[Athena looks at you with sad eyes.]

[Athena looks at you with sad eyes.]

[The godly society is observing you quietly.]

“How annoying.”

The Ice King turned back in surprise at Yeon-woo’s abrupt words. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Nothing at all. It’s just something that’s been bothering me for a long time.”

The Ice King sighed in relief upon realizing that Yeon-woo hadn’t been referring to him, although he also cocked his head in confusion since he didn’t know what could be bothering Yeon-woo.

[Athena looks at you with sad eyes.]

Yeon-woo now found Athena’s gaze unpleasant. However, she continued watching him as though she had no plans of turning away. The other gods were behaving in the same manner.

‘They’re probably curious about Tartarus.’ Olympus had probably realized what Yeon-woo was trying to do just from looking at the materials he was trying to gather, and they were wondering why he had gotten distracted from this.

However, Athena’s gaze was a bit different. It was a gaze filled with pity, and he could almost feel her emotions all the way from there. He didn’t like being watched like that. It was one thing to be understood, and it was another thing to be pitied. He glared up at the sky. Athena was somewhere up there.

[Athena looks at you with sad eyes.]

But the message didn’t disappear. In the end, Yeon-woo ignored Athena’s gaze and turned his head away to spot Victoria, who looked exhausted after following them all the way there. “Please go back.”

“No.”

“How do you plan on moving in that state?” The effects of the spells had already done everything they could. All the accessories on Victoria’s arms, fingers, and ankles were holding her up, and the Adamantine Nova circled Victoria like a planet orbiting a sun. However, it couldn’t function properly because Victoria didn’t have a tool that would extract its power.

“No. I can do it.” However, Victoria remained stubborn. When Yeon-woo tried to move faster in order to lose her, Victoria forced her tired body to chase after him. 

“But…”

“I won’t be a burden. If I start to feel like I’m becoming one…” Victoria bit her lower lip. “I’ll kill myself.”

Yeon-woo looked at Victoria, who met his gaze unwaveringly. He knew that expression well; it was a stubbornness that brooked no objection. He often had that look in his eyes too. “Do as you please.” Yeon-woo gave in. 

“Thank you.” She had a small grin on her face. 

* * *

『First off, we’re going to be bait.』

『Bait?』

Around the time they entered the boundaries of the stage, Yeon-woo began to explain his plan. 『It’s important to meet up with Kahn, but what’s more important is to distract the people chasing after him.』

『You plan on lessening his burden.』

『Yes. At the same time, he’ll find out where we are.』

They couldn’t find Kahn no matter how hard they tried. Nike and Nemesis were searching from above, and Boo used his location magic, but nothing came up. Kahn had managed to hide himself completely when Victoria stalled for time. He knew the terrain of the twentieth floor better than any of the players after him since he’d spent a considerable amount of time there as a Sadhu. If he wanted to hide, no one would be able to find him.

As a result, Yeon-woo changed his tactics. If they couldn’t find Kahn, they would just make sure Kahn knew where they were. It didn’t matter if Kahn looked for them. If Yeon-woo showed himself and revealed his piece of the Ruyi Bang, the other successors of the Monkey King would appear, and Kahn would inevitably follow them.

‘Then, even though the Devil Army is watching him, he’ll have to come. Or else…’ Yeon-woo’s eyes flashed. ‘Progress with another hidden agenda.’ Why had Kahn chosen the twentieth floor out of all the stages? Sure, he knew it well, and the restrictions on the other players’ senses was a huge disadvantage for them, but Yeon-woo suspected that there was another reason. ‘It’s also where the Monkey King’s Palace is. It’s not a coincidence.’

Regardless of Kahn’s plans, Yeon-woo was sure they would find each other.

「You haven’t thought about the fact that it won’t be that simple, right?」 Shanon grumbled. 「Geez. This is so uncharacteristic of you. You’re so weak when it comes to these things…」

Just as Shanon said, Yeon-woo would have to face more hurdles, but Yeon-woo was confident of clearing them. He could heed the request of a friend in danger.

[Athena looks at you with sad eyes.]

『But how are you going to draw the players’ attention?』 Although Victoria was nodding after hearing Yeon-woo’s plan, there were still some things she didn’t understand.

『Like this.』 Yeon-woo grinned. Boom! A great explosion occurred not too far away. A column of fire pierced through the forest and reached the sky. 

『Aaaack!』

『Dammit…! How did he know…urk!』

Victoria’s eyes turned to the explosion in surprise. The Ice King sighed. 『People were already tailing us? That was fast.』 Since he was on Yeon-woo’s side now, he was feeling a little gloomy. People would consider him a traitor now, a reputation that mercenaries carefully avoided. He thought about stepping away.

『Where are you going?』 Yeon-woo used his Open Speaking in the middle of the fight as though he could see the Ice King’s movements. 

『Ahem! I think I’ve helped enough already. Do you have any plans of letting me go?』

『Please pick a side.』 Would he go with them or Yeon-woo?

The Ice King’s expression hardened, and he said in a serious manner, 『Of course, I’m on your side. Whose side would I pick? All right. What should I do first?』

* * *

『It’s impossible at this rate! Spread out!』

『I-I can’t! It’s blocked…urk!』

Yeon-woo’s pursuers, the Hidden Shadow Group, scattered at their commander’s orders. They were a well-known group of assassinations, but combat was not their forte. They usually took commissions for assassinations and spying. They moved so quietly that they were never exposed, and they were very discreet, which customers liked.

They had received a commission to look for the Hoarder, and after hearing that he had dispatched the fourth commander of Iron Lion, Moon Walker, as well as Streege, they were determined not to confront him directly. 

Instead, they chased after him quietly and left traces behind as they moved. Another team would let their client know, and the client would surround the Hoarder’s party and trap them.

However, even though they’d been very meticulous, the Hoarder had still managed to discover them. The Hidden Shadow Group quickly fled without being able to learn how they had been caught, but it wouldn’t be an easy escape.

Each time Yeon-woo moved, a heat wave blocked their path. The explosions that blasted out of his sword also began to cut their members down. Even those who had escaped from Yeon-woo’s attack found their escape route blocked by a large wall of ice.

『Ice King Elder, what are you doing?!』 The co-captain of the Hidden Shadow Group, Harvey, shouted with a pale face. He had never expected that their trustworthy ally and elder would stand on Yeon-woo’s side. All this time, they had believed that the Hoarder had killed the Ice King along with Moon Walker.

『Things happened. Sorry.』 The Ice King smiled bitterly at them. Just that morning, he had been eating breakfast with them, and he didn’t feel comfortable raising his sword against them. However, the reality of the mercenary world was that close friends could be exchanging blows the next day. The Ice King rid himself of the last of his sentimental feelings and lightly clapped his hands together. 

A blue light and cold air spread around them as an avalanche began tumbling down.

〈North Sea Ice Wave〉

The ground froze and a thornbush of ice sprouted around Harvey and the other Hidden Shadow group members, piercing through their bodies. Blood dripped down the ice and dampened the ground temporarily before freezing over again.

Urrrng!

Victoria’s ad hoc tool began to move the Adamantine Nova. However, because she wasn’t in a good condition, she could only support her party instead of directly attacking their opponents. When her magic power was somewhat restored, she drew in the air, and red rune letters appeared and disappeared with a pop as she created a new magic formation.

Clouds rumbled above, and lightning shot down. Boom!

The three of them were high rankers. The Ice King had been a high ranker a long time ago, and the abilities that made Yeon-woo seen as the best of the Six New Stars were equivalent to those of a high ranker. The Hidden Shadow Group vanished instantly. 

However, Yeon-woo and the others didn’t stop there. 

『There’s some here, too!』 Flying above, Nike sent the locations of their enemies to Yeon-woo. He quickly got rid of the pursuers.

Rumble! Boom! They could hear screams and explosions all around the mountains as the pursuers found themselves becoming the victims of their prey. They were shocked by the sudden turn of events. Since they were an alliance only in name due to their different objectives, they didn’t have any solid plans to counterattack.

Iron Lion was searching for their young master on their leader’s orders, and the Magic Tower and Necropolis were after the Bian studies. There were also bounty hunters and mercenaries who were only in it for the money. It was difficult for them to get together to deal with the situation efficiently.

Holes appeared in the net they had cast over Yeon-woo’s party as he methodically took the alliance apart.

Yeon-woo had reached his first goal. He could see a large camp under a cliff—Iron Lion’s base.