Second Life Ranker

Yeon-woo lifted his head and looked around. Magic power poured out of him and he suddenly grew exhausted, but the Philosopher’s Stone spun fiercely and supplied him with energy again. ‘I missed a bit.’

He had activated Precognition to immobilize all the attacks and even get rid of his enemies. Vigrid split through the imperfections accurately, but it didn’t make it all the way to the last point. The timing of Time Difference and Precognition hadn’t matched perfectly, and his opponents had more hidden skills than he expected. ‘Well, at least I managed to observe the skills of the rookes, so it wasn’t a complete waste.’

The players had scattered from the explosion of the black Aura, their faces filled with shock. Creutz looked at his hand. His skin had split open, and his palm was a bloody mess. His holy sword Zulfikar was shaking as though it would break any second. Half of the holy power inside of it had evaporated from protecting him. He realized that this was why the clan leader had told him to treat Yeon-woo with the utmost respect. Creutz nodded at his clan leader’s insight. 

If he had tried to force Yeon-woo like the Ninety-Second Squad had? Not only would he have been in trouble, he would have even the Illusion Knightage down with him. He understood why Yeon-woo was considered the best of the Six New Stars despite only reaching the lowest floor. A person like that definitely needed to be recruited by the Fantasy Regiment. 

Creutz’s hand throbbed from pain as much as his head throbbed from all his thoughts, but he was glad that a person like Yeon-woo was an ally. It was a relief that he had trusted Yeon-woo and pulled back his sword, which lessened his injuries. Creutz knelt on one knee and prayed, kissing the jewel in the center of the holy sword Zulfikar. 

〈Wishful Prayer〉

Holy power activated again and wrapped around him, healing him at a quick pace. It was a prayer for his holy sword and Yeon-woo. As Creutz chanted, Doctor Doom vomited blood. He tried to swallow it down, but he had to suffer the penalty of the failure of using dozens of magic spells at the same time. 

‘What…is that?’ He clenched his teeth looking at the eyes floating above Yeon-woo’s head. It was a silent power that was pressuring his soul. It wasn’t that his soul was only being squashed, even all of his magic was being sealed away. He couldn’t use his abilities, and he had to find a way to escape from that power.

“I’ll push this to later.” At those words, Doctor Doom pulled out a scroll and tore it in half. He glowed with light and suddenly disappeared. He had gone to rest and heal his injuries. 

“Hehehe. How amusing. I’m very satisfied. I don’t have to worry about what’s next.” Faceless, who was farthest away, chuckled maniacally. From the outside, they seemed untouched, and their energy was even more relaxed than Yeon-woo’s. Faceless had only gotten involved to get rid of Benteke and Triton, but now they realized that their assistance wasn’t necessary. Yeon-woo could do the job all on his own. ‘Of course, I’ll still have to get that guy later.’

Faceless observed Yeon-woo through their bandages. Before Faceless had been wrapped in bandages, they had seen Yeon-woo before, but Yeon-woo was a lot stronger now. If Yeon-woo continued growing like this, he would become a great nuisance. “I’ll remember you, Hoarder.” Faceless spoke in the voice of a young woman and lightly kicked off the ground, disappearing like air. 

Yeon-woo didn’t chase after Faceless. He just looked at the complex imperfections around Faceless. ‘It’s definitely just one person. But it looks like they’re tied up with multiple people. Who is Faceless?’ Humans each had their own wavelength because each individual had only one soul.  

However, Faceless had multiple wavelengths. Sometimes, it was three. Other times, it suddenly exceeded ten, and sometimes, it shrunk down to one. It was as though hundreds of people were intricately twisted inside a single body. That seemed to be the reason why their attitude and voice changed a lot as well.

Faceless was also the one who sustained the least injuries. Before Yeon-woo’s black Aura had exploded, Faceless had already wrapped their bandages around their body and rushed to the area where the blast would be weakest. Their ability to read the battle was outstanding, and even Yeon-woo found it hard to follow. Faceless was at least an expert with a hidden ability or even something beyond that. 

Yeon-woo felt wary of Faceless, but he just shrugged it off and looked at Jinrang, propping himself up with his sword. There was a pool of blood under him. “Sh-shit…”

The attack managed to chase Faceless and Doctor Doom away, but Yeon-woo had been aiming for Jinrang. Jinrang felt an excruciating pain from having half of Orion’s power blown away. He hadn’t even been able to fight properly, and he had already fallen. The remaining holy power in his body was leaking like a pot with a hole in it. The vessel had broken. 

Triton was just as damaged. Their entire headquarters was in ruins. Benteke still hadn’t revealed himself even though they were now in a desperate situation. Jinrang glared at Yeon-woo, who stood right before him. Jinrang didn’t want to show any weakness. He knew that one of them had to die, but he wanted to stand tall until the end, like Lana.

Yeon-woo put his left hand around Jinrang’s neck. Jinrang’s fiery eyes settled and his breath stopped as Bathory’s Vampiric Sword sucked up Orion’s holy power. 

[‘Bathory’s Vampiric Sword’ skill proficiency has increased. 61.2%]

[You have absorbed vitality.]

[You have absorbed magic power.]

[You have absorbed holy power.]

…..

[You have gained ‘Orion’s Energy.’ You are automatically absorbing Divine Factors.]

The Divine Factors inside him amplified once more. 

“Lord Jinrang!”

“Get away from him!”

The players of Triton were furious, thinking that Yeon-woo was desecrating the corpse of their superior. If Benteke was the patriarch who led them, Jinrang was the maternal figure who took care of everything else. 

However, the players of Triton couldn’t attack Yeon-woo because the Illusion Knightage was blocking their path. Once again, another battle began but early on, victory was already clearly on the side of the Illusion Knightage. Triton’s players looked for Benteke desperately. 

“Captain! Captain!”

“Lord Benteke! Please! Please!”

“Poseidon…!”

Creutz finished his prayer and got up. His armor had been restored and was shining again. “I’ll stop them myself. I hope you concentrate on finishing your fight with Benteke, Cain.”

Yeon-woo nodded and moved into the castle. Sixty percent of it had been blown away, and it couldn’t even be described as a castle anymore. However, the holy power at its center was heavier than ever. ‘That is probably Poseidon’s temple.’

Since Triton was an organization created from Poseidon’s Factors and grace, they naturally would have a temple for him. Yeon-woo raised his foot and stamped on the ground. Boom! The magic power in his foot made the ground below him crumble, creating a path underground.

When he jumped down, a large iron door met Yeon-woo’s eyes. ‘It’s big.’

It was probably about ten meters high, and it was thick, too. The holy mural on the door was also very bright. It showed the twelve Olympians and the other gods of Olympus battling the Titans. Each character moved as though it were alive. If Yeon-woo had seen the painting for the first time, he would have exclaimed in awe, but he’d seen the very same painting before. ‘The door of the Olympus Treasury.’ It was almost the exact same image he’d seen after collecting all twelve keys. 

In that painting, Zeus with his lightning was the figure that stood out, but here, Poseidon with his waves looked more dramatic and the focus of attention. Something colossal and strong moved behind the door. It was like Poseidon’s holy power but also not. 

The threatening aura pressed Yeon-woo’s shoulders down as if forcing him to surrender.

[An unknown voice is taking over your mind. You are being afflicted with the status ‘Stun’.]

[Your trait, Cold-blooded, has helped you maintain composure.]  

[The status 'Stun' has been removed. The unknown voice has disappeared.]  

[You have been released from the pressure.]

He managed to push it away using the Cold-blooded trait, but something dangerous was still lurking there. He didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he could faintly feel Benteke’s energy inside, too. Had something happened to him? Yeon-woo held up his hand with hard eyes. He was surprised when it slid open easily to reveal a dusty great hall.

Murals filled the walls and domed ceiling portraying Poseidon raising hurricanes and tidal waves. Benteke sat at an altar in the center of the room. The bronze braziers next to him burned with a blue fire, revealing Benteke’s thin, exhausted face. “So…you made it. Kehalhalhal. I was right. You’re a crazy bastard, like me.”

Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes when he entered the hall. “What happened to your arm?”

“Oh, this?” Benteke raised his right arm. It had taken a while to recover because Yeon-woo absorbed it, but it looked normal now. “What do you think? Isn’t it awesome?” However, despite his jovial tone, his face was filled with annoyance. He unwrapped the bandages around his right arm. It began to shift into the form of a blue wave. “My damned god gave me this ridiculous gift saying that I’m too weak. It’s such a stupid thing.”

“A clump of holy power.”

“Yeah. That’s right.” Poseidon had given him this arm through their Channel instead of Triaina. However, Benteke accepted it, not realizing that it wasn’t an ordinary holy artifact. “Because of this damned clump, I can’t leave this place.”

Poseidon had sent a part of his holy power, which Benteke hadn’t realized. He’d simply accepted the synchronization with Poseidon only to end up fighting for control over his own body.

Poseidon was trying to steal Benteke’s body. It was horrible for Benteke; he didn’t even like Poseidon descending into him. He couldn’t allow Poseidon to take him over completely. An Apostle was the holy flesh and manifestation of a god, but they were still a separate being. However, Poseidon hadn’t accepted this.  

“You can’t even kill him. Look at you. How can you fight the king of the dead as a living being?! It’s impossible for you. You managed to escape, but you cannot expect the same to happen in the future. Come to me, shadow! I’ll lead your soul to the temple I rule and guarantee you a high position!”

In the end, Benteke won the fight since there was a limit to Poseidon’s powers due to the laws of causality. Still, he was also quite injured. Half of his body had been consumed by holy power, and even now, it still tried to take control of him. If he lost focus for even a moment, it would be the end. It had also taken up too much of his time. “Also, I’m completely bound to this place. Since this damned arm is made of holy power, I can’t leave the temple.”

Just as gods couldn’t leave their holy territory, neither could Benteke. As soon as he left, he would lose all his power or die. It was a damned curse. “Kehalhalhal! A guard dog that protects the gates is better off than this!” Benteke thought that Poseidon had been planning this from the beginning. He wanted to force Benteke to stay because Yeon-woo was coming.

Due to this scheme, Benteke had lost many of his precious subordinates: Jinrang, Ted, Elaine. They all had different plans for the future, but they were still like family to him. He was furious at Poseidon. His followers were dying, but Poseidon didn’t blink an eye. Was it because humans were like flies to a god? Was it because they were nothing in the face of immortality?

“You, what did you do for our god to hate you so much?” Benteke cursed the power of the god he had carelessly accepted, thinking that he could become stronger. He hoped that Yeon-woo could cleanse him of this curse, although it was possibly karma for being so arrogant while killing his own lover. 

“Something.” Yeon-woo replied slowly as he aimed Vigrid at Benteke. As he activated the option, a powerful energy started to wrap around him. Before he kicked off the ground, Yeon-woo finally realized why Poseidon didn’t like him and wanted him dead. 

It wasn’t simply because he had talked about killing a god. There was a greater issue than that. ‘The Black King.’ Yeon-woo’s eyes darkened. ‘Poseidon is scared of me having the Black King’s power.’

With those thoughts, Yeon-woo kicked off, leaving the ground cracked and crumbling. 

Boom!