It was common in games that once one faction prevailed, opposing forces would be created to contain it. If it was difficult to control a single force, they would oppose it even if it meant forming an alliance. The Overgeared Kingdom that had already maintained its top position for many years was a rare case in the long history of gaming.

Why wasn’t there a huge alliance formed to go against the Overgeared Kingdom? Of course, it was because the Overgeared Kingdom was overwhelmingly strong.

However, there was a larger reason. They didn’t make any big mistakes. The Overgeared Kingdom that was thoroughly managed by Lauel rarely committed acts that would arouse the resentment of people. Rather, their use of various systems was to help people and generate profit from them. It wasn’t the so-called power abuse nor did they commit any deep-rooted evil.

Additionally, Grid’s heroic activities contributed greatly to the Overgeared Kingdom’s external image. Look at Lord’s coming of age ceremony a few days ago. For the safety of the many distinguished guests, the Overgeared Kingdom hosted the coming of age ceremony on a small scale and in private. All entrances to the palace were blocked and barricades put up to prevent outsiders from accessing the venue.

However, the people’s congratulatory celebrations didn’t stop. Countless people filled Reinhardt’s streets and called out the names of Grid and Lord. It overlapped with the duration of the National Competition. The other forces had no cause or courage to be hostile to the Overgeared Kingdom.

“It is a kingdom that will last a thousand years,” Pauld murmured as he leisurely enjoyed the scenery of Reinhardt. Hundreds of years ago, he had still been human. The many feelings he had when he saw the empire in its golden age was once again felt here in Reinhardt.

“The ‘cheeky guy’ mentioned by the toad many times is the master of this place? He is going to be a real pain in the ass.”

‘This kingdom is too strong to be destroyed using your power alone. It will be your biggest stumbling block.’ Pauld swallowed back these words.

Agnus would know even if he didn’t say anything. Agnus, who couldn’t adapt to his short hair and swept it back as usual, replied with an expressionless face, “Won’t Baal come out when it is time?”

“Indeed...”

Since joining Agnus, Pauld had visited hell several times and met Baal. Therefore, Pauld easily understood. However, Agnus, who said the words, didn’t trust Baal.

‘It would be meaningless if Baal comes forward.’

All demons were weak in the human world. The great demons were no exception. They became weakened by three or four times. However, Baal suffered a much bigger penalty. It was impossible in itself for his body to come to the human world. It was only possible to barely breathe the air of the human world by splitting himself into small pieces and transplanting himself into Baal’s Contractor. No matter how much stronger he was than the 32nd Great Demon, Belial, he couldn’t be active in the human world.

‘Well... this is why I am getting all types of benefits.’

Baal’s Contractor was the agent of Baal, who was weak in the human world, and the one who would complete the conquest of the human world on behalf of Baal. Baal provided a lot of amenities for Agnus in order for him to become stronger. But...

‘You never know when he will act capriciously.’

Baal might suddenly lose interest in the human world and force them to do something else. This was Baal’s personality.

‘What is Baal’s purpose in the first place?’

On the surface, the principle behind Baal’s actions was the fulfillment of his desires. He planned and did everything purely for his own entertainment. Yet was that really all? He was one of the ultimate bosses, so wouldn’t he have a hidden heart?

It happened around the time that Agnus’ questions started deepening...

The frog—Chepardea, Baal’s subordinate and Agnus’ watcher—jumped onto Agnus’ shoulder and proudly reported, “Croak. I found a graveyard.”

“Good work.”

A dragonfly sitting on a flower a bit further away was pierced by a bone thorn. Agnus pulled it over and threw it to Chepardea. Chepardea stretched out his tongue and ate it. Then he became angry. “Croak! Don’t treat me as a frog! Croak!”

“It’s here.”

Agnus had adapted to Chepardea’s noisy personality a long time ago. He ignored this noisy guy and stood in front of a quiet cemetery. He could feel the corpses sleeping in the cemetery. It was ‘Traces of the Dead’ that could only be used by a necromancer. As Agnus was Baal’s Contractor, the appearance of the dead and some of the characteristics could be seen. It was a type of character observation.

“Put On.”

The dignity of a human was trampled on. The graveyard carefully built by the family members was dug up and a rotten body appeared. Subsequently, it was overlaid on Agnus’ body. It looked just like it was in life.

[The effect of the skill ‘Put On’ has changed your appearance and stats. It lasts for two hours. You can turn it off at will.]

[During the time when this skill is maintained, the use of all skills is sealed except for the exclusive skills of Baal’s Contractor.]

“Sniff sniff.” The stench had disappeared. He also liked the length of his hair this time.

Agnus was sweeping back the hair that fell down to his cheeks when Chepardea scolded him, “Are you a serf this time? Croak! Baal’s Contractor should use the corpse of a hero at a minimum! It is pathetic! Croak!”

“Serf?”

Agnus confirmed what he looked like in the pond. Certainly, this was a serf to anyone who looked. He was even old. The problem was...

‘I thought it was a soldier.’

The stats were high. The effect of Put On was to use the target’s ‘appearance and stats before death.’ However, the stats were too high to be reasonable for an old serf. In particular, his strength and stamina were great. It was a level just below a knight.

Agnus was feeling puzzled when his eyes suddenly curved in a smile.

‘Ahh, this is a farmer of the Overgeared Kingdom.’

Agnus looked over the city. Soldiers training in barracks everywhere, magicians experimenting in the magic towers, students being educated at the academy, knights guarding the streets, and monsters at every corner...

Agnus’ consciousness that was only focused on them extended to the fields outside the city gates. The thousands of serfs that had previously been seen as insignificant were now a military force. It was a military force blindly loyal to Grid.

‘It is great, Grid.’

During the years when Agnus had been an irrational beast, Grid had developed this far. A cold smile spread on the face of the admiring Agnus. He thought of the strongest army that would be born the moment he killed Grid’s soldiers and made them his own. As long as the Lantern of Humanity kept growing, his power against humanity would be strengthened in proportion.

Agnus was immersed in a strange excitement as he ripped off his left arm.

***

At Elizabeth’s workshop...

Elizabeth grew by making accessories for the Overgeared members and had now become a master craftsman. Her name was always mentioned when discussing the continent’s greatest artisans. Her excellent skills always attracted new guests and quests.

“I’m sorry but I’m not accepting customers for the time being. I can’t even make reservations.”

Customers who came to the workshop were often turned away at the doors. Elizabeth was so busy that it was hard for her to accept new customers. It was even more so from the time she became a craftsman and could make simple artifacts.

“Would you like to look at this design drawing first before throwing us out?”

“......?”

A boy spoke boldly and handed over a design. Elizabeth laughed as she turned her eyes to him, who had white skin like the vampires she often encountered in the Overgeared Guild. “Why? Do you think your designs will get this sister’s attention?”

“Probably.”

“Hehe, really?”

There were surprisingly many customers of this type. They tried to attract attention somehow to open up an opportunity for conversation and entrust the request. This little boy...

‘I guess that old man asked him to do it.’ Elizabeth glanced at the boy’s group member with a deep gaze before reaching out to the boy.

“Give it to me. Instead, if there is nothing special then bye bye!”

He would probably just ask her to make pretty earrings or necklaces. Perhaps it was a gift he wanted to give to his mother.

‘His heart is very special, but his mother’s gift should be entrusted to other accessory makers on the street.’

Bah, what did people know?

“......?”

Elizabeth’s face stiffened like a stone as she placed her wavy blonde hair behind her ear. There were complex but sophisticated figures and geometric shapes. The formulas and shapes that filled the design had a depth that pushed Elizabeth’s limits, whose artisan skill had reached level 3.

“W-What? What about these parts? Are you going to assemble a magic machine or something?”

Of course, this was an exaggerated question. However, the parts drawn on the design had a structure that was delicate enough for such an exaggeration.

The boy scratched his head. “No way. I just need parts to make a prosthetic arm.”

“Groan... If the springs are built like this and assembled, you intend to circulate magic power...”

The boy pointed to the person he came with and explained, “Yes, I want to give my grandfather an arm that moves like a real one.”

It was an old serf. He was unfortunately missing one arm.

“It is difficult to make these parts with your skills?”

“It isn’t easy, but...” Elizabeth removed all the jewels and tools she had laid out on the workbench. It was a request from a regular customer who booked a month ago, but it wasn’t an important issue now. “I can do it.”

Her skill level would rise the moment she completed this boy’s request. Elizabeth was convinced and became motivated. It was hard to miss the moment that came after a long time.

***

There was always danger in darkness. Grid had attacked many vampire cities so far and was well aware of how dangerous a place without any light was. Familiars lurking in the darkness would attack the intruders and lead them to the side of the vampires sleeping in the coffin.

“There is nothing.”

“...Yes.”

How strong were Marie Rose’s familiars and vampires? No matter how strong, they wouldn’t be stronger than the demons of the single digit hells, right? Grid was feeling nervous when he showed a deflated response. The city where Marie Rose lived was quiet. It wasn’t because the familiars and vampires were hiding. There was just nothing. His transcendent senses and Mercedes’s Keen Insight confirmed it.

‘There aren’t even any ruins.’

The vampire cities he had visited so far were literally cities. There were many different types of buildings with dozens or hundreds of coffins. Yet this place was different. The only thing that existed was darkness. It was a space of nothingness.

“Ah.”

How long did they walk? Grid and Mercedes were walking in a dull manner only to stop. A huge shadow was seen in the distance. It was the first time they saw something since entering the city.

“This... it is a castle.”

No matter how much time passed, the darkness they couldn’t adapt to swallowed up their sense of direction and distance. They would’ve been lost if they were anyone other than Grid and Mercedes. They would’ve reached the point where they didn’t even know where each other was.

However, Grid had his transcendent senses and Mercedes had Keen Insight. The two of them witnessed the faintly swaying shadow in the distance and noticed it was a huge building. There was no need to wander any longer. They quickened their pace and within dozens of minutes, they finally reached the high gate.

[You have found the castle of Vampire Duke Marie Rose.]

[The first discovery reward will increase the amount of experience earned and the probability of acquiring items for a week.]

Was it a welcome? Torches lit up to the left and right with the gate as the center. There were thousands of torches. It was a number that allowed them to guess the size of the castle.

Creak.

The gate opened. Grid thought they would have to move through an inner gate, but the corridor appeared right away.

‘We are inside right from the outer gate?’

It was a structure that didn’t take into account the enemy invasion at all. Was it because no one with foolhardy bravery dared to enter this place? Grid once again realized how great Marie Rose’s existence was. He gulped and walked down the corridor covered with red carpet. He took a few steps before noticing something.

It was that the paintings on the wall contained myths and legends that weren’t a product of imagination, but an eyewitness record. The figure in the first painting was probably the evil god Yatan. A being painted all in black.

In the second painting, darkness floated about his head like a crown while there were three demons by his side. The small female body with her long hair braided on both sides that was painted in red looked like Beriache. She was attached to Yatan’s side like they were going to link arms. The demon standing behind Yatan with a lowered head was depicted in green, but it was hard to infer who it was. The last demon was a giant. He was alone away from the group and was clearly Baal due to the long, sharp nails that were painted black, red, and white.

‘This is the beginning of hell.’

Then what was the next one? Grid sped up his pace. It was because he wanted to see the third painting quickly.

“......!”

Grid stopped in front of the third painting. Black, green, red, and the giant—unlike the previous painting that expressed Yatan and the demons with colors and features, the third painting was a portrait drawn elaborately like a photograph.

Rebecca, the goddess of light. Her face that was familiar to Grid filled up the frame. She looked down at Grid in a contemptuous manner with a hideous, distorted smile. She was like a demon. The unknown painter seemed to have wanted to say that Rebecca was a demon.