Second Life Ranker

『Is it wings this time? I’m making all kinds of things after meeting a strange master in my old age.』 The Cyclops Brontes shook his head at the 444 feathers that Yeon-woo brought to him. The three Cyclops brothers had been working on restoring the collapsed holy territory and repairing the weapons of Dis Pluto.

Dis Pluto’s equipment had been depleted for a while now, so they had a mountain’s worth of things to take care of. Fortunately, Yeon-woo had a lot of money, and they could replenish goods through Atran.

Dis Pluto felt like they had found an oasis after wandering through a dry desert for so long. The annoyed and anxious faces of the soldiers began to brighten as they began to relax for the first time in dozens of years. Their trust in Yeon-woo, who made it all possible, grew by the day.

Those who had been dissatisfied with Yeon-woo for breaking Hades’ agreement now accepted him, believing that Yeon-woo probably had his reasons.

The Titans and Giants hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, and the scout they had dispatched returned to report that there were no strange movements from them. The ceasefire was still going strong, and Dis Pluto now had the chance to reorganize themselves.

However, Yeon-woo hadn’t appeared in over a fortnight, ostensibly because he was being punished for breaking the agreement. The soldiers couldn’t ask for his release since their master’s owner was on the line, and so they were at an impasse.

Brontes knew Yeon-woo was only pretending to be imprisoned in order to have time to prepare something, but he was still surprised at the feathers. 『What are these?』 At first, he thought it was just Yeon-woo’s eccentric whim to have wings made, but when he closely examined the feathers, he was beyond surprised. Each feather had an extraordinary weight from a soul pressure that could rip away an ordinary soul that wandered close to it. Furthermore, the feathers emitted a dark and sticky Void that Brontes suspected was death. It was something he had already experienced and something that a fated mortal could never withstand.

Death appeared in various forms within the feathers—disease, sleep, pain—and a few appeared like the power of a superior divine being that even Hades couldn’t treat lightly.

Although Brontes had made countless holy artifacts for the gods of Olympus, this power was too much, and it brought to mind pieces of legends being cut off and tossed into a mixture. The feathers were truly pieces of a transcendent. If just one were refined, it could be turned into a holy artifact or even a power. How did Yeon-woo come to have them in his possession? And so many of them, too.

“I want to use the wing as both a skill and a tangible item like a weapon or shield according to the situation. If possible, I want it to have the lightness of a bird’s wing and actually have the ability to fly.” Yeon-woo showed him a detailed blueprint he and Jeong-woo had spent the last few days drafting. The necessary materials and magic equipment were all explained in such great detail that it made one dizzy. Anyone with some knowledge could picture it immediately.

Brontes easily imagined the left wing and fell into deep thought. 『It’s complicated.』 It was more complex than a holy artifact. The feathers on their own were shocking, and incorporating them all into the left wing would be a complicated task. If he managed to follow the design, the wing would be extremely practical. It would have three durable layers that would act like armor as it wrapped around the body. The axes and wingtips had sharp blades that could sweep enemies on the ground as well.

It has the usefulness of Jeong-woo’s Sky Wings along with the traits and advantages of the Fire Wings. The firepower that spread along the wings could be a wildcard in battle. Aside from those, Yeon-woo included more features. He wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble for the wing if he were only planning to use it as a buff-type skill. He hoped it would be a skill, shield, and at times, his hands and feet.

『I see you’re trying to get everything you can out of this one wing. It will be on a different level from most holy artifacts.』

“Is it possible?”

『I’ll have to take a closer look to give you a definite answer, but if you do not mind, may I advise you on some things?』 Brontes had the deep insight of the master blacksmith who had created the three greatest holy artifacts. His opinion was more than welcome.

“Please do.”

『This axis has too many magic squares on it. It won’t be inefficient when magic power is put into it. So if you spread this part out and activate it like a cogwheel…』

* * *

As Yeon-woo discussed the left wing with Brontes, Jeong-woo exchanged greetings with Nemesis.

『I can’t believe my eyes.』

『Long time no see, M—I mean, Nemesis. You look so different now. If Yeon-woo hadn’t told me, I would never have guessed.』

However, Nemesis’ eyes were trembling in confusion. He had seen Jeong-woo reappear through Yeon-woo’s gaze, but he hadn’t come outside because he was afraid he had only been seeing things or dreaming.

As he floated around in nothingness for a long time, Nemesis had constantly dreamed of the times he’d shared with Jeong-woo: the moments they cleared the floors, fought, suffered, and laughed together. Now that Jeong-woo, whom he’d missed so much, was back in the world, he was terrified to even take a step closer to him. If Jeong-woo disappeared and scattered into light, Nemesis wouldn’t be able to hold on any further.

『You’re still quiet.』

『It really is you.』 Nemesis could tell the person in front of him was truly Jeong-woo. Despite his fears that his heart would explode when he finally saw Jeong-woo, Nemesis grew calmer. He was filled with happiness at meeting his friend, and there was no panic or agitation. He could speak to Jeong-woo as naturally as he used to.

Jeong-woo hugged Nemesis and stroked the head that was as large as his body. 『Enough about me, what happened to you? Did Kalatus send you to the Void?』 Jeong-woo had been curious about this for a while now. He’d turned it over in his head plenty of times, but he still couldn’t understand what had happened to Kalatus. After Kalatus had given Nemesis his Dragon Heart and Jeong-woo his lair, Jeong-woo had seen him return to the embrace of mana with his own eyes.

He hadn’t left behind a vestige either, and he was sure it was Kalatus who had sent Nemesis into the Void and told him to wait.

When Yeon-woo first awakened his Dragon Body, he said he heard Kalatus saying that he would be waiting in the Dragon Temple. That meant there was some secret information. 『What happened?』

『Master and I think Kalatus sent you and the pocket watch back to Earth.』

『Me and the pocket watch?』 Jeong-woo straightened his back without thinking. This was the secret information.

『I’ve been meaning to ask.』 Nemesis’ eyes grew solemn. 『Ex-master, how did you know the pocket watch would arrive on Earth in one piece? I’ve always wondered about that. You must have known that for sure if you left the diary behind.』

For a moment, Jeong-woo was silent. Everything in his head halted as though his thoughts couldn’t go any further. Something solid was blocking his thoughts. Nemesis’ eyes widened as if he was sensing something after seeing Jeong-woo’s reaction. 『You…?』

At that moment, Brahm’s voice spoke urgently in Nemesis’ head. 『Don’t say anything, Nemesis.』 His voice was full of bitterness and sorrow.

『Nothing.』 Nemesis shut his mouth, realizing the reason behind Brahm’s words.

* * *

“What’s up with your face?” Yeon-woo tilted his head at Jeong-woo’s stiff expression.

『Hyung, I…』 Jeong-woo suddenly smiled bitterly and shook his head. 『Never mind. It’s nothing.』

Yeon-woo wondered what was wrong but Jeong-woo quickly changed the subject before Yeon-woo could say anything else. 『How’s the left wing coming along? Is it complete?』

“The basic parts are.” Yeon-woo moved magic power into the tattoo on his back that Boo had just etched for him.

[The ‘Cast of the Black King’ is activating.]

[The first command word ‘Soul Collector’ has been operated.]

[It has successfully connected to Soul Collection.]

[Souls are moving.]

[Magic power has been added.]

……

[Aura is operating.]

Output messages appeared one after another and a crest with a complex design shone brightly through his clothes.

[The skill ‘Sky Wings (Temporary, Left)’ has been activated.]

Whoosh.

The crest shot up with black flames and transformed into a tri-folded wing. The fire was so hot that the air seemed to bubble. Each flame was a condensed version of the Wave of Fire. Black Flame, a black Aura with Holy Fire, magic power, and purple energy, appeared on his back.

『You’re crazy.』 Jeong-woo looked on with an awed expression. The destructive power of the Wave of Fire meant that Yeon-woo was basically walking around with hundreds of bombs on his back. It was suicidal to do this.

However, Yeon-woo didn’t seem affected. As a matter of fact, he had already thought of using his wing to reduce his surroundings to ruins. Thanks to the efforts of the three Cyclops brothers, Brahm, and Boo, the wing was stable. He didn’t have to worry about his control over the wing. 

Its greatest disadvantage was that it consumed a lot of magic power. ‘But I’m overflowing with it anyway.’ Yeon-woo had used the Atman System as a direct circuit to connect to the Philosopher’s Stone and his left wing. The magic power of the Soulstone meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about running out, even if he used it all year round. ‘My body won’t be able to handle it, though.’ Yeon-woo lightly clucked his tongue and activated the second option engraved in the left wing. From afar, a server opened.

[666 powers have activated.]

On top of the black Fire Wings, 444 feathers and an additional 222 he’d gained flashed red, and countless magic squares appeared above Yeon-woo. He had to admit that the fancy effects of the 666 powers were an impressive sight.

[All gods of death nod with satisfaction.]

[All demons of death sigh in relief, saying his honor wasn’t stained.]

[A few gods are shocked.]

[A few demons look at you with stiff expressions.]

[An unrevealed god (1, Olympus) looks at you silently.]

[An unrevealed god (2, Olympus) becomes afraid.]

……

[Vimalacitra claps with contentment and astonishment at your accomplishment.]

[Vimalacitra hopes to meet you someday.]

[Agares snorts, saying he expected nothing less.]

Jeong-woo examined the left wing with his Draconic Eyes. He wanted to take care of any issues that might arise, such as an error in the skill process, a mix-up in Channels, or problems with the energy efficiency. Fortunately, he didn’t see anything, and any minor snags could be fixed slowly. 『I think it’s good for now. That Black King is an OP character.』

“Probably.” Yeon-woo nodded. If it weren’t for the Black King’s power, the wing wouldn’t have been finished so easily. The gods and demons of death had been more cooperative than he expected. Was it because the power of the Black King could be strengthened, or did they think of it as a good opportunity to test his successor? Whatever their motives, the results were beneficial to Yeon-woo.

『For the left wing, you can just add powers as you organize them and you’ll probably be good to go. Now for the right wing…』 The right wing didn’t have a central theme like “Black King”. Jeong-woo was extremely curious to see what Yeon-woo planned to use as the main Core for the right wing. He clearly had an idea in mind, but he didn’t say anything and only smiled in response to Jeong-woo’s questions.

Jeong-woo was about to ask once more when the door suddenly opened and a person rushed in. “Cain! Bad news!” Yeon-woo put his mask on, and Jeong-woo silently disappeared into the pocket watch.

“What happened?”

It was Doyle. Gasp. Gasp. He looked like he had urgent news. “Hyung! Do you know someone called Aether?”

Behind the mask, Yeon-woo’s face hardened as he glanced at the pocket watch in his hand. The hands of the watch were still. “What about him?”

Doyle replied with a tight face. “He’s looking for you.”