Second Life Ranker

[Agares looks down at the lower world with incredulous eyes.]

[Agares expresses violent anger.]

[A message from Agares has arrived.]

[Message: These crazy bastards…they dared touch what’s mine and committed an atrocious act!]

[A message from Agares has arrived.]

[Message: I didn’t know anything about this since even someone like me can’t watch over all of the lower world. However, I can neither forgive nor accept this. I will never forgive them.]

[Agares’ fury is announced to the heavenly world.]

[At Agares’ fervent request, <L’Infernal> enters a vote about this issue.]

[Most demons reject interfering with this issue of the lower world.]

[Agares’ furious gaze is directed at them.]

[The lower demons are horrified.]

[Most of the demons have changed their opinions.]

[The vote is conducted again.]

[With the exception of one vote, all votes have changed to ‘affirmative’.]

[The demonic society <L’Infernal> has expressed their enmity towards the clan ‘Elohim’.]

[A message from Agares has arrived.]

[Message: Until this business is finished, our blessings will follow you.]

[The demonic society <L’Infernal> has given you its blessings and graces.]

[As long as Arthia is hostile to <Elohim>, these blessings and graces won’t disappear. They will continue to follow you.]

Agares were furious by the creation of Jeong-woo’s homunculi. The injuries he’d sustained from Hermes and Athena made him lose a significant amount of strength. He was despised even within L’Infernal, but he still had power and influence fit for the position of Grand Demon Duke of the East. When he was truly angered, all of L’Infernal changed their minds to agree with him, shaking with fear.

Of course, there were limits to his interference in L’Infernal because of the laws of causality, but even a small difference could lead to great change. The Elohim were hit with a bolt from the blue. Yeon-woo put the series of messages behind him and clenched his fists. ‘It’s a relief I didn’t bring the pocket watch.

The burnt remains of the Homunculi lay around him. They were loyal combat machines, and Yeon-woo gritted his teeth even harder and stepped on them with all his might. They scattered into the air as black ash with a crumbling sound.

He had only hesitated at the start before fighting the homunculi that looked like his brother. It hadn’t been too hard afterwards. Even if they had his brother’s face, they were merely clones made from his brother’s data. They weren’t really him.

And so, it wasn’t that hard to deal with the homunculi that remained in order help Bayluk escape. He even captured them alive for Brahm to analyze. However, the wrath that burned in a corner of his mind didn’t stop. ‘Bayluk, Elohim…you don’t change at all.’ Yeon-woo gritted his teeth. His eyes flashed with anger. ‘Alright. If that’s how you’re going to come out, I’ll have to do the same.’

* * *

Yeon-woo greeted Creutz and Heidi half-heartedly and immediately headed up to Laputa. The Arthia members, the Illusion Knightage, and the Children of the Forest followed him without any hesitation, thanks to the stairs that descended to the ground.

The Iron Throne and Infinite End had become the odd ones out. Their plans to negotiate with Heaven Wing as equals and take advantage of his need was ruined after the Elohim and the Devil Army appeared. Furthermore, they had been shocked by the display of Yeon-woo’s martial arts. The way he had dealt with his homunculi demonstrated that he’d grown stronger than his past peak.  

The exploding fire that burned nearly all of the Outer District still wavered in front of their eyes. None of the players naively believed they’d be able to dictate favorable terms anymore. They were already afraid, so what grounds did they have to negotiate? All that remained was a bit of pride. If they followed the Illusion Knightage and Children of the Forest like this, it meant they would serve Arthia unconditionally. They would be little more than errand boys, unable to gain anything.

Just then, Hanatan, exhausted from the poison Bayluk left behind, stood up with his teeth clenched. “We…will go up.” He was barely conscious after being suffocated by the poison, and only survived thanks to the antidote Brahm had created and Yeon-woo had given him. Although he looked fatigued and lost much of his strength, his eyes were glowing more fiercely than ever. His close call made his resentment and rage blaze. It was the same for the Iron Throne members that followed him.

They might once have been a mercenary guild motivated by greed, but they lived with a sense of honor and pride in themselves. However, Bayluk and the Elohim had stepped all over it. “We must express gratitude for our savior, and until this humiliation is repaid, Iron Throne and I cannot live under the same sky as the Elohim. Let’s go.” Hanatan shouted through gritted teeth and began to climb the stairs with his clan members.

“Alright…let’s do it.”

“We’ve come to atone for the past anyway. We can’t go back and still consider ourselves humans.”

Groups that had received help from Heaven Wing and Arthia in the past and hadn’t been able to repay the kindness stood up with determination after Hanatan’s speech about gratitude. The hope that Heaven Wing wouldn’t fall again like he’d done in the past made their footsteps light.

As they climbed the stairs one by one, the other clans soon followed, glancing at each other. Many of them had passion in their eyes. There were also followers who believed they’d be able to see something great if they climbed the Tower with Yeon-woo.

“What a lot.” Yeon-woo was watching the scene on a screen in the control room. He had sent Laputa over the Outer District to create a division between his allies and enemies and win over those who came as friends. It had been a success.

『They’re not simple clones. As you suspected, they’re homunculi, although it’s more appropriate to call them combat machines created with an abundance of data.』

Yeon-woo was still brimming with anger at the unexpected variable when Brahm finished reporting his finding. 『There’s a processing system that makes them faithful to the person designated as their master. The algorithm is so complicated that it’ll take some time to analyze it closely. Where did he find something like this?』

“Do you think it’s possible to hack it?”

『I’ll try it, but…』

“I shouldn’t be too hopeful.”

『The formula is too complicated. It’s not a system that’s been used in the Tower. Its foundations are on a different level from what we have here. The Elohim probably doesn’t understand this either. It’s quite advanced. It’s outstanding in all fields of magic. To completely comprehend it will require a power that can back it up.』 Brahm stopped here, but Yeon-woo understood what he meant. Brahm lacked the divinity.

Hanryeong had already regained his strength as the Saber God and was creating new peaks that surpassed his previous level, but Brahm couldn’t even use ten percent of his original strength. He had once been one of the greatest gods in the godly society Deva, with nearly omnipotent abilities. If he had his original strength, he would have found it a piece of cake to get through the homunculi’s defenses.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. But please continue to look into it.” Yeon-woo wondered how Bayluk possessed knowledge that even Brahm didn’t have, but he had no way of finding out at the moment, so he had to leave it all to Brahm.

「Alright. I shall give it a…』

「Master…I…have…something…to report…」Just then Boo popped into their connection. He usually stood in the back quietly and only spoke when necessary, so Yeon-woo’s and Brahm’s attention turned to him immediately.

「This system…is…similar…to the…system…used…in…the Wood of…N’gai….」

“Wood of N’gai?”

『What? Is that true?』

Yeon-woo cocked his head at the unfamiliar name, but Brahm seemed surprised. “Do you know what that is, sir?”

『Of course. How could I not? That place is…』 Brahm paused at first before continuing with a despondent sigh. 『It’s one of the few observed…otherworld locations.』

Yeon-woo felt like he’d been splashed with cold water. Brahm and the gods and demons of the ninety-eighth floor deemed only the Outer Gods and their domains otherworldly.

『Of those, the Wood of N’gai is under the Crawling Chaos’ control, is it not?』

「That is…so.」

‘The Crawling Chaos again?’

From Boo/Faust to Kalatus, and now to Bayluk—the Crawling Chaos’ influence was all around him.

「Yes… his system…is…similar…to…the…formation…of…the…Emerald Tablet…」

『Since you’ve made a contract with the Crawling Chaos in your past life through Mephistopheles…it must not be too difficult to recognize him. Huhu! I believed it wouldn’t be easy for an otherworld god to extend their influence within the Tower…I suppose I was wrong.』 Brahm muttered dispiritedly, and continued in a solemn voice. 『Since Boo has some knowledge, I’ll try it. If I succeed in hacking it, it’ll be of great help to Jeong-woo.』

“Thank you.”

『You’re doing all the hard work. I should be saying that to you.』 Brahm cut off his communication with that.

Yeon-woo rubbed his tired eyes with his index fingers, his head spinning. If Bayluk had made some kind of contract like Boo did in his past life and used that knowledge to create the homunculi, then everything made sense, from his lab on the twenty-eighth floor and the unusual Spirit Powder Poison to the complicated magic system that even Brahm couldn’t understand. ‘Do I have to retrace his steps after this is over?’

He had thought of investigating the Crawling Chaos’ path to recover Boo’s memories, but if the being was connected so closely to him like this, then he had to find him. More than anything, he had a feeling that whatever the Crawling Chaos was attempting in the Tower was related to his own goals.  

Just when Yeon-woo settled down to organize his thoughts, another screen opened and Edora appeared. 『Oraboni.』

It was time to come out. Many players were waiting for him in the hall. He had intentionally left them alone, but any further delay would lead to resentment. Yeon-woo pushed himself up with the armrests and slowly stood up. He didn’t know what was going on between Bayluk and the Crawling Chaos, but it wasn’t urgent. It didn’t matter what power Bayluk possessed, Yeon-woo had to take care of him anyway.

In fact, it was easier now that the Elohim and the Devil Army were working together since he could attack them together. They had already engaged in the first skirmish. ‘It’s my turn to attack first this time.’

“Open portal.” Yeon-woo headed for the hall through the portal that appeared under his feet.

* * *

Many clans and parties gathered in the elegant grand hall. Unlike the Arthia members, the Illusion Knightage, and Children of the Forest, the other players seemed nervous. They were most likely overwhelmed by the vastness of the buildings they’d seen on the way to the hall. Since it had been the base of the last dragon king, even experienced rankers couldn’t hep being shocked. Also, Laputa was within Yeon-woo’s sphere of influence, and as soon as they entered, the players were unknowingly submitting to him. Their shock and nervousness were slowly turning into fear of Yeon-woo.

When he appeared at a platform above seventy-seven flights of stairs in the center of the hall, the murmuring stopped. All gazes focused on him. There was a moment of silence, then Yeon-woo broke it with a thunderous voice that echoed through the hall like a beast’s roar. “I’ll make it short. From today, I’m going to start a war.”

There had indeed just been a battle, but they were going to war so immediately? Everyone had a shocked expression. The Arthia members looked at Yeon-woo in surprise, not expecting that they would move so quickly.

Yeon-woo just continued with a cold attitude. “It’s a war of life and death. I don’t know how long it’ll last. Right now, I’ll give you your last chance. Those who are afraid should leave. After this moment, anything other than absolute submission will be met with death.”

After some silence, Hanatan stepped forward and planted his sword in the ground, prostrating himself. “I’ll follow any path you walk on, Shadow King.” The clan members of Iron Throne followed their leader and prostrated as well.

He was the first of many.

“I shall follow the Shadow King.”

“I will follow you.”

“Please lead us as you’ve done in the past, my lord.”

Those who had been acquainted with Heaven Wing in the past bowed, and the other players all followed, raising their voices.

“Shadow King!”

“Shadow King…!”

“Shadow King! Shadow King!”

The title “Shadow King” became a chant that rang throughout Laputa. With the title of the King of Shadows or the Shadow Lord, a new king had been born.