‘Why?’ He stood there blankly for a moment, and that was the first thought that came to his mind. Yeon-woo couldn’t understand. Summon of the Dead could summon souls through their former possessions or memories related to them. It was one of the options of the artifact of the Black King, whom all the gods and demons of death marveled at.

The bracelet’s option was more efficient than most powers that gods and demons bestowed, but even still… ‘Why can’t I summon him?’ Yeon-woo clenched his teeth. His eyes were red. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible.

“Summon of the Dead!”

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

“Summon of the Dead!”

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

“Summon of the Dead!”

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

“Dammit! Summon of the Dead!”

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

……

Yeon-woo eventually exploded with rage, unable to keep his composure. “Come out! I said come out!”

[The person you are summoning cannot be found.]

“I said come out!”

But the same message appeared over and over.

“Why? Why?! Answer me! Why?!” Yeon-woo gripped the pocket watch. He looked at the Despair and Grief of the Black King with bloodshot eyes and turned his head to the gazes still lingering on him. Those damned gazes. They only interfered when they wanted to and were silent during times like this. “Answer me!”

However, no one replied. The gods and demons of death just quietly looked at Yeon-woo. They were scared after Azrael’s disappearance, and they only dared observe Yeon-woo without getting too close.

He needed to find someone else who could give him answers.

“Hermes! Athena! At least you guys should answer me! You should know something from watching the lower world all this time!”

[Hermes is silent.]

[Athena looks at you with pity.]

“I’ll accept your Apostle positions or whatever you want! Just say something!”

It was a condition that all the gods and demons after Yeon-woo would be tempted to accept. However…

[The godly society is silent.]

[The godly society is silent.]

[The godly society is silent.]

…..

“Agares!”

[Agares shuts his mouth tightly. He remains silent.]

“Shit!” Yeon-woo was about to burst from frustration. What was it? What had gone wrong? He had both Jeong-woo’s possession and their shared memories. Why wasn’t it working? Didn’t it say he could call any soul from the Beyond?

‘Or…is he not in the Beyond?’ Yeon-woo’s back stiffened at the sudden thought. A strange feeling of uneasiness crept down his back.

『Master.』

“Wait.”

Nemesis had appeared and was looking at Yeon-woo with a concerned expression. He also looked flustered that Yeon-woo hadn’t been able to call Jeong-woo, but he tried to calm Yeon-woo down despite his own feelings.

However, Yeon-woo cut him off. Something had occurred to him, and he didn’t want to be interrupted. ‘There are only two reasons why the summoning won’t work even when all the conditions are satisfied.’

The first was that the person was still alive. But that couldn’t be it. He had scattered his brother’s ashes in the sea by Taejongdae Park himself. The despair and grief he felt was still in his heart. ‘The other is Benteke’s situation.’

Benteke’s soul had been destroyed from Poseidon’s forceful descent. Since the soul was gone, it couldn’t move into the Beyond. Could the same thing have happened to his brother? Yeon-woo shook his head. There was no record of anything like that in the last section of the diary.

This is the end of my diary. I believe that if I leave this behind, my brother will find a way to come to this place. If it's you, hyung, you can retrieve the Panacea and bring it safely to our mom.

It only said that he was waiting for Yeon-woo. ‘And if my theory that the ancient dragon Kalatus sent Jeong-woo to Earth is correct…it really doesn’t make sense.’ Besides, there was no way that the obsessed Agares would let that happen. He would’ve caused a big ruckus.

‘Then what is it?’ Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed.

[Your trait, Cold-blooded, has helped you maintain composure.]

He began to calm down as the trait activated and to see things he had missed. ‘No. There’s still one more possibility.’ His eyes flashed. ‘Jeong-woo’s soul might be in the hands of a higher being or an immortal.’ Or else, it was trapped in some unknown location.

‘The Apostles of gods and demons don’t usually go to the Beyond after they die.’ The Apostles of the gods of Asgard all ascended to Valhalla after they died. The Apostles of Olympus went to Elysium, and the Apostles of L’Infernal became subordinates of the demons after death and stayed by their sides.

That meant that they didn’t move into the Beyond and wouldn’t be reincarnated. If his brother was in a similar situation…‘I have to find him no matter what.’ His eyes kindled with fury. His brother had faced all kinds of betrayals, suffering, and despair. Yeon-woo couldn’t accept that he wouldn’t be at rest even after death.

‘I have to get to the fiftieth floor quickly.’ Yeon-woo desperately hoped the ancient dragon Kalatus would know something.

* * *

After some time passed, Yeon-woo cleared his head again. ‘If I can’t find any clues there, that’ll be a problem too.’ There was only one thing Yeon-woo could do for the time being. ‘Look for more clues.’ It was harder than finding a needle in a haystack, but it wasn’t impossible. ‘If I can’t find him, I can focus on building up the ability to do so in the future.’ He already had a plan. ‘I have to find clues related to the Black King anyway. Since things are like this, I need to go, even if it’s dangerous.’

As his eyes flashed coldly, he pulled something out from subspace. It was a jade bead that shone brightly.

[Freesia’s Jade Mirror]

[Category: Miscellaneous]

[Rank: A]

[Description: A communication device connected to the mysterious merchant society ‘By the Table’. Using your Consciousness, you can communicate with a specific person. However, it cannot be used in some locations.]

Freesia from By the Table had given it to him before she left, and he could use it whenever he needed to get in touch with them. Yeon-woo blew his Consciousness into it. The jade glowed and a small hologram appeared in the air, wavering as though it were adjusting the frequency before it took the form of a human.

『Ack! What the f…! Goodness! Who’s this?! Isn’t this the push…I mean, my beloved customer? Why have you suddenly contacted this lowly soul after not reaching out with any news for such a long time? I didn’t even know you were alive!』 Atran was surprised when he was suddenly connected to Yeon-woo and quickly put on a bright smile, rubbing his hands together. However, his tone seemed to be sarcastic.

He was unhappy because Yeon-woo hadn’t contacted him in over a year after their contract with By the Table. The contract stated that Freesia would support the new clan Yeon-woo was building with anything they needed. With Atran in charge of this, he rapidly rose to the highest ranks of the mysterious merchants. That was how much prestige By the Table had.

Atran had efficiently taken care of everything that was assigned to him, and Boo and Brahm didn’t experience a single delay when renovating the Outer Space. However, Atran felt bored. He didn’t like sitting at a desk all day dealing with paperwork. He enjoyed the excitement of the frontlines.

‘The Hoarder is the harbinger of disasters, trouble, and chaos! But why hasn’t he called me for so long?!’ Atran seemed to want to shout. He had been stuck in an office but he knew about the war between Yeon-woo and Triton. He even knew about Benteke’s and Poseidon’s defeats. However, when he noticed how strange Yeon-woo’s eyes appeared in the hologram, he shut his mouth.

At the same time, he rejoiced to himself. He didn’t know what was bugging Yeon-woo this time, but it seemed like something even more exciting than the war with Triton was about to happen. ‘It might even be comparable to the battle with the Summer Queen.’

Periods of confusion were the best times to earn money. Atran wet his lips. 『Please speak. Is there anything you would like?』

“I want to ask for some information.”

『What is it?』

“The three Cyclops brothers.”

Atran cocked his head for a moment. He was always up to date with information about the Tower, but he had never heard about any players or clans called Cyclopes. Then, he remembered something, and his eyes widened. 『By the three Cyclops brothers, are you referring to the blacksmiths who gave Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades their weapons in the legends of Olympus?』

“Right. I need information on them. And their locations if possible.”

Atran shut his lips and frowned. 『By the Table may be a union with a long history and tradition, but it’s difficult to search for traces of old legends and…』

“Will three Yaltabao Chests do the trick?”

Atran bowed deep enough for his head to touch the ground. 『I’ll serve you to the best of my abilities, sir!』

“I heard that the three Cyclops brothers moved to Persephone’s temple 200 years ago. You might be able to find something if you start from there.”

『You even have good information like that! As expected of you, sir!』

“If possible, I’d like information about Hades too.”

『What kind of…?』

“Anything recent. If he’s taken in any Apostles or if anyone has received any messages or anything from him. That will suffice.”

Atran’s worried face turned bright. As someone who couldn’t reach the ninety-eighth floor, he would face a great challenge getting information about gods, but By the Table’s connections would suffice for this.

“Also, if you can bring news to me quickly, I’ll add a bonus.”

『I’ll come back as soon as I can! How could I possibly make our beloved customer wait?』 After those words, Atran’s hologram disappeared so he could rush to earn as much money as possible.

Yeon-woo silently put Freesia’s Jade Mirror down and thought to himself. ‘If the rumors are true that the Apostle of the three Cyclops brothers has entered the hidden stage of the thirtieth floor, I need to find them as quickly as possible.’ The only people who could explain the manacle and the fetter were the three Cyclops brothers.

If he could learn the identity of the Black King or find out the exact method of using Despair and Grief—in fact, if he could even find Hades’ holy artifact, Kynee, and complete the set and control death, then everything would fall into place. ‘I might be able to find more information about Jeong-woo.’

He had to have the power of the Black King. He sat and waited silently for Atran’s return.