Hanryeong pulled his scimitar in a straight line. Boom! Boom! Boom! Yeon-woo only just managed to block the attack by alternating the Magic Bayonet and Carshina’s Dagger. However, he was still pushed away by the force.

He quickly spun his Magic Circuit, and as his Fire Wings grew bigger, he regained his balance. However, Hanryeong pounced on him in an instant with a hunting knife, its point rushing straight to his head. It was impossible to stop it. Yeon-woo quickly activated another power.

[The 3rd Soul]

[72 Bian – Byuk]

The Black Bracelet flashed, and with a horrible screech, an army of pale souls appeared to create a sturdy wall in front of him. Bang! The knife made a hole in the wall of souls, but Yeon-woo wasn’t hurt, and Aura and Holy Fire blazed on the Magic Bayonet and Carshina’s Dagger. However, Hanryeong quickly swung the saber that was next to him, not willing to give up his small advantage. Bang! Once again, tornados rushed out of his sword, breaking down the wall of souls.

Compared to Hanryeong, Yeon-woo still had a lot to catch up on when it came to the sword. Hanryeong had been at an expert level before he died, and he’d since gained new knowledge studying the Monkey King’s legacy, and he was now almost an arhat. The only thing holding him back was his body. His skills were already there. There was no question that Yeon-woo, who was only a master, would lose to him.

However, Yeon-woo had a weapon that made up for his skills: fire. With his almost-limitless magic power and the Philosopher’s Stone, there was a terrifying strength in every attack he made. Boom! The Magic Bayonet spewed out red flames. As the Aura mixed with Holy Fire blew Hanryeong back, Yeon-woo used Blink to follow him.

Hanryeong sensed Yeon-woo’s presence and quickly swung his scimitar. However, a new wall of souls stopped the scimitar in mid-attack, and the Magic Bayonet slashed Hanryeong’s side. Flash! The Magic Bayonet glowed with an intense light as though it would explode.

It was Wave of Fire, raging more destructively than ever and soaring tens of meters into the sky. Boom! Boom! Boom! Hanryeong disappeared, and Shanon and Rebecca suppressed the fire and swung their swords at him. Yeon-woo used Blink once again to move.

However, as soon as he reappeared, arrows flew towards him as though they had been waiting. Rebecca had read his movements. Clink! As Yeon-woo deflected the arrows, Shanon appeared again to slash down with Sword Breaker. A path of vibrant red flames shot towards Yeon-woo.

It was the signature skill that he’d taken from Bahal.

[Time Difference]

In the slowed world, Yeon-woo quickly made an assessment. Blink was useless right now, and there was only one thing he could do. ‘I have to meet it directly.’ When he finished, another power revealed itself.

[Wicked Devil]

The anger that had been quietly resting inside his heart suddenly rose to his head, almost turning him into a beast. Yeon-woo didn’t hold back the violence and instead used it to explode. “Roar!” Yeon-woo howled like a beast and Holy Fire expanded his body several times, burning with black flames that consumed everything ahead of him.

Shanon and Rebecca were swept away in an instant, and the hill behind the training area collapsed. The mountain shook, and everything around them turned to ruins. Inside a dense dust cloud, Yeon-woo emitted a deadly aura as black flames continued to blaze around him. He looked like a lord from hell.

The dust whirled and sparks crackled over it. It appeared as though a horde of beasts had rampaged through the surroundings. As he looked at Yeon-woo at the center of it all, Shanon slowly stood up, cursing.

「I’ll be damned.」 He cracked his bones. Although he was a spirit made of shadows now, he still hadn’t been able to forget his human identity, and so the same emotions still affected him. He was stressed right now, and the sword in his hand was still shaking. If he hadn’t protected himself with it, he would have been sent back into the shadow again and struggled to make another body.

However, Shanon was impressed beyond words at his sword, which didn’t even have a single scratch. Henova had earned his reputation for a good reason. At the same time, Shanon wanted to shake his head at his ridiculous master. Just looking at Yeon-woo made him break out into a sweat, and the Wicked Devil made shivers go up and down his back.

Seeing Yeon-woo with such powers reminded him of the Eighty-One Oculus, Red Dragon’s elite. Like them, Yeon-woo had the powerful energy of a ruler wrapped around him.

When Shanon had first met Yeon-woo, the kid was just a newbie who could barely defeat a semiranker. Yeon-woo changed so much in just a single year, and Shanon had never heard of anyone growing so fast, other than Heaven Wing Cha Jeong-woo. No, he decided, Yeon-woo was growing even faster than Heaven Wing ever did. Most people facing Yeon-woo would give up at this point, but Shanon’s motivation only rose.

「It’s a pain in the ass, but I can’t just surrender now. I’m not going to lose.」

He used Sword Breaker like a cane to support himself as he straightened up. Yeon-woo may have grown, but so had Shanon. He was already strong when he was alive, and now his skills were enough to face down a ranker.

Becoming a ranker had been a wall he couldn’t climb when he was alive, and now that he’d reached this peak, he was mildly surprised to feel that it wasn’t as great as he’d expected. When he was still alive, he thought that he’d be thrilled at becoming a ranker and would be ready to shake up the Tower.

However, after experiencing a new type of battlefield with Yeon-woo and meeting countless skilled people, Shanon’s world had been crushed and replaced with a new, larger one that had a wider sky. Seeing the vastness of that sky made Shanon consider his previous accomplishments useless. He wasn’t good enough yet. Yeon-woo, who had been at the same level as he was just a year ago, had a goal that was so lofty that Shanon just wanted to be next to him when he achieved it.

However, Yeon-woo grew too fast, so he had to work endlessly to catch up. Thanks to that, he was able to reach the expert level after using the Seventy-Two Bian and the Monkey King’s legacy as a foundation. But Shanon believed he still had a long way to go. Yeon-woo had grown again, and he had to catch up once more.

He could not allow himself to give up now. Not just that, Shanon wanted to defeat Yeon-woo at least once. After losing to Yeon-woo and becoming his servant, he was filled with the desire to defeat Yeon-woo at least this once. The black energy around Shanon grew clear and started to multiply. His connection with Yeon-woo strengthened, and the remnants of the Devil Cores in the Philosopher’s Stone flowed inside of him.

[A strong will has awakened a new Demonic Factor.]

[Dark and evil properties have increased by 30 points.]

[Fire property has increased by 15 points.]

…..

[Congratulations! With the strengthened Demonic Factors, you have taken a step closer to death.]

[Shanon (Death Knight) is undergoing a change. His level has been raised by one tier.]

[His previous traits and class are being examined.]

[He received the influence of the title ‘One Who Leads Death’.]

Shanon’s black armor grew sharper and turned a shiny black. Blue flames like will-o’-wisps burned within his helmet.

Inferno Sight was the hellfire that belonged only to the most powerful of those at the expert level, and Shanon’s presence was amplified. It not only grew, but it burned with a metallic black color.

[Shanon (Death Knight) has successfully evolved into a ‘Death Noble’.]

[Death Noble]

[Knights who have died with grievances cannot move on to the beyond. A few Death Knights can receive power and positions from the Lord of Hell. Death always follows wherever they go. As they rise in position, the amount of power that they can use also increases. As their powers and positions rise, they gain the ability to create squads of soldiers.]

Shanon felt a power grow inside him, and as his cape fluttered behind him, he roared. Sword Breaker also exuded demonic energy. Was it because of the influence of the Philosopher’s Stone or Shanon’s strong will? Yeon-woo didn’t know for sure, but Shanon had grown more powerful than ever, surprising even Rebecca and Hanryeong.

Hanryeong’s pride was scratched to see Shanon rise in level while he was still a Death Knight despite having been a high ranker when he was alive. Rebecca felt the same. Shanon was pressing down her holiness, and even though they were allies, she almost felt as though she were in danger. Shanon was powerful enough to make the two of them tense.

However, Shanon didn’t blink an eye. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have lost this opportunity to show off a little, but he was too focused on Yeon-woo, wondering if his newfound power was enough to defeat him.

Hanryeong and Rebecca read his thoughts clearly and gripped their weapons even more tightly as they crouched in battle-ready stances. Then, they burst out running towards Yeon-woo as though at the same signal.

Yeon-woo’s eyes flashed as he tightened his hold on his Magic Bayonet as well. He activated Wicked Devil and his eyes glowed more ferociously than ever. The blade slashed over the fire again.

***

Brahm shook his head at the ridiculous situation. “I don’t know why both servants and master are the same.” The fight between Yeon-woo and his three subordinates had ended in a tie.

Between all the fire and the clashing blades, the four of them had fought as though they really wanted to kill each other. The training area was devastated, and the Head Elder sighed as he looked at the cracks on the burnt ground and the flattened hill.

“How is it? Do you feel better now?” Brahm crouched down to speak to Yeon-woo, who was still catching his breath on the ground.

Yeon-woo smiled bitterly. He’d thought he had been keeping up with training well, but it seemed like he was mistaken. However, he felt a lot better after fighting, and all his stress and worries had disappeared. “I’m regretting it.” He wasn’t satisfied with everything.

“You’re regretting it?” Brahm looked at Yeon-woo like he was crazy.

Yeon-woo nodded with a serious expression. “Yes. I know that those three won’t stop there.” Although Yeon-woo had become stronger, he hadn’t been able to catch up to Hanryeong’s swordsmanship. That was how powerful the Saber God was. He hadn’t been the second strongest in the Cheonghwado for nothing.

Rebecca had also been one of the strongest players in the Tower since Cernunnos was one of the greatest gods. It was only that she’d lost too much in her death. Shanon had already surpassed the abilities he’d had when he was still alive, but he still had to get used to his new skills.

Knowing that they would only grow stronger, Yeon-woo was filled with the thoughts of not slacking off. Brahm made a face like he was sick of Yeon-woo then grinned. He was beginning to see how Yeon-woo had become so strong. “You need to continue to push me too.”

“You need to find your holiness again.”

“Haha, thanks for saying that. But don’t you have to overcome that first?”

Brahm had given up returning to the past for a while now, and he just chuckled. Yeon-woo had to get a greater holiness than the one Brahm had possessed before Brahm could even think about regaining the lost holiness.

However, ever since the Tower was established, no player had received holiness. There were only rumors that Allforone had it. However, Yeon-woo looked at Brahm with calm eyes. Brahm’s eyes widened. “Y-you?”

Yeon-woo just laughed and got to his feet. “Since we’ve confirmed the function of the stone, we have to move on to the next step.”

Brahm didn’t ask Yeon-woo anything else and just nodded. It would take a long time before Yeon-woo was in a position to get his holiness, and there was something else Brahm had to do right now. He had to go on a witch hunt and save his daughter.

Although Brahm only had an artificial body, it felt as though his heart were beating faster. Boom. Boom. His breathing quickened at the thought of seeing his daughter again.