Second Life Ranker

『Kahn!』 Victoria ran forward to hug Kahn, but her body passed through his. 『What is…?』

『It’s a shadow he’s left behind.』 Yeon-woo muttered, looking at the fading Kahn. It was an illusion made using the Seventy-Two Bian. This and the message that Kahn had placed in the letter seemed to prove that Kahn was better than Yeon-woo in Bian studies.

Kahn’s shadow smiled bitterly and he bent down to look Victoria in the eye. 『Are you all right, noona?』

『You…!』

『Sorry I left in such a rush back then. But I guess I’m a lucky person, huh? I have friends who’ll jump into danger for me.』 Kahn laughed brightly like he usually did and turned to Yeon-woo. 『Since Kindred might notice, I’ll get straight to the point.』

Yeon-woo nodded.

『You heard the details from Nike, right?』

『Yeah.』

Nike was currently with Kahn, and he was relaying information from Kahn to Yeon-woo about the sacrificial vessel and how Kahn was trying to rescue Doyle from the Devil Army. Kahn had been suffering through a difficult trial and couldn’t tell anyone what was happening. Through Nike, Yeon-woo explained his plans to Kahn.  

『I left this shadow behind to ask you for a favor.』

『What is it?』

『It’s…』 Kahn opened his mouth to speak.

* * *

『So it’s here.』 Ivan squinted at the narrow entrance of the cave. It looked like an abyss that would suck everything inside. He couldn’t sense anything from it even though he sent his Consciousness inside.

『Yes. He definitely went in there.』 Jonathan nodded next to him. 

The alliance had restructured under Ivan’s command. They had waited for Yeon-woo to find Kahn, figuring that it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

Faceless and Doctor Doom didn’t say anything since they weren’t planning to be at the frontlines, and Nocturn was indifferent as always. Ivan frowned at their disinterested attitude.

『We’re heading in.』 However, because they weren’t actually doing anything wrong, he couldn’t scold them or take them to task. He decided to do that after everything was finished. Right now, he had to focus on catching Yeon-woo and Kahn. Now that they had cornered the two in a small location, it would be easier to catch them.

At Ivan’s command, 300 of the strongest players queued up and began to march into the cave.

『It’s really ominous.』

『Has this place always been here?』

The players frowned as they looked around. No matter how much they expanded their Consciousness, they couldn’t feel anything other than their own selves and the people near them. It was like walking in the dead of night without any light. Although they prided themselves on not being frightened by most things, anxiety began to creep into their hearts.

『Sir, will you be all right?』 A hooded magician quietly approached Doctor Doom and whispered. There were many magicians among the 300 players that Ivan had sent in, from Necropolis’ black magicians to the best ones of each Magic Tower.

However, that didn’t mean they were strong fighters or good at combat, especially in this dark hidden stage where a rash movement could spell one’s doom. To the magicians, the cave that Yeon-woo and Kahn had entered was filled with mysteries. The path ahead twisted wildly, and no matter how many tracking spells they cast, they all disappeared in thin air.

They were worried that if they shot out more of their Consciousness, the cave might steal their souls. Since they were magicians, they knew that they were facing emptiness or a space called the Void. In fact, it couldn’t even be called a space. There was nothing there at all.

They couldn’t understand why Yeon-woo and Kahn had entered it, but they were sure that if they followed the two into the Void, they would be in danger.

『There was nothing inauspicious in today’s card.』

『Then…』

『But there wasn’t anything good, either.』

Doctor Doom’s eyes flashed. 『This means our fate today depends on our own actions. And without Bian, we won’t have any divinations in the future.』

『Yes, sir. I said something I shouldn’t have. I apologize.』

The different fields of magic split up and combined again. Magicians walked what they believed was their individual path of truth, but recently, the Magic Towers had gone through a change and wanted to combine all their powers. The most recent upheavals in the Tower had affected the Magic Towers, and they decided that they needed a new start.

Each Magic Tower had sent their strongest to create a new organization: Necropolis. And they assigned Doctor Doom, who was familiar with all magic, to lead them. ‘But it’s more dangerous now than ever to create a new path.’

It wasn’t easy to merge the different paths of magic into one. The knowledge, formation, and basis of magic were different. To overcome their limits, they needed new knowledge. In Doctor Doom’s eyes, the answer was Bian. It was the hidden card that would help grow their magic past its limits. ‘Unless Faust’s Mage Technique comes back.’

Faust’s Mage Techniques and De Roy’s Demonic studies had been groundbreaking fields of magic that had expanded the horizons of magic studies. Some said that in order to gain his knowledge, Faust had even devoured the demon and monster king Mephistopheles. After he disappeared, he became a person who only appeared in legends. His power was the root of the divination that Doctor Doom frequently checked, and it was what he had promised himself to achieve. 

『Even if we can’t obtain Bian studies, we can’t let anyone else get it.』 Doctor Doom looked at Faceless, who was laughing like a lunatic, and Nocturn, whom he couldn’t read. Most players in the alliance were after either the Bian or honor, but he couldn’t tell why those two had come. He couldn’t help feeling wary of them, especially Faceless, who seemed like a combination of many different people. They were the person that Doctor Doom considered the most dangerous. 

『Hm?』 He cast magic in an attempt to search inside the cage again and his eyes widened. 『What’s this?』 There was nothing at all around him. 『The divination didn’t say anything about this!』

The subordinate he had just been speaking to was gone. All he felt was darkness. Vines of the Void from inside of the cave wrapped around him. 『Hup!』 Doctor Doom whipped around as magic circles appeared in the air and destroyed the attacks from the darkness.

However, the impact was so great that Doctor Doom was blown away, blood spilling from his mouth. Magic power quickly circulated around his body, knitting his broken bones together. His dislocated shoulder spun back into the right position as shock filled his face. What was that?

「You…read…that? Impressive.」 Two lines in the air opened up to reveal blue flames. 「Is…that…the heart…of another…species…Sephiroth Kabbalah…Mysterious…studies…into…a magic…circle…Has…the…world…improved…that…much?」

Doctor Doom’s eyes trembled when he heard the accurate description of how his signature skill, Random Magic Circle Release, was created. How had it been recognized so quickly? When he looked at the Inferno Sight in the air, his mind went black. It was the creature that had bound his magic power, magic circles, and his divination on the thirtieth floor. Those eyes! The monster had trapped over 300 players in the emptiness and isolated him. 『What are you…?』

「Ah…you’re…not…a mutant.」 Another secret had been discovered. Doctor Doom calmed his trembling hand and flicked his thumb. Ten magic circles floated over him. The Inferno Sight narrowed and muttered in contempt, like a child watching ants 「You’re…a toy…trying to…imitate…me. How…amusing…such…a fool.」

What? Imitate who?

「Besides…that…you’re…trying to…interfere…with…Master’s…plans. I’ll…punish…you…for your…foolishness.」 The Inferno Sight flamed up and expanded. 「Shall…we?」

Boom! Doctor Doom felt as though the space around him was being forced apart. When he came to his senses, his limbs had been twisted, and the magic circles around him were all cracked. ‘No…that is…’ After realizing Boo’s identity, the shock was greater than the pain he felt. 

A similar scene was taking place in the opposite section of the cave. 

『Dreams…dusk.』 At Nemesis’ words, the Void settled and separated the players. Yeon-woo was the only person who knew how everything was set up in the Monkey King’s Palace, from the entrance to the quarters in the center. It was a trap he had made because he knew that the Void was always in the air. 

『Aaack!』

『What’s this?!』

『Aack! Save me!』

Players lost control as the Guai poured out of the darkness. Crunch, crunch! They were slaughtered. No matter how much they tried to resist, the Guai melted back into the Void and returned to attack their blind spots. As soon as they were injured, poison spread around their bodies.

Clack, clack! Rumble! The abyss began to open in different places. Ashy fog spewed out, and an undead army of skeletons, ghouls, and zombies appeared.

[Dungeon Release]

Boo’s hidden dungeon had opened up.

『What is this?!』 Ivan ripped away the darkness that kept sticking to him only to see the countless undead filling up the cave. His face hardened at the bizarre phenomenon. 

At that moment, pieces of the Void gathered into a large shape that shocked even the seasoned Ivan. Boom! A red and black foot stamped. Wings of bones spread apart, and a horrible toxic gas floated over towards him. Although it was only a skeleton, its aura was as powerful as when it had been alive. Graaah! The Bone Dragon that came out into the world for the first time roared. Dragon Fear spread out. 

* * *

[You have declared the surrounding territory your domain.]

[Current condition: Void (Nemesis)]

[‘Curse: Wandering’ has succeeded.]

[‘Curse: Fear’ has succeeded.]

[‘Curse: Madness’ has succeeded.]

[‘Curse: Illusion’ has succeeded.]

……

[The power ‘Faceless Lawbook’ has been activated.]

[Hundun is very glad.]

[A message from Agares has arrived.]

[Message: You’re different from the others!]

[A message from Agares has arrived.]

[Message: Try using mine, too. You’ll get a better result.]

[The power ‘Wicked Devil’ has been activated.]

[The curses have been strengthened.]

[The curses have been strengthened.]

……

[All gods of death nod at you.]

[All demons of death whistle at you.]

[The demonic society <Jie Sect> expresses deep goodwill towards you.]

[The demonic society <L’Infernal> is happy.]

[Vimalacitra of <Jie Sect> observes you carefully.]

[A small number of demons are starting to look closely at you.]

[More demons offer powers to you.]

[Your directory of potential powers has been updated.]

[Current powers: 512]