Second Life Ranker

“What’s up with that look? Do you wanna die?” The Monkey King’s exuviae frowned and growled. 

Yeon-woo flinched because he knew that he had been thinking about something ridiculous, but since the Monkey King’s exuviae hadn’t read his mind, he decided to be shameless. 『I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.』

“Geez, all these bastards left and right. They only have thoughts of betrayal. Whew.” The exuviae sighed, extremely annoyed. 

『How did you end up like this?』

“I know, right? It’s so embarrassing why I...wait. Hey, let’s talk later.”

Yeon-woo was about to ask why, but he sensed someone approaching and quickly hid behind a column. Soon, someone walked into the cave. Yeon-woo’s eyes widened when he realized who it was. ‘Kindred.’

The Second Bishop of the Devil Army grinned as mischievously as a child. “I came to greet you today as well, face of the Heavenly Demon. How have you been, my lord? Did you sleep well?”

“I would feel better if I didn’t have to see your face.”

“Oh, dear. That’s a shame. I want to carry out your wishes, but there aren’t many who can come here to serve…”

“I said I don’t need any of that, just untie me right now.” The Monkey King lifted up the chains that bound his arms and legs. They made a clacking sound as they pulled against the ring on the wall and fell to the ground again. “You said I’m one of the gods you serve? Then how can you treat a god like this?”

“I would like to help you with that as well.” Kindred raised a corner of his mouth.“But won’t you try to kill me then?”

“No. Why would I kill you?”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’ll rip you apart first.” The exuviae’s eyes turned sharp. An intense, murderous aura settled upon them. It was a fighting spirit that one would expect of a trace of the Heavenly Demon. 

Sweat beaded on Kindred’s forehead, but he didn’t lose his smile. “See? I don’t have any other choice if I want to live. Please wait just a little longer. Nothing will change anyway.”

“Nothing will change?”

“Yes, my lord. Can’t you just think of it as moving house?”

“I will definitely rip your mouth off first.”

“I apologize if I’ve said anything to infuriate you.” Kindred politely bowed. 

“And I want to break that head.” The exuviae’s murderous aura intensified as he smirked.

However, it didn’t matter to Kindred. From the beginning, the exuviae had refused to be served, and so Kindred had been expecting this. It was disappointing to be disliked by the god you served, but it wasn’t enough to shatter Kindred’s obsessive faith. “Then you won’t change your mind?”

“I already told you that the only reason I would leave here is to rip your mouth off.” The exuviae grinned. 

Kindred frowned. Since he couldn’t convince the exuviae, he would have to force him. “The ceremony will start soon. We’ll do our best not to make you uncomfortable, but things may be difficult for a bit, so please be prepared.” He disappeared into smoke after he finished talking. 

Gong! Gong! Gong! A tolling bell seemed to shake the world. The quaking grew more intense until space itself began to crack.

『What is…』 Yeon-woo came out from behind the column. 

“What do you think? Those damned bastards have begun the ceremony. Psychos. They don’t care what the god they serve thinks, and they’re talking about honor? Bullshit.” The exuviae was fully annoyed, and the crumpled space healed itself and became whole again. He was fighting the forces from the outside that were trying to seal off the illusory world.

However, Yeon-woo thought that the Devil Army would win this fight. 『When I first heard the Devil Army was creating a sacrificial vessel, I thought you were in on it.』

“Me? Why would I be?” The exuviae snorted. “Let me just tell you one thing. The kiddo…the one they call the Heavenly Demon would never want that. He’s worse than I am, so he doesn’t like noisy things like this.”

Yeon-woo remembered what he’d learned from the diary about the Heavenly Demon rejecting the Devil Army a long time ago. 

The Heavenly Demon fell into a deep slumber a long time ago, and around that time, the Head Bishop replaced all the other nine bishops after Black Dawn’s fall. Very few people know this, but the current bishops of the Devil Army are only partial bishops who don’t have access to the Heavenly Demon’s power.

They’re cursed halves who can only borrow the strength of the Heavenly Demon through his other bodies by using an artifact.

The artifact was the Ruyi Bang. ‘And the current Head Bishop who got rid of the previous Head Bishop and the other bishops is…a real monster.’ There was a hierarchy among the Nine Kings with the Martial King and the Summer Queen at the top. The one closest to their level was the Head Bishop. Once the Head Bishop got his hands on the Heavenly Demon’s power, no one knew what would happen.  

This was the reason why the Devil Army was performing the ceremony. If they could awaken the Monkey King through his exuviae, they would be able to gain his power indirectly. ‘And if he changes his body, he can cleanse himself of the curse.’

The current Head Bishop was cursed by the Heavenly Demon, but if he took over a different body, things would change. That’s why he needed Doyle, and it was also the reason why Kindred had tried to take Sesha as a potential body for the Head Bishop. And it was also the reason he had appeared in the fight against Walpurgisnacht to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone. 

Yeon-woo wanted to mess up their plans. They always interfered with whatever he was doing, so he thought he didn’t have much of a choice. 『How did you end up like this?』

“Can’t you see? I was caught by the damned thing.” Yeon-woo looked closely at the chains around the exuviae. His eyes widened when he realized what they were made of. It was a material that he was deeply familiar with. 『Is this divine iron?』

“Yeah. It’s the Golden Headband.”

The Golden Headband was the divine artifact that had been placed around the Monkey King’s head to stop him from wreaking havoc. He had taken off the headband after finishing all the tasks the heavenly world had assigned to him, but the Devil Army had managed to force it back on him.

“They even used the Golden Headband. Shit, I couldn’t do anything.” It was clear that the Devil Army had caught the Monkey King’s exuviae after a lot of preparation. It seemed impossible that a powerful being would be caught, but there were probably limits to what he could do because he was in the illusory world. “And Sheng, that guy was booted out too…fuck.”

Yeon-woo didn’t know why, but it seemed like the Dragon God couldn’t get into the illusory world anymore. 

“Anyway. Why are you here? I saw you were causing a ruckus outside. Did you come to do the same thing here?”

『You knew?』

“Hey. This is my palace. If I don’t know what’s happening in my own front yard, I’d be a stupid ass, not a human.” The exuviae flicked his finger. The space in front of Yeon-woo wavered, and different scenes appeared. 

“How are you…!”

“The doll…who’s…imitating…me…can…only…do…so…much?”

Doctor Doom seemed stunned by the relentless magic attacks from Boo. Most of his magic circles were cracked, and his artifacts were broken. The magicians that he brought had already been slaughtered by the skeletons. In just a single instant, the strongest of the Magic Tower had died, and as Yeon-woo absorbed their souls, their knowledge naturally passed on to Boo.

“How can a person like you serve a mere human?! What happened to you?!” It seemed like Doctor Doom had recognized Boo, and he shouted as he vomited blood. “Faust!”

The scene changed. 

“A Bone Dragon and Death Nobles? What are these?! Cain! Don’t hide like a coward and come out! Give me my son!” Ivan shouted with a scowl. But he was preoccupied by Shanon’s attacks, as well as the Poison Breath from the Bone Dragon. He endured these attacks as if demonstrating why he was called the lion of the battlefield.

However, Shanon’s attacks only grew more intense. The Bone Dragon couldn’t show its full power because it wasn’t complete, so Shanon had to pick up the slack. Suddenly, Shanon fell back when he spotted someone appear in the darkness.

Ivan frowned, wondering if this was a trick.

“It’s been a while, Father.”

Ivan’s face hardened when he saw his son. “You have an interesting technique. He looks the same, but he’s definitely dead. Or…is this what a dead person looks like?”

“Are you…?”

In the next scene, Faceless and Hanryeong were in the middle of an intense battle. Faceless fought with their bandages, although they cocked their head suddenly as if something was wrong.

Hanryeong also sensed something strange from Faceless as he swung his nine swords.

“Hehe, I didn’t think I’d meet you here! My dear friend!” Suddenly, Faceless burst out laughing. His voice was chilling. It was a voice that no one had heard in a long time. At the same time, the atmosphere around Faceless changed as though he’d changed into a different person.  

The bandages grew sharper, and the free-wheeling behavior he’d demonstrated disappeared. At this moment, he looked like a true swordsman that even Ivan would struggle to match.  

Boom! Hanryeong shouted while pushing against the attacks, “Faceless’ body…no, you swallowed him up?”

Other scenes flashed. The undead army stomped all over the pursuers, and the Guai continued to power up as they swallowed the souls. With the limits of the Black King released, they began to grow again. 

Another scene showed Victoria and the Ice King protecting Yeon-woo’s body. 

Yeon-woo nodded, thinking there was no point in hiding his plans. 『Yes. Like you said, I’ve come to cause a commotion here, too.』

The Monkey King snorted, flabbergasted. “I’ve felt this before, but you’re just like that kiddo when it comes to making trouble. And your personality, too.” He added that he at least wouldn’t be bored despite being tied up thanks to Yeon-woo. “So what’s the plan? I might seem relaxed right now, but I’m damn tired.”

『I’ll serve the you, the Monkey King, from now on.』

The exuviae’s mouth curved wider. “You’re saying that you want to be like them?”

Gong! The world shook again. The ceremony was still progressing. 

[00:04:21_36]

There wasn’t much time left for Yeon-woo. If he took into consideration how long it would take to return to his body, he had less than three minutes left. 『I won’t deny it. But I’ll be better than they are.』

“Based on what?”

『You know what they’re after, don’t you?』

The exuviae didn’t answer.

『They’ll try to swallow the Monkey King as well and become another face of the Heavenly Demon..』

Although the Devil Army’s excuse for desiring the Philosopher's Stone was that it was in service of the Monkey King, there was no need to tie up the exuviae. Their true goal was to swallow up the exuviae and turn the Head Bishop into a new divine being.

The Monkey King’s exuviae frowned, already aware of this. “So, you want me to become your hunting dog? I don’t want that.” Even still, the Monkey King’s exuviae didn’t want to give himself easily to Yeon-woo. He looked at the Despair and Grief of the Black King. “The bindings of the Black King. Do you think I don’t know what it is?”

This time, Yeon-woo closed his mouth. He was planning to bind the Monkey King’s exuviae to the Cast before the Devil Army could do anything, just as he had done to the Cyclopes. But the Monkey King wasn’t as easy to persuade as they were. 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The quakes grew more intense, and cracks in the space opened up once more. The illusory world would soon disappear at this rate. 

[00:02:56_08]

‘What should I do?’ Yeon-woo contemplated. The exuviae didn’t seem like he wanted to go along with his plan. Did he have to force him? However, even though he was in this state, he was still a divine being, and it would be hard to do it without his consent.

What if Yeon-woo used Bathory’s Vampiric Sword? He didn’t know if his skill would work properly because of the exuviae’s situation. 

“You know what, let’s just do it.” The exuviae broke the silence again. 

Yeon-woo shot to attention. 『How?』

“Just swallow me.” It was unexpected, and Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. 

『But then…』

“I’ll disappear. Obviously.” The exuviae’s eyes were sharper than ever. “I don’t want to be pulled away like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse. I’ll make my own destiny. I’m going to choose.” A monkey king had been born from the vitality of the sun and the moon, and after overcoming many obstacles, he’d gained a divine level. Destiny was something he could destroy, and the exuviae planned on doing the same thing .

“I want to choose my own death. Anyway, I’m just living an extension of a life. I won’t feel wronged dying.”

Yeon-woo was overwhelmed by the exuviae’s power. Was this the true appearance of a god and king? He suddenly wanted to be like the Monkey King. 

“However, I have two conditions.” The Monkey King raised two fingers. 

『Go ahead, sir.』

“First. Stomp on those sons of bitches who did this to me.”

『I will.』

Yeon-woo nodded. Even if the exuviae didn’t ask, he was going to do it.  

“Second. Wake me up later.”

『But…』

“Yes. You might think it’s impossible because my existence will disappear. I said I won’t feel wronged to die, but if I can, I want to live a bit longer. Think about it carefully. There are a few ways to summon me.”

Yeon-woo thought of the additional option in the Cast of the Black King, Summons of the Dead. It said only the dead could be summoned, but what if there was a way to get around that?

“How about it? Can you do it?”

『Yes, sir.』

“That mouth of yours.” The Monkey King’s exuviae laughed.  Then, in an arrogant manner, he spread his arms as much as he could and said, “Fine. Swallow.”

『Thank you for everything.』 Yeon-woo bowed. 

“You say that like we’ll never see each other again.” The smile on the exuviae’s face widened. Yeon-woo approached him with his right hand. Sharp teeth appeared on his palm. Clack, clack!

[‘Bathory’s Vampiric Sword’ has been released.]