Second Life Ranker

Yeon-woo grinned because the letter was just like Kahn. He’d disappeared and never showed himself even when Yeon-woo had looked for him, and yet this was how. He started his letter.

The letter was long, and the first section mostly asked after Yeon-woo. Kahn only shared what had happened to him towards the end.

“Actually, after that day, I became very busy. I made a deal with the Devil Army.”

Yeon-woo’s expression hardened, and his eyes flashed. A deal with the Devil Army wasn’t something to be taken lightly. ‘Victoria said that their pursuers and Kahn were gone when she woke up.’

There weren’t any details about Kahn’s deal with the Devil Army. All he said was not to worry about him and that he was doing fine.

“Anyway, I left for the first time in a long while to meet my damned father, and I heard that you were asking around for me, so I thought I’d write to you.

“I heard that you do deals here, too? Dang. I’m getting this done through connections, but you’re really amazing, huh?”  

Yeon-woo lifted his eyes to look at Atran. He didn’t say anything, but Atran shook his head as if he knew what he was going to ask. “You already know that we’re extremely discreet about our customers. However, depending on the person, some restrictions are relaxed. Sir Kahn is of the nobility, and it was fine to tell him that you had a contract with us, whereas his is a secret. In fact, we don’t even know it that well.”

Unless Kahn was stupid, he would have made a direct deal with By the Table since he was trying to stay off the grid. 

“You probably have a lot of questions, but this is all I can say. Remember how you were hiding a lot from me in the beginning? Please see it in that way.

“But I’m doing fine, so don’t worry, and deliver my greetings to Victoria. I’ll come when I’m done with things here, OK? Stay well until then.” 

Kahn’s letter ended on that note. Where was he, and what was he doing? What deal did he make with the Devil Army? Why couldn’t he find anything about Doyle? And what happened between the two of them? Yeon-woo sighed as he folded the letter. 

He didn’t know if Kahn really was doing well or if he was just pretending to be in order to cover up the trouble he was in. ‘At least he could write to me.’

And he learned something new: ‘So Kahn is the son of the Iron Lion.’ Iron Lion Clan was the mercenary clan Yeon-woo had briefly encountered during the battle with Walpurgisnacht. He didn’t know that their leader was Kahn’s father. It wasn’t a secret but since Yeon-woo hadn’t checked Kahn’s background, he didn’t know about it. ‘If anything happens, I can look for him through Iron Lion.’

He hoped that wherever Kahn was, he was doing well. At the same time, he was growing worried about Doyle and wondered how he was doing. 

* * *

“Aaaack! Spare me! Please! Please!”

“Hehehe. I’ve always wanted to eat a centaur at least once. I heard their livers are so good…I wonder how it tastes.”

Centaurs were creatures who were half-human and half-horse. They were native to the thirty-second floor, but there weren’t that many of them. Also, they were quite reclusive, and so it was difficult to meet one. However, because of their unmatched strength, whenever they did appear, they always drew attention. 

Natahan was a centaur who’d left because he didn’t like the small society of his fellow centaurs, and he managed to become one of Red Dragon’s Eighty-One Oculus. There was hardly anyone in the Tower who didn’t know of the Red-Eyed Archer. When Natahan returned to his hometown, the looks in the eyes of his friends made him feel proud.

However, his mother didn’t approve, and she kept telling him to quit and free himself. He would be in danger if he continued since centaurs didn’t belong on a dark battlefield but out in a large, open field.

Natahan had shouted at his mother, telling her that she didn’t know anything. Her nagging annoyed him. He was successful and progressing well, so why was his mother so worried? It was stressful and he hated it.

However, when he was at death’s door, all Natahan could remember were his mother’s concerned eyes. Her words about returning home echoed in his ears as he looked at the smiling Gluttony Emperor, who looked like a demon. ‘Mother, I’m sorry…!’

Puk! The Gluttony Emperor’s hand pierced into Natahn’s lower abdomen. He didn’t resist because the Gluttony Emperor’s predatory aura had made him lose all will to fight. The Gluttony Emperor pushed his face into the wound. He could see the quivering liver, and he used his canines to bite away the thick veins and swallowed everything up. It was all a delicacy to him.  

The sight of the Gluttony Emperor eating the centaur alive might have been disgusting, but the two dukes who protected him, Duke Tuan Tien and Duke Moglay, were expressionless as they kept their eyes on Natahan.

Blood Land had suffered huge losses when Duke Ardbad and Duke Robera died at the hands of the Spring Queen. They entered an official war with White Dragon, and the first thing the Gluttony Emperor and the two Dukes did was to hunt the previous Eight-One Oculus. 

Now that Natahan, the Summer Queen’s former right-hand man, was dead, the damages to both sides were balanced. Of course, this wasn’t the end. If the Gluttony Emperor were satisfied with such trifling matters, he wouldn’t have started the war. He was going to work with Black Dragon to bring down White Dragon. He wanted only one thing: ‘To eat the Spring Queen’s heart.’

The Gluttony Emperor’s desire to try dragon meat hadn’t faded away. He also still nursed a small desire to eat one of the One-horned tribe after the Martial King beat him up in the past. If he ate the Spring Queen’s heart, he would be eating both a dragon and a member of the One-horned tribe. Where else would he find a fun prey like her?

Crunch, crunch!

“Mmm.” The Gluttony Emperor slowly lifted his head after he finished eating. His face and clothes were covered in blood. He wiped his face with the handkerchief Duke Tuan Tien gave him and grinned. It was a smile of satisfaction from a good meal. Red energy gathered around his eyes and vanished. 

Predation and Digestion were skills that the Gluttony Emperor used to build up the magic power and Factors that he consumed. It was one of the best energy drain skills, along with Bathory’s Vampiric Sword. “Usually, centaurs don’t taste good because they have a lot of fat from being raised in farms. But this one was quite muscular and tasted good.”

“That’s a relief, sir.”

“But it won’t be as good as dragon meat. I want to eat steak made of dragon meat! And how thrilling would wine made of Dragon Blood must be! I must eat it someday!”

The more delicacies he ate, the greater his obsession for dragon meat grew. 

“It seems that won’t be too far off.” Duke Tuan Tien handed him another handkerchief. 

“Ah, is there good news?”

“Black Dragon said they plan on attacking White Dragon. Green Dragon is also planning to attack White Dragon, and they want us to help.” 

“Another attack, hm? Well, that’s fun in its own way.”

The struggle of the three splinter clans of Red Dragon was still ongoing. Clans like Blood Land and the Elohim kept an eye out for a chance to interfere as soon as they could.

New clans were emerging because the large clans were focused only on each other, and there were great battles every day. It was becoming difficult to tell ally from enemy. However, at the moment, the Gluttony Emperor had no plans to betray anyone. His desire to take revenge for his subordinate and to eat dragon meat had turned to obsession. If he saw an opportunity, he would take it. “Good. Tuan Tien, focus on the coming fight. It’ll be a true buffet. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Duke Tuan Tien, the second-in-command of Blood Land, left with his mind full of the orders he would have to give out. Duke Moglay took his place. 

“Your Majesty, the news you have been waiting for has just arrived.”

“News?”

“Our close friend, the Hoarder, has apologized for being too busy in the past, and he’s now hoping to visit Your Majesty.”

“What? Why are you only telling me that now?!” The Gluttony Emperor’s face flushed. He jumped up from his seat. “What are you doing? You should be getting ready to return to the castle now! An important visitor is coming, and we need to be prepared. A feast! Prepare a feast!”

* * *

After Yeon-woo passed a message through Atran to Blood Land about his plans to visit, he went to the One-horned tribe. 

“I’ll be waiting here since outsiders aren’t allowed.” After sending Yeon-woo off, Creutz set up a light barrier and began to rest. He hadn’t had a chance to do so ever since they left Tartarus. Yeon-woo immediately went to Brahm. 

“Is there any Dragon Blood left over?”

“Yes, a bit.” Brahm looked at Yeon-woo with a surprised face. “If you’re talking about the Summer Queen’s blood, I’ve used most of it.” There were many uses for Dragon Blood since treasure with that much magic power was rare. Brahm had used it to purify Vigrid, rebuild the Outer Space, and make different magical items. “You said to use it without any hesitation and not to scrimp on important things.”

It was natural for Brahm to be surprised by Yeon-woo’s question. He felt like he was being interrogated, and it was an unpleasant feeling. However, Yeon-woo only looked satisfied. “That means there’s still some left.”

“Only a small amount.”

“That’s good. If you need it for something, just give me a diluted amount. Or you can pass on whatever’s left after you’re done using it.”

Brahm realized Yeon-woo was planning something again. Interest filled his face. “Where are you planning on using it?”

“I’m going to give it to the Gluttony Emperor.”

“What?” Brahm frowned slightly. The Gluttony Emperor had chased after Sesha, but Yeon-woo was going to give him a present? Before a misunderstanding occurred, Yeon-woo calmly explained his idea, and Brahm looked astonished. Then, he smirked. 

“So, you’re going to give him the leftover blood and get Jamshid’s Liquor in return?”

“Yes, that is right.”

“Do you know what Jamshid’s Liquor is? It’s even more expensive than Dragon Blood among fanatics.” 

Jamshid’s Liquor wasn’t simply wine. It held the magic power of an ancient king, and its value as an elixir was outstanding. 

“We don’t even have much left, and you only want to give him our leftovers…”

“The value of an item is subjective.”

“I suppose.” Brahm clucked his tongue, thinking of the Gluttony Emperor’s obsession for Dragon Blood and dragon meat. “In that case, wait here a moment.” Brahm stood and left for his lab. When he came back, he tossed a tightly corked flask to Yeon-woo.  

Yeon-woo caught it and looked at the red blood inside the flask.

“I diluted it and mixed it with a bunch of other stuff. I made it taste exactly like blood so that fool will like it.”

The Gluttony Emperor will probably enjoy it. 

“And this is dragon meat. I was saving it in case of an emergency, so take as much as you want.” Brahm put a big pouch on the table.

Yeon-woo accepted it. “Thank you.”

“They’re all yours anyway. Also...” Brahm’s eyes flashed. “Do you think it’s true that they can find Jeong-woo’s soul?”

“I’m not sure. But it seems like his soul is definitely not in the Beyond. So…”

“You have to create Kynee as quickly as you can. Is that it?”

“Yes.”

Brahm nodded heavily. “Hades—that guy didn’t leave Olympus often, so I didn’t see him much myself. However, he has a lot of pride and is very responsible when it comes to his duties. That’s probably why he’s still in Tartarus.” Then, his eyes narrowed. “But it’s a bit strange. He could’ve asked all of Olympus for assistance. Why…”

Although Hades had a strong sense of responsibility, he wasn’t the kind of person who would let things deteriorate so much. Was something preventing him from asking for help?

Yeon-woo had thought of this as well, so he nodded in agreement. “In my home world, we have a saying that goes something like ‘One hundred people, one hundred colors’. It means that each person has their own troubles. There’s no need to interfere with what the gods are up to. I will only focus on Kynee.”

“I used to live under the rule of the laws of causality. You don’t have to lecture me.”

Yeon-woo and Brahm conversed a little more before Yeon-woo glanced at another room where Ananta sat on a rocking chair. Her eyes were still empty. “Can I speak with Ananta for a moment?”

“I’d be grateful if you did. Ananta won’t be bored then.”

He entered Ananta’s room. There was a blanket with a cute pattern of bears on her knees. It was Sesha’s blanket, and it seemed like she had given it to Ananta to make her more comfortable.

Yeon-woo grinned and knelt so that he and Ananata would be eye to eye. Clack! He took off his mask and looked at Ananta in the eye, showing her the same face that Jeong-woo had. “Ananta.”