Chapter 275

Only Pseraslav, Bafor, Ranko, Gargantua, and Seong-Hwi stood in silence on the empty field, but their presence was heavier than a grand army. The five Recorders glared at the octagonal pillar in the middle of the empty field as if it were their mortal enemy.

“Grrr! When is he coming out?” Pseraslav asked irritably.

“He will be out soon. He only has one minute at most,” Seong-Hwi calmly replied, but he was examining other possibilities inside his head.

Has Haema Sanguis... taken over Lord Mulleus’s body? Is that why he can’t come out? he wondered.

If that were the case, their plan would end in the most anticlimactic way possible. Haema Sanguis, the Ninth Fiend, would stupidly disappear from the Mirror World after getting stuck in a dungeon.

No, I’m sure he has some sort of way. He crossed over to the Mirror World despite taking over Lord Mulleus’s body in my past life!

Haema had to come out. Only then could Seong-Hwi commence his next plan based on the situation.

First... I need to make myself stronger!

Seong-Hwi put his hand in his hoodie pocket, grabbed Bulgasal’s trunk, and began to open the seven stat cubes he earned from clearing the dungeon corruption quest, Outbreak,and 150 million Karma’s worth of cubes.

Pwoo!

Gold and diamond cubes shuffled before his eyes.

[Sense A(10) obtained.]

[Sense A(8) obtained.]

[Sense A(9) obtained.]

...

[Sense A(5) → Sense A(99)]

He opened the seven A-rank stat cubes he had earned from quest rewards and three he had bought with Karma, instantly reaching A(99) in the Sense stat. He then invested the remaining 100 million Karma into the Health stat.

I can boost the other stats with either the Absolute Crown or the Fruit of the World Tree through Desire. What I need is the Health to endure that power!

[Health S(5) obtained.]

[Health S(29) → Health S(34)]

Pwaaahh! Pwoo, pwoo! Bulgasal trumpeted as if wanting to be praised, taking in the breath it had been deprived of once Seong-Hwi let go of its trunk.

However, Seong-Hwi did not have the leeway in his mind to indulge Bulgasal.

It’s not enough! The battle among monsters will begin soon! My current self isn’t enough!

Seong-Hwi had become a World Ranker after killing Demens Rabies and enhanced Desire’s magnitude to 8.5, but he had no idea how useful he would be in the impending battle. He had desperately devised plans to make the situation as much in their favor as possible, but the fact that he even went through that showed how weak he was.

More... more... more! I must devour more! Seong-Hwi screamed inwardly as the insatiable deficiency dyed his eyes red. I need more Karma! More causality! Stronger skills! More amazing traits!

He needed too many things to shine brightly. He couldn’t imagine how large his hands needed to be to grasp his destiny.

I don’t need these weak-ass traits! I need truly phenomenal traits! Seong-Hwi thought coldly, recalling the Akasha Messages he had received once the express parties left with the humans rescued from the blood collection site.

[Condition for Trait Quest: Savior III, fulfilled.]

[Converting Trait: Savior’s Gaze to Savior’s Hearing.]

...

[Savior’s Hearing (Trait)

Rank: D(99)

Description: A kind sense of hearing that can listen to the thoughts of those who desperately desire salvation.]

He could let a few slide, but the series of unfunny jokes was starting to annoy Seong-Hwi.

What? I can listen to the thoughts of those who desperately desire salvation? Fucking...

The more traits one had, the better, since they didn’t consume mana. However, Seong-Hwi was better off without traits like this.

Just then, the octagonal pillar in the center of the empty field changed. It gradually shrank to the size of a small dot and disappeared.

“Grrr? The hell?” Pseraslav remarked.

[Closing Dungeon: Progenitor’s Sanctuary.]

[Corruption merit rank: 1]

[Stat cube (S) obtained.]

[Stat cube (A) x 5 obtained.]

[Item cube (A) x 2 obtained.]

...

“The dungeon... closed,” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he stared at the dungeon closure rewards.

“The fuck? Did Haema Sanguis trip and not make it in time to escape or something?” Ranko said dumbfoundedly.

“Hmm... This may be better for us,” Bafor said prudently.

“There’s no way! I have to tear that fucking mosquito apart!” Pseraslav roared, looking up at the sky.

Just then, the sky turned pitch-black, and a blood-red moon rose to look down coldly at the ground.

“Who are you going to tear apart?” said a dry voice.

The space from where the octagonal pillar disappeared cracked, and a twig-like arm sprouted out. After the arm, the leg, the torso, and then the head came out.

“Kehehe! It appears that sacrifices have gathered for the fresh new start of Lord Haema Sanguis!” Haema shouted.

His immense caliber created a powerful, fatalistic storm mixed with dense mana and bitter Blood Force. Everyone in the field could feel that the path Haema took would be the path to victory.

Haema Sanguis! As I’d thought, he took over the body of Lord Mulleus! Seong-Hwi thought, his eyes shining as he stared at Haema Sanguis, who had become an old man who was only skin and bones.

The monster who had killed the Eighth, Seventh, Sixth, and Fifth Fiends in order and wrote history filled with blood had descended upon the Mirror World.

But he isn’t whole yet! Scite Amor and Erzsebet Melos have fled, and his signature skill, Rust of Ruin, is now in my hands!

Seong-Hwi turned to Pseraslav.

“Gehehehe! Gahahahaha!” Pseraslav laughed, staring at Haema with his golden eyes. “You’ve crawled out at last! I shall gnaw on your head and prove that I have the right to be one of the Ten Lords and Fiends!”

A spherical red-gold star rose in the sky, spreading heat like the sun and filling the dark sky with light. The blood-red moon and the red-gold sun clashed, splitting the sky in two. The day and night roared, ready to devour the other.

***

Judicium, the One-Eyed Judge, sat alone at a stone round table in a spacious room with a ceiling so high that it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

“Urgh! Goddammit! It’s just... one incident... after another!” he mumbled as he clenched his head.

Not only was he one of the three judges of the Sēmen, but he was also the prime minister. Although the position sounded all-powerful, it was ultimately an administrative job.

“Underground’s protest... the reclamation of the ninth zone... the rising of the survival tax... a reinforcement request from Pontus... Skrep’s disappearance... and now, this? A war at Lunatic?”

Judicium was about to collapse from overwork due to the restless appearance of incidents. To deal with all these incidents, one of the two was necessary: unfathomable administrative power, or a corresponding amount of physical power.

“Ahhh! All the consuls are already busy! Where in the world are you, Master Grandis?!” Judicium shouted, despairing over the lack of answers to resolve the predicament.

Just then, a thunderous voice said, “I am right here, Judicium.”

Judicium gasped due to the sudden increase in pressure. It was as if gravity had been amplified a hundred-fold.

“Master... Grandis! Kurgh!”

“Oh, my apologies. The exhilaration of battle has yet to wash away.”

The intense pressure that had taken over the space gradually reduced and returned to normal.

“Huff! Huff! Master Grandis!” Judicium shouted, turning around once he was free from the pressure.

He saw a giant wall—nothing more, nothing less. However, if one were to look from afar, they would see a crouching giant filling the entire room. He was the First Lord, Grandis, the Guardian Titan.

“You’ve returned at last!” Judicium shouted with joy.

“Yes. Since we have reclaimed the ninth zone, I will take a break for a while,” Grandis said, his voice filled with satisfaction.

He had finally taken a peek at the innermost nescius he had been unable to for decades. However, Judicium almost fainted from Grandis’s words.

“Take a break? What kind of dumbass bullshit are you spouting?!” Judicium screamed with his single eye widened, ready to lash out at his superior. “Do you think the ninth zone is the only thing that matters? The reclamation has only just begun! Not only that, but matters that require your review have reached the thousands while you were away!”

“Judi...cium?”

“The Sēmen is a mess! We’re severely understaffed and have lost the people’s trust! We prioritize bickering among factions and postpone dealing with truly important matters at hand! We’ve long since lost our reputation as the great race conference!”

Judicium unleashed the storm of past sorrows and frustrations.

“Please stop only looking forward and turn around now and then! Think about how many steps the rest of us have to take to even catch up to your one giant step!”

“Stop! I understand, Judicium. I understand, so please stop,” Grandis hurriedly pacified Judicium, worried he would go insane. “It appears I have been too caught up in my own tasks. What is the matter of highest priority? I shall resolve it immediately.”

Judicium swept Grandis with a tsunami of top-priority matters as if he had been waiting. “First, Biphatogenes of Nivalis committed an unforgivable sin, causing irreparable damage to the human Capital. As compensation, Underground has requested the use of Pangaea...”

Judicium recited top-priority matters without rest for thirty minutes.

“I believe I asked what the matter of highest priority was—”

“They are all of the highest priority! None of what I said is trivial!”

“Okay, I get it. Hmm...” Grandis answered before Judicium was about to go crazy again. He fell deep into thought and then replied, “Underground, was it? What an interesting group they’ve made. It was the brainchild of the Tortoise Emperor, Lee Kang-San, correct? I am impressed.”

“Yes, although the person in question has passed away.”

“What a shame... Truly a shame. He was necessary in the war against the Chaos. I told him I would give him the position of consul once he rose the rankings a little more,” Grandis remarked, genuinely disappointed.

“Didn’t the Tortoise Emperor reject that proposal?”

“He did. He mentioned it was because he was the First Son of humanity, and couldn’t give up on his world ranking.” Grandis thought about Kang-San momentarily and returned to the matter at hand. “That aside, they requested the use of Pangaea? How did they even know I have it?”

Pangaea was an artifact of the dimension Gigas. Only Grandis could activate it, so not many knew of its existence.

“I was just as surprised as you. It is likely... that one of the consuls is quite the blabbermouth,” Judicium remarked as he placed his hand on his forehead.

There were too many big-mouthed consuls for him to pinpoint which one it was.

“I see what Underground wants. They wish to prevent what occurred in the Capital from happening again. On top of that, they plan to use this opportunity to move their base of operations further toward the center... The one who came up with this is highly intelligent. Where are the leaders of Underground? Is Bafor the representative?”

“There are four representatives: Bafor, Elementum, Irura, and Cheon Seong-Hwi. Two of them are in Lunatic’s vicinity.”

Grandis recalled one of the matters Judicium had reported. “Wait, are they perhaps...”

“That is correct. One of the two factions at war against Consanguineus is Underground.”

Grandis dumbfoundedly mumbled, “Didn’t you say they were a new faction? The Bafor I know isn’t this radical.”

Steel King Bafor was highly calculative and cautious. He was a wise and highly capable administrator who used the special position dwarves had in the Mirror World to walk the tightrope without joining any of the major superpowers.

However, the actions of Underground Grandis had heard from Judicium were nothing like Bafor’s tendencies. It was radical, fearless, shocking, and subversive. It was similar to a weak beast, madly charging at a stronger beast to do whatever it took to tear them apart.

“This isn’t Bafor’s doing. It’s someone else,” Grandis remarked, intrigued by the thought. “I shall head to Lunatic. It appears this is the only thing I can do to resolve two matters at once.”