Second Life Ranker

『What kind of crap is that?』

Yeon-woo and Kahn turned to Victoria. The other two Sadhu that Yeon-woo hadn’t met yet were also greatly shocked and staring at her. The trees on the mountaintop shook violently from the turbulence of their thoughts.  

『I’ll tell you the details here, come to Kindred’s house. Even if you don’t want to come, just—』 Victoria stopped speaking.

Kahn shut his mouth. He had just mustered up the courage to tell Yeon-woo about Doyle, but he’d lost his chance. Yeon-woo looked too confused to listen to him. ‘Dead? The bishop of the Devil Army? How?’

***

『Sigh...』 Victoria leaned back in her chair, still shaken. The stories about Kindred had begun to fade after he’d been on the twentieth floor for ten years, but those who remembered him still trembled in fear at the sound of his name. He had killed people with a mischievous laugh, humming to himself as he left a trail of bloodshed.

Victoria knew that Kindred was the Second Bishop of the Devil Army and very strong. When she’d first arrived at the fifth mountain, she’d been exceedingly cautious not to do anything to annoy him; he frightened her too much.

However, the more time she spent on the mountain, the more her impression of Kindred changed. He turned out to be fierce but respectful. He never forced anything on others and didn’t proselytize. He even helped Victoria out a few times, and he was a surprisingly good listener.

As long as she didn’t impose on him, he was a good neighbor. Although Victoria still feared him somewhat, she saw him as a close acquaintance. It was likely that Kindred saw her in the same manner because he’d asked her to do something for him before his death.  

『You have magic that can track me, don’t you?』

『I haven’t done any—』

『I’m not accusing you of anything. I only want to know if you can track me. Can you?』

『Yes.』

『I’d like to ask you for a favor.』

Kindred had never asked her for anything before, so she was very startled by his request to cast tracking magic on him and retrieve his corpse if the connection was severed. Victoria didn’t understand why Kindred was talking about dying, but Kindred stopped her from asking questions. He simply said that she would learn everything if he died.  

‘He said that he would set things up so that all the quests he had would be given to me.’ Kindred mentioned that his quest had an advanced tier, and she could either finish it or reject it. It was his payment for retrieving his corpse.

‘How is it possible that a high ranker would die on the twentieth floor?’ There had been deaths on the twentieth floor before since many people found themselves in dangerous situations after losing their senses. However, Kindred was someone who’d cleared the seventy-sixth floor. What were the contents of his quest? What was hidden on the twentieth floor that could do this to him?

Victoria’s mind was full of confused thoughts, but one thing was clear: Kindred had died while searching for that object. If it had been that dangerous for him, she wasn’t sure she had the ability to retrieve his corpse on her own, and so she decided to seek help from the other Sadhu.

She soon felt a heavy atmosphere descending around Kindred’s house, and she slowly got to her feet.

***

‘So this is what Kindred’s house looks like.’ Yeon-woo was surprised to see how neat and tidy the hut was. The trees were trimmed, and stones had been arranged in a pleasing pattern. Yeon-woo could feel his mind relaxing just looking at the house.

It was hard to believe that a bishop of the Devil Army enjoyed a hobby like this. Maybe it was how he relieved stress. Kahn also looked surprised; he was probably thinking the same thing.

Soon, two other presences quickly arrived— the rest of the Sadhu. Although they weren’t as powerful as Kindred, they were still very strong. One was a high ranker with boyish, chin-length hair and a fierce gaze. She was called Rebecca, and she was an Apostle who served the god of hunting, Cernunnos.

The other Sadhu was middle-aged with pale skin and sharp teeth. She looked more dead than alive, and Yeon-woo realized that she was a vampire. They were the most intelligent out of the undead, and a few of them were players, like this one, who was called Sol Luna. She was a skilled swordswoman, who used her power as a vampire for martial arts. She was also known as Ghost Sword.

Kindred’s death had managed to shock them enough to leave their houses.

『So you’re the one who interrupted my rest.』 Sol Luna glanced at Yeon-woo with a frown, her voice full of hostility. Yeon-woo was about to ask her what she meant when Victoria opened the door. 『Come in.』

Rebecca and Kahn slipped inside. Sol Luna gave Yeon-woo one more glare and followed them. Yeon-woo entered last. 

The inside of the house was just as neat as the outside. It was filled with plants and trees, and there was no evidence that Kindred was from the Devil Army at all.

『Sit wherever you feel comfortable. I feel like this might take a while.』

Yeon-woo and the Sadhu hesitated before choosing their seats. Yeon-woo and Kahn sat close to each other. Everyone’s eyes focused on Victoria, but no one spoke until Rebecca asked, 『You said Kindred is dead. What happened? Who could be strong enough to kill him?』

『I don’t know.』

Rebecca’s frown deepened. 『Are you jo—』

『I’m not joking. I’m more surprised than any of you.』 Victoria explained what Kindred had asked her to do, and Rebecca’s face grew even sterner.

『You’re saying that Kindred had a feeling he’d die, and you don’t know whether or not you can honor his last request?』

『Right. This is the quest I received after Kindred died. Here, I’ll share it so you can take a look.』 Victoria waved her hand and a message popped up in front of everyone.

[Victoria wants to share a hidden quest. It is a quest that you can reject after confirmation. Would you like to confirm?]

Yeon-woo thought it over. Something felt a little strange about Kindred’s death and this unfulfilled quest, but he didn’t have any reason not to confirm, so he accepted. A new message opened. 

[The hidden quest (Monkey King’s Palace) is being revealed.]

[Hidden Quest / Monkey King’s Palace][Description: The Mountains of Penance on the 20th floor are also known as the Five Elements Mountains. There is a legend that the Monkey King was sealed in the mountains after his rage led him to cause trouble in the heavens.His anger at his imprisonment lingers in the mountains, and they are now a place for penances. However, the climbers of the mountains have forgotten that the Monkey King was once sealed there.Find traces of the Monkey King, and you will gain his legacy.][Rewards:1. Title ‘Successor of the Monkey King’2. Clues about the Ruyi Bang3. 72 Bian + ???]

『Is this what I think it is?』 Rebecca’s eyes widened in disbelief. The other players had the same reaction.

「Wow, this is crazy! I never thought this actually existed.」

「Hmm.」

As Shanon and Hanryeong watched through the Black Bracelet, they couldn’t help speaking up out of shock.

‘Monkey King? Does this have something to do with Sun Wukong?’