Mixed Novel Haha Chapter 2534 222 - 232

Chapter 222: Kang Chul-In's Decision (pt. 2)

Translator: Leyy3

"Huk... kuk..."

After getting hit in the stomach extremely hard, Kwak-Jung started to spasm, before fainting.

"Hmph, he really is..."

Staring at the fainted Kwak-Jung with a disgusted expression, Lucia started to drag him across the floor to take him away.

Soon, you will...

Kang Chul-In clenched his fists, while also gritting his teeth.

"...Father?"

Not understanding anything that had just occurred, Arshelly questioned Kang Chul-In.

"How does a baby..."

"W-Well..."

Kang Chul-In closed his eyes.

Dammit!

If it were any other child he would have explained it just like Kwak-Jung, but Arshelly was his lovely daughter.

D-Do I really need to tell her...

Even though it was an overused saying, there was an explanation in times like this. It was a saying that any South Korean would know.

"Daughter."

"Yes, father?"

"Listen up."

"Okay!"

"Huu..."

And after taking a deep breath, Kang Chul-In finally decided to speak 'those words'.

"A baby."

"Yeah!"

"Comes out... when two adults that love each other..."

"Yeah!"

"Hold hands... at night... together..."

"I-Is that so?!"

"..."

"How very interesting!"

"A-Anyway..."

While trembling inwardly at his own shamelessness, Kang Chul-In quickly changed the subject.

"Daughter, we'll take a little later. I'm a little busy after just coming back."

"Yes, father."

Arshelly seemed extremely satisfied with the fact that she had her curiosities sated. Even though she was able to find out in the future that her father had just been lying to her.

"Pft..."

The Ninetails stared at Kang Chul-In, and laughed.

"You're kind of cute."

"I just didn't want to break her innocence so early."

"Even though husband's intentions were quite obvious... I didn't think that husband had that kind of side!"

At the Ninetails's words, Kang Chul-In couldn't say anything.

Even though he was like a merciless devil to his enemy, and an absolute powerhouse of an Overlord, he was an inexperienced father that loved his daughter.

"Well then, enough with the pointless talk."

Embarrassed, Kang Chul-In spoke with a cold voice. It was obvious that he was trying to avoid talking about this topic.

"Anyway."

Looking at the people staring at him, Kang Chul-In continued.

"I will have an official announcement once we are finished talking. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Milord!"

Kang Chul-In also shouted to the citizens that had come out for the parade.

"I will give an announcement about more specific things at a later date! Now is the time to be giving rewards to those that have fought and made great contributions in the war, after all."

What he had said was right.

Even though the marriage of a Lord was important, he had to take care of other things first.

Who would want to sacrifice their lives for the territory and country if they were ignored, and weren't rewarded?

"As expected, Milord is a benevolent ruler!"

"Long live Lord Kang Chul-In!!"

"Hooray!"

At Kang Chul-In's words, the citizens cheered.

[The 'Politics' stat has been raised from C+ to B+!]

[The 'Charm' stat has been raised from A+ to S-!]

[The 'Internal Affairs' stat has been raised from E- to C+!]

And as that happened, a message showing that his stats had been increased showed up in front of him.

Good.

Kang Chul-In smiled, satisfied.

The message that had popped up in front of him was evidence that he as a Lord was growing.

In the past, the Kang Chul-In that only knew to fight was no longer there. He was becoming a complete Lord with abilities not only

for battle, but also things like this.

---------

"Alfred!"

After getting back into the castle, Kang Chul-In looked for Alfred immediately.

"What exactly has happened!"

"M-Milord!"

The old vampire butler that had been sucking on blood while resting immediately stood up as Kang Chul-In came in.

"Congratulations on the victory!"

"What congratulations, lie back down immediately!"

"How could I lie down when Milord is over here..."

"Shut up!"

"M-Milord..."

"What happened? In the report, it said that you looked as you looked when you were young."

"W-Well..."

Alfred started to explain.

"...Then why did you..."

After listening to Alfred, Kang Chul-In shook his head.

"Didn't you learn not to pick things up from anywhere?"

"Sorry, Milord..."

"Make sure to focus your all on recovering. As my subordinate, you shouldn't be sick and hurt like this."

"Of course, Milord! This old one will definitely try his best in recovering!"

"Oh, and..."

Kang Chul-In gave news that Alfred might actually like.

"I'm going to get married soon."

"M-Milord!"

Alfred shouted, his voice full of happiness and excitement.

"Have you finally decided?!"

"That's right."

"Milord... you have made such a grand decision."

"No, it wasn't 'grand'."

"No, Milord. It's obvious that in order to change Milord's thoughts, there had to be some extreme thinking behind it."

"Well, it's because I failed once in my previous life. There will no longer be failure for me, as I will finally achieve my goal!"

***

There were a lot of things to do.

Taking care of business afterwards, absorbing those territories that wanted to be part of the Laputa territory, as well as the quest that had come up.

But even before that, Kang Chul-In had one other thing left to do.

After making sure the funerals of the deceased warriors had been taken care of, Kang Chul-In headed towards where Kim Sung-Hee was.

Her whole body had turned black, and she wasn't moving at all.

Not good.

Kang Chul-In's expression stiffened.

Kim Sung-Hee's condition didn't change even when Aleister had died.

They didn't have much time left in the first place, but since her healer, Alfred, had become injured, Kim Sung-Hee was about to turn into an undead.

Just like a certain scene in the movie 'Dawn Of The Dead' (2004).

At this rate, she would turn into an undead within a week even with treatment from Alfred.

Knock knock.

It was at that moment.

"Milord, it's Mikael."

The voice of the leader of the White Lion Knights, Mikael, could be heard from outside.

"Come in."

"Yes, Milord."

"What is it?"

"Milord, you said that you were looking for an alchemist?"

"That's right. In order to save this woman here, we'll need an alchemist that can make a tear of purity."

"Then, why not go into the 'Dark Forest'?"

"The Dark Forest?"

The Dark Forest was a forest that was located South of where the old Laputa territory used to be, and was the habitat of countless monsters and wild animals.

"Yes, Milord."

"Why so?"

"According to the rumors, apparently an extremely high-level witch lives there."

"A witch?"

"Yes, Milord. Apparently one of my knights have met that witch, and she was able to easily cast high-level spells."

"Hmm..."

"And since it's extremely difficult to find a high level alchemist, don't you think it would be worth it to go look for that witch? After all, a witch is closely related to alchemy."

"You're right."

Kang Chul-In nodded at Mikael's words.

"Very well, that's what I'll do."

It was always a good thing to listen to what a loyal subordinate would say, as it often led to good results.

"But you'll have to be careful, Milord."

Mikael added.

"Apparently that witch doesn't have a good temper, and the knight that met her nearly died in the process."

"No need to worry about that."

Kang Chul-In showed his confidence.

"Magicians, wizards or witches, they can't do anything to me."

Due to the 'Spellthirster' ability he had, even a high-level or powerful witch couldn't stand in front of Kang Chul-In.

***

Before heading off to meet the witch that lived in the Dark Forest, Kang Chul-In made a meeting and announced that he would get married.

"We will talk about this later when I get back from the Dark..."

Just as Kang Chul-In was speaking.

Pzzt!

From the 'Needle of the Empress', an extremely large spark zapped Kang Chul-In.

"..!"

And Kang Chul-In was barely able to contain the scream that involuntarily came out of his mouth.

It was strange.

As if it was purely electricity, the Spellthirster ability didn't work.

Dammit, stupid item.

Kang Chul-In gritted his teeth.

[Warning, warning!!]

At that moment, a notification popped up.

[Due to the wearer's level being low, the 'sky-piercing jealousy' penalty has been activated!]

[Warning, warning!!]

[If you hold a marriage, a set of natural disasters (earthquake, lightning, hail) will occur!]

We'll see about this later!

Kang Chul-In gritted his teeth.

He wasn't one to just submit to an item.

Chapter 223: Not All Dragons Are The Same

Translator: Leyy3

BANG!

It didn't take much time for the peak of the mountain to break down.

Ssss...

As the tallest point of the Dragonia mountain range broke down, dust flew everywhere.

"Huu! Finally, I feel like I can breathe."

A girl looked up at the sky and smiled refreshingly.

Pitch black hair.

Almost crystalline, amethyst eyes.

Jade-like skin.

This girl who looked about 10 was the ancient black dragon, Desdemona. She had changed her appearance by polymorphing.

If one asked her why she had changed into the appearance of a 10 year old, it would have to be purely her tastes.

"Ah, maybe I should have made an air refresher here or something."

Desdemona said, licking her lips.

After sleeping for a thousand years while breathing in the dust from her cave, it wasn't strange for her to think of an air refresher.

[Are you going?]

The system of the lair, Pinefly asked.

"Yeah."

[I hope you have a nice time.]

"Hmph, what nice time? This might be the last time I go out entirely."

[Well, yeah, maybe.]

"Well, whatever. There are still a few years until 'that' happens, and I also have lived for a long time too."

[Master...]

"What is that sad voice that doesn't fit that of an AI?"

[...]

"Anyway, good job until now."

[No, master. I will clean the lair so that when master gets back...]

"No."

Desdemona shook her head.

"It will be a little bit difficult for me to get back."

[Well then...]

"That's right, use that."

[Yes, master.]

Pinefly responded, and the huge lair started to glow red.

Wiing, wiing!

With the sounds of sirens going off, an announcement could be heard in the lair.

[Warning, warning!]

[The lair system has been turned off!]

[The A.I, Pinefly, will turn off!]

[The lair will explode in 5 minutes.]

[4:59... 58... 57... 56...]

"My home..."

Desdemona murmured to herself quietly.

Her age now at 7000.

When she became a 'wyrm' level dragon at age 3,000, she had beaten up and kicked out the ancient white dragon that lived here. She had lived here for 4000 years now.

4000 years.

Even though it sounded simple, that was definitely not a short amount of time, and it was extremely hard for her to part ways with this place that she had spent so much time in.

"Well, let's forget about it."

Trying to shake off her sadness, Desdemona started to walk away.

"Fly!"

The miraculous 'dragon language'.

With this magic that only dragons could use, Desdemona's body started to float.

"Swift!"

And with terrifying speeds, Desdemona's body broke through the lair she had spent 4000 years of her life in.

[3:11... 10... 9... 8...]

After getting out of the lair, Desdemona didn't leave right away and instead looked at the lair. She wanted to look at it, even in its last moments.

[6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

[0.]

[The lair has been closed.]

With the final announcement,

BANG!

The lair started to fall, with an extremely large explosion.

"Goodbye, my home."

Nodding slightly, Desdemona looked at her destroyed home.

-Kuoooo!

At that moment.

-Krr...!

A giant, blue-scaled creature came out and roared.

A long, golden horn that was shooting out lightning.

Flashing sky-blue scales.

Greenish eyes.

Webbed feet.

The monster that had just appeared was a blue dragon, that was famed to not lose in the slightest in terms of ferocity against even a black dragon.

It was obvious why this blue dragon had woken up.

It was because of the loud noise that came when Desdemona's lair had been destroyed. It had come out to find out who dared to bother its sweet

nap!

"And who the hell are you?"

Desdemona stared at the blue dragon with contemptuous eyes.

Her gaze wasn't as if she was looking at her own species.

She had the eyes of one that looked at a lower being, like a human staring at a bug.

"You damned fake."

Desdemona spoke towards the blue dragon.

"Hey, you lizard."

-...

"Get lost while I'm feeling nice. What do you think you're doing in front of a true ancient dragon when you're just a pack of experience for the 'avengers'?"

Shockingly, Desdemona didn't think that this blue dragon was on the same level as her.

They were somewhat different.

Unlike Desdemona who polymorphed and could talk, the blue dragon only roared, showing off its ferocity.

This was the difference between having an ego or not.

It was like the difference between the sky and the ground.

-Krrr...!

But even still, the blue dragon didn't seem to understand any of Desdemona's words.

Pzzt, pzzt!

Instead, it responded by charging up lightning in its horn, and shooting its specialty 'Lightning Breath' towards Desdemona.

However,

"You dare?"

Saying that, Desdemona's purplish eyes started to turn red,

Flash!

And in the blink of an eye, a gargantuan black dragon appeared.

-K... Krr...?

Looking at her, the blue dragon momentarily paused, forgetting to even shoot out its breath.

Whilst Desdemona was around 150 metres, the blue dragon was only around 55 metres.

Almost a 3 times difference.

Basically, it was putting a somewhat high-class Coupe in front of a ridiculously expensive sports car.

"Hey."

Poking her tail at the blue dragon's face, Desdemona spoke.

-K... Kr...

"You wanna die? Huh?"

-...

"What, you're gonna continue staring at me like that? Looks like you really wanna die..."

At Desdemona's words, the blue dragon immediately looked down.

It had no choice.

What could it do when this monstrosity of a being was telling it not to stare at it like that?

It was obvious it would just die or be eaten if it didn't listen.

"Or are you mad that I bothered your sleep? Huh?"

Shake shake.

The blue dragon immediately shook its head fiercely.

"Oh, really?"

Nod nod.

It seemed like even the fiercest of monsters wanted to live.

"So, any other complaints?"

Shake shake~.

"You don't, right?"

Nod nod~.

"If you're a minor, then act like one, idiot!"

Pow!

Desdemona's tail smashed onto the blue dragon's face.

-...

But the only thing the blue dragon could do was remain silent, afraid of Desdemona.

"Fine then, get lost."

-Kuooo!

The blue dragon immediately answered, before spreading its wings and flying away.

"Hmph, to think that a lowly lizard has the title of dragon... What a disgrace... Hu..."

Desdemona shook her head.

Growl,

Bang!

And at that moment, the sound of thunder rumbling in her stomach could be heard.

"Ah, maybe I should have just eaten it. It did look like the perfect size too... Hng..."

Desdemona stared at the blue dragon that was running away, and licked her lips. After sleeping for 1000 years, it was inevitable that she was hungry.

---------

At the same time.

Ah, should I just arrange the marriage in the middle of that damned Vilhelm's territory or something?

That was right, Kang Chul-In's marriage.

His damned item, the Needle of the Empress, made it so that Laputa would be destroyed by 3 natural disasters if he arranged the marriage there.

And so, it didn't sound bad to go into the middle of Albrecht Vilhelm's territory, and destroy everything with this item there instead.

Wouldn't that be cool?

This would be the first time in history that marriage would become a real threat and disaster.

Ha, this is ridiculous.

But still, Kang Chul-In wasn't crazy enough to actually put this thought into action.

Marriage was something to be celebrated, and a Lord's marriage was even more special.

[System error!]

[Things have changed, and thus the contents of the Awakening Quest have changed as well.]

[The original Awakening Quest, 'Dragon Slayer,' has been cancelled.]

What the hell?

Kang Chul-In's expression stiffened.

A sudden error in the system, and the cancelling of a quest?

Dragon Slayer (cancelled)

Kill the blue dragon that lives within the Dragonia Mountain Range!

Reward: +10 Levels / 500,000 gold / +5 Enhancement of the Lord's specialty.

Notification: Due to the fact that the blue dragon has left its habitat, this quest can no longer be done.

-Warning: The new Awakening Quest will be given in around 30 days when the System calculates a suitable quest.

-Alarm: Due to the System Error, you have been rewarded 3 [Random Unit Selection] tickets.

What the hell is going on...

Kang Chul-In bit his lips.

From his experience, this was the first time that the System had malfunctioned like this.

Even though the system looked like a simple 'Status page' from a game, it wasn't something to underestimate.

A giant 'something' that controlled the Pangaea continent.

This was how Kang Chul-In thought of the system, and it was a mystery that no one had been able to solve.

But the system malfunctioned?

It was obvious that Kang Chul-In would be astonished.

Of course, this was because Kang Chul-In didn't know the real reason behind why this had happened.

He didn't know the truth... that the blue dragon had run away with its tail tucked between its legs after meeting Desdemona.

Chapter 224: Into the Dark Forest

Translator: Leyy3

Marriage.

The crowning quest.

The Awakening quest.

As well as the Tagore soldiers. Leaving these things behind, Kang Chul-In immediately headed back towards the Pandemonium region.

Before getting into the Teleportation circle, Kang Chul-In vowed to himself that he would save Kim Sung-Hee.

Was this not a cool and badass woman?

The passion and the determination to get stronger.

Kim Sung-Hee had risked her life in order to gain strength, and this was something that Kang Chul-In extremely respected.

And not only that,

"If you save my daughter, I will help you expand your business and go overseas. For Old Man Kwon, it would be difficult to go anywhere other than maybe like Japan."

"..."

"Sung-Hee is my precious daughter. For that child..."

"So, you wanna save your daughter and put your hands in my business?"

"...!"

"Really, do you think that half-assed acting would work against me? If you're going to do that, look for someone else."

"Pretty smart for a youngster. I thought you were just a strong..."

"Do you wanna die?"

"...!"

"This is between me and Kim Sung-Hee; it's none of your business."

"But I'm the father of..."

"The next time you continue to speak, I will break your teeth. Understand?"

"A-Alright... Please..."

He didn't feel good that Kim Sung-Hee's father was trying to use his daughter as a potential way to make money. And not only that, the fact that he was trying to use Kang Chul-In to make money as well didn't sit well with him either.

"Let's go, husband."

The Ninetails pulled Kang Chul-In.

"Is it ready?"

The reason this was happening was that his servants argued that he should enjoy the company of the Ninetails. After all, it would only make sense if she was to become his wife.

Well, it shouldn't be too bad anyway.

For once, Kang Chul-In agreed with them.

The Ninetails had come from a completely different environment than him.

There were a lot of things they had to work on.

"Huhu, a trip with my husband... I'm so excited."

The Ninetails twisted her body, excited.

Boing.

The touch of something soft and bouncy landed on Kang Chul-In's arm.

"Why aren't you talking, husband?"

"...We're in front of my subordinates right now."

Saying that, Kang Chul-In tried to take out his arm from the Ninetails's embrace.

"Hmph, mean!"

The Ninetails pouted.

But it wasn't the expression of someone that was truly depressed or angry, because the Ninetails herself knew that Kang Chul-In had become much warmer compared to when they had first met.

"I will be back. I'm leaving everything up to you. Understood?'

"Yes, Milord. Have a good time!"

The subordinates spoke in unison.

***

A few hours after that, Kang Chul-In had left.

Timothy's body shook,

staring at a document.

It said the following:

Amount borrowed: 120,000 gold

Sale: 20,000 gold (20%)

Final fee: 100,000 gold

Payment form: Lump sum payment.

From: Overlord of the Dorado territory, Lee Chae-Rin

"W-What is this..."

"Obviously, it's an invoice."

The envoy and the foreign minister of the Dorado territory, the Dwarf Golgo, said.

M-Milord! Are you planning on killing me?!

Timothy inwardly despaired.

To think they had to immediately pay 100,000 gold at once... to him, who was supposed to manage the money in the territory, this was like the sky collapsing on him.

No, no... Let's calm down, Timothy. Was I not the one to help the territory when it was in a state of poverty? There must be a method!

Timothy tried his best to remain cool-headed.

There had to be a solution to this.

And,

"Payment over time!"

Timothy played his final card.

"Is it not possible to pay this over time? Over 36 months, or even 12..."

"No."

But Golgo answered immediately.

"W-Why?!"

"Because apparently, Overlord Kang Chul-In said that a man should pay at once."

"H-Hiik!"

Hearing Golgo's words, Timothy started to choke,

And...

Tulsuk...

Fell to the ground, clutching the back of his neck.

***

At the same time in the office of the Bifrost Territory...

"We need to group up."

After staring at the map for a couple of hours, Albrecht Vilhelm finally made a decision. His gaze was on the Ishtar region, where Kang Chul-In's Laputa territory was located.

"There isn't any Lord that can withstand Kang Chul-In's army right now. It is obvious that if we don't ally together, we will all fall eventually, like Baruk Al-Yusuf and Aleister..."

There were Overlords that had previously fallen to Kang Chul-In before, and as the second ranked Overlord, Kang Chul-In was extremely threatening to him.

There was only one answer left.

"Alliance, we need to work together!"

To group up with other Lords, with him as the leader, that was the only method left.

"Hey!"

"Yes, Milord!"

As Albrecht Vilhelm shouted, one of his subordinates responded.

"Immediately get the envoys and messengers together and request a call with any Lords that have a good... no, all Lords, even if they don't have a good relationship with us."

"Yes, Milord!"

Vilhelm's decision was what would decide the future of Pangaea.

This would be the start of the Gullveig Alliance, which had been one of the 3 forces that controlled a third of Pangaea in the past!

***

Along with the Ninetails and Dorian, Kang Chul-In headed towards the Dark Forest.

"Milord, from here we'll lead the way."

Roughly twenty White Lion Knights bowed towards Kang Chul-In respectfully.

"Oh, right."

While they were walking in the forest, Dorian suddenly spoke.

"Kang Chul-In, I saw something strange."

"Something strange?"

'Yeah, there was something weird in the Necromantic Bay. I took a picture of it as well!"

Saying that, Dorian took something out of his pocket that looked rectangular.

"So you see this? This is..."

"An Obscura? It's a polaroid camera from Pangaea."

"...How did you know?"

"Hmph, you're inside my grasp."

Kang Chul-In said laughing,

D-Don't tell me... Kang Chul-In is stalking me?

Dorian thought of some weird things, like he usually did.

"Anyways, give that to me."

Saying that Kang Chul-In took the Obscura in Dorian's hands.

[Epic] Obscura

Oh, the undying memories!

Type: Recording Device

Requirements: None

Cost: 1000 Gold every time

Special Ability: [Instantaneous Recording!]

-With a 'click!' sound, the present will be recorded.

The epic Item Obscura was the only item that could replace the modern-day camera in Pangaea.

"So, what's the weird thing?"

"Look at the second photo."

At Dorian's words, Kang Chul-In pressed a button and moved to the second photo.

And,

"What on..."

Kang Chul-In's expression stiffened.

"What kind of disgusting..."

"Exactly. What the hell is that thing?"

Inside this picture was a half split cocoon. It looked like a house or a form of defense for when a bug prepares for chrysalis.

Chapter 225: Stories of Old (pt. 1)

Translator: Leyy3

"This is the worst."

After looking at the picture once more, Kang Chul-In's expression stiffened.

The picture looked absolutely disgusting, with the cocoon filled with all sorts of creepy crawling bugs.

"So, are these bugs that you know?"

"No."

At Dorian's question, Kang Chul-In shook his head.

"I haven't seen these disgusting things before either."

"Hmm..."

"Well, did you investigate this case afterwards?"

"Hmm, there wasn't really much to investigate anyway. It's not like they had any special powers. They just smelled bad. But..."

"...?"

"I actually took out these bugs..."

"What a useless..."

Just as Kang Chul-In was about to criticize Dorian, the next picture he saw made him close his mouth.

"The shape... of a human?"

"Right? It looks as if a human was inside there, right?"

Kang Chul-In shook his head.

"But there's no way that a human could go inside a cocoon like that."

"Hmm... That's true too. Maybe a human-shaped monster then? Or a demon? That's what I think."

"Well, that does make sense. So, what happened after? I'm sure that someone like you wouldn't have stopped just there, with your curiosity."

"Hehe~! Kang Chul-In, you know me too well."

After shrugging his shoulders, Dorian continued.

"So basically, I chased the tracks along with Podolski. After all, the heat in the cocoon suggested that the thing had only come out recently."

"And the result?"

"Well, I found its tracks after chasing it for around 30 minutes, and after 10 more minutes, I could finally see its behind. It was like 2 kilometres away from me at that time."

"You're saying this because you couldn't catch him, right?"

"Yeah, even though I don't know what it was... It was extremely fast. Almost as fast as you, I think."

"...?"

"To be completely honest, he seemed faster than you with your second phase Overdrive."

Even though this was somewhat hard to believe, Kang Chul-In still believed what Dorian said.

---------

At the same time.

"Ha... ha..."

The unknown existence that had run away from Dorian stopped.

Under the moonlight, its appearance was extremely hideous.

Its black skin seemed like that of an insect's, and pus was flowing from between its muscles.

There were also a combination of colors in its eyes, making it seem like that of a fly's.

And,

Crawl...

With insects like centipedes and worms crawling in its eyes, ears, and mouth, it looked truly like the most disgusting existence in all of Pangaea and Earth.

"Who is it!?"

At that moment.

"What is it!?"

"Is it a monster?"

"Everyone, ready for battle!'

Some adventurers who were passing by this place by chance stopped after looking at it, and got ready for battle.

"Oi, you."

One of the adventurers started to cautiously walk towards it, and spoke.

"Show your..."

At that moment,

Kwajik!

It dashed towards the adventurer like thunder, and attacked the adventurer.

RIP!

With the sound of flesh and bones being ripped apart,

"Ahhhhh!"

The adventurer screamed in pain.

"Kek... Kekeke..."

And it laughed.

As if it was funny, and as if it was enjoying how powerful it was right now, it laughed.

Soon after,

Chomp, chomp.

After killing all 8 adventurers in the blink of an eye, it started to eat the bodies of the dead adventurers.

Cannibalism. It was the fate of this existence that was cursed.

***

The Kang Chul-In party had to search for over 2 more days after coming into the forest.

Of course, Kang Chul-In and the Ninetails were able to run at extreme speeds, but the problem was that they didn't know where the witch lived.

"That damned witch..."

Pissed off, Kang Chul-In stabbed at the bonfire with a stick.

"Hmm... maybe I should have brought Jack too..."

Dorian said, tilting his head.

"There's no way that a seeker could find a house, though."

"That's true, I guess."

"Well, let's rest here for a while, and start to search again once the sun comes up."

Kang Chul-In said.

It was currently late at night, and it was extremely dark in the already dark 'Dark Forest'. It would be much easier if they started to move again when day came.

"To be completely honest, I don't know how my mother will respond to you."

During the journey, Kang Chul-In and the Ninetails talked about many things, and got to know each other better.

"Well, this girl is confident!"

The Ninetails spoke, smiling.

"After all, my husband's mother is now also my mot..."

Just when the Ninetails was going to remind Kang Chul-In that she was going to be his wife...

"Wait."

Kang Chul-In motioned for her to quiet down.

Hwek!

The Ninetails suddenly looked backwards.

Her gaze was pointed at the same direction that Kang Chul-In was looking.

With her animalistic instincts, she had also sensed that someone was coming up from behind too.

"Hmm, what is it? Something's coming."

Dorian also noticed.

"Right, something's coming."

Finally, Kang Chul-In stood up from where he was sitting.

And,

"Ah, I can tell from first glance."

With the voice of a woman, someone showed themself.

A woman that was wearing an extremely long robe that was being dragged on the ground had a beautiful appearance and sensual body and was also wearing a hat that witches would wear.

"I've been waiting for a long time, Julius Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb. No, what do I call you now... The reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron? Well, whatever. I just need to show you the past anyway."

At that moment, one of the soldiers shouted.

"It's her, Milord! She's the witch!"

It seemed like the woman that had suddenly come and spoke some nonsense was the witch that lived in the Dark Forest.

Chapter 226: Stories of Old (pt. 2)

Translator: Leyy3

"The Emperor of Blood and Iron..."

Kang Chul-In was reminded of this title whenever he was about to forget about it.

I guess there is something.

The magician, Nilus.

The Needle of the Empress.

The Demonic Sword, Kaiforce.

His daughter Arshelly, who was the princess of the Empire.

The promise that had come from earlier generations with the Ninetails.

Swordmaster Tuzenbach.

And even what the witch said.

There had to be a backstory or a reason behind why this was happening.

Even Kang Chul-In, who didn't have any interest in his 'reincarnation' story before had become somewhat curious at this point.

Especially when there was someone like this witch who knew about the reincarnation without him saying anything.

"So, your name?"

Kang Chul-In asked, pointing towards the witch.

"Circe."

The witch answered.

"Circe Heliades. I'm a witch who was waiting because of the prophecy of old."

"Prophecy?"

"It's simple."

Circe continued.

"There's a prophecy in our witch tribe, saying that '300 Lords and 299,700 warriors from another world will descend upon the continent.'"

Kang Chul-In knew exactly what Circe was saying.

The Great Summoning!

"In our tribe, we used to call this future event the 'return.'"

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."

At Kang Chul-In's question, Circe shrugged.

"This prophecy is from an ancient witch, or more precisely, my ancestor."

"Your ancestor?"

"Yeah. It was just something she said from her mouth."

Circe nodded.

"The prophecy came from my grandmother, the Archwitch Agrippa. It was her last words before she died."

"Is that so?"

"Anyway, according to the prophecy, 1 year and 9 months after the 'return', one night the reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron would come looking for the 'Tear of Purity' in order to save a female warrior."

It was a terrifyingly accurate prophecy.

"Which is why I came walking for a few days in order to check if the prophecy really was true."

"..."

"I'm shocked too. I didn't know that the prophecy was this accurate either. And you look the same as the portrait I have too."

"..."

"Anyway, it's good that we met. You can save your subordinate girl, and I can carry out the prophecy from my ancestor too."

Even though there was no reason to disagree with this because it was a win-win situation for both of them, Kang Chul-In didn't like leaving any doubts.

"The prophecy?"

"I told you, to show you the past."

"How?"

"Through a ritual. I will make you remember your memories from your previous life. I honestly don't know what will happen, nor whether it will backfire, but... That's how it'll work."

"So, you'll give me the Tear of Purity if I do the ritual?"

"No."

"...?"

"Here."

Circe used her telekinesis to pass Kang Chul-In a flask with a transparent liquid inside it.

"This is what you were looking for."

Shockingly, Circe just handed the tear to Kang Chul-In.

"Thanks."

Kang Chul-In quickly took the Tear and put it inside his inventory,

"Then goodbye."

And immediately turned his back around.

He was going to run away shamelessly after taking what he needed.

"..."

The Ninetails, Dorian and his soldiers were lost for words.

"H-Husband?"

The Ninetails opened her mouth.

"What? What is it? Let's go."

"A-Are we really going to go?"

"What, is there anything else left to do here?"

"If

we don't stay friendly to the witch tribe, we might get cursed in the future..."

"Well then, tell her to curse me."

Kang Chul-In said, laughing.

"In the first place, that woman doesn't want anything from me. She isn't going to curse me."

"What makes you think that?"

"If we were making a deal, the tear is that woman's everything. What kind of dealer would show what they have first? Which means it's between two things now. Whether this is false, or whether there is no reason to follow the prophecy. In this case..."

Kang Chul-In shrugged his shoulders.

"It's obviously the latter. She said herself that she was shocked when she met us. Do you honestly think that she believed this prophecy in the first place?"

It was shocking how Kang Chul-In could figure this out so quickly.

Just like what Kang Chul-In had said, Circe didn't look very enthusiastic.

She was under the nuance that she was moving due to her personal curiosity, rather than following the prophecy.

"No?"

But it seemed as if Circe didn't agree with Kang Chul-In's opinion.

"There's one thing left, don't you think so? Reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron."

"What, are you planning on fighting me?"

Kang Chul-In stared at Circe, a fierce expression on his face.

"Of course not."

But Circe shook her head.

"I don't want to fight."

"Makes sense. Well then, what's that remaining thing to do, Witch Circe?"

Kang Chul-In asked.

"Hmm... Are you sure I can say it here?"

"What?"

"It's your biggest secret."

"Go ahead."

Kang Chul-In was confident.

His biggest secret was the authority that he had gotten in his previous life as an Overlord, the Soul Backup.

And because of the fact that it wasn't him returning to the past but data and information of him living in the future coming to him, this was something that no one could guess.

"You... you lived twice."

A terrifying secret was spilled by Circe.

***

In the deepest place of the Bifrost territory, a meeting was going on.

"...What I'm saying..."

Albrecht Vilhelm emphasized his words.

"Is that in order to survive that terrifying monster Overlord Kang Chul-In, we have to cooperate."

-I completely agree, Overlord Albrecht.

His ally and brother-in-law, Overlord Ao Xin, immediately agreed.

-I also agree!

-Me too! It's better like this, than being taken over by Kang Chul-In at some point anyway!

-I also think that creating an alliance is better than being taken down one by one."

All of the Lords of the Gulveig Region that was in the North of Pangaea agreed to what Overlord Vilhelm was saying.

As expected of the 2nd Ranked Overlord, Albrecht Vilhelm had a formidable army.

And because he was close allies with his brother-in-law Overlord Ao Xin, there weren't many Lords that dared to disagree or speak against him.

-I...

At that moment, someone opened their mouth.

Everyone's gaze headed towards that Lord, or more accurately, that Overlord.

Why?

Because this was the true vampire, Andrei Ivanovic, of the 10 Overlords.

-Even though I agree with what you think, it'll be difficult for me to really help you right now.

This response was something that Ao Xin and Albrecht Vilhelm didn't want.

In times like this, if a high-ranked Overlord like Andrei Ivanovic agreed with them, they would be able to create a huge alliance that even Kang Chul-In would have to fear.

"Overlord Andrei Ivanovic."

But despite this, Vilhelm didn't show the slightest bit of discontent and instead smiled.

"I respect your opinion. My aim is for peaceful co-existence and survival. If we can be safe from that monster's grasp, I am happy to get even the smallest bit of help from you."

-Well then, that's fine.

At this, Andrei Ivanovic also nodded.

That damned vampiric bastard...

Invisible sparks flew between the two Overlords.

-I am speaking on behalf of Lord Peter Clemenza.

At that moment...

-Our Paramount territory will not be joining this alliance.

One asian man spoke, and the atmosphere began to freeze up.

***

Kang Chul-In's expression froze.

You... you lived twice... twice... twice...

Circe's words echoed in Kang Chul-In's mind.

What did this mean?

Was this like James Bond in the 1967 movie, 'You Only Live Twice'?

"You want me to continue? You want me to make you know what this means?"

Circe continued to speak, walking closer towards Kang Chul-In.

"Stop there."

The Ninetails moved in between Kang Chul-In and Circe.

"There's no reason to fear, Ninetails. I'm not planning to attack your man or to charm him. If I had to charm someone, he's more of my style."

Circe said, pointing.

"Interesting though... living twice?"

Kang Chul-In said.

-Soul Backup... that's your greatest secret, isn't it?

-In other words... returning to the past.

At this, Kang Chul-In stopped the urge to swing Kaiforce onto Circe.

Chapter 227: Stories of Old (pt. 3)

Translator: Leyy3

Calm down, I need to calm myself down.

Kang Chul-In tried his best to calm himself down and to not attack Circe immediately.

To be honest, it was safer to kill her if he wanted to keep this secret.

There would be nothing worse than if Circe went around telling the other Lords that he actually lived twice.

However,

What's more important is how she knows my secret.

He was too curious.

And not only that, there might be a third person that knew this secret too.

Which would mean that the best possible plan of action was to get as much information as he could from Circe, and get rid of any possible people that might know his secret.

-So, what do you think, Mr. Reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron?

At that moment, Circe's telepathy came to Kang Chul-In.

-Do you have any intention of talking to me? Well, even though it's true that I'm not totally eager to follow the prophecy like you said, I still have to do what I have to do. And now that you already have the Tear, it shouldn't be too bad of a deal for you anyway.

It was true.

This time, I lost.

Kang Chul-In had to admit his loss this time.

As long as Circe knew about his secret, it was safe to say that he didn't have control over this deal.

"You."

Even while this secret conversation was going on between Kang Chul-In and Circe, the Ninetails was still radiating a terrifying presence, ready to attack Circe at any moment.

"Wait."

But Kang Chul-In stepped in between the Ninetails and Circe.

"Stay back, Ninetails."

"But husband! That witch is so arrogant in front of you! She deserves to..."

"Not now."

"B-But..."

"It's alright."

"Hng..."

Suddenly, the Ninetails started to make moaning noises.

Because,

Rub rub.

As a message to calm down, Kang Chul-In was rubbing and patting her on the head.

"H-Husband, if you keep doing this..."

"Will you listen?"

"O-Of course... hng..."

The Ninetails moaned again.

"...Stupid fox."

And looking at this, Circe shook her head, speechless.

"Well then, let's talk."

Kang Chul-In nodded at Circe.

"Alright, reincarnation of..."

"My name isn't 'the reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron'."

"...!"

"I'm Kang Chul-In, the Overlord of the Laputa territory."

***

"Dammit."

As he got inside the witch's house, Kang Chul-In swore.

"To think that we wandered around for so long without knowing it was here."

"...Yeah."

At this, Dorian also pouted.

"But, it is quite cool. To think the house was inside of a mushroom... I couldn't have imagined it."

The location of Circe's house was inside some large mushroom. One that they had constantly walked past for the past two days.

"Oh, so it's your first time inside a Jeonse mushroom?"

"...Jeonse?" [1]

Kang Chul-In asked, astonished.

"Yeah, you didn't know?"

Circe asked.

"A Jeonse mushroom is a common place to live in for the races that live in the forest."

The Ninetails cut in.

"They say that the Elves in the South and the Witches normally live in these places."

"...Well then, are there monthly rent mushrooms, too?"

Kang Chul-In murmured, astonished.

"Huh? How did you know?"

"...!"

"Even though lots of people also use monthly rent mushrooms too, it is less popular than the Jeonse mushroom. Since the monthly rent mushrooms are..."

"What on earth..."

Kang Chul-In was speechless.

Even though it was

obviously a coincidence, he felt somewhat weird.

Why were these names so similar to the ways of living in South Korea?

Sarak.

"Ah, that feels better."

Circe took off the hat and robe she was wearing.

And at this, Kang Chul-In and Dorian,

"Hecate?"

"Y-You were a witch?"

Were shocked.

It was because other than her hair, she looked exactly the same as Overlord Hecate!

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

At Kang Chul-In and Dorian's expressions, Circe frowned.

"No, she's different."

Even though he was quite shocked in the beginning, Kang Chul-In realized some subtle differences.

First of all, their hair colors were different.

If Hecate's hair was a fiery red color, Circe's was closer to that of a wine red color. There was a difference in tone.

And also, there was a mole on Hecate's nose that Circe didn't have.

Finally,

"Hecate is bigger."

Kang Chul-In said.

"What is?"

Dorian asked.

"What's bigger?"

"Her ch..."

Because Kang Chul-In involuntarily said something he wasn't supposed to,

"Her height."

He quickly changed his words.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, Hecate is a little taller."

The truth was that he was talking about a certain part of a woman's body, but he couldn't say that when the Ninetails was next to him.

Dammit, stupid Oraclomind.

Inwardly sighing in relief, Kang Chul-In cursed at his brain's superb abilities.

Now that Kang Chul-In had trained in the Oraclomind, he could see the smallest of differences, like now, where there was only a 0.3 centimetre difference between Hecate and Circe's chests. Basically, he had gained the abilities of a professional tailor.

And because of the fact that in the past, he had enjoyed nights with Hecate, it was impossible for him not to realize the small differences.

"Husband?!"

At that moment, the Ninetails turned around and stared at Kang Chul-In suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"I thought you said something right now?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Weren't you... going to say that Overlord Hecate had a bigger chest than Circe?"

"As if."

"Hmm...?"

"It's a mistake."

Kang Chul-In said in a cool manner.

Dammit.

Even though inwardly, he was sweating.

"Well, anyway."

Kang Chul-In looked towards Circe.

"What are we going to do now?"

"Well, we're going to make you look at the past again."

"And the conversation?"

"We can talk after you look at the past."

"Fine."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

"Well then, give me some time to prepare."

Saying that, Circe disappeared.

One hour later.

"Now, this way."

Now ready, Circe led the Kang Chul-In party to a confined, small room.

"W-What, are we going to summon a demon or something?"

Staring inside the room, Dorian said.

Inside, there were hundreds of purplish candles surrounding one bed, and there were two black and white thuribles near the top of the bed, where someone's head would be.

"What demons?"

Circe smirked.

"That's only something that witches that would contract demons would do, cutie."

"...Cutie?"

"What, you're cute."

"..."

"And your taken aback face is even cuter."

"Uh..."

Dorian shut his mouth as Circe stared at him like a predator looking at its prey. He was quite a pure, naive guy.

"Well then, let's start."

Circe said, lighting up the two thuribles that were next to Kang Chul-In who was lying down.

"The black thurible signifies the soul, while the white one signifies the mind. These two scents will help you remember your memories from your previous life.

Kang Chul-In didn't respond to this. Instead, he closed his eyes and waited for the ritual to begin.

"Ha, how relaxed."

Circe shook her head,

"..."

Before chanting a spell.

After that, Kang Chul-In didn't remember how the ritual went.

However,

The hell, where am I?

Looking at the view in front of him, Kang Chul-In was astonished.

Tuk!

Currently, he was pointing a sword towards a man who was sitting on a throne.

This isn't me.

At that moment, Kang Chul-In instinctively realized that this wasn't him, and that he was watching from a third person's point of view.

That was right.

He was currently inside the man who held a sword's mind, and saw the situation through his eyes.

***

"The 26th Emperor of the Ancient Republic, Saturnos Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb."

A cold voice came out from the man with the sword.

"Today, I, Julius Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb, will ascend the throne."

It was a rebellion.

And it was betrayal.

After all, Julius was the son of the Emperor of the Mad Night, Saturnos.

"Kuk, kukuku..."

Saturnos laughed.

"I should have killed you earlier... Hu... this damned bloodline... I wanted to leave at least one child behind, but to think that this would cause me to just die..."

"Oh, you're not going to 'just die.'"

Julius said to his father, laughing.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeonse

Chapter 228: Stories of Old (pt. 4)

Translator: Leyy3

Hmph, it's just killing my father which is not a big deal.

Julius didn't feel any sympathy or emotion as he went to kill his own father, Saturnos.

Or rather, he couldn't.

He was a cruel father.

He went crazy for power and killed a bunch of his own family, before even killing his own wife as well as 12 of his 13 children.

The only one left alive was him.

He was the only remaining person in the royal family other than his father, and he was the crown prince.

But that didn't mean his life was smooth sailing.

You're not my father... just an enemy who killed my mother.

Killing intent filled Julius's eyes.

***

"Isabelle Artuir, hear me."

The year Julius turned 7, Saturnos killed the woman that gave birth to his own child.

"As I see it, you have lost the qualifications to be my wife."

What he said didn't give any respect or care for the laws of the Republic. As the greatest tyrant in all of history, the Emperor of the Mad Night didn't care about laws at all. He was the law itself.

"If you're my wife, it's obvious that you need the qualifications and skills to be my wife. But how about you?"

"..."

"You have no class to be my wife, and have insulted the name of the royal family with your lower intellect."

It was bullshit.

Isabelle was from a village that was hundreds of kilometers away from the capital.

How was it possible for her, who used to be a lumberjack's daughter to know the rules of the Royal Family?

It was obvious that Saturnos was just giving excuses so that he could kill her.

Why?

It was in order to prevent those in power from gathering around her as the mother of the crown prince, Julius.

"And because of this reason, I will sentence Isabel to death. Is there anyone who disagrees?"

There were none.

He had the position as Emperor of the Republic...

And even as an Emperor, he was able to attain the ridiculous feat of becoming a Grand Sword Master.

"Please do so, your Highness."

"Your Highness is always right."

The subordinates of the Emperor all bowed.

"Well, then."

Saturnos turned his head towards Isabel.

"Because of you, everyone in your family and your village will die. Do you not have anything to say?"

Saying that, a cruel smile appeared on Saturnos' face.

Enjoying the pain of others, that was Saturnos.

"How could this one say anything against it, when your highness thinks that way?"

But Isabel didn't say anything.

She only had one aim--- to save her son, Julius.

That was the only reason she was containing the deep rage and hatred in her heart.

"Is that so?"

Saturnos' mouth twitched.

It was obvious that he wasn't pleased by the fact that Isabel wasn't showing any emotion.

"Yes, your Highness."

"Well then, how about Julius?"

"...!"

"Did you honestly think that I wouldn't know that you were putting up with this so that you could save your son?"

"Y-Your Highness!"

At this, Isabel's voice started to shake.

"Ah, don't worry."

Saturnos laughed.

"Because I don't have any plans of killing that young one yet."

"T-Thank you, your highness."

"I also think that I should leave one child behind, just in case I don't find the Rune of Immortality."

The Rune of Immortality.

This fabled and legendary rune was one that was said to make anyone unaging and undying. Though, no one really knew if this existed or not.

But Saturnos himself believed that this rune definitely existed.

After all, this crazy Emperor wanted to become an undying and immortal existence that ruled over the Pangaea continent like a god, or rather, as a god.

"Well, we can stop with this useless talking here. Start the execution."

"Yes, your highness."

And as the subordinates answered, they brought a chair, as well as a fire pit.

"Burn her."

Saturnos ordered,

Chiiik!

And the fire started to burn Isabel's skin.

"Huuuk!"

Isabel started to moan.

She had never done any kind of physical training.

Even though she had been suppressing her emotions with superhuman patience, it was impossible for her to completely shut out the physical pain in her body.

Chiiiik!

The pain continued.

"Aghhhhhh!"

Isabel continued to scream,

Crack-!

As all of her nails cracked,

Crack...

As if proving how hard she clenched her teeth, her teeth began to crack too.

"Huk... Huu..."

It was a terrifying sight.

This showed how a human's body could be tortured to the limit, and some subordinates shouted in fright at this sight.

However,

"MOOOOOM!"

No one felt as horrified as Julius right now.

Could one even imagine?

To think that the only thing he could do right now was sit and watch, as his mother was getting tortured.

But even considering this, Julius was terrifying for his age.

This young prince didn't move a single spot, and stayed watching the whole process without blinking.

Son... you can do it... you have to endure... so that you can live... even if mother dies, you have to live... son...

It was because his eyes met with his mother's.

Live.

You have to live.

That was the message in Isabel's eyes.

You... You... I won't ever forgive you! Never! I will rip you up to shreds, and eat you alive!

The young Julius was barely able to calm himself down, and refrained from drawing his sword against that monster sitting on the throne.

There was no fear.

All he had was rage, anger, and hatred.

"Kill her now."

"Isabel Artuir, I will now execute you on the Emperor's orders."

Saying this, one of the soldiers brought a mace over, and swung it.

POW!

With a terrifying noise,

Crack.

Isabel's head went flying.

"..."

Julius looked at this sight without a single word.

Even though it was terrible, even though he couldn't see his loving mother again, he felt somewhat relieved.

At least she wouldn't have to continue feeling the pain.

"Son."

At that moment, Saturnos stood up from the throne and asked his son.

"You want to take revenge, right?

"..."

"You want to kill your father?"

"Yes."

Julius answered.

"...!"

A shocking silence fell.

This was crazy.

Who dared to speak of revenge in front of Saturnos, who was like a demon god, rather than a human?

Did this young prince not know how terrifying his father was?

His father, the Emperor of the Mad Night, was someone who literally cooked his children alive when he was displeased.

Chapter 229: Stories of Old (pt. 5)

Translator: Leyy3

Was he planning to suicide or something?

It seemed like Julius still didn't know what kind of person his father was, as he stood there unmoved.

It was like the difference between the sky and the earth compared to the subordinates of Saturnos, as they all closed their eyes and clenched their fists, afraid of what was to come.

However,

"Kuhahahaha!"

Shocking enough, the Emperor's reaction was completely different to what they had expected.

Laughing?

Was it because he was so angry, that he was laughing like this?

"Son."

"Yes, your Highness."

"Let me ask one more time."

The Emperor of the Mad Night walked in front of his son, and asked,

"Are you planning on revenge?"

"Yes, your Highness."

But Julius's answer was the same.

"...!"

The subordinates watching seemed like they were about to cry.

Who knew if Saturnos got angry at Julius's words, and decided to start a bloodbath?

You won't kill me, Saturnos.

But shockingly enough, the young Julius was confident that his father wouldn't kill him.

With Saturnos' personality, he wouldn't be alive if he was going to die anyway.

"Crown prince!"

At that moment,

"How dare you say such things like that to the Emperor!"

An old noble, Count Romulus, came out and shouted.

He was famed for sucking up in the capital, and there were rumors that he would sell even his daughter's soul in order to look good in front of Saturnos.

"Immediately kneel down in front of..."

Suk!

But Count Romulus couldn't finish his words.

It was because Saturnos' sword came flying at him, and chopped off his neck.

Tuk...

Roll...

The old noble's head rolled on the floor.

Puak!

And from his neck, blood spewed out like a fountain.

"..."

The young Julius stayed unmoved, even as the blood from Count Romulus flew towards him.

"You dare."

Kicking Count Romulus's decapitated head away, Saturnos continued speaking.

"You dare to interrupt me with your dirty mouth when I'm talking? And..."

"..."

"Even though you were born from a trash mother, you are still my son, and the crown prince of the republic. Isn't that right, son?"

Julius didn't answer.

"I like you."

Saturnos said, smirking.

"You make me think 'as expected of my child'."

"..."

"As expected of my son."

Julius still remained unmoved.

What was there to be happy about, to be accepted by a monster that had killed his mother?

"7 sons that I killed, and 3 daughters. And one of them was an adult too."

"..."

"I didn't like any of them at all. Whenever I went and tried to kill them, they all begged for mercy, with none of them vowing revenge like you. Basically, they were trash not worthy of mentioning. But you are different from them, son."

As if he was happy, Saturnos was laughing.

"So, how long will it take for you to take revenge?"

"13 years."

Julius answered.

Just 7 years old.

It was obvious that a normal child would be crying in Julius' place.

"13 years..."

Saturnos said, thinking.

"Is that really enough?"

"Yes, your Highness."

"Good, I'll let you live then."

"...!"

"Go ahead, and try your revenge."

What he said was shocking.

This wasn't something that would come out from a tyrant's mouth.

However,

"Crown prince Julius Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb shall be moved to the Northern Tundra base, as a soldier."

Even though he had said that he would be saved, the Northern Tundras were a frozen wasteland that was like hell, as they had to defend against the invasion of barbarians every day.

"Well then, good luck surviving."

Saturnos said, with an evil smile.

"Yes, your Highness."

Julius said, bowing.

The Tundra?

He wasn't afraid at all.

Instead, he was happy.

He finally had a chance to get out of his crazy father's grasp, so why would he be afraid?

13 years, or precisely 4745 days later, you will die in my hands.

The young Julius clenched his fists, and 13 years later, that vow became reality.

***

"13 years ago, the day I became 7. Do you know what my dream was after you killed my mother?"

Julius stared at his archnemesis who was sitting atop the throne, and spoke.

"Was it to become Emperor?"

Saturnos asked.

"You're wrong."

"That's funny, a crown prince who doesn't dream of becoming the Emperor."

"Honestly,"

Julius shook his head.

"Do you really think that everyone in the world is obsessed with power like you?"

"...?"

"From 4745 days ago, my dream was to become a terrible son, and to kill you, my damned father."

It was steel-like resolve.

Revenge, just for revenge!

Julius said that he had come to this point because of his resolve and determination to avenge his mother.

"And becoming Emperor is only a minor thing on the side for me."

Julius spoke, smirking.

He spoke quite lightly, for someone that had led the rebellion and conquered the Royal Capital.

"Pft... Kuku..."

Saturnos also laughed.

"Is that really it, son? Even after starting the greatest rebellion in history? You're going to say that all of this, all of this was just for your damned mother?"

"...?"

"Idiotic, foolish child."

Saturnos continued, his face full of disappointment.

"Do you really not know what it means to contain my blood, the blood of the royal family in the Ancient Republic? Listen here, idiotic child! You're saying that becoming the alpha of this continent is worth less than your revenge for your stupid mother!"

But even after Saturnos' words, Julius remained unfazed.

In the first place, he didn't expect a psychopath like Saturnos to understand the feelings between a mother and her child.

"How funny."

Julius said.

"I never told you to try to understand me. Oh, and..."

"...?"

"Are you going to say that keeping me alive was so that you can enjoy something? Because you don't feel any emotions, you want your one and only bloodline to ascend the throne, and become Emperor?"

This was the reason that Saturnos had gone mad.

They said that one shouldn't take in more than they can handle.

Because he had everything, Saturnos went crazy.

Rape, murder, destruction, genocide. Saturnos had left everything behind and turned to his madness because there was nothing that could evoke his emotions anymore.

"Kuhahaha!"

Suddenly, Saturnos started to laugh.

"As expected of my son... It seems like you're the only one who understands me."

"Well, that makes sense. For you, who was bored, it must have been interesting to watch as I grew in strength and slaughtered my enemies. But... let me just ask one thing."

"...?"

"If... If you had gotten this, would you have gone less crazy? Because you could feel some emotions?"

Saying that, Julius showed what was on his right hand.

"...!"

At that moment, shock filled Saturnos' eyes.

"T-That...!"

"That's right, this was the thing that you had searched for for so long."

What was on Julius's hands was an artifact that seemed like it couldn't exist in this world.

Rather, it was hard to even call it an artifact.

This 'thing' that was giving out a golden radiance looked as if there were two rings overlapping each other, but it looked as if it wasn't made out of some material, but rather looking like it was made of pure energy.

"The... Rune of Immortality!"

That was right.

The thing on Julius' hand was the Rune of Immortality that Saturnos had looked for for so long.

"To be precise, it's the Rune of Three Lives."

"...!"

"Resurrection, Reincarnation, and Return. It's the authority of a god that allows a human to live 3 different times."

Julius laughed.

It was obvious that he was laughing at Saturnos.

"There were originally 3 of these rings."

"...!"

"So maybe, I should call it the Rune of Two Lives instead. Because I already used the Rune of Resurrection."

"You... during that..."

"But of course."

"...!"

"2 years ago, Aventador wasn't the only that died in the Waterfall of Despair."

Terrifying secrets that defied the imagination of a human started to spill out of Julius' mouth.

Chapter 230: Stories of Old (pt. 6)

Translator: Leyy3

"I also died that day. He really was strong, that man called Aventador."

Julius spoke of his death as if it was only natural.

This was what had happened:

Two years ago, Saturnos sent one of the five Sword Masters of the Ancient Republic, the Crimson Flame Aventador, to get rid of Julius, and it was said that Julius came out as the victor.

But that wasn't what really happened.

Julius and Aventador were equally matched. Unlike the report that had gone to Saturnos, both of them had died during the fight.

"But using one of these runes, or more precisely the Rune of Resurrection, I revived."

"...!"

"And because of that, I also got stronger. Strong enough to defeat you."

Saying that, Julius stared at Saturnos with an arrogant gaze. It was as if he was telling him that he was no longer his match.

You're just a ghost of your glorious past; an empty shell.

Look!

Look at how this man, who was once the tyrant that ruled over the Pangaea Continent, was now.

His face, which had been half-cut off, showed his bones.

Blood flowed out from his pierced chest.

A chopped off arm.

Currently, Saturnos wasn't the 'Demon God' of the past, but rather a middle-aged man who was about to die.

"Now, look."

Julius spoke, holding up the Rune of Three lives once more.

"The immortality that you so long desired is in my hands now."

"...!"

"How do you feel? This thing, that you weren't able to get your hands on when you ruled the world, is in my hands."

At this, Saturnos' eyes started to shake.

For the first time, he was agitated.

It's hard to stay calm, isn't it? I bet that this is the worst humiliation that you've ever faced.

Looking at the shaken Saturnos, Julius laughed inwardly.

From what he knew, this was the best kind of revenge.

Torture?

What use would that be against the already crazy Saturnos?

Even though he had fallen quite low now, Saturnos once possessed the strength and might of a Grand Sword Master.

It would be impossible to expect him to give in. There was a higher chance that he would die while laughing at Julius.

But the method he was using now was definitely effective.

By showing Saturnos what he had desired so much, he was able to make him feel at loss, as well as make him feel greed.

"You bastard! Q-Quickly! Hand that rune... hand it to me! Y-You can take the throne instead..."

Saturnos spoke, almost as if he was begging.

Looks like he's fallen faster than I expected. Did I really come so far... to defeat this guy? Did my mother really fall to trash like this?

Julius' gaze turned from arrogance to disgust.

"Please... give... the Rune..."

"Sorry, but..."

Julius cut off Saturnos' words.

"I tried to give this to someone before in order to save one of my friends. But... funnily enough, it's impossible to give or lend this Rune to anyone else."

"...!"

"Basically, it's impossible for you to live again."

"...!"

"Give up."

It was a death sentence.

There was nothing worse than these words to Saturnos, who longed for an eternal life.

And especially when he couldn't have something that he wanted for so long that was right in front of him...

"Lies..."

Saturnos said, denying Julius' words.

"Lies... you're lying right now! In order to keep that Rune to yourself... In order to trick me!"

"I wish."

"Shut up! I will kill you! I will rip you to shreds and drink your blood!"

"..."

"Kuh..."

Outrage.

This was a phenomenon that occurred when mana that was inside one's body reacted to one's anger, and went on a rampage. Basically, Saturnos had turned into a berserker that had no emotions, except for bloodlust.

"Tut tut."

Looking at Saturnos,

Julius shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Weakling."

It wasn't easy for a human that was once a Grand Sword Master to fall to such depths.

"Khyaaa!"

At that moment, Saturnos ran towards Julius.

"How disgusting."

This was nothing more than child's play in front of Julius' eyes, as he had already surpassed the stage of Grand Sword Master.

"Die."

With those words,

Suk!

The sound of a blade cutting through something could be heard,

Puaaak!

And Saturnos' body and head were separated, with blood spewing out from both ends.

Tuk...

Roll...

Saturnos' head rolled on the floor.

It was quite a sad and ordinary ending for a man that was once known as the most powerful and fearsome man on the continent.

"Hmph, you should have been crazy and confident until the very end."

Julius murmured, annoyed.

It seemed a little too easy and simple for something that he had prepared for for a whole lifetime.

***

"Huuu..."

Julius sighed.

Anyway, his revenge was over.

And now that there were no other people of the royal family remaining besides him, it was only natural that he would ascend as the Emperor.

"Julius."

At that moment, a woman's voice pierced Julius' ears.

"You've come."

Julius didn't turn around.

It was because he didn't want to show himself all bloodied up and looking like a demon in front of 'her'.

"When you were bored, you always talked about your dream of revenge as if it was nothing. But now, you've achieved it."

"Of course."

"But now, you'll have to look for a new aim. After all, you're not going to go crazy like the previous Emperor, now that you've taken revenge for your mother..."

"Of course not."

Julius said, interrupting.

"How funny would it be if I became like the man who killed my mother?"

"At least you know."

"And now that I've become Emperor, I'm planning on focusing on the job for a while. They say that it's quite a busy job."

"...You're saying that as if you've just joined a mercenary band."

"Well, there's not much of a difference."

"...Huu."

"I'm planning on working quite hard, though."

"Of course, as you should."

"But if it doesn't fit me..."

"No, even if it doesn't fit you, you have to do it."

"Even if I don't like it?"

"You're not a bachelor anymore, you know?"

"...I am, though."

"Oh, don't tell me that a man that's just gotten a family is going to ditch his job."

"...?"

"Please don't tell me that the man I love is a useless man that is going to starve his only child."

"What are you even..."

Julius couldn't understand why 'she' was saying this.

"Well, you're going to become a father soon."

"I... what?"

"I'm pregnant."

"...!"

"I-I... I'm going to be a father?"

He couldn't believe it.

"They say that it's a girl."

It was even harder to believe now.

"What, are you sad that it's not a boy?"

"As if!"

"Well then, make sure you take responsibility for our child."

"Of course! Of course I will!"

When he was young, he had lost his mother to his damned father. Even though he wasn't used to it, it was likely that his protection instincts for his child would be the greatest in all of Pangaea.

"Well then, turn around and look at me."

"I'm covered in blood. I don't want to."

"I don't care. It's not like this is the first time you've been covered in blood."

Julius shook his head.

"Still, no."

"Why not? I want to see your..."

"I've heard that it's not good for childbirth."

"..."

"It's not like you're the only one looking at me. I don't want my daughter to see me all covered in blood."

"So, you're saying that my father-in-law's chopped off head is fine for childbirth, while your bloodied body isn't?"

"T-That...!"

"Quickly!"

Even though she spoke quite forcefully, Julius had to be the one on the receiving end right now.

"Your daughter and your wife want to see your face."

"W-Wait a little bit."

Julius quickly cleaned up the blood on his face.

It was going to be his first 'meeting' with his daughter, and he wasn't going to show his face all bloodied up.

"I-Is it okay? Don't I look bad...?"

Julius said, turning around.

"No?"

But she denied that, smiling.

"You look cool and manly, just as my husband and our child's father should be."

***

Kang Chul-In couldn't see her face.

Because that flashback ended with Julius turning around.

***

The next memory was Julius during the crowning ceremony.

Wow...

Kang Chul-In was shocked, looking at Julius' ascension to Emperor.

It was grand.

That was the only word for this.

Julius' popularity couldn't be summed up with words only.

There were almost 10 million people near the royal castle, and there were more than 10 thousand subordinates around as well.

And,

Wahhh!

From elsewhere, the sound of a baby crying could be heard.

"Your Highness!"

One midwife came to Julius, and spoke.

"Congratulations! You have become a father! Your Highness, why not name the child immediately?"

The midwife asked.

"Her name...?"

"Yes, your Highness. It's one of the unspoken rules of the Royal Family to name the child as soon as they are born."

"I-Is that so? Fine, then. Her name will be..."

After hesitating for a while, Julius spoke.

"Arshelly, let's go with Arshelly. Go tell the Empress. My daughter's name is Arshelly Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb."

Chapter 231: Kang Chul-In and the Emperor of Blood and Iron!

Translator: Leyy3

The next moment,

"...!"

Kang Chul-In found himself standing on a spire of the Ancient Empire's castle.

"What now...?"

Kang Chul-In muttered to himself in absurdity. He was no longer portraying Julius and was back to himself.

Why was that so?

Why did Kang Chul-In, who was witnessing his past memories through Julius' eyes, now exist as himself?

"How was that?"

Suddenly, a voice could be heard.

"...!"

Kang Chul-In turned around immediately.

"Kang Chul-In, my reincarnation."

The speaker... stood in front of the spire's entrance.

Long, black hair.

Crimson-red eyes.

Sharp features and with Kang Chul-In's height.

The two were similar.

Other than the hair length and the eye color, Julius Berlineta Pon Aurangzeb was almost identical to Kang Chul-In in appearance. It was almost as if they were reflections in a mirror.

"You bastard."

Kang Chul-In spoke.

"You must be that Emperor of Blood and Iron, whom I'm sick and tired of hearing about."

Kang Chul-In made a caustic comment.

"The bastard who kept dropping strange subplots in my path."

The existence of the Emperor of Blood and Iron was nothing but an annoyance for Kang Chul-In, who strived solely to become the greatest emperor of the Pangaean continent.

Furthermore, he didn't even know of this stranger's existence before his return to the past.

"I expected that response."

The Emperor of Blood and Iron replied with a smirk.

"According to ancient literature, a man's personality and traits are carved deeply into his spirit."

"What bullshit are you spewing?"

Kang Chul-In asked with a grin.

"It means, I can understand why you are reacting this way."

"...?"

"I would have reacted the same way in your shoes. After all, I, Julius Berlineta Pon Aurangzeb, am you, Kang Chul-In. And vice-versa."

Julius' theory based on ancient literature had a catch, but the main point was simple and concise. He was claiming that Kang Chul-In was his reincarnation.

"The Wheel of Three Lives."

Kang Chul-In spoke.

"Are you telling me that you revived and reincarnated using that item?"

"Well, I'm not telling you per se. I just wanted to show you."

"Show me?"

"Judging from your personality, you wouldn't have believed a single word of explanation. Why would I bother?"

"..."

"I just requested the witch Agrippa to let you see, hear and feel my memories from my perspective."

Kang Chul-In was confused.

What was this man's intention?

"The reason?"

He asked.

"Now's not the time for explanation."

The Emperor of Blood and Iron shook his head.

"For now, just know that you were me in your past life. And also, remember that the Wheel of Reincarnation is the reason why you could overcome your failures and enjoy a second life."

"The Wheel of Reincarnation? Are you referring to Soul Backup?

"Whatever you call it."

Julius shrugged.

"The name 'Soul Backup' is made up by the system 'Erinyes' for you to understand easily. Its original name is the Wheel of Reincarnation."

"So... you even foresaw my failure and planned everything accordingly?"

"Of course."

"...!"

"I contemplated what would happen if you claimed great power with that personality of yours."

"And?"

"I came to a simple conclusion. You would go on a rampage."

"...!"

"Seems like my prediction was right. I hope you realized by now how dangerous a half-assed power is."

The Emperor of Blood and Iron was spitting out cold hard facts.

He saw through Kang Chul-In completely from the very beginning!

"Ah?"

Kang Chul-In was about to give a sarcastic remark when,

Chulkuk!

The Demon Sword Kaiforce swung at lightning speed and stopped right before Julius' throat. Kang Chul-In could no longer hold back his bad temper.

"Go on."

Kang Chul-In pressured the Emperor of Blood and Iron.

"Tell me what you, you bastard, are planning."

"As expected of my reincarnation."

Julius, however, was calm and composed.

Swish!

Kaiforce released a pitch-black light and slashed through Julius.

Julius, however, was uninjured.

He was just a form of an apparition. The place they were at was also not real.

"I do wish to tell you everything as well."

"Bullshit."

Kang Chul-In growled.

"You dare to say that without telling me all the important details? Are you trying to play charades with me?"

"That's not true."

Julius shook his head.

"There's an order to everything."

"Do I need to guess that order of yours?"

"Certainly not... but you need a qualification to hear the rest of my story."

qualification?"

"Conquer Pangaea!"

The Emperor of Blood and Iron reiterated Kang Chul-In's goal.

"Only the true conqueror of Pangaea deserves to know the truth. You, my reincarnation, are no exception. Hence, let me ask you, Kang Chul-In."

"...!"

"Can you conquer this vast continent and rise as the one and only emperor?"

The great emperor of the Ancient Empire, also known as the previous ruler of Pangaea, was asking the man who dreamt of becoming his successor whether he was determined to fulfill his ambition or not.

"No shit."

Kang Chul-In gave a smirk confidently.

"Good, as expected of my reincarnation."

Julius laughed along.

"When you become the emperor someday, we shall meet again. With that confidence of yours, I doubt it's going to take long. So, why the haste to dig out the truth?"

That made sense.

The Emperor of Blood and Iron hadn't had the slightest intention to leak the story's crux to Kang Chul-In.

"..."

Kang Chul-In remained silent. He knew he couldn't force the emperor to continue his story.

"Let me tell you one thing."

Julius added.

"Everything was pre-planned from my reincarnation and return to the past, but the conclusion isn't. If you lose and fail to become the emperor, my plans fail as well."

"...!"

"The Wheel of Reincarnation is no longer available. Remember that."

Kang Chul-In replied to that.

"What are you, a coward?"

"What?"

"Speaking of redundancy."

Kang Chul-In's expression had both confidence and derision towards Julius.

"Don't talk about failure in front of me, Emperor of Blood and Iron."

"...!"

"The Wheel of Reincarnation? One was enough. No, it was more than enough. Did you underestimate me so much, thinking that I need more than two reincarnations?"

"Whoa..."

"Get lost, Emperor of Blood and Iron. You can blabber on about your stupid plans next time, so suit yourself."

Kang Chul-In hated dealing with things that were out of his control.

"Alright, I shall."

Surprisingly, Julius nodded in compliance. He was also notorious for his bad temper.

...This bastard.

Kang Chul-In felt a strong unease from this response.

There was disparity in action.

The Emperor of Blood and Iron was in a different league from Kang Chul-In. Having already reached the summit, he was calm and composed despite Kang Chul-In's vicious demeanor.

Watch me you bastard.

Kang Chul-In gritted his teeth.

If Kang Chul-In was truly the incarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron, it was ironic how he was feeling inferior to his past self.

"Well then, until we meet again."

Julius bid farewell.

Ssss...!

The emperor of the Ancient Empire began to vanish like mist.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Julius spoke before he completely vanished into thin air.

"Take good care of my daughter, Arshelly. My only regret in life is not being able to protect her to the end."

"Ridiculous."

Kang Chul-In smirked.

"Why are you, you bastard, worrying about my daughter? Mind your own business."

"What bullshit are you saying, Kang Chul-In?"

The Emperor of Blood and Iron rebutted Kang Chul-In.

"Arshelly is Julius' daughter."

"She is Kang Chul-In's daughter."

"I'm her biological father. You are claiming to be her father without having a single drop of your blood in her?"

The Emperor of Blood and Iron began to lose his composure.

"Let me reiterate. Although you may be my reincarnation, Arshelly is my..."

"Too bad. Try coming back to life, then."

"...!"

"Get lost, you lousy father."

Kang Chul-In mocked Julius, who had vanished completely.

It was silly banter, but he was satisfied for having enraged the Emperor of Blood and Iron.

***

Kang Chul-In woke up.

"Husband!"

Ninetails noticed first and wagged her nine tails.

"Are you alright?! What if..."

"I'm fine."

Kang Chul-In grasped Ninetails' hand firmly, which she was holding while he slept, to comfort her.

"It was slightly disturbing... but not bad overall."

He witnessed Julius' memories and Arshelly's birth, and also learned that his Soul Backup originated from the Wheel of Reincarnation.

He also learned that this gigantic system, Erinyes, was one of the Emperor of Blood and Iron's arrangements.

"Good job, Kang Chul-In."

Circe the Witch grinned.

"Do you regret signing up for my ritual?"

"Not really."

"That's good then. It's a win-win for both of us."

"Win-win?"

"I upheld my predecessor Agrippa's prophecy, while you gained insight into your past. Don't you feel less burdened?"

"I see."

"Oh, and..."

The following conversation was done via telepathy.

I won't tell anyone that this is your second life. My lips are sealed.

"Right, I forgot about this issue."

Well, I don't want to die to be honest. You are the kind of man that would cut my throat without hesitation.

"Hmm..."

That's why...

Circe offered a deal to Kang Chul-In.

"Hmm..."

Kang Chul-In pondered for a while.

"Alright. Deal."

He then sent an OK signal to Circe.

A few hours later.

"Catch you next time, then. Let's go."

Kang Chul-In stepped out of the Jeonse Mushroom.

"Yes, dear husband!"

"Yes, your Majesty!"

The crew was about to leave.

"Wait!"

A familiar voice could be heard.

"Wait for me!"

Dorian Explorer was struggling to get out of the Jeonse Mushroom.

Wriggle, wriggle!

A few vines began to sprout out in front of the Jeonse Mushroom.

Whip!

They wrapped around Dorian's ankle and pulled him back.

Thump!

"Ahhhhh!"

Dorian crashed onto the floor.

"S-Shit! W-What's going on?"

Dorian shouted in confusion.

"Hoho~! I wonder what indeed?"

Circe the Witch replied to him.

"My cutie, where do you think you're going?"

"...!"

"Let's have some fun together, shall we?"

"E-Eeek?!"

"Even your surprised face is cute. Makes me want to claw at it."

"Huk...!"

Dorian gasped.

"K-Kang Chul-In! Help me!"

He requested help out of desperation.

"Quick, let's leave."

Kang Chul-In told the rest and pretended he never saw anything.

"H-Husband? How about Mr. Dorian..."

"I sold him out."

"Huh?"

Ninetails' eyes widened in surprise.

"60 days."

Kang Chul-In explained.

"Circe wanted to borrow him for just two months."

"...!"

"Hence I sold him out. A good deal for me."

"..."

"Well then, let's make our way."

Indeed, that was the secret deal between Circe and Kang Chul-In.

Chapter 232: Kang Chul-In Decides to be Crowned!

Translator: Leyy3

Kang Chul-In, who had just sold his friend out, visited the satellite city of Balnibarbi. He then returned to Laputa amidst much support and applause from the citizens.

"T-This place is..."

"Feeling better now?"

Inside Laputa's sickbay, Kang Chul-In greeted Kim Sung-Hee, who just regained her consciousness.

"You've done well."

He grinned and welcomed her.

"I, I..."

"You escaped somehow even after being infected by the undead virus."

"...!"

"I assume it wasn't easy to escape?"

"That..."

"You've done excellent work. Just a small pity that R8 was broken... Nonetheless, it was a mission perfectly executed. Thanks to you, we could deduce immediately that Aleister and Rothschild had formed an alliance and react accordingly."

"Does that mean...!?"

"Aleister is dead."

"...!"

"I smashed his life vessel in front of him, so he shall never be seen again. And this... is a present for you."

"T-This is!?"

Kim Sung-Hee was extremely surprised.

What Kang Chul-In handed over to her was a green wand with a jade-colored skull.

"Jadeite Skull Wand!"

Aleister's keepsake!

An epic item which could not only grant the user the necromancy ability, but could also amplify his or her dark mana!

It was simply priceless.

"You can have it."

"R-Really?"

"Of course. You deserve it."

"...!"

"B-But!"

Kim Sung-Hee was extremely delighted, but she was troubled somewhat. She was an adventurer with zero association with the dark element.

"No."

Kang Chul-In thought otherwise.

"This item suits you the most."

"Sorry?"

"The undead virus was more menacing than I thought."

"...?"

"The treatment was slightly delayed. Due to the long infection period, we couldn't stop your mana from changing its properties."

"Huh? Does that mean..."

"Look there."

Kang Chul-In pointed at a mirror in the room.

Kim Sung-Hee appeared normal, as if she had never been infected by an undead virus before.

"You are fully cured."

"...!"

"You didn't become an undead. Well, two or three days late and you might have become a banshee."

"That means I..."

"You are alive."

"...!"

"In fact, even better than before."

"I-Is that true?"

"Certainly. Do you know about Mana Fire?"

"Yes, I do."

"Try it."

"Alright."

Kim Sung-Hee complied to Kang Chul-In's instructions. She sparked up a Mana Fire on her palm.

Flick, flicker!

A flame pillar struck up.

It was a tier lower than Kang Chul-In or Dorian's flame, but it was brighter and more concentrated than any other adventurer's.

"T-This is..."

Kim Sung Hee was in awe again.

"My Mana Fire... It's black!"

"That's right."

Kang Chul-In explained.

"Mana Fire is often black for those with an abundance of dark mana."

"...!"

"In other words, your mana now possesses a dark-element."

"Ah...!"

"It was an unintended change due to the infection, but it's not too bad of a consequence."

"Is that so?"

"Dark Mana can erase an enemy's life force. It's kind of a debuff."

"...!"

"That's not all. Dark Mana is effective even in small amounts. It can also increase the user's affinity with the undead or dark magic. In other words..."

Kang Chul-In looked at Kim Sung-Hee.

"You are now a battlemage capable of casting dark magic. In addition, you can be a necromancer if you practice hard enough."

"...!"

"Well of course, dark mana is not easy to handle. If not handled with care, it can change its user's personality for the worse, and even cause him or her to go mad. We refer to this as being consumed by one's own mana. However, this problem can be mitigated with an item."

Kang Chul-In passed an item to Kim Sung-Hee.

It was a tiny stone.

"What... is this?"

"It's an Infinity Stone."

"...!"

"An S-rank Infinity Stone. It may not be as good as SS-rank, SSS-rank or U(Ultimate)-rank, but it can boost your battle abilities by at least 15%. Naturally, you will have more control over your mana."

"Y-your Majesty!"

Finally, Kim Sung Hee addressed Kang Chul-In as 'your Majesty' instead of 'you'.

She was born a chaebol [1] heiress. Although she did sign a contract with Kang Chul-In, she had still been a prideful woman.

It was surprising to hear her address someone else with such honorifics.

"I'm thankful with just the Jadeite Skull Wand alone..."

"Didn't I promise you?"

"...!"

"I told you I will make you stronger. I'm just keeping my word, so there's no need for such gratitude."

Kang Chul-In began to step out of the sickbay.

"Rest well. I will visit again. As for personal tutoring, let's defer it until you fully recover. Well then, farewell."

"Where are you going?"

"To work."

"W-Wait a minute, your Majesty!"

Kim Sung-Hee called Kang Chul-In frantically.

Dulkuk.

He had already left the sickbay, however.

Indifference is the best policy for you.

Kang Chul-In let out a cunning smile.

He had no intention of letting Kim Sung-Hee go.

He pretended to be indifferent and planned to slowly influence her to become his subordinate through his private tutoring. There was no way Kang Chul-In would let someone with necromancy abilities and dark mana get away.

"Your Majesty... you kept your words..."

Kim Sung-Hee stared at the sickbay door in admiration. She had no idea of Kang Chul-In's intentions.

***

Kang Chul-In decided to put his ancient memories aside for now.

According to the Emperor of Blood and Iron, he would naturally learn about his

past stories as he fulfilled his ambition of conquering Pangaea. Even if he didn't want to, he couldn't stop subplots from laying out anyway.

The least cumbersome way was to focus solely on the Pangaea conquest.

It was a waste of energy otherwise.

3 months left till the next Lord meeting... What's on my priority list?

Kang Chul-In wondered in his private office, in which five Rothschild heads were displayed as trophies.

There were many things to be done.

Kim Sung-Hee's issue was settled, and the Awakening quest was on hold until a new quest arrived.

He couldn't go dragon hunting without Death Calling, as his army would likely get annihilated.

In that case,

"Marriage, then crowning."

Kang Chul-In mumbled.

It was winter soon, and all Lords were concluding their wars to focus on domestic affairs.

In order to later advance towards the east, the heart of Pangaea, Kang Chul-In had to strengthen Laputa's foundation.

"Check quest details."

Kang Chul-In commanded.

[Crowning quest]

Goal: To ascend the throne!

Reward:

Lord points +20%

Honorable title (The system decides based on traits)

All abilities +10%

Politics (both internal and external) +1 tier

New stat point 'monarchy' granted

Loyalty and patriotism from subjects +50% increase

Three mine lottery tickets given

Abilities of the main founding fathers of the nation (main subjects) +10% increase

"... Who knew ascending the throne was so fantastic."

Kang Chul-In muttered to himself in awe, after checking the details of the reward.

Indeed, it was much better to become a king than to remain as an Overlord.

The only problem was that it was difficult to complete this quest.

Requirements:

100,000 citizens or above (Insufficient!)

1,500,000 Gold in possession (Extremely insufficient!)

Five cities or above in possession (Sufficient!)

55% or above of a region in possession (Almost!)

Throne (Not applicable, request for change)

Crown (Not applicable, request for change)

Official name of sovereign state

Marriage (Not applicable, request for marriage!)

There were many conditions, but number 4 was the trickiest one.

Possess 55% or above of a region?

Easier said than done, it was no easy task for anyone.

Pangaea was divided largely into three regions: Ishtar, Gullveig and Baldur. To rule more than 40% of any one of these regions was extremely difficult.

"No wonder."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

"There was a reason why there were only so few kings in the past."

Even in the past, no Overlord had conquered more than 55% of a region. Kang Chul-In, Vilhelm and Rothschild ruled around 40% each, but nowhere near 55%.

This condition was the one that prevented any Tom, Dick or Harry from becoming a king.

In retrospect, the so called 'kings' in the past were probably rulers of tiny, insignificant areas.

"Hmm... conquering two or three more territories can address the insufficient land... number of citizens can be increased... as for the gold... that's the problem for now. Finance."

Kang Chul-In was already broke to start with. 1,500,000 Gold was no trivial number for him.

"Your Majesty!"

At that moment.

"Are you in, your Majesty!?"

Timothy's voice could be heard from outside the office.

His voice was sharp and screechy, carrying a hint of rage.

"...!"

Kang Chul-In froze.

Shit, the gold for the magic gem!

A chill ran down his spine.

"Your Majesty! I know you are inside!"

Timothy's voice could be heard again.

Crisis.

If he faced Timothy here, his eardrums could explode from the old goblin's endless nags. He had to choose plan B.

Crash!

The window in Kang Chul-In's office shattered into tiny pieces.

Escaping was the best solution for sticky situations like this.

***

Kang Chul-In visited Kwak Jung's office after his escape from Timothy. He explained his circumstances and asked for advice.

Becoming a king was no trivial matter. It was certainly wise to discuss such important matters with Kwak Jung, his tactician.

"Do it. It's beneficial no matter what."

Kwak Jung strongly advocated for Kang Chul-In's crowning.

"Why is that so?"

"Looking at Pangaea's political scene, it seems highly possible that a coalition will form in the north, with Vilhelm in the center."

"...!"

"They are probably discussing terms amongst themselves by now."

Kwak Jung's insight was sharp and incisive.

"The reason?"

"Your Majesty had already engulfed about 50% of Ishtar region. If a single influence grew so much in power, wouldn't the other Lords be feeling anxious?"

"I suppose."

"Vilhelm in particular is probably in quite some distress. He already has some history with you and that man is dying to become rank 1. He can't achieve that alone, so there's only one option left: to team up with others."

In other words, Kang Chul-In's rapid power-ups had triggered the formation of the Gullveig coalition way ahead of its schedule. Thus, Ragnarök was also pushed forward.

"This gigantic coalition, if formed successfully, can keep your Majesty in check. In fact, if the whole lot attacks simultaneously, your Majesty may have to face the worst scenario possible. Isn't that so?"

"You are right."

"There's only one solution."

Kwak Jung voiced out.

"Your Majesty should ascend the throne and increase your influence. Coalition? Alliance? Sounds good but isn't it cooler to be the super special awesome raid boss?"

"... And what exactly is a super special awesome raid boss?"

Kang Chul-In frowned at Kwak Jung's poor choice of words.

"Ah, I meant... hehe... very powerful! A strong leader... hehe..."

"Can't you be more dignified...?"

"Hehe... not every man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

"..."

"Ahem, anyway!"

Kwak Jung continued.

"Isn't there an old saying that too many cooks spoil the broth?"

"Right."

"An alliance itself is good, but how troublesome would it be if one member didn't listen to another member? And..."

"And?"

"What if one betrays another? For example, communicating with the enemy to open up a path..."

"Aleister, you fucker!"

Kang Chul-In unintentionally spewed out vulgarities.

"W-What's wrong?"

"N-No, nothing."

Kang Chul-In changed the topic.

That still enrages me to this day.

Having had Aleister stab his back in the past, he came to realize that nothing was more infuriating than an ally's betrayal.

"Alright."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

He swore to never be betrayed again. What could be more tragic than being betrayed once again?

"I shall be crowned to increase my influence."

"That's a wise decision, your Majesty."

"I shall be addressing the marriage issue immediately as well, so take note."

"Is that so?"

"I plan to settle it before the Lord meeting."

"Keuh~! Your Majesty's now taken! Soon to be a living ATM machine... Huk...!"

"..."

"I-I apologize..."

"Watch your words."

"Yes, yes..."

Kwak Jung's big mouth always landed him in trouble.

"Well then, I have somewhere to travel with Ninetails."

"Huh? Is it already time for a honeymoon?"

"Not that."

"Then..."

"I'm thinking of testing this."

Kang Chul-In showed Kwak Jung an epic item on his ring finger. It was the damn Needle of the Empress.

"W-What is that?"

"Touch it."

"Huh? Isn't it just gold... Aarghhhhhhhh!"

Kwak Jung screamed in pain as the Needle of the Empress electrocuted him.

Pzzt, pzzztt!

It emitted a strong wave of electricity.

Shall we test its power?

Kang Chul-In's eyes came to rest on a point on the map.

I shall destroy you, Rothschild.

That place was where his former rival and nemesis, and now his sworn enemy was inhabiting.

It was none other than Rothschild's Baldur region!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol

Chapter 2534 - 222 - 232

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