Second Life Ranker

Although she was only a soul, all kinds of emotions flickered in her eyes. Yeon-woo didn’t miss it. ‘As I thought. There’s something I don’t know.’

His brother had written in detail about his experiences in the diary. It was crammed with so much information that it was a wonder how he had learned all of it. However, there were also some things that Yeon-woo didn’t understand, particularly the reason that he’d been betrayed. At first, he believed that the others had grown envious once his brother grew as strong as the Nine Kings. That was how his brother had recorded it in the diary, as well.

But now, Yeon-woo was beginning to have questions. ‘Jeong-woo had the Draconic Eyes. He couldn’t completely read others’ thoughts, but he could still see their emotions.’

Although Arthia might have grown wary of him, they had a firm foundation that wouldn’t crumble so easily. Leonte and Bahal were just fish in small ponds who grabbed the hands of the Nine Kings because they were jealous of Jeong-woo’s strength.

“And Vieira Dune hid herself through Mind Control. But it doesn’t make sense that the Nine Kings, who fought at the drop of a hat, would suddenly hold hands with each other. What happened?”

The Summer Queen’s eyes grew crafty. 「If I tell you…will you destroy me?」

“I’ll listen to what you have to say first.”

The Summer Queen spoke with a glare. 「It’s because of…the Soulstone.」

“Soulstone?” What was she talking about? Yeon-woo frowned at the unfamiliar name. 

「Heaven Wing had Luciel’s Soulstone.」

Yeon-woo was stunned speechless. Luciel was better known as Lucifer, the Lightbringer. Even though Luciel was a supernatural being, he wasn’t neither god nor demon, light nor darkness. He mostly roamed around until the gods and demons banded together to rip his wings off about a thousand years ago.

No one knew why or how, and there was only a short sentence in a legend about Luciel’s fall after losing his wings. The Soulstone was a remnant of this once-great being. If Jeong-woo had it…“You were greedy.” Yeon-woo laughed incredulously. The Summer Queen pressed her lips together. However, he could understand what they were trying to do. 

With Luciel’s Soulstone, a player could become a supernatural for the first time in the history of the Tower. Even if that didn’t happen, they would hold tremendous power. In the end, it had all come down to greed, like everything else. 

‘Why didn’t Jeong-woo tell me that?’ What was the secret around Luciel’s Soulstone that his brother didn’t even mention it in the diary? If that was the reason he’d been reduced to his miserable state, there was no reason why he wouldn’t say anything about it. Also, what had he been trying to do with it?

‘The gods and demons…know this too.’ It was hard to understand what went on in the minds of those who silently looked down from the ninety-eighth floor. They wouldn’t want Luciel to be resurrected after going through all that trouble of pulling his wings off. 

All kinds of thoughts flashed through his head, but Yeon-woo didn’t want to overthink it. Instead, he asked the Summer Queen a question. “What happened to the Soulstone? Where did it go?”

「I don’t know either.」

“What?”

The Summer Queen smirked. 「If I’d known, I would’ve taken it. And I wouldn’t be here like this. Right?」

They were back to where they started again. Yeon-woo’s eyes turned cold. “No. You must know.”

「What are you saying?」

“Think of every tiny detail. Then I’ll let you rest in peace.”

The Summer Queen struggled after hearing Yeon-woo’s words. Her chains became tighter again. 「That’s not what you promised! You said you would destroy me if I told you about it!」

“Then you should remember everything, then.”

「You!」

Yeon-woo ignored the Summer Queen’s scream and nodded at Boo. Boo slowly approached the Summer Queen and a dark shadow loomed over her.

* * *

A piercing scream rang from the location that Yeon-woo had just left. Yeon-woo glanced back only for a brief moment.

“The ninety-eighth floor will be in a mess.” Brahm had an evil look in his eyes. The death of the Summer Queen would be a hot topic among the gods and demons. Gods, demons, dragons, and giants. Two of the species that had once ruled the Tower were now extinct. He was especially curious what the demons would say since they were natural enemies of the dragons. 

Yeon-woo thought the reason he wasn’t getting any messages was that a serious atmosphere had appeared on the ninety-eighth floor. ‘Or it’s because of that Soulstone.’ Yeon-woo turned to Brahm. “Are you finished organizing?”

“There was nothing to do. Everything has already been neatly organized and cleaned. Still, there can’t be a greater goldmine than this. So I was thinking…” Brahm’s voice faded as he looked at Boo.

“Please tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Ahem! Can’t you make me a lab or a dungeon too? It’s not because I’m jealous. I mean, we gained a lot of things this time, so I need a new lab. And it would be nice for Sesha and Ananta after she wakes up. It’s definitely not because I’m envious or anything like that, but wouldn’t it be nice…?” Brahm babbled as though he were a bit embarrassed to bring it up. It was unlike him. 

Yeon-woo burst out laughing, amazed to see a new side of Brahm, whom he’d always seen as a very logical and detached person.

“Hey. It’s not funny. This definitely isn’t for me, but to help you in the future…!”

[The authority of the Outer Space, ‘Endless World of Night,’ has been given to Brahm.]

[A new function is available.]

[Currently, the destruction of the Outer Space ‘Endless World of Night’ is at 96.3%.]

[Begin the restoration process as soon as possible. The longer it is neglected, the sooner it will be completely destroyed.]

“And that’s why…eh?” Brahm’s eyes widened at the message that popped up in front of him. 

Yeon-woo said with a soft smile, “Wouldn’t cleaning this be of greater help? Actually, the condition is so bad that I don’t know where to start.”

In fact, the Endless World of Night was a pain in the ass for Yeon-woo since Red Dragon and the One-horned tribe had turned it into a land of devastation. However, he couldn’t just sell it either. There might be traces of Walpurgisnacht that they hadn’t discovered yet, and he was hesitant to give up an Outer Space like this. 

Outer Spaces had many uses. And Yeon-woo couldn’t shake off the idea of a clan house, and so he handed it over to Brahm. Brahm was skilled enough to create his own illusory world in the middle of a stage. Not only did he know alchemy, he also knew architecture. ‘If he can set the Outer Space up as an illusory world, that would be great, too. We can just change the original coordinates. Sesha and Ananta can stay here.’

With Boo in charge of growing and strengthening his forces, Brahm could take care of their internal affairs. Brahm coughed lightly after reading Yeon-woo’s mind. This was a greater responsibility than he expected, and he’d even have a larger lab than Boo. Brahm’s magic was on a larger scale than Boo’s, so he needed more space. “Ahem. As you wish. All right. I’ll take care of this Outer Space and restore it. Galliard isn’t busy with anything at the moment, so we can do it together.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. We’re all helping each other.” Brahm played along with Yeon-woo, who was boosting his mood. “But as you already know, the Endless World of Night is humongous since it was the world of witches. It’ll be quite expensive to restore…are you okay with that?”

“Why do you think I asked to be connected to By the Table?”

“Hm. You already have plans.”

“Yes, sir.”

Brahm’s eyes became thoughtful. “The path ahead won’t be easy. You’re basically exposed to the outside now.” After the events of the Endless World of Night, the entire Tower finally knew how strong the Hoarder was. He would have countless eyes on him when he moved again in the future.

“It’s all right.” Yeon-woo cut Brahm off firmly. “If they attack, I can just destroy them.”

“I feel better since you’re that confident. Anyway, I’ll be by your side on the path you’re taking.”

* * *

“Since we’re almost done, shouldn’t we pull out the main event now?” Brahm closed the status window of the Outer Space and looked at Yeon-woo. His eyes were calm. 

Yeon-woo nodded and waved his hand. A soul appeared up mid-air, and like the Summer Queen, black energy swirled around it, turning it into an evil spirit. Vieira Dune’s foggy features appeared. 

Since Vieira Dune wasn’t as powerful as the Summer Queen, she stood blankly without any reaction. Yeon-woo moved in front of her and took his mask off. Vieira Dune’s unfocused eyes suddenly came to life. 

「You!」 Vieira Dune shouted, but a shadow stretched out from the ground to bind her. She screamed in terror and fell to the ground. The energy of a Guai entered and left Vieira Dune’s body, sending her writhing with an incomparable pain that could only be inflicted to a spirit. It felt as though her body were being torn apart and stitched together over and over. The burning sensation made her wish for destruction.

「Urrgh. Urgh!」

Yeon-woo looked coldly at Vieira Dune. He didn’t want to talk to her at all. “Would you like to go first, then?”