Second Life Ranker

『My head hurts.』 The Sword God pressed down on the feeling of annoyance that kept swelling up. After he had declared independence from the One-horned tribe with the Spear God, the world had become a series of walls to him. Wherever he went, there were obstacles and trials.

However, he always won in the end; he dropped his enemies, stole from them, stepped on them, and always stood back up. Eventually, he was surrounded by people like him, and now, they served as the Cheonghwado’s foundation.

The world might be a series of walls, but the Sword God wanted to overcome them all. In the past, it had been Arthia, and now, it was Red Dragon. But unlike Arthia, which he had destroyed easily, Red Dragon was like an iron wall that he couldn’t tear down. Since Red Dragon was a clan that was considered the ruler of the Tower and were the only group strong enough to stand against Allforone, he had been expecting the difficulty. Fights were always difficult, but although the Cheonghwado was smaller in number, they had more skilled players. This led to some people saying that the only ones on equal standing to Red Dragon was the Cheonghwado.

However, the Sword God, leader of the Cheonghwado, knew that it was all bullshit. Even if the Cheonghwado gathered all their strength, they were still rookies compared to Red Dragon. The famous Eighty-One Oculus was only the beginning. There were thousands of rankers associated with Red Dragon, and that didn’t even include thousands of inactive players.

More than anything else, Red Dragon had something the other clans didn’t have: history and culture. The birth of Red Dragon had happened a long time ago when rankers gathered on the seventy-seventh floor to bring Allforone down. Eventually, they became a clan, and the clan eventually turned into a large, well-structured organization that could leave a powerful legacy.

The players that had been dispatched to the eleventh floor was only the tip of the iceberg, but with that alone, they already managed to oppose the Cheonghwado and even bypass them. The Cheonghwado had even brought in the One-horned tribe by having the Spear God pledge on his horn, but even still, the Cheonghwado would be crushed if Red Dragon felt like it. The only reason Red Dragon hadn’t yet made a move was their reluctance to suffer losses. However, they definitely weren’t planning on backing down.

The Sword God thought carefully. He didn’t even want to be at war with Red Dragon in the first place. He had only carried through with it because they attacked Leonte first. If he hadn’t, the Nine Kings would disappear and their surrender to Red Dragon would spread, ruining the Cheonghwado’s reputation. He wanted to finish the war as soon as possible.

The Cheonghwado was famous for two things: confidence and self-esteem. He couldn’t let those disappear, and so the Sword God was concerned. 『Is the only solution the sword?』

Even if the Cheonghwado was smaller than Red Dragon, they were still one of the large clans, and they had a hidden weapon. However, they needed a large amount of magic power to activate it, and even the Sword God himself wouldn’t be able to call up so much. Although he called the weapon a sword, it could turn into a spear, an arrow, or an ax. It was an item from a god that was like a god itself. He’d never imagined using it before even though he possessed it, but now he was beginning to have different thoughts.

『It’s still incomplete. But I should get Leonte out.』 He’d stayed silent even though he’d always known what Leonte was up to. Leonte’s stone was a flexible object that could help with the sword, and so the Sword God made a decision to throw Leonte aside and get the stone even though it was incomplete. 『Is there anyone outside?』

He needed to issue orders right away. A subordinate entered the room with his head bowed. “Did you call for me?”

『I have something to say to the Fist God.』

“Yes, sir.” His subordinate blended into the shadows.

However, instead of Leonte, it was Leonte’s subordinate who arrived with an upset expression. “There’s trouble.”

『What is it?』

“The Saber God is trying to attack the Fist God.”

『What?』The Sword God’s expression froze.

***

Clang!

“You crazy bastard! How many times do I have to say that I don’t have it!”

“I didn’t ask you where it was. I said to give it to me.”

Leonte swallowed nervously at the Saber God’s burning eyes. His raw aura swirled around Leonte like a tornado, and the nine swords on the ground vibrated as though they would attack at any second. Even Arthia had found it difficult to fight him, and the Saber God’s murderous intent seemed to choke Leonte. When he’d approached Leonte earlier, he only said a few words: “Give me the stone.”

Leonte had turned white at the realization that the Saber God had discovered his secret. He felt like crying. He’d struggled so much for the stone, and the Saber God was expecting him to hand it over just like that. It was unbelievable. He replied by saying that he didn’t know what the Saber God was talking about. The Saber God had only responded with murderous intent, his fierce eyes making it seem as though he would rip Leonte apart. “Give it to me,” he growled.

Leonte trembled. He narrowed his eyes, wanting to scream. He was also a ranker and being threatened like this hurt his pride. “I don’t...” Before Leonte could say more, the Saber God flipped him over.

His swords suddenly glowed and split the air as they rushed towards Leonte’s neck. Leonte stepped back, belatedly worrying that he’d reacted too slowly. His face grew pale. However, something fell from the sky like lightning.

Boom!

The swords ricocheted away, and the Saber God straightened his back, looking ferociously at the spear that had landed in front of him. He glared at the Spear God, who stepped in between him and Leonte. “What are you doing? Move, Spear. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Saber, what are you doing? Red Dragon is right in front of our nose but you’re squabbling with one of us? Have you really gone crazy?” The Spear God twisted his lips. He didn’t like Leonte, but he thought it was necessary to maintain good manners to a fellow clan member.

The Saber God’s attack would be a distraction for the clan, and it was simply unacceptable.

“Move.” The Saber God acted as though he didn’t hear and stepped forward, pulling out another sword. The Spear God got into position again, but the Saber God stopped short, sensing something in the surroundings. When he turned his head, he saw the Bow God smiling coldly at him from the top of a tree.

The Bow God’s ability to use a bow was unmatched in the Tower. Some people compared him to the snake hunter Galliard, and his ability ensured that he had a spot as one of the Martial Gods. With the Spear God in front of him and the Bow God in the back, the Saber God decided that he would have to take care of them both at the same time.

Even the Sword God would have found it difficult to win a fight like that, but the Saber God didn’t care and moved forward, bringing up the pitiful amount of magic power he had and raising his swords.

The Spear God’s face hardened. He knew that the Saber God was going to fight with all his strength, and when he used all nine of his swords, the situation was extremely dangerous. The three Martial Gods faced off against each other. Everyone else began to step back, afraid to be involved in the fight.

The Saber God was about to run at the Spear God when a loud voice boomed from the sky. 『What is going on here?』 A huge pressure fell on them, destroying the auras of the three Martial Gods at the same time.

The Spear God felt dizzy and turned away. The Bow God put his bow down and tried to catch his breath, his face pale. The Saber God, who had been impacted the most, vomited blood and tried to regain his balance, but he had already gone down on one knee.

The Sword God quietly landed on the ground wearing a wooden lion mask that the One-horned tribe frequently wore. The four swords that were famous in the Tower circled him. 『What is the matter? Speak, Saber.』 The Sword God looked around and turned to the Saber God, his eyes blazing behind the mask. As a stickler for rules, he couldn't tolerate the Saber God’s actions.

The Saber God clenched his teeth and forced himself up. His magic power started to dry up, and he was only able to get by with the Neidan he’d taken from the Four Legendary Beasts. “I only want one thing. I just asked Fist to give it to me.”

The Sword God didn’t understand what the unmaterialistic Saber God might desire so much that he would go this far.『What does Fist have?』

“The stone.”

For a while, the Sword God was silent.

“Sword, so you do know something?” the Saber God asked. “I don’t even know what the stone is, but I need it.”

『Why?』

“Because they kidnapped my son.”

Everyone looked confused, but the Sword God’s eyes widened. The Saber God’s second-rate son, Hanbin, had been taken hostage, and the kidnappers were asking for the stone as ransom.

“Give it up! I will accept any punishment, but I must rescue my son first.” It was clear from the Saber God’s burning eyes that no one could stop him. However, the Sword God didn’t reply right away. He needed the stone too, but he couldn’t disregard someone as necessary as the Saber God either. The Sword God realized they had fallen into a ridiculous trap. He didn’t know who had set this up, but they’d done a spectacular job. It was obvious what would happen next, so the Sword God quickly collected his thoughts. 『I don’t understand the situation, so let’s calm down first and talk about it.』

“Every second is important to me!”

『I said to wait, Saber.』

The Saber God was going to shout some more, but he closed his mouth at the Sword God’s cold voice. The Sword God’s swords turned to surround the Saber God. There was a tremendous gap between their strengths, and the Saber God bit his lower lip. No matter how angry he was, he had to calm down. If he died before he got the stone, his son would die for sure. Also, the other players were in formation to attack him.

Frustrated, the Saber God threw down his swords, venting his anger. The Sword God took back his swords and relaxed.『Go to your room first and calm down. I’ll call for you once everything is sorted.』 He spoke respectfully, but it was a clear command.

The Saber God ground his teeth and returned to his room with his subordinates holding his hands behind his back.