You will not be remembered by anyone."

[The original Devil wants to climb the Tower and see the end of the Three Thousand Worlds.]

"That's a difficult request. I said you're going to disappear here, right?"

[Take the original Devil into your mental world.]

"What?"

[Just like you did to brother. The original Devil will protect your mental world.]

Two souls in one body.

When you think about it, it's not impossible.

It was Youma who planted the power of predation into Kim Taehyun, and the power he now has surpassed that of Youma at that time.

But.

"Why should I do that?"

A former Demon King who is dying. A guy who can't even become a low-level demon anymore.

"Why should this body take you in?"

It would be more beneficial to subdue Elven or Rosaria and imprison them in the mental world.

Elven can draw magic power and divine power at any time through the Divine Tree in the Three Thousand Worlds, and Rosaria has a card called Dream Eating that can replace Predation.

"You have no use for that."

Even if she stays here and keeps herself alive, that's all she can do.

She was too broken to regain her previous power.

[The original Devil was an existence that accepted divine power.]

"……?"

[It will be difficult to avoid the intervention of constellations in your Tower later.]

"……."

[The original Devil will accept all that divine power. Perhaps the day will come when you will use the divine power of 'Youma' or 'Predator'.]

The boast of someone who has used the Avatar state.

It was quite plausible.

"You can't even handle magic power in your broken state, right? How can you handle divine power?"

[That's a method….]

Crack.

The moment Gilfer opened her mouth, her mouth split.

Crackcrack.

The cracks she was barely holding back spread like a spider web.

[Igeu….]

She was saying something, but her mouth, which was supposed to be making sounds, was already completely broken.

One red eye looking at Taehyun shattered.

Another red eye, cracked as if telling him to choose, stared intently.

"You're annoying to the end."

I thought I was getting emotional because I got a body.

Now that I see it, I realized that Kim Taehyun was surrounded by eccentric people.

I feel a sense of déjà vu.

A sense of déjà vu that someone intended the current situation.

A sense of déjà vu that the choice he had to make in the current situation was already determined.

"Dwarf."

Taehyun recalled Tolkien's message that he had heard before entering the mental world.

"If this body made the wrong choice."

I'll find you first and kill you later.

Ding.

[Unique skill ‘King’s Imprint(???)’ has been activated.]

[Searching for target.]

Looking at her collapsing.

Taehyun moved his lips.

"Serve your new master."

[The target of the unique skill has been specified as ‘Low-level Demon Gilfer’.]

Subordination beyond contracts and covenants.

It was the moment when a new possibility was realized in the Three Thousand Worlds.

Part 2, Episode 118

Taehyun opened his eyes.

His Personal Space was deactivated.

'So, I'm out in the Fairy Forest. As always, divine power makes predictions useless.'

He had Gilfer trapped in his mental world.

That guy's body had been destroyed as the price for using divine power.

Right now, he can only exist in the mental world, but in the future, it might be possible to use Taehyun's body.

'Well, that's not going to happen.'

Kim Taehyun.

Unlike the original, he doesn't need to borrow anyone else's power.

Either way, he'll revisit the mental world after he's finished cleaning up outside.

'First, to deal with Elven and Rozaria…'

Just then.

Crunch.

"……!!"

A branch of the Divine Tree wrapped around his body.

In the distance, Elven, synchronized with the Divine Tree and releasing colorless mana, was visible.

Next to her, Rozaria was also receiving infinite magical power, her tentacles writhing.

"You bastards. A third round, is it?"

Taehyun's lips twisted.

He knew he wasn't normal, even though he seemed to have fully regenerated.

Since things had already gone wrong, he intended to clearly establish his dominance and make them submit today.

"This much…"

Taehyun muttered, pulling up his magical power.

Synchronization with the Divine Tree wasn't something only they could do.

"You've forgotten that this body can also use your powers… um…?"

Taehyun was taken aback when his magical power wouldn't activate.

Ding.

[Unique Skill 'Pandora's Box (???)' has been activated.]

[Magical power cannot be used temporarily.]

'What the hell is this supposed to mean…'

Taehyun was beyond bewildered and felt anger when.

The Divine Tree branches constricting his body grew stronger.

Elven, armed with the Divine Artifact 'El' and armor no less impressive, approached.

Next to her, space rippled.

Rozaria had surrounded her with a space-altering barrier, just in case.

They hadn't been able to fully use the Divine Tree synchronization ability in his Personal Space, but now they were obviously going all out.

[I didn't want anyone to sacrifice themselves in this life.]

"Hey…"

[Gilfer was a demon, but… he was a good colleague.]

Rozaria chimed in.

"You guys are misunderstanding something…"

[××. Your tongue's long, so your condition isn't normal either.]

[Not finishing this in the Personal Space was your downfall.]

Elven and Rozaria glared with venomous eyes.

"Listen to what I have to say…"

[×!!]

[Shut up.]

Colorless and purple mana surged.

Taehyun's face contorted.

The original who left him with his mission.

Gilfer, who gambled his life and settled in the mental world.

They were the ones who acted.

He didn't like how he seemed to be making excuses.

"Fine… if you want to finish this, I'll play along."

He glared at the two Archdukes approaching him, murderous intent in his voice.

'×, this is bad.'

He had blurted it out, ruled by emotion, but he couldn't feel any magical power in his body.

It seemed the problem was contact with divine power and using the 'King's Seal' skill in the mental world.

The 'King's Seal', like 'Pandora's Box', felt like a foreign energy from a different world.

'Not being able to use magical power won't be permanent. I need to get away from these crazy bitches.'

The Archdukes who had sworn fealty to him.

Typhon, Lucifer, Hazard.

If he could summon even one of them, it would be worth fighting the two abnormal Archdukes.

Just as he thought that.

Thud.

A huge pressure bore down on the area.

"Heh heh heh… impeccable timing."

Taehyun chuckled at the increasing power of the presence.

He turned his head and looked behind him.

The Dragon Lord.

A descendant of the constellation 'The Dragon with Five Hearts'.

A woman with black hair fluttering in the wind was walking towards him, smiling.

"Hazard."

Taehyun opened his mouth, looking at the woman standing next to him.

She was emitting such a huge presence that even Elven and Rozaria's movements were restrained.

If Taehyun hadn't been her contractor, his current fragile body wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

[You've deteriorated a lot in a short time.]

Hazard's red eyes curved as she checked Taehyun's condition.

She seemed to be enjoying the situation.

"Instead of just smiling, why don't you help me?"

[Help… you've changed again since meeting this dragon. It's like watching a child learn through experience.]

"You're acting like you're involved with the middle realm… are you comparing this body to some kid?"

[Heh heh heh.]

Hazard laughed at Taehyun's displeased reaction.

[Hazard!!]

Then Elven shouted, scattering her presence.

Hazard also seemed to have no intention of continuing the attack and began to withdraw her presence.

The two Archdukes stopped about twenty paces away.

[What is the meaning of this? You seem to know who that person is.]

[Of course. This dragon knows that this person is called the Doppelganger of the previous contractor.]

[Previous contractor…?]

Rozaria's red eyes twitched.

Hazard continued nonchalantly.

[This dragon had a contract with 'Kim Taehyun', who was called the Devourer of the Three Thousand Worlds, and swore fealty to his Doppelganger, 'The New Kim Taehyun'.]

Elven spat out curses at her casual remark.

[That person is not Kim Taehyun.]

Rozaria corrected, looking at Taehyun, who was still bound by the Divine Tree's branches.

[He is merely a fake who temporarily stole the contractor's body. Why do you follow him? Perhaps a forced oath….]

[You're mistaken, Rozaria.]

Hazard interrupted her and shook her head.

[This dragon has never forced anyone into a new contract.]

Rather, they had shared deep conversations over tea.

[All of this was decided by this dragon.]

[…….]

[…….]

The two Archdukes were silent at her calm words.

'Things are getting interesting.'

Taehyun's lips twitched at the atmosphere flowing between the three women.

Rozaria broke the silence.

[Disappointment… no, I feel a sense of loathing that is almost unbearable.]

Her voice was colder than ever, far from kind.

Her sunken red eyes turned to Hazard.

[You have regained your previous memories.]

[Yes. I was able to revive the memories of the time when we fought together in the past with your power.]

[You must know what situation the contractor is in. Are you still going to betray the contractor and help the fake?]

[×… I agree. Why are you suddenly acting like this? I would understand if you were trying to accept divine power like Igmun….]

[You are misunderstanding something.]

Grinning.

Hazard smiled and spread out her hand.

Black magic power bloomed on her hand.

And.

Creak-.

Taehyun's magic stone reacted to Hazard's actions.

'Magic power is returning.'

Although it wasn't as free as usual, one of the magic stones containing Hazard's power was quickly filling with magic power.

It was as if his depleted stamina was being restored just by that.

[Stop.]

[This dragon has no reason to be ordered by you.]

Hazard answered Rozaria's cold voice dryly.

[×××… do you know that this guy annihilated Gilfer and still do this?]

Elven raised her voice, glaring at Taehyun.

[…….]

For a moment, she looked at Taehyun.

Taehyun shrugged at the red eyes asking if it was true.

No, he tried to, but the branches binding him made it seem like he was silently agreeing.

[The law of the jungle. It was the law of the lower world we knew.]

[Hazard!! Are you in your right mind!]

[You have become corrupted….]

Elven and Rozaria revealed their hostility.

[It's not corruption, but adaptation to change. You are too dependent on the contractor Kim Taehyun.]

She didn't back down, retorting with every word.

"Heh heh…"

Taehyun, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but laugh.

It was only now that he understood the situation.

The actions that he had never done to Typhon and Lucifer, had no desire to do to Rozaria and Elven, and felt no need to do to Orgal and Jörmungandr.

Why he only volunteered to do it for Hazard.

"The difference between those who are ready to give up everything to move forward and those who aren't."

The place where Kim Taehyun fought these people in the past and where they stand now are completely different timelines.

The fact that Elven, Gilfer, and Lucifer have memories is only the result of their status and the trickery of a bug called Igmun.

"The reason why all the other Archdukes were able to receive memories was because this body was here."

Taehyun looked at Elven, who was about to spew out curses, and Rozaria, who was glaring at him.

"You fools. This is a timeline where all the possibilities of the Three Thousand Worlds are concentrated."

It was something he would never have allowed himself to say before.

"If this body devoured Kim Taehyun, then that is also part of the possibilities of this timeline."

Rozaria's magic power, which had been holding back, began to surge.

The surrounding space rippled.

[If you want a battle instead of a conversation, this dragon has no choice but to do her best.]

[Rozaria.]

Elven put her hand on the Succubus Queen's shoulder at Hazard's warning.

[Let's listen to what she has to say a little more.]

[…….]

Rozaria calmed her surging magic power.

She knew that turning Hazard into an enemy now would complicate matters.

They hadn't been able to deal with Igmun and Asmodeus, who had obtained the power of the constellations.

With Gilfer, who was already the strongest Demon King, having been annihilated, there was no benefit to reducing the power of the Archdukes.

"The fairy has a better head on her shoulders than the succubus."

[×××. You ××× bastard.]

"It can't be helped that you're foul-mouthed… untie this."

[××. You ×× can untie it yourself. And Hazard.]

[Speak.]

[You know that we will not give up on the contractor, right?]

[Indeed.]

[Even so, you're acting like this, which means we're missing something. Am I wrong?]

At the question, Hazard turned her gaze to Taehyun.

[It seems like it's time to tell the truth.]

"Tsk."

Taehyun turned his head as if he didn't like it.

[Who was it that told me not to treat you like a child a little while ago?]

"Tsk. Tsk tsk."

Taehyun continued to click his tongue.

He was also avoiding her gaze.

[Born with great power, but you existed only as a thought for a long time.]

"Hey, Hazard. You don't have to say that much…."

[That's why you act like a child like this. I will understand this time.]

"This body in that way…."

[Kim Taehyun, who was this dragon's contractor. And the New Kim Taehyun, who became the sworn ally.]

"Hey."

[I will tell you what happened between them.]

Hazard continued to speak as if Taehyun wasn't even there.

[Before that, I think we need to deceive the eyes that are watching. Rozaria, would you create a Personal Space?]

[…….]

Rozaria quietly waved her hand.

Whirr.

A ripple ran through the space for a moment.

On the surface, it looked no different from the Fairy Forest a while ago, but no one failed to notice that they had entered a new space.

[A space condensed ten times over?]

Hazard was slightly impressed as she assessed the durability of the space.

[You're considering a battle too?]

Heh.

She raised the corners of her mouth, detecting the gates in various parts of the space.

[Do not test my patience.]

Rozaria drew a cold line.

[××… don't test my temper either. This is my home.]

Elven agreed.

[We must show a corresponding attitude to your consideration.]

"Hey, Hazard. Untie this first…."

Taehyun, who was still tied to the Divine Tree's branches, made a sound, but.

[The contractor Kim Taehyun is outside.]

Hazard continued the explanation as if she didn't hear him.

Part 2, Episode 119

[…….]

Rosaria was silent.

[××… ×××….]

Elven muttered curses in the elven language.

"You fools."

Taehyun mocked the two Archdukes.

[Stop with the pointless provocations. Rosaria and Elven were simply being faithful to their duties as contractors.]

"Those guys are wrong. Denying that I'm Kim Taehyun is wrong from the start."

[Was Gilfer really annihilated?]

At Hazard's question, Taehyun gestured with the branch of the sacred tree wrapped around his body.

It was a sign to undo that first.

[Being thick-skinned is something you have in common, I suppose.]

Hazard looked at Elven.

[The contractor Kim Taehyun willingly went outside.]

[Shit….]

[And this man inherited the possibilities he was supposed to achieve. Isn't that reason enough to withdraw your hostility?]

[Do the other Archdukes know?]

Hazard shook his head at Elven's question.

[They probably don't know that the contractor went outside. Well, judging by the way the contract was replaced with an oath, it doesn't seem to matter anyway.]

[Rosaria.]

Elven looked at the succubus queen, who was lost in thought.

The Dragon Lord had spoken those words with his status on the line.

They knew better than anyone that it wasn't a lie.

But if that were the case, then the battle they had waged would also become meaningless.

[Was Gilfer the only one who died in vain?]

[Gilfer wasn't annihilated.]

Hazard corrected the self-deprecating mutter.

[I confirmed it a little while ago while filling the magic stone with magic power. Isn't that right?]

Hazard asked, looking at Taehyun once more.

"Yeah. Right before he was about to be annihilated, I made an oath with that damned thing."

[……!!]

[With Gilfer…?]

Elven and Rosaria reacted with noticeable surprise.

"First, undo this… Tch. What now."

Taehyun frowned at Hazard's gaze, who was calmly shaking her head.

[There is an order to things. If you need the Archdukes in the Tower, then telling them the truth first is important. Just like you did with the main dragon.]

"Haa…."

Taehyun sighed.

Typhon, Lucifer, Orgal, Jormungandr.

Unlike them, whose interests aligned with just a few words.

Hazard, Gilfer, Elven, Rosaria.

Dealing with them was incredibly tiresome.

"So you're calling yourself feminine, huh?"

[Bastard. Shut your trap.]

Still a rough tone.

But the mere fact that her characteristic cursing had decreased showed that there was a change of heart.

Click.

When she snapped her fingers, the branches of the sacred tree loosened.

Swish.

The branches of the sacred tree were withdrawn somewhere into the main body.

Taehyun turned his hands this way and that, checking their condition.

'There's nothing wrong with my body.'

With the exception of the magic stones that Hazard had filled, magic power was not returning.

'If the Archdukes who made contracts react, I can restore my magic power in the short term.'

He looked at Elven, who was glaring at him, and Rosaria, who had an unreadable look in her eyes.

Unlike their expressions, he couldn't feel the killing intent they were exuding until just now.

'An Archduke is an Archduke.'

The strongest force in the Lower World.

Helpers who helped Kim Taehyun become the Unified King of the Three Thousand Worlds.

And now, beings he had to utilize in his Tower.

"Gilfer wasn't annihilated. He's prolonging his life in my mental world."

He announced that although his body had collapsed as a price for using power beyond his station, he had managed to survive by making an oath with him.

[××.]

[A fortunate accident.]

Elven and Rosaria were relieved.

[I need to see it with my own eyes. Let me enter your mental world.]

Taehyun shook his head at Rosaria's words.

"Why would I trust a woman like you now?"

[…….]

"I'm not soft enough to let just anyone into my mental world."

[Just anyone….]

Rosaria's eyes narrowed as she muttered.

[Didn't you say it yourself? That you can't acknowledge me as Kim Taehyun.]

Taehyun didn't hide his scorn as he stirred.

[How did such a frivolous guy end up taking over the contractor's body… the Three Thousand Worlds are doomed.]

"Elf. If you want to play at being a pathetic gardener, obey me."

[××. Want to try that again?]

"Still haven't figured out your place, have you?"

Taehyun and Elven growled at each other, raising black and achromatic magic power.

[Both of you, stop it.]

Kugugung.

Hazard's force was released once again.

At the same time.

Kiiii-

The magic stones emitting magic power within Taehyun's body stopped rotating.

'What is this….'

[…….]

Hazard also sensed something was wrong.

She released magic power several times, checking Taehyun's condition.

[It seems that the magic power your body was generating on its own has run out.]

"What…?"

Taehyun asked back with an absurd expression.

A Lower World King with a higher status than the Archdukes.

And an existence with a higher status than that Lower World King is the Unified King.

Even though this place was still located in the Lower World, even though he couldn't use his unique Authority, Predation.

Taehyun had already recovered all of the Unified King's level of dignity from the previous battle.

But he can't generate magic power on his own?

Suddenly, the message from the dwarf telling him not to resent him came to mind.

'That bastard, could it be….'

His body trembled with rising anger.

He couldn't even hear the dwarf's message that he would usually hear by now.

Elven, who belatedly grasped the situation, sneered.

[You're no different from the contractor, with all sorts of restrictions on you. You're a fake.]

"You wretched thing. I told you to shut up."

Taehyun was still bickering with Elven.

[Doppelganger.]

"I am Kim Taehyun."

[To me, Kim Taehyun is only one contractor.]

"You said you were benevolent, but this is madness."

She didn't care even when mocked.

[When you complete the Tower, when you take all the possibilities of all the timelines that exist in the Three Thousand Worlds in the process.]

She paused for a moment before opening her mouth.

[What happens to the contractor outside?]

"You're asking something obvious."

The corners of Taehyun's lips twisted.

"I'll become the real one."

[…….]

[…….]

Elven and Rosaria were silent.

Hazard touched her forehead with her hand.

[Oath-taker….]

"I'm different from the original. I enjoy proving things with power rather than sweet-talking."

[First of all, you should learn how to speak first.]

"If it's necessary for the Tower, there's nothing I can't learn."

It was Rosaria who reacted to the mocking, scornful, and almost sarcastic answer.

[You're underestimating the contractor.]

"……."

[I can say with certainty. The contractor would have predicted that you would act like this in advance.]

The succubus with sunken eyes let out a laugh.

[Doppelganger. Make a contract with me too.]

"Ha."

[I'll help you with your Tower.]

[××. I have no choice. I have to join in, don't I?]

Foolish contractor.

Vermin-like fake.

Taehyun let out a hollow laugh at the added words.

"You're playing with me."

Unlike his words, a pleased smile was drawn.

The Elf King and the Succubus Queen.

They turned around and finally made them cooperate.

For a while, the process of overlaying a new oath on top of the contract continued.

Kiiii- Kiiiiii-

In addition to Hazard's, three magic stones rotated vigorously.

It was clear that the connection was stronger than what he had used in the personal space just a moment ago.

The achromatic and purple magic power that had been depleted was overflowing.

[Now we're all oath-takers.]

[I never thought I would reset my relationship with the contractor like this.]

"Contract and Oath. You're comforting yourself with trivial wordplay."

As the two Archdukes were about to say something while looking at Taehyun, who was sneering.

[With this, I've made oaths with all three Archdukes.]

Hazard quietly changed the subject.

[I saw Typhon and Lucifer fighting on the way here.]

"I know too. I'm not so dull that I can't feel the tremors in the atmosphere."

The wave that he had felt since he came out of the personal space.

It was clear that it was a wave created by the collision of divine and demonic power.

"Are they trying to sort out the rankings?"

It's nothing surprising since it's what he was doing until a moment ago.

"Ah."

Then another ranking came to mind.

"Orgal and Jormungandr. The match must have been decided by now."

[××. What the hell have you been doing in my house?]

He had turned the elf forest into a wasteland in a short period of time.

Elven growled again.

[You're indulging in strange hobbies with the contractor's body.]

"Cut the nonsense. I'm just being faithful to the laws of the Lower World."

Hoo.

Taehyun waved his hand.

The space rippled, creating a passage leading to where Orgal and Jormungandr were.

This was also a power that he would not have been able to use without Rosaria's magic stone.

'I need to quickly check what's going on with my body.'

To do that, he needs to reconfirm the oath and fill all the magic stones with magic power first.

"Wait for me. I'll finish it up soon and come back."

[Why? Aren't we going together?]

Elven asked with an indifferent expression.

Taehyun clicked his tongue at her nonchalance.

"It's a battle that men are fighting with their lives on the line."

[…….]

"Don't even think about getting in the way. Just wait quietly for the result, elf."

[××.]

Elven raised her middle finger.

"Thanks for the send-off."

With the gazes of the Archdukes on him, Taehyun walked into the personal space.

A space created by surrounding it with several layers of personal space.

It was only a few hours ago that he had prepared the battlefield for the two Archdukes.

"A lot has happened."

He brought Gilfer into his mental world and made new contracts with Elven and Rosaria.

Strengthening existing contracts to form a new relationship.

Oath (盟約).

Now, if he strengthens the contracts with Orgal and Jormungandr, the basic preparations for his Tower will be complete.

Splash.

Red-tinged waves hit his ankles.

"You won in the end."

Taehyun muttered as he looked at the scene before him.

The Sea of Demons (魔海).

In the middle of the Sea of Demons, stained with the blood of the two Archdukes.

One man stood.

Because ultra-fast regeneration had not manifested, the wound was not regenerating, and he did not have the energy to maintain his true form, so he had polymorphed into a human form.

Blood was flowing from the symbolic heterochromatic eyes.

Jormungandr looked at Taehyun with bloodshot eyes.

[I… am the strongest….]

"Yeah. You've been through a lot."

Taehyun replied roughly and looked for Orgal.

He told them to kill each other, but.

'In this guy's condition, he wouldn't have been able to completely annihilate Orgal.'

As expected.

Splaaaash.

When the sea of demons stained with blood surged, a demon beast lying overturned was revealed.

"This is more like a corpse."

The arms he was so proud of were twisted at bizarre angles, as if they were broken, and his waist was half torn off, barely connected to his lower body.

"It's going to be difficult to proceed with the contract right away in this state."

Taehyun picked up the battered Orgal on his shoulder.

[Kim Taehyun….]

"Why?"

[My… ranking is….]

Jormungandr's heterochromatic eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake, and he moved his lips in an uncharacteristic way.

"Ah, that."

Taehyun smiled at him.

"Congratulations on escaping from being the maknae."

[……!!]

Jormungandr's heterochromatic eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake.

"Since you defeated Orgal, I will allow you to call me Hyung from now on."

[Hyung…nim…?]

It was an inappropriate name for someone who had lived as an Archduke for a long time.

It was a somewhat awkward title for someone who called himself This One.

"Why. Don't you like my shadow?"

Kwaaaaaaa.

Three magic stones rotated in Taehyun's body.

Rosaria, Elven, Hazard.

Enough power to put pressure on a dying Archduke.

Jormungandr bowed his head under the crushing pressure.

[I, I underst…and….]

"Follow me. I'll heal you."

[Hyung…nim….]

He tried to mutter courageously, but.

Taehyun had already left the personal space.

[X발.] (Fuck)

Jormungandr followed, distorting his face.

Part 2, Episode 120

The archdukes gathered in the fairy forest.

Every one of them was a mess.

[Heh heh heh. The Lower Realm is just the Lower Realm.]

Typhon burst into laughter.

[Before even setting foot in the Upper Realm, the Lower Realm's forces were almost cut in half.]

Lucifer added.

He looked normal on the surface, but his very existence was greatly weakened.

It was because he had consumed a significant amount of magic and divine power in the fight with Typhon.

"So, who won?"

Taehyun asked, chuckling.

It was impossible to know how their fight had ended.

When he had brought Orgal out and found the archdukes at the scene,

they had already stopped fighting.

He could only vaguely assume that it was a draw.

[Think whatever you want.]

[Heh heh heh heh.]

"How boring."

Taehyun clicked his tongue and looked over the archdukes.

Succubus Queen.

Fairy King.

Sea Demon King.

Beast King.

Giant King.

Fallen Angel.

And Dragon Lord.

Their appearances had all recovered with super-fast regeneration, but except for Hazard, their essence was incomparably weaker than before.

Taehyun stood among them.

"Things have gone awry from my plan."

He originally had no intention of revealing his identity, he added briefly.

He simply explained about himself.

As expected, Typhon and Lucifer didn't care much.

Orgal had lost the youngest ranking battle and had no right to speak.

Even after regenerating his body damaged by Lucifer's power and filling his insufficient magic with Elven's power, he still looked haggard.

'He's fallen into Simma.'

It seemed he had fallen into a swamp of distrust after losing the battle with Jormungandr.

Awakening and Simma were only a paper-thin difference.

Orgal in the current timeline had not been able to maintain his previous lofty status due to repeated defeats.

'To think a mere monster who rose to the title of king is so pathetic.'

If he had defeated Jormungandr, he would have grown to an extent incomparable to now, but he was once again in a dangerous state.

Conversely, Jormungandr had regained his previous status.

He even exuded a somehow ominous aura.

'I need to correct this guy slowly.'

Jormungandr was originally an archduke with a snake's tongue.

He was being suppressed by force now, but who knew when he would stab you in the back.

Taehyun stepped forward.

"All the archdukes here have made new contracts with me."

The contents of the contracts were all different.

Their interests were also different.

However.

"Our goals are the same."

Climbing the Tower.

To climb the tower made up of 100 floors and take all the possibilities of the Three Thousand Worlds.

[Heh heh. If we reach the 100th floor, can we become constellations too?]

"I can't guarantee that."

[Hahaha. Isn't that too irresponsible of a statement?]

"So? Are you saying you won't climb the tower with me?"

[Of course not. This one has already promised to be with my brother.]

Typhon said as if retracing his promise.

"I promise you fun."

Taehyun nodded with a satisfied look.

Then Lucifer responded.

[This one is the same.]

"This one... your title has changed rather incongruously?"

[I have only confirmed my identity before climbing the tower.]

The strongest archangel in the First Heaven in name and reality, but who fell from grace due to the 'Dragon's' scheme.

He declared himself an archduke of the Lower Realm and expressed his intention to cooperate with Taehyun.

'He's been hanging out with Typhon and got infected or something.'

In any case, it was a satisfactory remark.

Next, he looked at Rosaria.

"Succubus."

[This one is only fulfilling the promise with the contractor.]

She said she would help with the tower, but would stand in the way if he tried to harm Taehyun at the end of it.

"Well, our covenant was made on that premise anyway."

Taehyun nodded.

"Fairy."

[×. Without this one's divine tree, there's no tower or anything.]

Originally, in the Three Thousand Worlds, it was a role connecting the Lower and Upper Realms, but in the current timeline, the divine tree was related to the tower's structure.

Elven, who could merge with the divine tree and provide infinite mana, was essential to the tower.

"Pass."

Taehyun's gaze turned to Hazard.

[This dragon will achieve the desired goal with you.]

"Couldn't be better. Jormungandr, what about you?"

[This one will dye the path you walk with the crimson sea of demons, according to the covenant.]

Jormungandr said in a sonorous voice.

"That just means you're going to expand your territory."

[......]

"Want to get hit?"

[I will quietly follow the contractor.]

"Hmm. You're short on words."

[I will quietly follow behind.]

Brother.

The corners of the archdukes' mouths twitched at the quietly added word.

[××. Snake bastards have no ××-like ×××.]

[......]

Jormungandr's face flushed at Elven's curse, but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

Taehyun finally looked at Orgal, who was standing blankly.

"Youngest."

[I will only follow the master's orders.]

Orgal bowed his head with a trembling voice.

An attitude that was unusually polite for his compressed muscles.

"Orgal."

[Speak, Master.]

"Don't you have a separate title?"

[What...]

"Even if you're the youngest, you're still an archduke."

[I, I did have a title I used to use... but I didn't use it often...]

"It's okay, just say it, you don't have to be scared."

[This one is Honzon.]

"Honzon?"

[Yes.]

"Does that mean you're the highest yourself?"

[I'm sorry.]

"No."

Taehyun stroked his chin as if he were interested.

"Not bad. It'll be fun to watch."

[Th, thank you.]

The Beast King bowed his back excessively.

Tap tap.

Taehyun, who patted him on the shoulder, once again scanned the archdukes.

"Missing the demons and vampires. And the dwarves?"

[We couldn't find any news about Tolkien.]

"There's no need to worry about that guy."

[Do you know something?]

"Yeah, I know too well, that's the problem."

[......]

Rosaria didn't ask any more questions at the look of annoyance in his response.

[What are you going to do about the demon race? Even if Gilfer is alive, he can no longer be called the Demon King.]

"You're asking the obvious. I'm going to make them all obey."

[This one asked you like a × god.]

"You're a fairy who only knows one thing and not two. Listen carefully with those long ears."

Taehyun closed his eyes for a moment.

Swish.

When he opened his eyes again.

Taehyun's very existence had fallen to an unbelievably low level.

"To think I would face you in this form."

Unlike the crooked and arrogant appearance, a calm and gentle voice.

[×. Could it be...]

[Gilfer?]

Elven and Rosaria were the first to notice the change.

"I caused you unnecessary worry."

[×... Was it okay living in that guy's mental world?]

"There's a lot I want to say... but there's not much time. As you know, the body's owner is such an eccentric guy."

Gilfer raised his index finger.

A handful of deep blue magic bloomed on his nail.

Swish.

As the nail traced through the air, magic followed.

"From now on, I'll tell you where Igmun is. It seems I can only explain it once with this one's current existence."

He said that the exalted body's owner would not maintain the current state for long.

The archdukes listened to Gilfer's words.

"Vampire. That guy..."

Taehyun, who crossed the gate, stepped into the Demon Realm.

"Space Leap. It's a useful power after all."

He instantly moved from the fairy forest to the Demon Realm.

He could have used it himself, but his magic was still not recovering on its own.

He had not yet figured out whether the reason was Gilfer, who was in his mental world, or the side effects of contact with divine power.

Elven was doing this and that experiment to find the reason, but for some reason, he felt that it would not be resolved until he went to the next floor.

"I need to save as much magic as possible."

Taehyun muttered as he checked the aircraft flying from afar.

"The coordinates are right."

A demon.

And not just a normal demon, but one with a Demon King-level existence.

Kooong.

The demon, who landed roughly, knelt on one knee.

[My lord.]

"Asura."

Taehyun smiled as he looked at the Demon King bowing his head.

"It seems your body has fully recovered."

Once, Taehyun and the archdukes had visited the Demon Realm to confirm the new Demon King.

But there was a battle with Gilfer, who had come into contact with divine power there, the original had gone outside, and after going around, he ended up visiting the Demon Realm alone like this.

"With Gilfer weakened, your brainwashing must have been lifted too."

[That is correct.]

"Has a new Demon King been decided?"

[Everyone is just watching.]

"I see."

[Do you intend to unify the Demon Realm?]

Originally, the Demon Realm, which was ruled by Beelzebub and Diablo, called the first Demon Kings, divided into two regions.

Countless demons who followed them ruled individual areas called Hell.

And now, four Demon Kings were reigning in the Demon Realm.

"With four at the top of the race... the name of King is not worth much."

Kiiii-.

The magic stone rotated and purple magic soared.

Taehyun met Asura's crimson eyes.

"Completely unify the Demon Realm by the time this one returns."

[Understood.]

The command was enough.

Hooook.

Asura, who raised his massive body, disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"Seeing that mind control works even on a Demon King-level, it seems that my status hasn't fallen."

The depleted purple magic does not recover.

"At this rate, I have no choice but to rely on the archdukes."

It was an unwelcome situation, but he couldn't just wait for it to recover forever.

"Next is Igmun."

The 6th floor of the tower.

It was time to catch the rat who had touched the divine power.

A building supported by red-painted pillars.

Made and used by the artisans of the Divine Church for hundreds of years.

The space where Hema, the leader of the Divine Church, resided, and the Hema Shrine, which had allowed only one intruder for a long time.

In that place, a man was drinking tea alone.

Hema.

He, with long red hair, quietly put down the emptied teacup.

"Did it end up like this after all."

What was contained in his voice was closer to annoyance than worry.

Hema Igeunmun, one of the 12 Great Divine Military of the Central Plains Murim and the Supreme of the Demonic Cult.

He stared at the massive altar in front of him.

"What a pity, what a pity."

He stroked the altar with his hand.

Woong. Woo woong.

The altar, reacting to his skin, spewed out blood-colored haze.

"It's been a long time since I drank the blood of the Lower Realm."

Igeunmun snapped his fingers.

Swish.

A man appeared and prostrated himself in the shrine where no one had been.

"Bring the sacrifice."

"Loyalty."

The man disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

A movement that only the highest-ranking warriors of the Divine Church could show.

Even in the Central Plains Murim, there would not be even a hundred who could move beyond that.

"Not enough."

Even though he had someone with such movement as his subordinate, Igeunmun showed an unsatisfied reaction.

His mouth twisted as he stared at the altar.

"Gilfer. Lucifer. Typhon."

A language not used anywhere in the Central Plains Murim.

The Lower Realm (下界), his place of origin.

Among them, he spoke the Lower Realm language (下界語) that only those with the status of intelligent beings could use.

"Foolish guys. If you had joined hands with me, it would not have been impossible to become the owner of the divine power."

The great cause is here.

Territory war and race war.

The Lower Realm King and the Upper Realm King are no longer justifications for the great cause.

"So, he joined hands with that guy again..."

Tsszzzzzz.

The power that bloomed from Igeunmun's body flowed into the altar.

The space around the altar swayed.

And soon.

Kwaaaaaaa.

A semi-circular gate was created.

Along with a familiar sound, a message appeared before his eyes.

Tring.

[The ruler of the Central Plains Murim, Hema Igeunmun, has opened a passage to the Three Thousand Worlds.]

[A great force is at work.]

[Resists with an inexplicable force.]

[Summons the body of Vampire Lord Igmun, Archduke of the Lower Realm.]

Tsszzzzzzzz.

For a moment, crimson magic soared from Igeunmun's body.

[Kim Taehyun.]

The red hair was dyed blonde.

He stroked his red-streaked blonde hair and wore a bitter smile.

[I still have to kill him.]

Igmun stepped into the passage that connected the Central Plains Murim and the Lower Realm.

Tring.

[Moving to the 5th floor of the tower.]

A message that he was now familiar with rang in his head.

Part 2, Episode 121

"It's time to ascend the Tower."

Taehyun spoke, looking at the Archdukes gathered before the Sacred Tree.

"You issued the orders properly, right?"

[Heh heh heh. They'll manage on their own.]

Typhon laughed, seemingly uninterested.

[You fool. We have a horizontal relationship.]

Elven grumbled, unable to hide her pride in her race.

[The warriors have Master's commands etched into their very bones.]

Orgal showed excessive loyalty.

The reactions of the other Archdukes were no different.

[There are a few in the Sky Castle who know how to use Radiance and Regeneration.]

[You have nothing to worry about.]

[The Demon Sea will not surge until Brother returns.]

Lucifer, Rozaria, and Jormungandr.

The three Archdukes also showed calm reactions.

[Dragons are naturally hot-blooded. I'm not sure if my words reached them properly.]

Hazad nonchalantly said, finishing the conversation.

"Everyone's so headstrong."

Taehyun smirked, turning back to the Sacred Tree.

The Lower World, supporting the Three Thousand Worlds, only goes up to the 5th floor.

Elven and Rozaria, who control infinite magic and space, will support their Towers here.

In effect, they cannot interfere with anything that happens in the Lower World.

Therefore, he had ordered each Archduke to task the new heads of their races with defending each area.

"While you are gone, no territory wars will break out."

"The Demon race will remain quiet until a new Demon King is born."

If the Demon race tries to start a territory war, the remaining races are designed to form an alliance to oppose them.

[Isn't that right, Jormungandr?]

Rozaria asked the Sea of Demons King, who had been holding his breath.

She controls the power-awakened 'Space Jump'.

She said that she had created a network using the gates that Jormungandr had scattered in the Lower World for reconnaissance.

[Yes. If my gates and your power combine, we can prepare for a Demon race invasion at any time.]

"Well, you don't have to worry about the Demon race. I've taken my own measures."

[Are you worried about your new partner's race?]

"Don't talk nonsense. Gilfer is not my partner, but my subordinate."

Contrary to his words, Taehyun decided to acknowledge Gilfer's potential.

Right now, he's just a low-ranking demon who barely avoided annihilation.

'If this Tower is filled with potential, there is hope.'

He used holy power once, so if he can be restored, he will be helpful on the journey ahead.

Anyway, accepting her into his mental world was also considered a part of that potential.

[You're not being honest.]

"The 6th floor is a place called Murim (Martial World)."

Taehyun changed the subject.

"It's where Igmun is hiding, and to move there, you have to open a passage using a special method."

The Archdukes already knew this.

[If the 6th floor is the Middle World, when will the Upper World appear?]

[It's only 100 floors, anyway.]

[It's said to be a timeline condensing the possibilities of the Three Thousand Worlds, so it wouldn't be strange if it appeared at any time.]

Except for Asmodeus, the existence of the Upper World has not been revealed in the Lower World.

[There's a high probability that Asmodeus is also on the 6th floor.]

[It's impossible to say for sure.]

Hazad shook his head at Lucifer's attempt to assess the possibilities.

"He won't be free from restrictions either. It'll be resolved once we conquer the 6th floor."

Taehyun looked at Elven.

"The passage is ready, right?"

[Are you just keeping your head for decoration? I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't ready.]

"How long do I have to put up with that damn personality?"

[××.]

"Just open the passage to the 6th floor."

[Here.]

Kwaaaaaa.

Colorless magic soared from Elven's body, which was in sync with the Sacred Tree.

The magic she is spreading now is also permeating the 3rd and 4th floors.

Using the races controlled by the Archdukes, all the coordinates of the Lower World were input into Elven, and it was not difficult to specify the coordinates of the space where Gilfer was contacting Igmun.

[Rozaria.]

[Yes.]

Rozaria, who inherited the Sacred Tree's magic, moved her purple magic.

Kwaaaaaaaa.

A gate formed in front of them.

Sweat beaded on Elven's forehead as she concentrated.

[×. To do this up to the 100th floor….]

It was more difficult than connecting the Upper and Lower Worlds in the past.

Elven wiped the sweat from her forehead and muttered.

After chuckling at the sight for a moment.

"Let's go."

Taehyun took the lead and crossed the gate.

[Heh heh. Such an impulsive personality.]

Just as Hazad was about to cross the gate.

[Hazad.]

[……?]

[Please take good care of that guy.]

Rozaria quietly added.

[There's no need to worry about the Oathkeeper.]

[It's not him I'm worried about.]

[…Is that so.]

Smirk.

The corners of Hazad's lips curled up.

[There's nothing to worry about either. Please take good care of the connection of the passage.]

Hooook.

Hazad disappeared into the gate, followed by the bickering Orgal and Jormungandr, and Lucifer, who folded his wings.

[Heh heh heh heh. Rozaria, it's just a shame we can't be together.]

Typhon, who reduced the size of his body, smiled and placed his hand on Rozaria's shoulder.

[What are you doing, Typhon.]

[You can turn your lost heart to me.]

[…….]

[I should prepare a space on the 6th floor for you and me to be together.]

[…….]

[Hasn't it been a long time since our meeting continued?]

[You're mistaken about something, Typhon.]

[The benevolent succubus is unusually cold today.]

Typhon uttered sweet words to himself, as if Rozaria's answer was unimportant.

[×. Don't do × in front of me.]

[Hahahaha.]

Typhon laughed loudly and crossed the gate.

Only two Archdukes remained in front of the bustling Sacred Tree.

[Now, the key is to maintain it.]

[Yes.]

Rozaria's voice was dark.

[Is it because we can't be together?]

[…….]

[That guy is no longer the contractor we knew.]

[I know.]

Contractor Kim Taehyun.

Oathkeeper Doppleganger.

In the past, Rozaria and Elven were the main figures who guided Kim Taehyun.

The combination of their abilities was good, but more than anything, they were a good match.

That's not the case now.

Gilfer settled in his mental world and became a new partner, and Hazad naturally replaced the position that Rozaria held in the past.

[They will guide him well.]

Elven calmly emphasized the changed relationship.

[I hope so too.]

Rozaria replied calmly, simply looking at the connected passage.

Tting.

[You have entered the 6th floor of the Tower.]

[A great power is at work.]

[Resists with mysterious power.]

[Unique skill 'Pandora's Box (???)' has been activated.]

[Magic can be used.]

[The use of divine power is impossible.]

[The use of unique skill 'Devour (???)' is impossible.]

"……."

Messages rang incessantly in his head.

Sounds that used to be just annoying.

Now he knows.

That all of this is the arrangement designed by No Name, who created the Three Thousand Worlds, for his creations.

In other words.

"I've come to the right place."

He opened his eyes.

What he saw in both eyes was a blue mountain.

And around him.

"There's no one."

The coordinates created by Elven and Rozaria are directed to one place.

If he's been left alone like this, it means the coordinates have been changed in the middle.

"Is it Igmun's doing? He's still struggling."

Memories with Igmun revived through the Original.

He was not lacking to be called an Archduke, but his vessel was not large.

This time, he seems to have touched a Constellation and taken measures in advance.

"Even I can't handle this power properly yet."

It was unthinkable that an Archduke would be able to handle it perfectly.

Taehyun smiled and gazed at the vegetation before him.

It was blue.

It was something that could be seen in the Fairy race's domain in the Lower World, but it was vast in a way that could not be compared to that place.

"Is the Murim all made up of this kind of terrain?"

It was an unfamiliar sight to him, who had existed for a long time in the sandy grains of the desert and under the red sky.

It wasn't just unfamiliar.

Zzzzzz.

Jjaeak. Jjaeak.

Hoo-ook. Hoo-ook.

When he expanded his senses, he could hear the sounds of creatures living in the mountains.

"Hmm."

Taehyun stroked his chin and spread out his hand.

Hwareureuk.

Dark red magic bloomed.

He checked the magic stone.

Kieeee- Kieeeee-.

The magic stones inside him, filled by the Archdukes, were wailing.

Magic can be used and divine power cannot be used.

The corners of Taehyun's lips twisted.

"This could be fun."

Devour couldn't be used even in the Lower World.

It didn't matter if it couldn't be used on the 6th floor either.

"First, should I try to find the guys who scattered?"

He didn't know how big the dimension called Murim was, but at best, it was just one of the countless intermediate dimensions.

It wouldn't be bigger than the Lower World.

And the best way to reveal his presence in a place like this is.

Kwareureureureu.

Magic spread out from Taehyun's body.

The mountain shook around the place he was standing.

Kwaddeudeudeudeu.

A landslide occurred and the terrain was overturned.

It was an act of destruction that would have made Elven, who loves the forest, utter curses.

"So the magic doesn't recover."

Taehyun was just checking the amount of magic filled in the magic stones.

Right now, it was just releasing magic without even being an attack.

The amount of magic consumed was also an extremely small amount compared to the amount filled in one magic stone.

"Not bad."

It was when he was satisfied with the clearer view.

A number of presences were detected not far away.

'Ten… twenty….'

The number quickly began to exceed thirty.

"It's been a while since I've seen guys that aren't from the Upper or Lower Worlds."

Taehyun gathered his magic and waited quietly.

Since he had already neatly cleared the surrounding scenery.

Before long, he was able to encounter a group surrounding him.

The upper and lower garments were dyed blue.

They were closer to clothing than armor.

'Human clothing designed not to hinder movement.'

Not to mention the Upper and Lower Worlds.

Clothing he had seen a few times in the intermediate world called Earth.

"Murim. I've arrived properly."

Hehe.

Taehyun smiled.

A guy who appeared to be the leader of the invaders stepped forward.

He was about thirty years old.

'I can't feel any magic.'

Nevertheless, an existence level of a higher species is detected.

"……!!"

The man shouted something.

"Huh? What?"

Taehyun tilted his head, not understanding the language.

Come to think of it, the only ones he had obtained a body and talked to were demons.

"Wiping them out wouldn't be bad, but."

These were the first humans he had encountered after reaching the 6th floor.

Extracting information was a priority.

'If I use the succubus queen's power, I can easily understand Murim's language.'

Sssssss.

Purple magic bloomed from his body.

"……!!"

The man, taking it as a sign of aggression, drew his sword.

Following him, the others also drew the swords they were carrying on their waists.

"Don't be a bother."

Click.

Taehyun snapped his fingers.

Hwaak!

The men, who had been fierce, stopped in their tracks when they touched the spreading purple magic.

Taehyun approached the man who seemed to be the representative.

He was trembling and moaning, but the hostility in his eyes was still alive.

"I've moderately controlled my power."

He was mumbling something mixed with moans.

The man's eyes continued to regain their light.

"You're doing something useless."

While watching the man's mumbling get faster and faster.

"Mortal."

Taehyun brought his face close.

"Look into my eyes."

The moment the two pairs of eyes met.

The man's voice, which had been chanting, stopped.

Part 2, Episode 122

"So you're all affiliated with the Zhuge Clan."

Taehyun spoke in the language of the Murim.

His gaze was fixed on the man leading the group.

It was Zhuge Hyunyeol, staring blankly with eyes dulled by mental domination.

"Yes..."

Zhuge Hyunyeol murmured softly.

His voice was languid, as if he were drugged.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Taehyun clicked his tongue and scanned the group.

Fifty.

A number that could be considered small or large depending on the perspective.

What was certain was that among them, the only one worth anything was Zhuge Hyunyeol, who was called a First-Rate Master.

Even that First-Rate Master was now completely under his control, manipulated like a puppet.

"For something called a Clan (勢家), you're awfully weak."

For beings like these to reside on the 6th floor, a level above the Lower Realm, and supposedly harbor opportunities for growth, was difficult for him to understand.

'And it's not even the original's home, Earth...'

It was incomprehensible to him in many ways.

'Well, it's not my concern.'

His goal was the Tower of Ascension.

No matter the order, he just needed to seize the potential on each floor.

Perhaps a way to undo the Gluttony Seal was hidden here in the Murim.

'If only the Gluttony Seal could be undone, even that growth would be possible much faster.'

Thinking that, he looked at the insignificant beings before him.

They seemed no different from insects.

'Even if it's the Middle Realm, the basic structure is still the Three Thousand Worlds. The essence of the law of the jungle doesn't change.'

The Murim was a world where the logic of power was most evident.

The task he had to do was also simple.

"Who's the strongest guy on the 6th floor?"

"......"

At the question, Zhuge Hyunyeol's lips moved.

But that was all; he couldn't bring himself to utter anyone's name.

"Who's the strongest in the Murim?"

"......"

As he asked again, Zhuge Hyunyeol's face began to distort.

Blood seeped from his twisted nose and mouth.

"This is what happens from a question this simple?"

He hadn't even asked a proper question yet. It seemed that the mental strength of a First-Rate Master wasn't enough to withstand his authority.

"If someone is better than a First-Rate Master, then they'd be an Exceptional Master."

Just by touching the purple mana and extracting bits of the Murim's language.

That alone was enough to break their mind and turn them into something between the living and the dead.

All of them were at the level of Third-Rate to Second-Rate.

The difference between them and the First-Rate Zhuge Hyunyeol was significant.

It seemed that the gap between the Murim warriors was greater than the Awakening grades given in the original's world.

"Good."

A smile spread across Taehyun's face.

"Not a bad starting point."

He had landed within the sphere of influence of a clan from the start, saving him the trouble of searching.

The clan they spoke of seemed to be equivalent to a Duke in the Lower Realm.

"The Clan Head should cough up some useful information."

Looking at Zhuge Hyunyeol, who was drenched in blood, he asked again.

"What's the name of the Zhuge Clan Head?"

"Zhuge Seon... he is called."

Unlike before, there was no resistance to answering.

'He answers willingly when it comes to family-related matters without needing to think. How lax.'

A series of questions followed.

"What's Zhuge Seon's level of cultivation?"

"Transcendent Grandmaster... he is..."

"How many Transcendent Grandmasters are there in the clan?"

"Two..."

"Interesting."

"How about in the entire Murim?"

"Keup..."

Zhuge Hyunyeol, his face contorted, began to bleed again.

Hwaaa.

Gray mana wrapped around Zhuge Hyunyeol's body.

The bloodstains disappeared from his body as he was touched by the power of regeneration.

"All authorities work, do they?"

Whether Lucifer's authority was effective, Zhuge Hyunyeol squeezed out a voice with difficulty.

"Transcendent Grandmasters... twenty people..."

"Hoo."

Taehyun's lips curled up at the higher-than-expected number.

So the Zhuge Clan held two of the twenty strongest people.

He didn't know how many other clans there were yet, but it wasn't a bad force.

He wanted to ask a few more things, but Zhuge Hyunyeol's role ended here.

Thud.

The man who had fallen and spat blood began to tremble and roll on the floor.

Rebound.

Although the physical wounds had healed, it seemed the mental breakdown had not.

"Hmm. Has the power of my authority weakened? Or are these guys too weak to even accept that much?"

Since the First-Rate Zhuge Hyunyeol was this bad, it seemed he needed to contact the Exceptional Masters quickly.

Taehyun scanned the other fallen individuals.

Even if they were lucky enough to recover, they would never be able to move as Murim warriors again.

"Getting information is going to be quite troublesome."

He left them behind and moved on.

He had already confirmed the direction of the Zhuge Clan's location.

It wasn't even 30 minutes after he had started moving.

"Who goes there!!"

Taehyun encountered another force from the Zhuge Clan.

Zhuge Clan Branch Leader's Office.

The man put down his teacup at the urgent report.

"An attack, you say?"

"That's..."

"Can't you tell me who it is clearly!"

The warrior reporting lowered his head at the reprimand.

"The affiliation has not yet been confirmed. To date, over one hundred and fifty warriors have been killed... The enemy... is believed to be one person."

"One person...?"

"I am sorry..."

"Huh."

Zhuge Hyeopjin, the Branch Leader of the Zhuge Clan, chuckled as he stroked his beard.

This was the location of the Zhuge Clan, which could be called the overlords of Hubei Province.

For someone to charge into such a place alone?

"Is he the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon or something?"

Zhuge Hyeopjin mentioned the two giants of the Demonic Cult.

"No, he isn't."

A man entered the room along with the voice.

"Head of the Guard."

Zhuge Soyong, the Head of the Guard for the Branch Leader.

Also Zhuge Hyeopjin's son, he continued the report in place of the warrior with his head lowered.

"I am returning from receiving an additional report. While he is using strange powers, he did not seem to be related to either the Heavenly Demon Cult or the Blood Demon Cult."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The aura was not that of a Murim warrior."

"Then... Are you saying he's from the Western Regions?"

"I'm not certain, but for now, we should assume so and move accordingly. Also..."

"......?"

"He overturned the entire mountain range single-handedly."

"......!!"

"Surely... You don't mean he is at the realm of Flower Blossom...?"

Zhuge Hyeopjin asked in a trembling voice.

Zhuge Soyong nodded.

"Hoo..."

The Branch Leader Zhuge Hyeopjin and the Head of the Guard of the Branch, Zhuge Soyong, were both warriors who had reached the peak of the Transcendent Grandmaster realm.

That's why they knew.

Even a Transcendent Grandmaster changing the terrain of an entire mountain range alone was another matter.

Even such Transcendent Grandmasters were only two in the Zhuge Clan, including the Clan Head.

"If the opponent is at the Flower Blossom Realm... Unless the Clan Head brings the personal guard, we cannot face him with the Branch's strength alone. Send a messenger to the Main Family."

"I have already done so."

"Well done. Where is the monster (怪人) heading?"

"North Gate."

"Immediately summon the commanding officers of the East, West, South, and North Gates to the North Gate. And have all the First-Rate Murim warriors of the Branch be dispersed and stationed throughout the city for any eventuality."

"Understood. What will you do, Father?"

"I will personally greet the attacker."

"That's dangerous!"

"If warriors below the Transcendent Grandmaster realm try to stop him, it will only increase the sacrifice."

"......"

Zhuge Hyeopjin continued with a hardened face.

"Whatever the reason, if the attacker's path is heading here, then he must be targeting the Main Family. We must delay him somehow until the Clan Head prepares and arrives."

"In that case, I will join you as well."

Zhuge Hyeopjin nodded.

The six Transcendent Grandmasters, who could be said to be the maximum power of the Branch, should be able to at least tie down the monster.

"Prepare yourselves."

"Yes."

Zhuge Soyong and the warrior quickly retreated to convey the Branch Leader's intentions.

Zhuge Hyeopjin picked up the sword hanging on the wall.

"Could he be the new head of some heterodox sect (邪魔外道)?"

He muttered, then shook his head.

The role of the Branch was merely to buy time.

"I wonder what kind of face he has."

Zhuge Hyeopjin's eyes gleamed as he prepared his armor.

"Are no more coming now?"

Taehyun muttered, checking the surroundings that had suddenly become quiet.

The number of Zhuge Clan warriors he had encountered so far exceeded one hundred.

At first, they had rushed at him as if to kill him, but later they only began to monitor him, and now even that monitoring gaze was keeping its distance.

"How boring."

Following the Zhuge Hyunyeol he first encountered, he had encountered twenty First-Rate Masters.

All of them were beings he could kill without even waving his hand.

But he didn't.

He used the authority of mental domination to turn them into wrecks and extract even more information.

Now he could speak the Murim language reasonably fluently, and he also learned that they used a power called Inner Force (內功).

He also learned that if he continued walking like this, he would encounter the Zhuge Clan's Branch.

"I've changed too. Who knew the day would come when I would enjoy such a boring game."

Before he knew it, six warriors surrounded him.

They were different from the First-Rate ones he had met so far.

Taehyun's lips twisted as he stopped walking.

"Oh. Transcendent Grandmasters."

The man facing Taehyun stepped forward.

"Who are you, strange person (奇人)?"

"Is this the Branch Leader?"

Taehyun muttered as if pleased.

There was a limit to what he could ask a First-Rate Master, so it was a bother.

The fact that they had come to him on their own was a welcome thing.

Someone who would be considered a vassal of a Duke in the Lower Realm.

Of course, there was a high possibility that their skills would fall short of that.

"Was your name Zhuge Hyeopjin, was it?"

"That's right. I'll ask again. Who are you..."

"I hope you last a long time."

"What..."

Purple mana fluttered.

Click.

Taehyun snapped his fingers.

As if struck by paralysis poison, the six warriors twitched.

"Now."

Taehyun grinned, his crimson eyes flashing.

"Who shall we start with?"

"You..."

Zhuge Soyong shouted and swung his sword.

That wasn't all.

Everyone else shook off the purple mana and stirred up sword winds.

Pfit.

A streak of sword energy narrowly grazed Taehyun's face.

"Indeed. You're incomparable to the First-Rate guys."

A satisfied smile appeared on his face at the thought that his expectations were correct.

Swish.

As gray mana bloomed, the wound on his face healed.

"What is this..."

"Sorcery...?"

If they were demons residing in the depths of the Lower Realm, regeneration would be as natural as turning their palms over.

"You don't have such abilities here?"

Taehyun took a step forward.

Realizing the difference in level, they quickly distanced themselves.

'Igeumun, that guy. How did you hide so well in a place like this?'

Why would a guy with even Holy Power in his hands stay in a place like this?

Since there were six guys in front of him who would cough up information.

"I'll find out soon enough."

"What are you talking about!"

"Reveal your affiliation!"

The voices of the Transcendent Grandmasters, drawing up their Inner Force, were filled with fighting spirit.

Attacking with their voices by imbuing Inner Force into their voices.

There was a similar power among humans on Earth and even in the Lower Realm.

"Is the Zhuge Clan a place that only talks?"

"What..."

"Prove it with your power."

Swish.

Black mana bloomed on the raised index finger.

Hazar's Authority.

The output was.

"Shall we start from 0.1%?"

Kugugugu.

A massive pressure acted on the area.

From above to below.

Taehyun's slowly drawn index finger pointed to the ground.

"Kneel."

Part 2 Chapter 123

They say the branch family of the Zhuge Clan was destroyed by a strange monster.

They say the head of the main family reorganized their forces and struck at the monster, but they too were brutally crushed.

Such rumors briefly spread throughout Hubei Province.

But as rumors often do, they lost credibility and were buried under new rumors, disappearing.

It was just another day in the Murim.

Taehyun raised his glass.

The glass contained a liquor known as Takju in the Murim.

He emptied the glass.

How many glasses had he emptied?

He could see dozens of emptied Takju bottles rolling around on the table.

"......"

For a normal person, it would be a lethal dose.

Of course, Taehyun, who aimed for the pinnacle of the Three Thousand Worlds, was far from a normal person.

But that didn't mean he wasn't drunk.

"Hmm..."

Physiological needs were one of the bothersome problems that mortals with bodies had to deal with.

It wasn't relevant to him when he was in the mental world, but now it was different.

Adequate food intake, as well as a certain amount of rest, were necessary.

The fact that it was worse than when he was in the Lower World seemed to indicate that something had changed in his body as he moved through the layers.

"I'm tired."

Taehyun muttered and activated the Mana Stone.

Kiiii-.

The Mana Stone rotated, blowing away the intoxication accumulated in his body.

However, that didn't mean that his mental fatigue was gone.

"Tsk."

Taehyun clicked his tongue and put down the glass.

He thought the only restrictions in the Murim were predation and divine power.

He was wrong.

'So, this is a dimension where the limitations of being a mortal are further highlighted.'

He realized the difference after subduing the head of the Zhuge Clan's branch family.

While using Rosaria's power on him, he realized that considerable fatigue had accumulated in his body.

His mana was sufficient, but his body was struggling to use the power continuously.

He was so dumbfounded by the fact.

Taehyun ended up showing the embarrassing spectacle of missing the branch family head and his members, whom he had already caught.

And then he clashed with the Zhuge Clan's head and the main family's forces who arrived later.

It was a battle he couldn't lose from the start.

The head of the family, Zhuge Seon, was one of the most outstanding masters, and the Murim people he brought with him used strange formations, but it was a level that could be dealt with simply by increasing the output of his powers.

In an unpleasant state, he subdued Zhuge Seon and his forces.

And when he used crimson mana on him.

Ting.

[Fatigue level has reached its peak.]

[Crimson mana is sealed.]

Rosaria's power was sealed along with the arbitrary message.

He was so dumbfounded.

Even Zhuge Seon, who had already been brought to his knees, noticed something was wrong.

He was a born negotiator.

Immediately after realizing the gap between him and Taehyun, he expressed his respect and offered to serve him as a guest of the family.

He would allow him to use the family's warriors like limbs if there was anything he was looking for.

He expressed his intention to share only the necessary information without any information leaking out through the head of the family's authority.

With just a brief course of action and a fleeting emotion, he identified what Taehyun wanted.

The branch family head, who had once saved his life, was also by his side promising.

A proposal that he would have rejected and devoured without a second thought in his past mental world.

But not now.

Acknowledging his own shortcomings, he accepted the proposal.

While waiting, a table of alcohol like the one he has now was prepared.

"......"

He operated the Mana Stone.

Kiiii- Kiiiiii- Kaaaa-.

Other Mana Stones react immediately, but the Mana Stone containing crimson mana does not react.

"What the hell is wrong with this body?"

He newly understood why the Originals frequently escaped to the mental world, and the stuffiness of the restraints hit him hard.

Every moment was a continuous restraint.

If the growth through the Tower of Trials also included an item called patience, it could be said to be successful.

"They said drinking alcohol would clear my mind. What a load of crap."

Taehyun growled, recalling Zhuge Seon, who brought the alcohol and left with a smile.

His eyelids were heavy.

He would have passed out if he hadn't been blowing away the intoxication from time to time with the Mana Stone.

The consumed mana was still not being replenished.

It had already been two days since he had been brought in as a guest of the head of the family.

He had slept on a soft bed and experienced human dining culture while enjoying a feast.

Nevertheless, now that he had confirmed that the consumed mana was not returning, it was time to return to the main subject.

"Bring the head of the family."

He muttered for a moment.

"Did you call for me, Great One?"

A face so young that it was hard to believe he was 60 years old.

Zhuge Seon, with his neatly arranged white hair, came in smiling.

His face and aura were full of goodness.

"Cut the disgusting smile."

"How could I harbor private thoughts when serving a guest like you, Great One?"

Zhuge Seon sat opposite Taehyun without losing his smile.

"Your martial arts are terrible. Is that how you rose to the ranks of the family, with your skills in maneuvering?"

"Our main family has traditionally focused on formations and medicine. If you're talking about martial arts, the head of the Namgung Clan is the best."

Smile. Zhuge Seon praised the Namgung Clan without changing his expression.

"Still disgusting. Did you find what I ordered?"

"You mean the news about a man named Igmun."

"Yes. Did you find him?"

"I couldn't find him."

Zhuge Seon laughed heartily and shook his head.

If it had been before, he would have blown his head off, calling him an insolent being.

"Zhuge Seon. Do you have multiple lives?"

"How could that be? It's just that this lacking old man is not used to telling lies."

A sly smile. His silver tongue.

That appearance, as if he was hiding something, reminded him of Jormungandr.

And Taehyun knew that these guys were the most useful.

"If you come empty-handed, I'll chop off one of your arms."

"Fortunately, I didn't come empty-handed."

Zhuge Seon took out a document from his pocket and handed it over.

Taehyun clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin.

"Read it yourself."

"Perhaps you are a Westerner and cannot read?"

"It seems it's about time for blood to be shed in the family."

"As you said, this is what I found out about the Blood Demon Sect."

Blood Demon Sect.

He knew through Gilfer that Igmun was connected to that place.

That's why he gave the order.

"Blood Demon Igeunmun is a rising star of the Demonic Sect."

"What?"

"I said he is the leader of the Demonic Sect. Perhaps you despise the Demonic Sect..."

Zhuge Seon's actions to find out even a little more information were commendable, but that's not what Taehyun was curious about.

"Igeunmun...? Not Igmun?"

"That's right..."

He met Zhuge Seon's eyes, who was reacting nonchalantly, for a moment.

"Wahahaahaha."

Taehyun burst into laughter.

"......?"

Zhuge Seon, with a puzzled expression, stared at the guest who was laughing so hard that he was bending over.

That appearance made him laugh even more.

After laughing for a long time, Taehyun wiped the tears from his eyes and took a breath.

"This is absurd. So... is this the fun of having a mortal body?"

Emotions were synchronized with just a few facts, giving him such pleasure.

It was a fresh experience to have emotions conveyed in a single word, something that would have been difficult to feel even after eating hundreds of monsters.

"He gave that name a fresh twist."

Vampire Lord Igmun and the leader of the Blood Demon Sect, Igeunmun.

Without much thought, he could tell that they were the same person.

Nevertheless, the reason why Zhuge Seon did not realize that fact was due to the difference between the language of the Lower World and the language of the Murim.

"The Igmun I was looking for is the leader of the Blood Demon Sect."

"Is that so."

Zhuge Seon's face hardened for the first time.

It wasn't just him who learned about the other person while talking.

The corners of Taehyun's mouth twisted.

"You considered the possibility that I might be in league with them."

"I won't deny it."

Zhuge Seon once said that he was a martial artist who had reached the realm of Hwagyung.

He couldn't not know that the blood shed would not be light if such a person turned into an enemy.

"Then you'll have to capture my heart with a new proposal?"

Taehyun returned Zhuge Seon's unique sly smile.

"Is there anything you want?"

"Give me your family."

"......"

"Then I'll protect the Zhuge family as much as possible in the upcoming war."

"......"

Zhuge Seon silently picked up the Takju.

He emptied the glass in one gulp.

"Are you planning to start a war?"

"It can't be helped."

He still doesn't know what Igmun is doing here.

One thing is certain, he won't be caught easily.

And if the Great Dukes clash, the area will become a stage for a territorial war.

"That's troublesome."

"What is?"

"I can't just think about the safety of my sect when a war between Justice and Evil breaks out. It's because I'm in the undeserved position of the Chief of the Righteous Alliance."

Duty and justification. And responsibility.

Zhuge Seon spoke of the situation in which the Zhuge family and the war between Justice and Evil were intertwined.

"......"

He just meant to use the Zhuge family like his limbs without powers.

The Righteous Alliance and the war between Justice and Evil.

These were things that had nothing to do with Taehyun.

'Well, a territorial war is also a war. There's no need to correct it.'

"Why is someone from the West trying to start a war between Justice and Evil?"

There seemed to be a misunderstanding, but it seemed advantageous to leave it as it is to handle Zhuge Seon.

"I haven't heard an answer to my proposal?"

"I reject it without even considering it."

"You and your family. And all the humans belonging to the family. Their minds will collapse and they will die."

A fighting spirit soared from Zhuge Seon's body in response to the threat.

"I would rather choose an honorable death than a humiliating survival."

In the process of contacting Taehyun, hundreds of martial artists had already died or fallen into a state worse than death.

'If I turn my back on this man, my family will surely meet its end.'

A Westerner who didn't even reveal his name.

No, it's not even certain that he is a Westerner.

All he had found out in the past few days was that he had reached the realm of Hwagyung and that he used a sorcery that paralyzed the mind.

Even if he mobilized the main family and the branch family, the best masters and the top masters, he couldn't be sure that he could win.

But what brought the Great Zhuge family to its current position was not obedience to unjust force.

'I have to buy time, at least until the leader of the Righteous Alliance and the family heads arrive.'

The leader and the family heads of the clans.

And if he unfolded the formation with himself at the center, even a master who has reached the realm of Hwagyung wouldn't be able to escape easily.

Besides, he emptied so much alcohol, which is classified as poison, all day long.

'He must not be in good shape. That's why he made such a proposal...'

"I can hear your brain working all the way over here."

Taehyun smiled and stared into Zhuge Seon's eyes.

The top master.

If the crimson mana hadn't been suddenly sealed, he would have been able to find out a lot of things about this guy.

It seemed that the time had come to end the relationship.

"When will the forces to fight me arrive?"

"You knew."

"It's not the first time I've dealt with someone like you."

"It won't be after tonight."

"Good, that's fast."

If it's a battle that he's going to fight anyway, it's better to deal with it quickly.

"Since it's your last chance, you should gather everything you can."

"Of course I will."

"Also."

"......?"

"Keep in mind that I don't show mercy to the losers."

"...I will keep that in mind."

Zhuge Seon answered in a firm voice and stood up from his seat.

'Leader. Can you stop this great demon?'

He swallowed the bitter feeling rising in his heart over the blood that had to be shed for justice.

After he left, Taehyun, who was left alone, drank the Takju directly from the bottle.

"Now that things have come to this, I'll have to clean up everything at once and find the rest of the guys."

Puhhehehehe.

The man who will make a name for himself as a new great demon in the Murim in the future.

His pleasant laughter echoed in the reception room.

Part 2 Episode 124

Hazad opened her eyes.

What her eyes beheld was a vast forest.

[...]

She looked around.

Those who should have been with her were nowhere to be seen.

[Troublesome.]

She muttered quietly, but there was no reply. Just the sound of the wind, whispering.

Only the wind, tickling her skin, blew.

[Hmm... the coordinates should have been fixed.]

The information from Gilfer, who had been in contact with Igmun.

The coordinates detected by the Elven, synchronized with the divine tree, with the help of the archdukes.

The stable gate opened using Rosaria's second authority.

The passage to the 6th floor was a creation born of that.

Whether they crossed with a time difference, or all together.

The destination and timeline should have been the same.

But why was she the only one here?

Hazad tilted her head at the unsolved question.

The first hypothesis that came to mind.

[Gilfer's information was wrong.]

No.

[The possibility is low.]

The Oathkeeper and several archdukes had additionally confirmed it.

She, who had fallen to the level of a low-ranking demon, was not in a situation where she could plot.

Several other hypotheses came to mind.

The betrayal of Elven and Rosaria.

A mistake in the process of opening the gate.

A trap by Igmun, who had preempted the 6th floor.

An unexpected restriction of the tower.

So many variables that could weave a single story.

[...]

Soon she shook her head.

If she started to doubt, it would go on endlessly.

Considering the various situations, only distrust would sprout.

[Such a thing does not suit the True Dragon.]

She sat down in a lotus position.

She placed her hands on her knees, closed her eyes, and emptied her head.

Meditation.

A practice endlessly performed by the wizards residing in the intermediate realm, which she learned through exchange, to strengthen their mana hearts and improve their magical calculations.

[Hoo... Hoo...]

She inhaled and exhaled a shallow breath.

How many times had she repeated it?

The temperature surrounding her seemed to have changed slightly.

Without paying attention, she continued her meditation.

She could feel three hearts pulsating within her body.

The first heart was the Dragon Heart.

The source of magic that allows the use of dragon powers.

The second heart was the Mana Heart.

The source of immense mana that allows the use of intermediate realm magic.

The third heart was the Magic Stone.

A symbol of the contract and oath newly formed upon meeting Kim Taehyun.

Since the Dragon Heart alone was sufficient to serve the role of the Magic Stone, there was no need for someone of her stature to bother forming it.

Nevertheless, she had created a new heart purely out of curiosity.

'Kim Taehyun.'

The Oathkeeper stores the powers of the contracted archdukes in each of the Magic Stones.

Initially, it may have been because a medium was needed for the contract.

'But now, it's probably to maintain the contract more firmly.'

It prevents the collision of powers and allows for easier control of strength.

Even if one power were to go out of control, it could be quickly calmed down using another power.

The reason she created the third heart was for that reason.

Contractor Kim Taehyun.

Oathkeeper Kim Taehyun.

To strengthen the connection with him and suppress the blood of the Demon Dragon King.

Thus, to control her power fully without being manipulated.

The reason to create the third heart was more than enough.

[...]

She opened her eyes.

After organizing her thoughts through meditation, her head felt much lighter.

[Fitting. The True Dragon is becoming like him.]

Human.

A life form with insignificant power compared to the dragon race.

Too weak for her, the Lord of the dragon race, to resemble.

But why?

She didn't dislike the current feeling.

The Superman, who had parasitized in the human mind for a long time and become more like a human than anyone else, came to mind.

A being who belatedly obtained a body and came into the world, but was not honest about the emotions he possessed.

[Where on earth are you?]

Hazad got up from her seat and moved her feet.

Since they had promised to climb the tower together, finding him was the priority.

[Annoying.]

Orgal opened his mouth with a distorted face.

[Why is This One alone with you?]

At his question, Jormungandr looked at him.

His lips curled up in a mocking smile, and his mismatched eyes were full of pity.

[This Seat will say what I was going to say for me.]

[This Seat, my ass. Tone down your eyes?]

Orgal growled.

Perhaps it was because he had lost the previous ranking battle by 'a hair's breadth'.

He still refused to acknowledge Jormungandr as his older brother.

Jormungandr clicked his tongue, seeing through his intentions.

[I'm almost ashamed to have worked with you.]

[What?]

[How did you break down like this, Orgal?]

[You little...]

The Beast King raised his hand, as big as a pot lid.

The brown magic wrapping around his hand strengthened his muscles.

[...]

Jormungandr's eyebrows twitched as he watched quietly.

Even so, the attack would be burdensome in a polymorphed state.

Unlike Orgal, whose true form was humanoid and not greatly affected by the domain, the presence or absence of form and domain made a big difference for him.

[Haa...]

He sighed and continued.

[A guy who once had the spirit to face the Giant King. How did he end up like this?]

It was as if his intelligence had not only decreased but regressed.

Jormungandr swallowed the unspoken words that were trying to come out instinctively.

[There's no need to talk long. Come at me.]

[Fool. Do you think someone like you can beat This Seat now?]

[A guy who only relies on his soft scales.]

[Stop with the useless talk and lower your spirit.]

[No matter how I think about it, the previous defeat was...]

[You idiot! Do you still not realize what went wrong?!!]

[What?]

[You... you idiot... no... naive guy...]

Jormungandr hurriedly changed his words.

He smiled bitterly, looking at the Beast King, who looked like he was about to throw a punch at any moment.

[The coordinates of the gate were fixed. But the fact that we're the only ones here means...]

[Something went wrong in the process of passing through the gate.]

Orgal replied with a face that said it was obvious.

[And the guy who knows that is trying to start a fight?]

Jormungandr looked around, as if dumbfounded.

A forest.

And one that was so vast that it reminded him of an Elven forest.

It was the first world he had set foot in, but he could tell at a glance that people rarely visited.

[The Elven, influenced by the divine tree, designated the forest as the coordinates...]

[To fix the coordinates more easily.]

[...]

[This Seat doesn't know that, does he?]

[...]

[...]

Orgal's face distorted as he understood Jormungandr's reaction.

[You really thought I didn't know.]

[So... the fact that only we are here without the others...]

[Means that the coordinates changed while passing through the gate. It happened in an instant, before we could even sense anything was wrong.]

[...]

Jormungandr was speechless at his rational judgment.

Orgal smirked.

[I don't sense the presence of the Master, who passed through the gate first, nor Hazad's. Not to mention Typhon and Lucifer.]

[...Right.]

[Perhaps we should also consider the possibility that time has been distorted.]

[You... you weren't getting dumber?]

[You little... watch your mouth.]

[I don't understand.]

[This Seat has only come to serve a new master, but his essence hasn't degenerated.]

Orgal straightened his back and puffed out his chest.

His presence became more prominent.

[Could it be... on purpose...?]

He deliberately pretended to be dumb?

Jormungandr's mismatched eyes sparkled.

[Puhahahahaha. I won't listen to any more speculation.]

[...]

Orgal wiggled his body as he looked at the silent Sea of Demonic Power King.

A laugh that was as foolish as it was innocent.

How long had he been laughing with madness?

Thud.

Orgal sat down on the spot.

[This time... what is it again?]

[This Seat will wait for the Master here.]

[That's not a good judgment. There's no way he'll find you if you wait in a place like this...]

[The Master and This Seat are connected by an unbreakable oath.]

[I thought you were sane for a moment. You're still brainwashed.]

Orgal waved his hand at the insults.

[Unless you want to settle the rankings again, go and look around.]

Jormungandr shook his head at the unilateral command.

'Whether he's dumb or rational.'

Either way, he couldn't just spend time here.

[This Seat has his own way.]

He wouldn't be coming back, so there was no need to wait.

After saying what he had to say, Jormungandr walked in the opposite direction of Orgal.

Before long, his figure was completely hidden by the trees.

[Hehe. Such a snake-like temper.]

Orgal responded casually and placed his hands on the ground.

Thinking hard had never suited him.

He had confirmed that he was here, so he would eventually find him again someday.

[Huu.]

He swallowed his breath and bent his arms.

[Huuk.]

He exhaled a rough breath and straightened his bent arms.

A repeated motion of bending and straightening.

He only got up when the number of repetitions exceeded a thousand.

His chest and arms were quite stimulated.

[Push-ups... truly a great training method.]

A method that Taehyun, his Oathkeeper and Master, had secretly taught him.

He said that if he repeated the current training for hundreds of years, he would be able to tear off Jormungandr's scales with just his brute force.

The teachings he received were not limited to upper body training.

Orgal stood with his legs shoulder-width apart.

And.

[Huu.]

He pushed his hips back and slowly lowered himself.

[Huuk.]

He straightened his knees while maintaining the stimulus.

Likewise, when he repeated it about a thousand times, thick beads of sweat flowed down his face.

His thick legs, which were standing on the ground, were as tired as if they had been in battle.

[Hehehe. This Seat can still grow more.]

A smile appeared on the Beast King's face, who had begun to taste the sense of accomplishment of growth.

He was certain.

That he, who had been strong since birth, could aim for the next level through training.

[If I go all the way, This Seat will be the strongest.]

The Murim, located on the 6th floor of the tower.

Somewhere in the forest.

The Beast King's secluded training to escape the role of the youngest began.

"Is it over now?"

Taehyun muttered as he scanned the fallen martial artists.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged man covered in blood stood up.

The Leader of the Orthodox Alliance. Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon.

A man who had earned the title of the strongest in the Orthodox Alliance at the age of over 60 in human years.

Because he was called the strongest among the supreme masters of the orthodox faction, some even called him the best in the orthodox faction.

Although he said it was an excessive title due to his unique humble nature, Namgung Cheon himself secretly thought it was not wrong.

In fact, he was on the verge of reaching the realm of Hwagyung, which was only known in legends.

Before he died, it would not have been unreasonable for him to execute the heads of the Demon and Blood Demons with his own two hands.

But.

'How... how can this be...'

He looked around, using his half-broken sword as a cane to support his body.

The supreme masters who had come to Hobuk Province together at the request of Jegal Seon.

The strongest martial artists of the Orthodox Alliance, who had been brought in to face the mysterious Outsider who was presumed to be in the realm of Hwagyung, were lying collapsed in a miserable state.

He swallowed the surging blood and opened his mouth.

"Are you... truly... human...?"

"Does this body look human to you?"

"..."

Namgung Cheon opened his mouth, watching Taehyun, who answered a question with a question.

"I would like to ask your name."

'Hmm. Is this the usual process in Murim to acknowledge the person who defeated them?'

Taehyun had grasped the rough culture with the authority of mind control.

His mind began to spin quickly.

'I want to make it better than Lee Geunmun.'

Part 2, Episode 125

Name.

Even if others didn't care, it was an important matter to 'Taehyun,' who had only recently seized his name and body.

Countless words that could represent his current self came to mind.

None of them were satisfactory.

In the end, only one remained in his head.

"Kim Taehyun."

He spoke the name that could best represent himself.

After finishing the Tower.

When he had seized all the possibilities of the Three Thousand Worlds and went outside.

'That will be the name that truly belongs to this body.'

The species called humans, which he had considered insignificant until now.

There was no need to tell the insignificant beings before him that fact.

Just because Kim Taehyun's roots were human didn't mean his current self was insignificant.

"Kim Taehyun…"

Namgoongcheon murmured quietly.

A name he had never heard before, encompassing the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic Cults.

'He must really have started his activities very recently.'

Jegealseon had reported that he was a foreigner presumed to be from the Western Regions.

Unlike the Central Plains Martial Arts World, the Western Regions were an unknown world where the Namgoong Clan and the Justice Alliance's information was incomplete.

The strange power that rose like a haze was also a kind that had never been seen before.

"I, Namgoongcheon, have clearly heard the honorable name that has achieved the realm of Transcendent Grandmaster."

Namgoongcheon steadied his breathing and acknowledged the being before him.

"Okay. Leaving aside the fact that you remembered this body's name."

Crack.

Taehyun rotated the hand he had raised.

The hand, reinforced with brown mana, revealed an ominous aura.

It had the power to tear apart the martial artist before him without hesitation.

"You must be prepared to take responsibility, right?"

"……."

Gulp.

Namgoongcheon swallowed dryly.

He had confirmed that the opponent was undoubtedly in the realm of Transcendent Grandmaster, and the gap between him and the Supreme Masters was greater than he had thought.

From now on, it was time to plan for the future.

"If you kill us, you will become an enemy of the Martial Arts World."

"Is threatening all you could think of?"

The warning from the Leader of the Justice Alliance.

Even though it was the statement of one of the five most prominent figures in the Central Plains Martial Arts World.

"That's not something someone who drew their sword out of nowhere should say."

Taehyun flicked his index finger as if telling him to attack.

"How rude."

"Aren't you buying time to calm the backlash?"

"You… knew?"

"It's not like I've only seen guys like you once or twice. There's no need to play along with you."

Taehyun's eyes narrowed.

His crimson eyes perfectly captured the movements of the Supreme Master.

The victory or defeat had been decided.

The curiosity in his eyes was about the level of looking at a slightly special insect.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Hmm…"

His head tilted.

He felt strange.

He could no longer use the power of mind control.

To find out information, he would have to force them to confess through force.

The result was right before his eyes.

"I'm feeling complicated."

"……."

Namgoongcheon's eyes shook at the incomprehensible words.

His rough breathing had subsided for a moment.

Taehyun pondered the emotions that were rising without concern.

"I am Kim Taehyun."

Kim Taehyun is human.

Humans are materialistic and imperfect.

Mortals.

Even being a Great Duke of the Lower Realm and the Lord of the Heavenly Realm could not easily escape the shackles of such mortals.

He organized his fleeting thoughts while meeting Namgoongcheon's gaze, who was watching him and unable to move rashly.

'Were you expecting me to be a stepping stone to grow this body?'

One of the top figures on the 6th floor.

But when he actually faced them, their power was below expectations.

It would be strange if he wasn't disappointed.

'Even Supreme Masters are far short of the Great Duke-level powers.'

He was only surprised that Igmun hadn't devoured the 6th floor yet.

"Even you, the Alliance Leader, couldn't leave a single scratch on this body."

Just emitting his aura made the peak masters kneel.

Simply touching them with his strengthened body made the Supreme Masters fall.

In the process, those who suffered internal injuries were still vomiting blood and unable to regain consciousness.

He had only used two powers, but that alone had devastated the elite forces of the Justice Alliance.

"It's absurd that you're threatening me with more small fries."

"……!!"

Namgoongcheon shook his head at Taehyun's words.

"I respect the realm you have achieved, but you will not be able to achieve what you desire if you become an enemy of the Martial Arts World."

Everywhere he went, he would be followed by surveillance, he would always have to be careful of poison when eating food, and he would not even be able to sleep as he pleased, his life would continue like that.

"Even if we perish here, countless martial artists will target you."

As if to add strength to his words, Namgoongcheon's eyes were filled with resolute determination.

The air shook with his momentum.

"Kim Taehyun."

A bluish energy surged in the sword Namgoongcheon raised.

Sword Qi.

Any Supreme Master could use it, but Namgoongcheon's sword, called the Sword Emperor, was special among them.

It was enough to compensate for the broken sword's hardness.

"Are you going to make the Martial Arts World your enemy!"

Taehyun clicked his tongue at the booming cry.

He had only been talking to him, but now he was emboldened to find a justification for dying.

It wasn't just him.

"Great… Devil…"

Jegealseon, who had been vomiting blood, staggered to his feet and stood next to Namgoongcheon.

"Keuh…"

"My head is still ringing…"

"The Alliance Leader… bought time well for us."

"You look… terrible…"

Four more Supreme Masters rose to their feet.

The Beggars' Sect, Mount Hua Sect, Wudang Sect, and Sichuan Tang Clan.

The top masters of the Orthodox sects belonging to the Justice Alliance.

Their bloodshot eyes, marking a line in the Martial Arts World, were fixed on Taehyun.

"To be in this state… in a situation that's not even the Orthodox-Demonic War…"

"Keuheuheuh… I have no face to show my juniors."

"Even if this becomes our grave… we will take one of your arms."

"Whatever you're aiming for, it won't go as you think."

Threats no less than Namgoongcheon's.

Taehyun couldn't help but laugh.

"You're not even using honorifics anymore."

If Rozaria's power hadn't been restricted, he would have extracted information with mind control and then gotten rid of them.

"I've been playing along with you guys, and now you're crawling all over me, not knowing your place."

At that moment.

'…….'

He felt a sense of déjà vu.

One thought flashed through his mind.

Taehyun's face slowly hardened.

Mediocre adversaries who didn't reach the power of the Lower Realm.

Judging from Namgoongcheon's reaction, mentioning the Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon, who were called the Great Devils of the Demonic Cult, was less than he expected.

They seemed to be treated as just Supreme Masters at best.

He didn't know about the Heavenly Demon, but Lee Geunmoon, the Blood Demon, shouldn't be like that.

"Ha…."

The realm of Transcendent Grandmaster that no one had reached yet, regardless of Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic.

Former Great Duke Igmun.

Current Blood Demon Lee Geunmoon.

"Haha…."

He only realized it when he stood before the collapsing Namgoongcheon.

The feelings of an absolute being who could do whatever he wanted with those weaker than him, yet spared them as if bestowing a favor, thinking about their usefulness.

"Igmun, that bastard, was playing the absolute being on the 6th floor."

That must be why he could be satisfied with the position of Blood Demon.

Or there were more restrictions he didn't know about.

Either way, he understood the strangely maintained peace.

"You're talking nonsense!!"

Namgoongcheon, who had drawn out a long Sword Qi, shouted.

The other Supreme Masters were also emitting no less momentum, preparing for the final battle.

"You guys. Do you know about the Tower?"

"You're saying strange things!"

"He must be trying to distract us and induce carelessness."

"Everyone, be careful of the next attack!!"

"……."

Jegealseon was the only one who showed the expected reaction.

Taehyun's gaze was fixed on Jegealseon.

"You seem to know something."

"That's…"

His lips moved.

"……."

But Jegealseon closed his mouth.

The corners of Taehyun's lips twitched.

After dealing with them a few times, he was certain.

The old men before him would never submit to him.

Of these, it was enough to keep Jegealseon alive.

"From the beginning, I didn't need the others."

Also, why only he showed a different reaction.

"You'll talk soon."

Kaaa-.

He strengthened Hazad's power.

Black mana surged.

His aura was emitted.

Repeated attacks and defenses.

The Supreme Masters knelt under the crushing pressure.

He approached Namgoongcheon, who had knelt down while enduring to the end.

Even with more than three cycles of Jiazi's worth of internal energy.

Even the Sword Qi he had completed after building it up throughout his life.

Even the countless techniques and secret sword techniques he had trained in.

In front of overwhelming aura, they were nothing more than a mere struggle.

"Grea…t… Devil…"

Namgoongcheon opened his mouth with difficulty.

Blood flowed from his eyes and nose.

He was resisting with all his might, but that was all.

Thud.

Taehyun placed his hand on his head, unable to resist.

"My name is Kim Taehyun."

Namgoongcheon tried to say something.

Crack.

He collapsed to the floor with his shattered head.

He turned around.

"Alli…ance… Leader…"

"Gaa…"

"Mount Hua…"

"Wudang…"

He could see the four masters who did not fear death swallowing their resentment.

"You guys don't need to rush either."

Every time Taehyun passed in front of the masters who couldn't straighten their knees.

Those who were considered the stars of the Justice Alliance fell.

"Keu…ah…ah…."

"……."

He looked down at Jegealseon, who couldn't even make a proper scream.

He had broken all the bones in his arms and legs, and he had twisted his ribs appropriately to prevent him from using his internal energy.

Even if he was a Supreme Master, he was still ultimately a human body.

Jegealseon was merely groaning, unable to choose resistance or death.

Thud thud.

His lightly playing foot touched Jegealseon's abdomen.

"Keu…ah…."

Jegealseon let out a moan like a scream.

Swish.

Taehyun bent down and brought his face close to him.

"At first, you didn't seem to know anything about me."

"…Keu…ah…."

"Was it acting from the beginning? Or did it suddenly come to mind?"

"Keu…ah…ah…."

While fixing his wavering pupils, he continued to speak several times.

"There are no witnesses."

Neither the warriors of the Jegeal Clan.

Nor the warriors of the Justice Alliance he had brought in.

All had become cold corpses.

"Now, tell me."

Without withdrawing the aura he was emitting.

Taehyun whispered in Jegealseon's ear.

"The 6th floor of the Tower."

"What…"

"What is happening here?"

He moved his lips with difficulty.

"Wor…ds…"

He could only mumble, unable to form sentences.

It was the same as when he executed the other Supreme Masters.

The power of mind control, which he could use as soon as he arrived, was sealed.

And Jegealseon, who seemed to know something about the Tower, couldn't open his mouth.

"Judging by the fact that you're not saying anything even after doing this much, there must be a restriction."

If there was a restriction, he was the one who had suffered from it more severely than anyone else.

Taehyun laughed.

He withdrew the aura he had been emitting all along.

Kaaa-.

Magic stones rotated and gray mana rose.

Jegealseon's wounds were rapidly healed by the activated power.

"I will not kill you."

As long as the power of regeneration existed, he wouldn't be able to die even if he wanted to.

"You will have to pour out every last drop of your life for this body's Tower."

"……!!"

It was an order that didn't consider an answer.

Taehyun was wearing a bitter smile, looking at Jegealseon, who was trying to calm his trembling body, when.

Tting.

"……."

An unwelcome message appeared before his eyes.

Part 2 Chapter 126

Déjà vu.

Not just as Kim Tae-hyun's body, but something felt from the moment he began to possess a self.

A sensation close to an emotion.

Was it because he had a human body?

If he let his guard down even for a moment, memories of the past would rush in.

It was a strange thing.

Kim Tae-hyun's first regression.

He had certainly faced annihilation with Michael.

The reason he could be in this place now was because Kim Tae-hyun, who had become a Constellation, had attempted a second regression, and it was because he had shared his memories through that guy.

Originally, he was an impurity that shouldn't exist, nor should he have previous memories.

That was the current him.

But.

'That impossible thing is happening.'

Looking down at the groaning Je Gal-seon, Tae-hyun checked the message.

[You are interfering with the laws of the world.]

[Black mana is sealed.]

Black.

It meant that Hazard's authority was being sealed.

"Now it's not fatigue, but the laws of the world?"

The message that came to mind when dealing with Je Gal's branch family before.

[Fatigue level has reached its peak.]

[Purple mana is sealed.]

It was quite different from that, but the context was not different.

The reason was different, but it meant that his power would be limited.

"At this point, I'm not even angry."

Rather, his mind cooled down to analyze and overcome the current situation.

That alone reminded him of his past self, and he was pleased.

"No, no."

To grasp the situation more clearly, it was necessary to revisit the memories of the past.

"Right... was it when the Youma conceived this body?"

The wording was a bit strange, but that was the truth.

The Youma was one of many humans in the Interdimensional Realm (中間界) from many dimensions.

He was a half-human, half-monster with the power of cannibals who ate humans and hunters who hunted them.

He had enough power.

If he wanted, he could overthrow one side and reign as the king of a new force.

'But he didn't.'

He took a lukewarm attitude, neither Youma nor human.

He wanted to be human while not denying that he was a Youma.

In the end, he was chased by both Youma and humans.

One has to choose someday.

The Youma realized that he was a 'vessel.'

No Name, who created the Three Thousand Worlds.

He realized that one of the two pieces that the only god had put his heart and soul into creating was dwelling within him.

"Was that when the signs of awakening began?"

Stroking his chin, he re-examined the memories of the 'Youma who defied fate.'

The Youma's battlefield changed from the Interdimensional Realm to the Lower Realm.

Using his power, he jumped into the territory war in the Lower Realm.

He encountered many authorities.

In the process, he developed his authority.

Predation (捕食).

The authority that awakened only after acknowledging the identity of the Youma species (種).

It was around that time that he was conceived.

Born from the Youma's mind, he faced many authorities.

As the territory war continued, the authorities he ate through Predation were added.

He constantly ate and digested.

Before long, the Youma was called the King of the Lower Realm (下界王).

The direction of the war was upward.

The Upper Realm (上界).

The race war between the Lower and Upper Realms began, but it was not much different from before.

He constantly digested and ate.

The number of demons in the Lower Realm and the celestials in the Upper Realm was countless.

The Youma's presence grew as he ate the authorities.

That didn't mean that the Youma had never experienced defeat.

There was a monster that he couldn't overcome every time.

The King of the Upper Realm (上界王).

One of the two pieces that the only god had created for the first time.

Unlike the piece that had taken root in the Youma after several changes.

The King of the Upper Realm was a complete piece in itself.

Rather, he had lived for a long time and even acquired many possibilities that existed in the Lower and Upper Realms.

The Youma was defeated every time.

It seems that he started using the authority of Reincarnation around that time.

He repeated incomplete reincarnation after being defeated.

In the process, some demons gained powers like mutations.

"Gilfer."

The sophisticated Great Demon who recognized reincarnation.

"Orgal."

The great warrior of the Beast Race who was born to become a Duke.

"Jormungandr."

The highest species born as an experimental subject to mix the power of the Upper and Lower Realms.

In addition, each of the Dukes was born with their own story.

The reincarnation used by the Youma was not a complete authority.

It was only a temporary measure to be given another chance, and eventually, there was a limit.

The King of the Upper Realm secretly approached.

He told him the secret of the Three Thousand Worlds.

The laws that exist in the Three Thousand Worlds. Restrictions. The limitations of being a mortal.

He told him why he, who was called the king of a layer, still couldn't break through the limits.

The reason why he couldn't kill the King of the Lower Realm every time was just a part of the plan.

He made an offer to the Youma who had reached his limit that he couldn't refuse.

[Won't you kill the only god together?]

The cycle of life that anyone created as a mortal faces.

To escape that cycle, he said that the only way was to become a God Killer (神殺者) and go outside.

The Youma refused.

He didn't trust the King of the Upper Realm.

He doubted and distrusted him.

How many more wars did they fight?

The Youma acknowledged the limitations of the Lower Realm.

Déjà vu.

This repeated life now.

Wasn't it due to someone's design?

That thought took root in his mind.

The déjà vu became more certain every time he faced the King of the Upper Realm.

"......"

It is not certain what the Youma was thinking at that time.

As the Youma's unique authority and source, he was busy devouring the demons and celestials that poured into his mental world.

He only guessed that it was around that time that he began to prepare to accept the proposal of the King of the Upper Realm.

"Before long, the game between the King of the Upper Realm and the King of the Lower Realm began."

They chose their respective keys and prepared arrangements within the limits that did not harm the restrictions.

"It's the moment when the second parasitism of this body began."

The owner of the second body was Kim Tae-hyun, a human from the Interdimensional Realm.

An Awakened being called a Player, who explored the Lower Realm.

A trivial being who acted as their porter.

That was his first impression of Kim Tae-hyun.

Anyway, it was the key that the Youma had chosen.

Because he was sealed in his mind, they were destined to perish together if he died.

He helped Kim Tae-hyun not to die.

He wanted to take away his body while he was at it, but there was a restriction.

The human body was too weak to contain his existence, and there was a great risk of the vessel breaking if he recklessly came out of his mental world.

A vessel that could handle the existence of Predation.

The existence of the human Kim Tae-hyun needed to grow.

"There were strange things, but he gradually became accustomed to using this body's power."

He became the Player he had wanted so much. He became the apex of the Players and moved his stage to the Lower Realm by contacting the Dukes.

The weakest Duke, Succubus Queen.

Kim Tae-hyun, who joined hands with Rosaria, grew quickly.

He formed magic stones by making contracts with the Dukes, and he began to become familiar with their authorities.

He even overcame them in several repeated power struggles.

How many times did they turn over and over?

Like the Youma.

Kim Tae-hyun had become the King of the Lower Realm.

In the process, he additionally discovered the pieces that the only god had created as a follow-up.

Giant King Typhon.

Fairy King Elven.

Fallen Angel Lucifer.

An existence with countless possibilities, capable of handling both mana, the power of the Lower Realm, and divine power, the power of the Upper Realm.

Kim Tae-hyun's race war with them as his power began.

As the war progressed, the laws governing the world unraveled like a skein.

He realized the power of names, and he knew that if the two keys did not decide the victory, the Three Thousand Worlds without the only god would perish.

"It was a fight between those who were scheduled to be successors."

The Great Demon Asmodeus, who had the potential to become the Demon King.

"He possessed the power of the Demon Dragon. With that alone, he could have the power to aim for the King of the Lower Realm."

That wasn't the only arrangement.

1st Heavenly Realm Archangel Raziel.

As if he intended to completely take the power of the predecessor.

The key of the King of the Upper Realm quickly adapted to the great power.

On the other hand, Kim Tae-hyun's actions were ordinary.

He began to handle divine power by suppressing the absolute ruler of the Heavenly Realm, and he became familiar with the new power by conquering the owner of the Heavenly Realm.

It was a possible method because there was the resurrected Fairy King and Divine Beast.

It was quite some time later that he realized that this was also an arrangement by the Youma.

"Kim Tae-hyun chose the path of developing all the Dukes, not just getting stronger alone."

Even though he didn't have much time until Asmodeus digested all the arrangements.

Kim Tae-hyun did not rush.

"No, maybe he was in a hurry in his own way."

Around that time, his weakened power had recovered considerably.

The clash between the King of the Upper Realm and the King of the Lower Realm, which began when he reached the 1st Heavenly Realm.

His opponent was Michael, who was no less than another King of the Upper Realm.

Even though he had recovered the same power as when he had hundreds of authorities, annihilation was the best option.

The second vessel. He, who the Youma had set up as Kim Tae-hyun's arrangement, perished like that.

"I thought it was the end, but it wasn't."

"What... are you... saying..."

Je Gal-seon asked in a trembling voice.

His eyes were still downcast.

He thought that he didn't know what kind of misfortune he would suffer if he met his eyes.

"Shut up and keep listening to this body's words."

"......"

Je Gal-seon quietly closed his mouth.

Tae-hyun's words continued.

"At first, it was absurd."

The fact that he had chosen annihilation with Michael to save Kim Tae-hyun.

The aftermath that Kim Tae-hyun, who had won the race war and became the Unified King, went outside and became a Constellation.

Not only that, but he fought the Star Wars with the Dragon and Youma who had become Constellations there.

"The fact that he was betrayed by the Dragon and regressed back to the Three Thousand Worlds as if running away. As far as this body is concerned, it was unbearably annoying."

He would not have been fooled like that if it had been him.

Whether it was a Great Constellation encompassing many Constellations.

Or a Higher Constellation that was superior to Kim Tae-hyun and the Youma.

"He would not have regressed to the Three Thousand Worlds as if running away after being betrayed by the Dragon."

The air around him shook with the anger in Tae-hyun's voice.

'What is all this talk...'

Je Gal-seon, who had shrunk his body, bit his lip.

He was clearly speaking in the language of Murim, but the content was full of things he didn't understand.

He couldn't ask questions either.

He could only wait quietly until he calmed down.

"Moreover, his second regression was not perfect. He ended up bringing in that damned Star Power into this Three Thousand Worlds."

Star Power (星力). The power that casts a shadow on his plan to become the master of the Three Thousand Worlds.

Once again, he waited for the time.

Chewing over all the memories that Kim Tae-hyun had experienced in his mental world.

Enduring the regression with so many restrictions.

"This body has been waiting for the opportunity to seize everything this time."

But.

"But."

"......"

"It was given too easily."

The anger that had been boiling just a moment ago.

The unpleasant feeling subsided in the blink of an eye.

A quick glance.

Je Gal-seon rolled his eyes to check Tae-hyun's expression.

As expected.

His face was full of deep disappointment.

"This body has been robbed of the first goal it had to seize."

What he felt from the mumbling voice was a sense of loss.

"......"

Only then did he realize.

The Great Devil who killed the absolute masters of the Murim Alliance and treated his life like a toy.

'Kim Tae-hyun, that bastard...'

"That guy is a son of a bitch."

He was just pouring out his emotions.

Je Gal-seon realized after shedding a lot of blood.

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