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215 - 223

Chapter 215: Chapter 215

***

The masked man felt infuriated after seeing Min Sung's leisure.

Now that his identity was revealed, he had to fight with all his might.

And if they were going to fight anyway, it was a given that he should use his full force.

The masked man unleashed his Aura.

The grass underneath the masked man's feet began to die and the ground cracked in half.

The dark Aura radiated from within him as the masked man's eyes sparkled intensely.

But Min Sung simply smirked at the masked man.

"I don't understand."

"…?"

The masked man looked at Min Sung in confusion.

Min Sung continued, "I thought Beatrice was where the best players of each star come to fight, but… everyone's too weak."

In response to Min Sung's remark, the masked man felt his insides boil with rage.

"Stop being so arrogant. You're just a low-ranking player who isn't even in the ranks in this world."

Min Sung's eyes grew cold.

"You'll end up under me anyway."

"I don't know where your confidence is coming from. You'll end up dying in my hands before that happens."

The masked man put his hands together.

The dark smoky Aura gathered in the masked man's hands and then began spreading out like fog.

Despite the attack having been begun, Min Sung didn't move or respond.

He just watched without a sound.

'That arrogant bastard. I'll kill you and your pride once and for all.'

He had already reported everything he needed to about that player.

He just failed to tail him any longer, but he had no interest in getting attacked by him.

The masked man knew that it hadn't been long since he entered the world of Beatrice.

No matter how talented and powerful he was, he was still just a little chick within Beatrice, so there was a good chance.

The masked man exerted as much magic power as he could, and the dark Aura in the form of a fog was just one of his very own divinations.

Once the Aura spread and covered the area with fog, his opponent would lose his way.

His sight would be hindered, and his ability to sense his opponent would fall apart.

It also made his senses in his hands and feet grow dull.

It was an understatement to say that he spent all of his time in Beatrice perfecting this ability.

Even players with higher specifications than his didn't have an ability such as this, and that especially applied to novice players.

Before the dark Aura fog spread too far, he had to attack at least 3 times, and he was thankful that the arrogant bastard gave him enough time.

As a result, the situation became favorable for him.

The masked man was certain he was going to win.

He was sure that he would see that novice stiffen up and show a bewildered look on his face

"Is that it?"

"…?!"

The masked man jolted his eyes wide open in shock.

Although his arms and legs were paralyzed and his senses were dulled, Min Sung flew over at a surprising speed and swung his fist.

Thud!

The sound of impact against concrete could be heard.

His face was dented, and his mask ripped.

After the masked man flew into the air while shedding blood, he rolled on the ground.

"Ugh… Ugh!"

He was in pain, and he couldn't see.

He tried to get up so that he could block upcoming attacks, but in contrast to his plans, it was him who was wobbling around, not his opponent.

The masked man looked like a newborn foal.

He continuously tried to get up but failed over and over again.

Min Sung walked over to him and looked down at the masked man.

"It's not because you let your guard down or made a mistake."

The masked man looked up at Min Sung with shaking eyes.

"It's because you're weak."

"…!"

Min Sung lifted his fist.

"And you probably won't be able to report this part."

"Damn it…"

Pow!

Min Sung punched the masked man in the head while he was kneeling.

The masked man died right then and there.

[You've gotten rid of a spy.]

[The Dionysus Gods who gifted you with experience points are happy.]

[Some of the gods are not so amused.]

[The gods are becoming less interested.]

[The number of gods watching over you is getting lower.]

Min Sung

laughed bitterly.

Was he supposed to fool around just to get more viewers?

Min Sung scoffed and turned toward his party.

***

He returned to Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol.

Thanks to the system map, they were able to find their destination without much difficulty.

"You're back early. How did it go? Did you find the spy?" Ho Sung Lee asked.

"I killed him," answered Min Sung.

Ho Sung Lee wasn't surprised and simply nodded.

"What would you like to eat?"

Min Sung checked the map one more time.

There was quite a distance left until their destination.

Right now was the best time to eat.

"Prepare anything."

"Yes, Sir."

"To be honest, there's something I've been thinking of while you were gone."

Ho Sung Lee proved that he had good sense.

While Min Sung was off taking care of the spy, Ho Sung Lee was already thinking of what to make.

"Ssol!"

Ho Sung Lee clapped twice and whistled for Ssol.

In response, Ssol came running over and stood next to Ho Sung Lee with his golden pouch on his back.

"I'll prepare something delicious for you."

Ho Sung Lee showed a confident smile on his face.

***

The sight of food being placed on a table in the middle of the woods was quite unusual.

On top of the clean table was a fabulous meal.

Since they didn't need chairs, they decided to stand and eat in front of the table taken out of the item window.

There was one main menu, and the only side dish was Kimchi.

It was placed in the middle of the empty table, but it showed off stunning visuals.

The stone pot contained chicken soup with ginseng.

Chicken soup with ginseng.

The best health food that Koreans loved for generations.

On top of that, the ingredients that were used for the chicken soup with ginseng was good enough to serve to a king.

Despite the fact that all of the ingredients were standard for the dish, the chicken soup with ginseng shined extra bright due to two additional ingredients.

And those were natural mushrooms and ginseng.

The natural mushroom was subtle enough while he added just enough ginseng to compliment the rest of the dish.

As Min Sung looked down at the chicken ginseng soup, which was too good to put a price on, he felt his appetite exploding.

That was how delicious the chicken soup with ginseng looked.

He couldn't look at the crossed legs of the chicken for long before he picked up his spoon.

Min Sung began to rip the chicken apart with his chopsticks.

Since it was cooked over Bowl's intense dark fire, the meat fell off the bones easily.

Meanwhile, Min Sung looked at the pale broth and gulped.

"Sir, you can dip the meat in salt."

Ho Sung Lee placed a small bowl containing salt in front of Min Sung.

Min Sung dipped the meat in salt before he put it into his mouth.

As soon as he swallowed the salty chicken meat, he felt immediately satisfied.

Min Sung lifted his spoon and tasted a spoonful of the pale broth of the chicken soup with ginseng.

Slurp!

It was a killer.

How could the broth be so thick?

Min Sung looked at Ho Sung Lee with surprise.

Ho Sung Lee was smiling.

"Is it all right?"

Min Sung nodded and focused on his chicken soup with ginseng.

He saw a mushroom.

'I wonder how a natural mushroom tastes like.'

Min Sung carefully picked up a piece of the mushroom with his spoon.

Since it was natural, it looked darker than usual.

As for the taste…

Slurp.

The mushroom entered his mouth.

'This is crazy!'

Min Sung jolted his eyes wide open in shock at the unexpected flavors of the mushroom.

Min Sung had never tasted natural mushroom before.

For that reason, he was especially shocked.

'How can a mushroom taste this amazing?'

Min Sung appreciated the flavor with a serious look on his face

The scent of the well-cooked mushroom drenched in the broth made his body ring.

The depth of the scent almost made his body paralyzed.

As a result, Min Sung became entranced by the scent of the mushroom.

It was an outstanding scent.

The natural mushroom was so powerful that he finally realized why people loved natural ingredients so much.

Min Sung tilted his head in awe. He tasted the broth again. He had a piece of chicken dipped in salt before he had another piece of the mushroom with the broth.

His mind became blank.

So blank that he couldn't think of anything.

As Min Sung chewed on a piece of ginseng, he gave Ho Sung Lee a thumbs up.

Ho Sung Lee smiled and showed a respectful nod.

And after that, Ho Sung Lee also began eating his bowl of chicken soup with ginseng.

***

His body temperature rose due to the filling meal, and he was overflowing with energy and good vibes.

Now that he was full, he had to head to their next destination.

There was a portal leading to the city after Newtie City, but in order to use the gate, they needed a ticket.

And that ticket was one that headed to the 12th dungeon, which was located at the top of the mountain they were climbing.

It was fairly far from Newtie City, but if they cleared this dungeon, they would be able to obtain that ticket.

For that reason, they headed to the 12th dungeon at a fast pace, allowing them to arrive in front of the dungeon in no time.

Chapter 216: Chapter 216

Unlike the 1st dungeon around Newtie City, the 12th dungeon didn't have a single ant in sight.

"I thought it'd be crowded with players wanting the ticket, but seeing how it's so quiet, it must be more difficult than we thought."

Min Sung didn't answer and walked toward the entrance.

Ho Sung Lee smirked at Min Sung's fearless walk and shook his head.

Min Sung Kang was a human who didn't know what being nervous even meant.

Ho Sung Lee put a cigarette in his mouth out of anxiousness.

That man was always able to tackle anything that came his way, but not Ho Sung Lee.

He always worried about his life, and he had to make a lot of effort just to be a supporter.

Ho Sung Lee made up his mind to become a great supporter as he threw his cigarette away and walked into the dungeon.

***

The world of Beatrice had strict rules.

One had to make a lot of effort.

And…

One had to be a good entertainer.

In other words, they had to know how to gain interest from the Dionysus Gods.

The way to grow in Beatrice wasn't to hunt down monsters and gain experience points.

That only gained the smallest amount of points.

In order to catch up to the high-ranking players, they had to gain the attention of gods and become stars in the world of Beatrice.

Since they were playing on a gambling board, they couldn't survive in Beatrice without using them to their advantage.

Min Sung was well-aware of this, and he was already gaining lots of attention from the gods.

But as the situation became less stimulating, the gods expressed their boredom.

The gods were weaker to stimulation more than anyone.

But that didn't mean Min Sung was willing to play according to the gods' wishes.

It wasn't because he felt a sense of rebellion toward the gods but because he felt it was meaningless to go out of his way to stimulate them.

Interesting things were bound to happen on their own.

Once he faced off with a ranker, the real game would begin right there.

But right now, he wanted to face the situation in a calm manner and proceed forward toward his goal.

So he thought that trying to gain attention was nothing but a waste of time.

Roarrrr!

An ogre-looking monster with wings on its back swung a sword covered in an Aura.

Min Sung flashed his eyes and focused solely on the battle, and Min Sung's focus showed great results.

Kaboom!

The deafening sound of thunder.

The loud noise made the monster flinch, and after that, the monster's body got ripped to shreds.

Once Min Sung grew thanks to the experience points, the monster was nothing more than a petty little thing that was easy to defeat.

For Min Sung, the current dungeon was so easy to defeat that it was boring.

***

[You've secured the ticket!]

When he saw a system message confirming his receipt of the ticket, Min Sung checked his item window.

The ticket was automatically inserted into his item window.

The ticket contained a code that could only be used for the portal gate.

He was able to use that code in order to hop over to the next city.

Min Sung's party went back to Newtie City.

"Tell the cat creature and elf that we're going to the next city and to come over to the warp gate right now," Min Sung instructed.

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee acted quickly.

Meanwhile, Min Sung took a look around the city on his way to the warp gate.

He saw many players, and among them were players that were at the 1st dungeon.

It was clear who the players that saw Min Sung fight were.

They showed stiff looks on their faces and avoided making eye contact with Min Sung.

As a result, no problems arose.

Thanks to the scenery of Newtie City on his way to the warp gate, he arrived in no time.

There was a large sign in front of the warp gate, and on that sign read, 'Into the world of rankers' in various colors.

And beside it was all sorts of advertisements, but they weren't worth noting.

It was

just enough to stimulate the hearts of the players who wanted to go over to the next city.

And that's when Min Sung realized just how obsessed the players of Newcity City were about rankers.

There were many people talking about the ticket around the gate, and the topics contained many predictions and misconceptions about rankers.

Min Sung ignored them and sat at a nearby bench.

As soon as Min Sung sat down, Bowl and Ssol situated themselves nearby. The players immediately paid attention to Min Sung, Bowl, and Ssol.

But the attention only lasted for a moment before they talked about themselves again.

Since Min Sung had an extraordinary sense of hearing, he was able to hear everything they were talking about.

And the more they listened, the less he understood their thoughts.

Min Sung secured the ticket.

And the way Min Sung saw it, the 12th dungeon, which allowed him to obtain the ticket, wasn't very difficult.

So he couldn't understand why they hesitated so much in approaching the 12th dungeon.

Min Sung cleared that dungeon in less than an hour.

And aside from his own standards, the dungeon didn't take much longer than the 1st dungeon near Newtie City.

'So why aren't they trying to get a ticket?'

He realized there was something he was unaware of.

Min Sung got up from the bench and approached players who were chatting nearby.

"If you could clear the 1st dungeon, why aren't you getting the ticket to hop over to the next stage?"

In response to Min Sung's question, the 3 players laughed.

"I guess you don't know anything. Come to think of it, you're a novice without a guild, right?" A man with a knife scar on his chin scanned Min Sung as he asked.

Min Sung nodded.

"How do you expect to go to the next stage when you're just a novice…?"

The man with the knife scar on his chin failed to finish.

His pupils dilated and his body froze up.

That was because Min Sung's cold energy wrapped around the man with the knife scar on his chin.

If it was weaker, he would have laughed and pulled out his sword, but Min Sung's energy was different.

He felt his instinctive fear climbing up to the surface and suffocating him.

The man with a knife scar on his chin dripped in sweat and looked in the distance as he gulped.

Min Sung's cold energy began to subside.

That was when the man with a knife scar on his chin could breathe again.

"Huff…! Huff…"

Min Sung stared at the man with a knife scar on his chin and said, "Explain."

Min Sung gave him a cold glare.

The man with a knife scar on his chin looked up at Min Sung, trembling.

And the players that were with him knitted their brows.

That was because they were unable to sense Min Sung's cold energy.

His cold energy only targeted the man with a knife wound on his chin.

"The reason why we're not getting a ticket to go on to the next stage is because of the rankers…"

The man with a knife scar on his chin finally explained.

"Is it because they get in the way?" Min Sung asked.

"That too. And even if we were to avoid the rankers and clear the dungeons, the dungeons are at a whole new level."

"How do you know that if you've never been?"

"There are some who returned."

"They returned?"

"Players who returned to Newtie City… never went to the next stage again… for the rest of their lives."

Min Sung laughed.

The man with a knife scar on his chin continued, "Giving up on becoming a ranker doesn't mean they lose their country, but they lose their entire star. Normally, they end up becoming invalids or live meaningless lives."

Min Sung finally realized why he was unable to see other players at the 12th dungeon.

In order to survive the rankers and grow through hunting, they had to grow their power in Newtie City first.

He didn't have to ask further.

He didn't have much time.

And in Beatrice, time was even more precious.

After all, as time passed, the stars they came from were dying away.

It was possible that they had already given up.

Perhaps they abandoned their home stars and learned to be satisfied with their lives in the new world.

There was no other reason why they would be wasting time talking about the next stage without doing anything to make it happen.

And that also meant that the ticket came with very big risks.

As they said, if they faced off against a ranker without being ready, they would be done forever.

For that reason, the players saw the ticket as an express train to hell.

Min Sung smiled.

People were all different.

He understood, but he couldn't imagine that choice for himself.

'How can they back off just like that?'

'How can they give up just like that?'

'How can they put everything down just like that?'

Min Sung had never done that in his life.

He learned in the Demonic Realm that the most dangerous choice became the safest route.

"Sir!"

At that moment, Ho Sung Lee showed up with the elf and cat creature.

A moment later, they stood right in front of him.

Bowl hopped into Min Sung's pocket while Ssol rubbed his head on Min Sung's leg out of affection.

Ho Sung Lee bowed his head down to him while the cat creature and elf followed along.

The cat creature and elf.

They looked excited to go to a new place, but…

"You can't come with us."

In response to Min Sung's remark, their faces stiffened up immediately.

Chapter 217: Chapter 217

"We can't go with you…? Why not?" The elf asked.

"Are you tired of us?" The cat creature looked at Min Sung with teary eyes as she asked.

The women were shaking after hearing that they couldn't follow him anymore, but Min Sung's opinion remained unchanged.

"I heard that if you leave Newtie City with this ticket, you'll end up dying after only a few days."

Min Sung spoke in a calm voice, but the content of his words was heavy.

The elf and cat creature's pupils shook with fear.

After seeing them ponder, Min Sung made it clear.

"To be honest, with your lack of fighting ability, the chances you'll survive is next to zero. To me, you're just going to be a burden."

The cat creature shed tears, and the elf looked into the distance.

Ever since they lost their home, Min Sung was the only person that gave them hope.

For them, who had nothing in their possession, Newtie City was nothing but a cruel place.

While the cat creature cried, the elf walked toward Min Sung and stood in front of him.

Her eyes looked determined.

"I have no interest in becoming a burden after what you've done for us. All we can do is pray for you. I'm so sorry… And thank you for everything."

The elf spoke with tears and sincerity.

The cat creature ran over to the elf and opened her mouth in tears.

"Thank you!"

Just as the cat creature had learned from Ho Sung Lee, she bowed her head down.

Min Sung took turns looking at the crying cat creature and elf and smirked.

"I was able to find my way easily thanks to you. I appreciate it."

The elf wiped her tears away and bowed to Min Sung as well.

"Ho Sung."

"Yes, Sir."

"Give them enough to survive in Newtie City."

Ho Sung Lee flashed a smile.

"Yes, Sir."

After looking around to check that no one was watching, he took the cat creature and elf to the inside of an alley.

He then called Ssol. He took out what he thought could sell for money and handed them to the cat creature and elf.

The cat creature and elf widened their eyes at the items.

"W-we can't take this."

"These look so expensive…"

The cat creature and elf sounded taken aback.

Ho Sung Lee laughed bitterly.

"They're gifts from Min Sung. Please repay us by living well."

The cat creature and elf accepted the items. They swallowed their tears and bowed their heads.

"Oh, also. Let's end our farewell here. We don't have much time. If we get a chance… I hope to meet you again, but take care for now!"

Ho Sung Lee said his goodbye and returned to Min Sung with Ssol.

The cat creature and elf stood in the alley, unable to take their eyes off of the party preparing to leave.

The elf and cat creature sincerely prayed for Min Sung's party to be well.

***

Min Sung checked his ticket one more time.

The ticket indicated the number of people that could use it.

A total of 8 people.

Min Sung's party had no problem using the portal together.

As soon as he opened the system in front of the warp gate and input the code, the portal began to appear.

Once the portal completely opened, their surroundings began to bustle.

That was because a player leaving Newtie City appeared.

While their surroundings were filled with whispers, Min Sung walked toward the completed portal with a stiff face.

He could only prove his worth by facing danger head-on.

Just like right now.

Min Sung walked toward the portal surrounded by the mystical blue light first.

Zap!

Along with a strong shocking sound, Min Sung disappeared.

After that, Ho Sung Lee, Bowl and Ssol went through.

The players around them watched where Min Sung and his party disappeared with blank looks on their faces.

***

The first thing they saw once they arrived in a new place through the portal was a message.

[Welcome to "Ranker World'.]

A welcome message.

And a world completely contrasting of the vibrant world they came from before the portal spread out in front of them.

It was a small village.

And this village looked worse

than any place they had seen.

It was full of insects and flies, and they saw dead bodies, as well as starving children hanging on to their dear lives.

The adults were all hunched over.

"What kind of place is this…?"

Ho Sung Lee scanned the area with shocked eyes.

As for Min Sung, he looked around the village with calm eyes.

"Um, Sir…"

Min Sung lifted his hand.

Ho Sung Lee closed his mouth.

Min Sung knew exactly what Ho Sung Lee wanted to say.

He wanted to hand out the food they had to the children.

"Ho Sung."

"Yes, Sir."

"It's time to eat."

Min Sung spoke in a flat voice and Ho Sung Lee flashed a smile.

Bowl and Ssol looked up at Min Sung and Ho Sung Lee with curious eyes.

***

Ho Sung Lee took out a table from the item window. He put it down in the middle of the streets and began cooking.

He thought the starving children around them would rush over as soon as he started cooking, but that was his misunderstanding.

Despite all the good smells and the food that was spread across the table, none of them approached.

"This isn't what I expected," said Ho Sung as he prepared the food.

Min Sung, who was sitting on a chair, looked around in response.

He certainly sensed desire.

Although they were all looking at them with hunger and thirst, none of them dared to come up to the table.

He also heard kids crying and the adults sobbing.

They were in pain from smelling the food.

"It's one of two things," said Min Sung.

Ho Sung Lee looked around Min Sung in the middle of cooking.

Min Sung continued, "Someone is controlling them, or they're scared of players."

Ho Sung Lee nodded in understanding.

"Phew… Should I talk to them?"

"If you're not going to take full responsibility, stop the useless sympathy," Min Sung said in a cold manner.

"… Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee focused back on cooking.

People continued to stare.

Min Sung ignored them. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

He comfortably smelled the food being cooked and waited for it to be complete.

A moment later, he sensed someone.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down.

An unsightly girl who looked to be 7 years old stared up at him.

Min Sung lifted his eyes and looked around him.

The adults, who were watching with their children in their arms, quickly hid away.

This child either didn't have parents, or her parents left for a while.

It was one of those two things.

The girl stared at Min Sung but didn't say anything in particular.

Min Sung closed his eyes again.

***

It wasn't just starving Beatrice natives that were in Royce Village.

There were also players, as well as players with great strength, who were no different from the owners of Royce Village.

They were free.

As long as they didn't bother each other, they were able to enjoy freedom.

They stayed at the accommodations for free and even raped women as they pleased.

They also used the crops to eat food, and when they were in a bad mood after drinking, they even killed some Royce Village natives for fun.

But that didn't mean there were no conflicts between the players.

They were aggressive by nature, and the rule was not to get in the way of each other, but that rule wasn't all that important.

As a result, the players fought often.

The guild containing rankers also provided food for Royce Village.

But once the support team disappeared, the players pounced like hyenas and stole just enough food so that they wouldn't die.

For that reason, the way Min Sung's party prepared food in the middle of Royce Village stood out to them.

Among them, two players who were watching from an alley chatted.

"I think he's new here."

"He's brave to come here without a guild."

"What should we do with him?"

"I'm not sure. We should explain the rules here, and if he doesn't understand, we'll report him to the superior office."

***

The food was complete.

He had no intention of staying and eating for a long time, and since Ho Sung Lee knew that, he made what was appropriate.

For that reason, he made a meal that was quick and easy to eat.

And that menu was Japanese mixed rice.

After seeing the signature visuals of Japanese mixed rice, Min Sung looked at Ho Sung Lee in awe that he knew how to make such a thing.

"Were you always talented at cooking?"

In response, Ho Sung Lee laughed.

"I've also been surprised by my own cooking skills."

Min Sung looked back at the food.

The Japanese dish contained rice with beef, onions, and other boiled ingredients on top.

Seeing how the beef was covering the rice made his stomach grumble with hunger.

"Sir, here's a spoon."

Ho Sung Lee handed him a large and long spoon big enough to eat udon.

Min Sung used the spoon to mix the rice.

The sauce was well-distributed, and thanks to that sauce, the rice mixed incredibly well.

He smelled something sweet.

While he mixed the rice, he felt someone staring, so Min Sung looked down to his right.

The girl around 7 years old was staring at him.

"If you want some, I'll share," said Min Sung.

When he said that, the girl opened her mouth in desperation and nodded up and down.

Chapter 218: Chapter 218

"Ho Sung, bring out a bowl for this little girl."

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee spooned a generous amount for the little girl with a bright smile on his face and handed it over.

There was a spoon, but the girl used her hands to eat the mixed rice.

She then showed a surprised look on her face.

"T-this is so good…"

The girl exclaimed before she stuffed her face with more food.

"Slow down. You might choke," said Ho Sung Lee with a smile.

Meanwhile, Min Sung tried a bite of the mixed rice.

Om nom.

Min Sung was also surprised by how fresh and new the mixed rice tasted.

In Korean terms, this was mixed rice with beef, but this Japanese version was different from what he was used to.

It was beef mixed rice, but the Korean version had glass noodles inside.

The key feature of Korean mixed rice was the soy sauce base as well as the strong meat flavors of the beef.

On the other hand, the Japanese mixed rice showed off a completely different charm.

First, the beef was so thin that it was soft to chew.

And the sweetness of the beef, onions, cooking wine, and sugar was unbelievable.

A sweet beef mixed rice.

He wouldn't have thought these ingredients went well together, but after trying it, he realized its incredible charm.

The sweet mixed rice was various and vast, and it satisfied his hunger.

"This is good."

The most simple praise came out of Min Sung's mouth.

Ho Sung Lee smiled.

"Thank you."

Just as Min Sung was about to take another bite, he heard footsteps.

When he lifted his head, he saw two players walking toward him.

Ho Sung Lee's eyes immediately became alert while Ssol hid behind Min Sung and Bowl lit up his eyes with black flames.

"Hey… We're not trying to fight, so relax. We're not here to be territorial."

The man with the more severe hair loss spoke first.

Min Sung didn't listen and put a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Om nom.

Min Sung didn't even look at them and continued to eat.

Clang!

That was when the bowl that the 7-year-old girl was holding fell on the ground.

The girl trembled and peed her pants.

The two players looked at her with knitted brows as if they were disgusted.

Once Min Sung checked the condition of the girl, he looked at the two players with cold eyes.

"Get lost before I kill you."

As soon as the balding man said that, the girl immediately ran away like a stray cat.

After the balding man clicked his tongue at the girl, he approached Min Sung.

But Ho Sung Lee stood in the way.

"He's eating. Please don't disturb him," said Ho Sung Lee.

The balding man smirked at Ho Sung Lee and then nodded.

"Okay. Then deliver this message for me. It's about the rules of Royce Village."

"Rules? What are they?"

Ho Sung Lee asked.

The balding man glanced over at Min Sung and then explained.

"Beatrice is the players' world. That means we're at the top of the pyramid here. Those are nothing but little rodents."

The balding man laughed as he continued, "There's no need to treat them like humans. You can't consider them as the same humans as us."

The balding man looked at Min Sung, who continued to eat without a reaction, and then smiled at Ho Sung Lee.

"Don't forget that. The rule is to never get involved with the Beatrice natives."

Ho Sung Lee laughed out of absurdity.

In response, the balding man continued with a cold glare.

"If you break that rule, all the players of Royce Village will become your enemies. You don't even have a guild. I suggest you don't trust yourself too much. This place is different from Newtie City."

Ho Sung Lee gulped and clenched down on his teeth.

After tapping Ho Sung Lee on the shoulder, the balding man smirked at Min Sung.

"Enjoy your meal."

The balding man stopped in his tracks and looked back at Min Sung.

"Oh, one more thing. Just in case you don't know."

The

balding man's eyes grew cold.

"Don't give food to those scum. They keep thinking they're human because people like you keep showing up."

Ho Sung Lee glared at him while clenching his teeth, but the balding man continued anyway, "If you see any kids or rude people, just kill them. If you don't, the other players here will hate you."

The balding man snickered.

"Just enjoy your freedom and have fun. That's our right as players."

He began walking again with his comrade.

At that moment, Min Sung wiped his mouth with a napkin and got up from his chair.

The noise made the balding man and his partner turn around.

Min Sung threw his empty bowl at the men.

The balding man blocked it with his fist.

Pow!

The bowl cracked and spread out in all four directions.

After seeing some sauce on his hand, the balding man knitted his brows.

Min Sung also looked at the balding man with a frown.

"Who said you could go?"

The balding man shook off the sauce and stiffened his face.

"Wow. You're a brave newbie."

The balding man snickered and whistled loudly.

After that, more players began to appear in all four directions.

There was a total of 10 players.

Their gazes looked bleak.

They looked so cold that they could pull out their swords at any moment.

The atmosphere was cold, but Min Sung's attitude didn't change.

A world of rankers.

And the thugs that they met as soon as they arrived.

He didn't want to waste time on catching such bastards.

Even if that was the wrong decision to make.

Min Sung thought that if he couldn't take care of such thugs right then and there, it was right for him to give up on cutting down the Iris tree on earth and going back home.

There was no such thing as perfect preparation in this world.

In the end, they had to face it head-on and overcome obstacles.

After all, that was how he had lived life until now.

As soon as Min Sung waved his hand in the air, the table and chair flew over. They rolled on the ground and slammed against the wall.

"You have interesting talents."

The balding man smirked and opened his item window.

The other 10 players who enjoyed their freedom in Royce Village also took out their weapons.

The balding man stepping up first was the signal.

The 10 players charged toward Min Sung.

Min Sung also opened his item window and equipped himself.

Clack! Clack!

Min Sung put on a helmet as well as a full dragon hunter armor that covered his body.

And the Gungnir that he grabbed on to made a thundering noise.

The 10 players flinched at the shiny shield and weapons, but they didn't slow down in their attack.

***

The first one to attack was the balding man.

He swung his sword with his right hand, and his speed and power were certainly different from what he had seen from other players.

But that didn't mean he was better than Min Sung.

Min Sung dodged his attack and realized something.

The growth he experienced with the performance points given to him by the Dionysus Gods were much more powerful than he thought.

That meant he was different from all the rest.

Roarrrr!

Min Sung's magic power caused the ground to shake and the air to become distorted.

Min Sung blocked his opponent's sword covered in an Aura with his shield and stabbed him in the heart with his Gungnir.

It was a simple but the most powerful attack.

One player down.

And the other players used their attacks in the small timeframe when Min Sung had his guard down following his kill.

The numerous attacks didn't do any damage.

Min Sung's body faded into smoke and dodged all of the attacks.

The ground cracked in half, causing all of the houses to be destroyed, but Min Sung wasn't hurt.

By the time they found Min Sung, two more players were bleeding on the ground.

The difference in speed was clear.

Min Sung's nimbleness was so out of their league, that they were unable to see it with the naked eye or react to it in time.

Slash!

Gungnir chopped one of the players' head off.

The player's head cracked like a watermelon, and when Min Sung swung his sword, the magic power from within him killed 3 more players.

Once Min Sung's superior power began to discourage the remaining players, Min Sung's attacks became that much more efficient.

Min Sung's Gungnir mercilessly stabbed through the 3 players rolling on the ground.

"Agh!"

"Ugh!"

"Agh…!"

They let out their final screams.

The familiar screams didn't faze Min Sung one bit.

Min Sung coldly continued his attacks.

"N-no way. How can he defeat 10 players all on his own…?"

Min Sung moved promptly toward the remaining players.

Before they could dodge him, Min Sung was already in front of the players.

Swoosh!

Slash!

Followed by the sound of Gungnir cutting through the air, it stabbed into a player's neck.

Min Sung's attack was similar to wind which they could not doge.

Min Sung threw his Gungnir at lightning speed, causing it to stab through a player's forehead.

Once Min Sung walked toward the Gungnir and took it out, there was only 1 player remaining.

Chapter 219: Chapter 219

The one player remaining from Royce Village didn't think to fight Min Sung and plopped down on his knees with a blank face.

He looked up at Min Sung with the desperation to survive and trembled.

Min Sung walked over to the kneeling player while making clanging noises due to his armor.

"P-p-please don't kill me. I'll do anything. Please…"

Whoosh!

Slash!

Min Sung's Gungnir stabbed through the player's skull.

Blood poured down the player's face.

Fwip, clang!

Min Sung put away his equipment without a word and put his Gungnir in his item window as well.

[The Dionysus Gods are amazed by your battling skills.]

[The gods are finally gifting you with experience points again.]

[Your honor has increased.]

[You have a new quest.]

[Find the lowest ranker and claim their position through battle.]

[Once you become a low ranker, you'll be able to attempt D-level quests, allowing you to rank up quickly.]

[The gods are showing more interest due to your refreshing battle.]

[You have been favorited by a total of 802 gods.]

[You have a total of +12000 experience points.]

[You've been chosen for a special event provided to popular players.]

[If you use +10000 experience points, you'll be able to buy all sorts of kills, techniques, and option abilities.]

[Would you like to purchase?]

[Accept/Reject]

He happened to have +12000 experience points.

So he didn't have a reason to turn it down.

When it came to battles, the items one possessed were the most important.

Min Sung touched accept without having to think about it.

[You've used +10000 experience points to have the option ability.]

[You have +2000 points remaining.]

***

Around Min Sung were many players' bodies laid out in treacherous states.

Ho Sung Lee shuddered at the sight as well as Min Sung.

Since it was a ranker's world, it was a fierce place.

Even if the bodies didn't belong to rankers, they were strong enough to enter this place.

But he defeated them effortlessly.

He couldn't grasp just how powerful Min Sung Kang was.

At this rate, he could climb up the ranks and become the top-ranking ranker in Beatrice.

"Ho Sung."

In response, Ho Sung Lee ran over right away.

"Yes, Sir."

"We have a new quest. We have to find the lowest ranker and get rid of them. Look into accommodations and find information on the lowest ranker. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee had also grown through experience points after coming to Beatrice with Min Sung.

Compared to Min Sung, Ho Sung Lee was weak, but he was still collecting experience points.

"Sir, did you use the experience points that the gods gave you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, so that's how you killed them all so easily, but how many experience points did you get…?"

"Including what I got today, around 60,000 points."

Ho Sung Lee looked at Min Sung in shock.

"60,000 points? Wow… That's crazy."

Ho Sung Lee shook his head.

He had only received 100 points up until now.

But Min Sung received 60,000 points.

Ho Sung Lee gulped.

He was at another level.

"Please wait while I look for an accommodation."

Min Sung nodded.

Min Sung watched Ho Sung Lee walk off as he expanded his senses.

He had to check if anyone was watching from his surroundings.

Since he had extraordinary senses, he was able to accurately scan his surroundings.

But even then, it was difficult to find players with those senses.

No matter how small the village was, how could there only be 10 players in Royce Village?

That didn't make sense.

There had to be more.

If Min Sung's prediction was correct, he wasn't going to catch all of the players, and just leave them alone.

His reputation would increase faster that way.

***

The lowest ranker, 'Oden'.

He squinted at the system message he saw while lying in bed.

[A challenger has arrived.]

Oden put a thick cigarette in his mouth and knitted his brows.

After becoming a ranker, he had been the lowest ranker for a very long time.

So this wasn't the first time he faced off against a challenger.

"Huu!"

The lowest ranker, Oden breathed out the

smoke and got out of the bed covered in women.

He looked out the window into the village without putting on a single piece of clothing.

"Who is it this time?"

His face grew dark as he looked out into the scenery.

He was sick and tired of it.

***

While Ho Sung Lee looked for an accommodation, Min Sung opened the item shop and looked at which option items were available for purchase.

As soon as he checked which items were available, Min Sung was able to confirm that he was wise to buy the option ability.

There were many items that were useful for battle.

He wasn't going to buy them right away, but he kept in mind which ones he would buy later on.

He even checked which technique items he would buy also.

Once he finished looking through the shop, Ho Sung Lee returned.

"Sir, I found a place to stay, but it's a little shabby. Is that okay?"

"I don't care. Lead the way."

"Sure. Right this way."

Ho Sung Lee led the way.

***

Just as Ho Sung Lee said, the accommodation wasn't in good condition.

The house looked like it was about to tumble down, but the reason why Ho Sung Lee chose this place was because it had the cleanest looking bed.

He didn't have to go and check in person to know that no accommodation in the area was better.

"I'm going to go and look for information about rankers now."

"Take Bowl with you."

Min Sung tapped on the pocket where Bowl was in.

Bowl, who was sleeping, groaned as he crawled out.

Ho Sung Lee carried Bowl in his hand and said, "We'll be back."

They then headed out of the accommodation.

***

While the lowest ranker, Oden, checked his equipment, his subordinates came to greet him.

"What did you find out?"

"We were able to find him quickly because of the ruckus he caused in Royce Village."

"Royce Village?"

Oden squinted his eyes and looked at his subordinate.

Royce Village was where all the players started out, and where all the homeless people were gathered.

But that wasn't what made Oden react.

"So a new player showed up and caused a commotion?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Ha…"

Oden laughed.

"How many of them?"

Oden asked as he put all of his equipment in his item window.

"Just one."

"No guild?"

"No, Sir."

Oden smirked.

"Then this will be easy. Send him an invitation."

In response, the subordinate bowed his head.

***

He looked for places to hunt using the system map, but Royce Village was empty.

There was no place to hunt, and the place was empty, and the map itself was so small that they couldn't check the areas outside of it.

Unlike in Newtie City, the system map no longer showed them the directions in Royce Village.

Unlike Newtie City where the interface gave them all sorts of information, they were given almost none after arriving in Royce Village.

If the information Ho Sung Lee came back with were poor, Min Sung intended to explore the surrounding areas himself.

If he used Ssol, who was very fast, it probably wasn't going to take long to find his way.

After all, Ssol was very, very fast.

Min Sung patted Ssol on the head as he snored away on the bed.

***

Anchor followed Oden's, the lowest ranker, orders and arrived in Royce Village in order to deliver the invitation to Min Sung.

As soon as he entered the village, he knitted his brows.

The slums were always unpleasant.

He almost felt as if he jumped into a toilet.

Anchor was accompanied by three subordinates, and his outfit was very classy compared to the natives of Royce Village.

He was sensitive to fashion, and he cared deeply about quality.

He headed to Min Sung's house with an expression on his face that said he was worried something dirty was going to get on his outfit.

The three subordinates of Anchor asked the natives about the new player's whereabouts.

On their way to the accommodation that they mentioned, they ran into a man.

It was Ho Sung Lee.

"I'm sorry, but I have a question for you."

Ho Sung Lee stood in Anchor's way.

Since he looked like a player he had never seen before, he exchanged glances with his subordinates and then looked at Ho Sung Lee.

"Do you know anything about the lowest ranker?" Ho Sung Lee asked.

Anchor and his three subordinates grew tense.

They were certain.

This person was the one who challenged their superior, Oden.

Anchor scanned Ho Sung Lee up and down.

Most of the players who came here gave off quite the presence, but the man in front of him looked plain.

On the other hand, Ho Sung Lee knitted his brows at Anchor.

"Hello?"

Anchor immediately used his interface system to send the lowest ranker, Oden, a message.

He told him that the man didn't look as strong as they thought.

And they received an immediate response.

Chapter 220: Chapter 220

[There's no way a guy like that challenged me. Check his identity again, and if it's not him, find his weakness.]

After checking the response, Anchor's eyes immediately grew cold.

In response, Ho Sung Lee widened his eyes and cowered his body.

"W-what's wrong?"

Ho Sung Lee stepped backward in shock.

Anchor and his three subordinates opened their item windows and took out their weapons.

They gave off a very cold vibe.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Ho Sung Lee shouted.

Anchor grinned.

"I know everything. You came to Royce Village as a new player, caused a commotion, and that's how you were able to send a challenge invite."

"What kind of bullshit is that? That's not me."

Anchor glared at Ho Sung Lee while tilting his head.

"It's not?"

"Yeah. That's not me. You got the wrong guy. I'll lead you to him. To the person you're looking for."

His trick worked.

And their owner, Oden, was right.

He was nothing but a puppet.

Someone who did nothing but his dirty work.

What then?

Anchor thought for a moment.

He thought about how to use Ho Sung Lee to their advantage.

And due to his extensive experience, he made his decision quickly.

This man in front of him was the best invitation possible.

Since the person who threw the challenge had to approach their opponent first, it was more useful for him to be ready as much as possible.

Just the thought of presenting his owner with this advantage made Anchor smile with joy.

"Okay. I get that you're not that player, but that doesn't mean we don't need you."

"What are you talking about? I said I'll lead you to him."

Anchor flashed an evil smile.

"It's better for him to have a weakness."

Ho Sung Lee stared at Anchor with frustration.

"No, listen to me. I'm not his weakness. You don't know what kind of person he is. I can't be your hostage."

"Even if that's the case, it's better than having nothing. And who knows? You might become a good weapon for us. Snicker."

"I can't believe this."

Ho Sung Lee swept his hair back with a yellow face.

***

Ho Sung Lee felt like his heart was going to explode.

He didn't know what was going to happen to him if he got dragged away, and he was 100% certain that Min Sung Kang wouldn't come to save him.

For that reason, he was in great danger.

He transformed into a supporter, so there was no possibility of him defeating a guy like him.

He had to run away to Min Sung Kang.

"Don't even think about trying anything. Do you really think you can get away from us?"

Ho Sung Lee looked at Anchor and let out an awkward laugh.

"Haha. Why would I even think of doing that? Huh? Sir?"

Ho Sung Lee looked behind Anchor and his subordinates.

Anchor and his subordinates also looked in that direction, and at that moment, Ho Sung Lee immediately used his shadow skill.

Ho Sung Lee's body disappeared. He became a shadow and went into the ground.

Ho Sung Lee began to run away through the ground and walls, and meanwhile, Bowl ran the other way.

"Shit…!"

Anchor soon realized they had run away and began their chase.

***

Min Sung, who was resting on his bed, lifted his head.

He sensed something.

And those senses became clearer and clearer.

"Five," mumbled Min Sung.

Those were the number of people he sensed.

Unless they were unintentionally trying to hide, it wasn't so difficult to find out their location.

Min Sung left his room.

He took the stairs to the 1st floor. He opened the wooden entrance door and stepped outside.

Since the sun had already set, it was dark.

Min Sung walked toward the direction his senses took him.

***

Since Ho Sung Lee had used his shadow skill, it was a little difficult to pursue him, but it wasn't totally impossible.

As soon as Anchor got close to Ho Sung Lee's shadow, he swung his sword.

Swoosh!

The Aura's power launched quickly and impacted the shadow.

Ho Sung Lee almost looked like a plane that crashed.

He flung out from his shadow and rolled on the ground covered in blood.

Anchor let out a breath with a joyful smile.

"You bastard. How dare you try to run away? Huh?"

Anchor ran toward Ho Sung Lee's squirming body and kicked him in the gut.

Pow!

Along

with a loud noise, Ho Sung Lee's body flew into the air and rolled on the ground once more.

"Cough! Ugh!"

Ho Sung Lee spat out blood and stared at Anchor approaching with hazy sight.

Anchor held up his sword and showed a vicious smile.

"Even if I end up taking you as a hostage, I'm going to have to take an arm to make it equal."

Anchor stood above Ho Sung Lee's head and lifted his sword.

At that moment…

Kaboom!

The sound of thunder rang.

As soon as Anchor looked around.

Three of his subordinates were slashed and laying on the ground.

"…?!"

Anchor looked around him in shock.

No matter how hard he looked, he didn't know who it was.

"W-who are you!? Tell me!"

Anchor shouted with a shocked voice.

His subordinates were fairly skilled.

So it was shocking that someone killed them in an instant.

Anchor gulped.

On one hand, he instinctively knew who killed his subordinates.

The person he had an invitation for.

The player who made a challenge!

It was him.

The player who wasn't a part of a guild.

He had no idea that that player was this powerful.

Anchor dripped in cold sweat and looked down at Ho Sung Lee.

Ho Sung Lee was bleeding from his mouth, but even in that state, he was smirking at him.

Anchor jolted his eyes open at Ho Sung Lee and clenched down on his teeth.

Anchor grabbed Ho Sung Lee as a hostage, and in order to drag him up, he reached out his left hand to grab him by the throat.

At that moment…

Slash!

The left hand that reached out got sliced off.

The sliced hand flipped in the air and then plopped on the ground.

"…!"

Anchor trembled at the sight of his missing hand.

He held back the pain and looked around him, but he couldn't see anyone.

Anchor's body flushed with anger, and he crazily swung his sword in the air.

"Agh! Where are you? Tell me! Show yourself! Why are you hiding?"

Anchor screamed.

And that was when he heard footsteps.

Anchor huffed roughly in anxiousness of what was going to pop out.

He saw a man.

He was wearing casual clothing while holding a sword in his hand.

He was the player that the lowest ranker, Oden, was looking for.

"… It's you. The player who challenged my owner."

Min Sung grinned at Anchor.

"Yup. Does that mean you're that lowest rankers' pawn?"

Anchor stared at Min Sung with a stiff face.

Min Sung walked toward him with a slight smile.

"I thought it'd be hard to find you, but it was easier than I thought."

Anchor looked at his bloody wrist and then looked back at Min Sung.

He gulped.

Although he lost a hand, that didn't mean he couldn't fight.

But the problem was… he didn't think he could defeat this man, and that was his duty.

"I came to deliver a message from my master."

Anchor continued, "Since you challenged him, he is kind enough to accept it."

Anchor put his sword into the ground. He opened his item window and then took out a card for Min Sung.

The card flew over like a bullet, and Min Sung caught it effortlessly.

Min Sung checked the card that Anchor referred to as an invitation.

And inside the card was a code that he could use on the interface system map to arrive at his destination.

It was kind of like a navigation address.

Min Sung put the card in his pocket and glared at Anchor while asking, "Can I meet the lowest ranker if I go here?"

"Stop calling him the lowest ranker. Many players attempted to defeat him, but they all died, and you won't be any different."

Anchor glared at Min Sung with bloodshot eyes.

Min Sung responded with a smile, "Let me check for myself to see how loyal you really are."

Min Sung walked toward Anchor.

Anchor took out his sword from the ground with a stiffened face.

The invitation had been delivered.

But he was thinking of killing him, and Anchor had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to avoid his fate.

If he was going to die, he wanted to die while serving his master.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Anchor shouted while running toward Min Sung.

"…?!"

Anchor then stared at Min Sung with dilated pupils.

Min Sung threw his sword into his item window.

He was unequipped with absolutely no weapon or shield.

Anchor immediately stopped in his tracks.

Him suddenly stopping led to dirt flying.

"What are you doing? Why did you put your weapon away?" Anchor asked.

Min Sung smiled bitterly.

"I told you. I'm here to check if you're really that loyal."

Anchor trembled with his sword in his hand.

He felt angered by Min Sung's insult.

"You will never be able to defeat my master. Just like all the other players, you'll also die…"

Pow!

Anchor was unable to finish.

Before he could react, the magic power from the palm of Min Sung's hand stabbed into Anchor's gut.

Anchor's body flew into a nearby house.

And then…

Crash!

Anchor's body crashed through the walls, and the house tumbled down as a result.

"He probably didn't die yet."

Min Sung tilted his head and walked toward where Anchor's body flew.

Chapter 221: Chapter 221

On Min Sung's way to the destroyed house…

Boom!

The sound of a tree exploding could be heard as Anchor charged toward Min Sung while covered in blood.

"Don't look at me with such hope," said Min Sung while he avoided Anchor's sword and punched him in the side with his fist.

Crack!

He felt Min Sung's fist breaking 3 of his ribs.

"Ugh!"

Anchor spat out more blood and plopped down on his knees with his sword still in his hand.

"Ugh!"

He spat out blood again.

He continued to spat out blood over and over.

And once Anchor tried to grab his fallen sword with his trembling hand, Min Sung stepped on his elbow.

His arm broke in half and twisted in the opposite direction.

"Aghhhh!"

Anchor screamed and cried into the dirt below him.

Min Sung looked down at him with a straight face and grabbed his neck.

Anchor wriggled within Min Sung's grasp.

He was facing death in great agony, but Anchor glared at Min Sung with rage.

In his eyes remained loyalty, and he was unwilling to back down.

"I like the look in your eyes."

With his neck in his arms, Min Sung threw him onto the ground.

Thud!

Followed by the sound of impact, Anchor rolled on the ground. He lost the focus in his eyes, and his body trembled.

Anchor glared at Min Sung while trembling.

"Die, you son of a bitch…"

Anchor said while spitting out blood.

Min Sung looked down on him with emotionless eyes.

"Whether I die or live is up to me. I have no feelings toward the fact that you're fooling around with weak humans and calling it freedom. That's not for me to judge."

"…"

Anchor stared at Min Sung with blank eyes.

Min Sung continued, "In the end, this world functions based on the jungle's law. Of course, there are warm humans who are just as well, but depending on the situation, they can become monsters, and there are also those who never lose their will to maintain good faith."

"What are you trying to say, you arrogant asshole?"

Min Sung smiled at Anchor.

"But I have no interest in protecting justice or good-will. I've known for a long time that I can never become that kind of human being."

"…"

"I'm going to inflict a lot of pain on you now. Just don't think. I won't hear out any requests or begging. You'll end up dying after that torture, and when you die, there's no such thing as Hell. I'm going to make it so that it's hell for you while you're still alive."

Anchor grimaced.

His eyes were filled with fear, but he pretended to be strong.

"Do you think that makes me scared? You're no different from the rest of us. Stop acting like you're better…"

He continued to mumble on.

Min Sung had seen many people who had this much pride, but the end result was always the same.

As soon as Min Sung lifted his hand, a white smoke came out from it and wrapped around Anchor's body.

And that energy absorbed through his skin and penetrated his brain.

There was no better way to torture a person than to attack their brain.

That was the way to make a human being feel the most fear.

He knew this… because he had endured it himself.

"Ugh… Agh…!"

Anchor had a seizure.

The worst horror didn't even let the person scream.

They simply breathed quickly in order to instinctively survive.

Just like that, he died away.

"P-please stop. I was wrong. I was wrong, okay…? Ugh."

"Putting you through pain doesn't change anything. It's not like you were the only one doing dirty deeds, but there's a simple reason for why you're experiencing this pain."

Min Sung glared at Anchor in pain and continued, "You put me in a bad mood."

"Ahhh…! P-please… Ugh!"

Min Sung tilted his head and continued, "That's it."

"Ugh, ugh!"

His fingers started to curl in like a squid, and his skin began to dry up.

The process of degeneration and recovery repeated itself.

Once it seemed like he was losing consciousness, his recovery stopped, and Min Sung inflicted death upon Anchor.

Every time he watched someone die like this, he remembered just how dreadful the Demonic Realm was.

It took him a while to overcome his trauma.

Min Sung took out his Gungnir from his item window.

He stared at Anchor, who was already mentally dead with only his body hanging on and stabbed

him.

Slash!

[God of Death is cheering.]

[The angels are criticizing you with tears.]

[The Dionysus Gods are split regarding their opinions about you.]

[Try not to go overboard…]

Min Sung looked up at the dark sky and laughed.

'You've got to be kidding me…'

'I do what I want, you bastards.'

Min Sung threw his Gungnir into his item window.

***

"Shall we prepare to leave once the sun comes up?"

They were on their way to the accommodation.

Ho Sung Lee walked with Min Sung as he asked.

"Breakfast first," answered Min Sung.

"Yes, Sir."

"…"

It was quiet around them.

As they walked side-by-side, Ho Sung Lee thought about what kind of human being Min Sung Kang really was.

He often thought about how he felt like he was human at times, but then at other times when he killed players like Anchor, he looked like an emotionless machine.

He had an idea.

He knew that he endured painful times in the Demonic Realm.

'Do people normally turn like this after enduring that much pain?'

No.

He was just objective.

His instinctive reactions were what made him into who he was today.

That also meant that he could abandon him at any time.

'Sigh…'

He thought they could grow close over time.

But the possibility of that was 0 percent.

And that also meant that the possibility of Min Sung Kang acting emotionality rather than rationally was also 0 percent.

That was what proved that he was a killing machine without a weakness.

'Anyway, when will the battles end here?'

Once the dungeons disappeared, devils appeared, and once the devils disappeared, it was the Devil Gods and after that was Beatrice.

'Where's the finish line?'

'Is it here in Beatrice?'

'What will happen if it does end in Beatrice and the battles end?'

Ho Sung Lee frowned as if he drank spoiled milk.

He had no idea.

Also.

What he couldn't imagine was whether or not he was going to survive until they return to earth after becoming the number 1 ranker in Beatrice.

Ho Sung Lee let out a sigh.

He had many questions that went unanswered.

***

The next morning.

Ho Sung Lee got up early to prepare breakfast.

He developed the skill of waking up early without an alarm.

Preparing Min Sung's meals all the time made him develop this kind of habit.

It was a funny ability, but it was also useful.

But he felt sad.

'Maybe I should go for a smoke before I start.'

Ho Sung Lee left the accommodation with a cigarette in his mouth.

It was 7 in the morning.

The sun was shining brightly.

But there was a refreshing wind, making it neither cold or hot.

'It's nice out.'

Ho Sung Lee thought about what to make for breakfast while taking a smoke.

Since the village was so poor, it was hard to get a proper meal, so he had to prepare breakfast himself.

After much thinking, Ho Sung Lee decided on the menu.

But it led to another conflict.

'Where do I cook?'

It was messy, and there was no appropriate place to cook.

After putting the table on the 1st floor in a corner, he called Bowl to start cleaning.

It was impossible to have a good meal in a dirty place.

He had to clean in order to create the right environment.

Ho Sung Lee went to Min Sung's room in order to call Bowl.

***

Min Sung woke up to the sound of Ho Sung Lee taking Bowl away.

"Oh, did I wake you? Please go back to sleep. I'm preparing breakfast."

Min Sung waved his hand, and then the door slammed shut.

He heard Ho Sung Lee sneaking down the stairs.

After doing a simple neck stretch, Min Sung took out the card in his pocket.

The invitation from the lowest ranker, Oden.

How far would his powers take him?

Which rank would he be able to reach?

Min Sung erased all suspicion.

He then replaced it with certainty.

The 1st place ranker position was his.

And then he would go back.

He was going to end the immature games of the gods and go back to his own land.

If there was anyone getting in the way of him and his food, he was going to swallow them whole.

Min Sung's eyes flashed as it looked down on the invitation.

***

Min Sung came down to the 1st floor after hearing from Bowl that the meal was ready.

There was a white table cloth on the table, and on top of it was warm food.

Min Sung sat down in a chair that Ho Sung Lee offered.

He then looked around.

It was much cleaner than before.

It was clear that he made quite the effort.

"Good work."

In response, Ho Sung Lee flashed a smile and bowed his head.

Once Bowl checked that the preparations were complete, he laid on the ground and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Min Sung looked at the menu.

It wasn't fancy, but it was a warm breakfast.

'I'll go and get rid of Oden as soon as I finish this meal.'

Min Sung lifted his spoon.

Today's breakfast was stir-fried octopus.

The savory and spicy smell tickled his nose.

The main was white rice with stir-fried octopus.

And the sides were fried eggs, fried anchovy, and salty seaweed.

It was a clean meal.

When Min Sung grabbed his chopsticks and got ready to eat…

Ding-

A transparent message window popped up along with a bell sound.

[The natives of Royce Village are anxious due to player Min Sung Kang. If you don't defeat Oden right away, your reputation will suffer.]

Chapter 222: Chapter 222

[Your reputation is at risk for a decrease in number.]

[The Dionysus Gods are nervous.]

[The gods hope that you will defeat Oden right away.]

Min Sung ignored the messages and began his meal.

After mixing the red octopus with the white rice, he put it into his mouth.

He tasted the sweet flavor of the sauce, and after that, the spiciness overwhelmed his mouth and left through his nostrils.

The octopus was bouncy and chewy.

Although it was morning, it boosted his appetite.

After that, Min Sung wrapped the octopus and rice in a piece of perilla leaf and put it into his mouth.

Om nom!

The clean scent of the perilla leaf and the spiciness of the octopus swam around his entire mouth.

'This is good.'

Min Sung enjoyed the spicy flavors and focused solely on his meal.

[The Dionysus Gods are frustrated at the sight of you eating instead of fighting a ranker.]

[The gods are disappointed.]

[The gods hope that you will stop eating and prepare to…]

"It's so noisy. Shut up, you gamblers. You're making me lose my appetite… If you disturb my meal one more time, I'll just get rid of all the experience points you gave me."

[…]

Once Min Sung lashed out, he didn't see any more system messages.

Ho Sung Lee dropped his jaw at Min Sung's threat against the gods, but Min Sung calmly put his focus back on the food.

Ho Sung Lee recovered from his moment of shock. He took out materials from Ssol's gold pouch and presented it to Min Sung.

"This will help with the spice."

What Ho Sung Lee gave Min Sung was pickled cucumbers made with various fruits and vegetables.

As soon as Min Sung took a bite of the pickle, the spiciness completely went away.

The sweet and sour flavor was refreshing.

"I was worried about something while preparing the squid. I thought it might've been too strong for breakfast, but I tried it knowing you have a good digestive system. Is it to your liking?"

"It's great. I'm surprised."

Ho Sung Lee smiled and sat down.

"Then I'll join you as well."

"Okay."

It was a peaceful breakfast.

***

They prepared a meal following their meal.

Since they didn't have many things thanks to their item window, they were able to take off right away.

Min Sung input the code on the invitation into the system map and moved quickly.

After a while, they were faced with a desert.

It appeared as though once they crossed the desert, they would arrive at the city where Oden resided.

It was far, but even if he went to Ho Sung Lee and Bowl's pace, they weren't going to be too far behind.

Since they moved quickly using the map, they were able to arrive at Oden's city.

The territory under Oden's rule was a poor village no different from Royce Village.

Min Sung's party arrived at the Kerenyi doors located inside the domain.

Min Sung took the lead.

In front of the doors were two guards.

The guards were equipped with armor, and their equipment was sharp as if they were porcupines.

They were dressed to look threatening, but Min Sung was unaffected by it.

Clang!

The two guards used their swords to block the way.

"Reveal your identities."

Offering information from his system interface was a way to reveal his identity, but Min Sung decided to use his invitation instead.

He took out the invitation from his pocket and threw it at the guard.

After checking the card, the guard scanned Min Sung's party one more time.

After that, the guards laughed.

"How dare you not know your place and show up to challenge our ranker? You have no fear, do you? Do you really think you can defeat him?"

In response to the guard on the right, Min Sung scoffed.

"Shut up and make way," commanded Min Sung.

The guard looked like he was itching to attack him, but he swallowed it back and laughed.

"I can't mess with Oden's toy. You'll end up as a body rolling on the ground. Welcome to your

place of death."

The guards removed their swords and made way.

Min Sung sighed. He shook his head and then walked through the doors.

Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol also followed behind him.

"It's fancy inside the fortress."

Ho Sung Lee made it sound like it was unfair.

Like he said, unlike what they saw outside of the fortress, the buildings inside were fancy.

Even the sand on the ground was high quality.

When they first got to Oden's territory, the village looked like it was in ruins.

The buildings were all destroyed, and the people on the streets looked like injured cats who were homeless.

But in contrast, this place looked like a whole another world.

But Min Sung didn't worry about any of that and focused on heading toward where Oden was located through his system map.

As always, it was only Ho Sung Lee who was nervous about their upcoming battle.

***

As soon as they entered the building, an old man followed and guided the way.

Min Sung and his party followed the butler in order to meet Oden.

"Sir, it's strange that he's willing to meet with you. What if it's a trap? I'm using my skill to look into it now…"

"No need."

"Pardon?"

"If there's a trap, I'll just avoid it or destroy it."

Ho Sung Lee dripped in cold sweat.

"… Yes, Sir."

Ho Sung Lee felt anxious inside.

Although they won up until this point, it was clear that a ranker would have been on a different level from other average players.

In the midst of the anxiousness, they went up the long staircase, and at the end of the hallway, the old man stopped in front of a wooden door.

After knocking, he opened the door.

Creak!

The door was open.

As soon as the door opened, Min Sung entered the room without any hesitation.

Inside the room was a large space.

And inside it was a bed, and on top of it were 7 naked women surrounding 1 muscular man.

The muscular man on the bed… was the ranker, Oden.

He grinned, and rather than feeling embarrassed for being naked, he proudly stuck out his chest and stared right at them.

"You're finally here, my challenger," said Oden in a low and rough voice.

Min Sung sighed and stuck out his index finger.

"Get up,' commanded Min Sung.

Oden remained on the med with a smile and stared at Min Sung with a bleary gaze as he said, "If you beat me and become a ranker, you'll be able to have this territory as well as everything inside it. You can have all the food and women you want, and you'll be able to live your life with slaves. What do you think? Are you interested?"

Min Sung looked at Oden with a dry gaze and laughed.

"Just put on your clothes. You're going to die soon."

"It sounds like you've never tasted loss before. You're confident, laid back, and certain. But death always shows up without a warning…"

Oden got out of bed and put on his silk robe as he continued,

"And no one expects that person to be them."

Oden smiled.

"There's no trap or anything like that, so rest assured. I'm the only one you're going to fight."

"You're so noisy. I'd better kill you quickly."

Min Sung took out his Gungnir from his item window.

Kaboom!

The sound of thunder rang through the room, and although a battle was about to begin, the naked women on the bed weren't scared as if they were high on drugs.

"Aren't they beautiful?"

Oden looked at the women on his bed and smiled.

At that moment, Min Sung ran over and pushed Oden down by the chest with his hand.

Crash!

He crashed through the wall and fell down into the empty lot.

But Oden landed quite gracefully. He brushed off his silk gown and laughed.

"You must like the outside more."

Oden smiled despicably and continued, "If not, are you worried my weak subordinates will get hurt in the process?"

"Think what you want."

Min Sung glared at Oden and gripped onto his sword.

Oden let out a slight laugh and took out his weapon from his item window.

It was an ordinary sword.

He licked his own sword with his tongue and stared at Min Sung coldly.

"The skills you acquire in Beatrice are incredible in power, and among them, the skills I have helped me to become a ranker."

Oden gripped onto the handle of the sword and continued with a smile, "Most players couldn't even block out my first attack. Will you be able to?"

Oden was certain he wasn't going to lose.

He didn't doubt his own abilities since he had protected his ranker position from countless challengers.

But the way Min Sung saw it, the fact that he was always the lowest ranker must have been for a specific reason.

That meant he wasn't all that strong.

Min Sung waited for his first attack.

"Let me make a new trophy out of your head."

Oden swung his sword into the air.

Min Sung looked up with suspicious eyes.

The light of the Aura came showering down like hundreds of arrows.

Min Sung squinted his eyes at the hundreds of Auras showering down like raindrops.

He then swung his Gungnir into the air.

Chapter 223: Chapter 223

Kaboom!

The sound of thunder rang through the room, and the magic power from Min Sung's +9 Gungnir swallowed up the hundreds of Aura light launched by Oden.

Once Min Sung eliminated Oden's attack and found him, he had already positioned himself behind his back.

His previous attack was just bait.

Oden smirked and swung his sword as planned.

Oden thought he stabbed Min Sung in the back, but Min Sung began to disappear as if he was smoke.

"…?!"

When Oden made a surprised face, Min Sung's Gungnir stabbed through his head.

"Is this all you've got? You're so slow," said Min Sung to express how pathetic he thought he was.

"I-it's not over ye…!"

Min Sung swung his Gungnir.

The blade stabbed through Oden's side.

"Ugh!"

Oden gasped. He grabbed his side and wobbled side to side.

His gown was ripped, exposing his wound.

Although one attack made his body into a complete mess, he still glared at Min Sung and smiled.

"I'll forever regret not killing you when I had the chance!"

Oden's blood vessels popped out as he swung his sword.

Ping!

The tremendous Aura power launched from his sword crashed into the ground and charged toward Min Sung.

Roarrrrr!

Aura strength powerful enough to knock down the castle flew toward Min Sung.

Min Sung saw the Aura coming, but he didn't' blink an eye.

On the contrary, he blinked once and held up his Gungnir against the Aura that was coming his way.

The Aura of his Gungnir split the light into half.

The Aura launched by Oden was unable to touch Min Sung and reached the castle walls behind him.

Oden tried to attack again, but he was unable to move.

Oden's face was stiff, and his eyes were filled with fear.

Min Sung stood without moving.

But Oden felt as if a knife was being held up against his throat.

He was afraid that if he moved, he would lose his life in an instant.

Oden looked around him.

"If you wanted your hostage back, you should've acted without being noticed."

Once he blinked once, Min Sung was right in front of his nose.

As soon as Oden opened his mouth with a pale face, the Gungnir stabbed Oden's body from above.

Oden shed blood as he fell over backward.

His robe was in tatters.

His body, covered in blood, was trembling like crazy.

"… Who are you?" Oden asked in disbelief.

Min Sung looked down at Oden with emotionless eyes and opened his mouth.

"Where do I have to go to increase my reputation as soon as possible?" Min Sung asked.

Oden, who was covered in blood and was close to death, clenched down on his teeth.

"Do you really think I'll give you that information? I'm going to wait for you in the afterlife, and once you come, I'm going to take your soul and chew it up…"

Slash!

The Gungnir stabbed through Oden's shoulder and bones.

Min Sung stepped on Oden's neck in order to pull the Gungnir back out.

Oden trembled in pain with blood spilling out.

"I don't know when I should equip myself. I'm not sure when is the right time to use my real skill."

Oden trembled and glared up at Min Sung.

But that was all Oden could do.

Min Sung stared down at Oden and knitted his brows out of frustration.

"Tell me how I can save time. I don't want to go up step-by-step."

Min Sung let out his energy.

Oden's skin changed as if it was burning, and his hair fell off, turning him into beeswax.

And as soon as the treatment began, he realized that this pain could last forever, so he had no choice but to cough up all the information he had.

From what he had heard, most rankers enjoyed the authority they obtained in their current positions.

That meant they had evil reputations, and if he killed them, he would be able to obtain reputation even faster.

It was a simple answer, and it was something that anyone could have revealed, but that actually wasn't

the case.

More definite information was bound to lead to different results.

"… Please don't kill me. I can give you my ranker position even if you don't kill me."

Oden looked up at Min Sung with shaking eyes.

"Are you that stupid?"

"…?"

"That's no way to ask for a favor," Min Sung said with cold eyes.

"P-please. Please don't kill me…!"

While Oden begged for his life…

Min Sung's Gungnir stabbed through Oden's head.

Slash!

The blade stabbed all the way through his face.

The ground was soaked with blood.

Min Sung took out his Gungnir with a straight look on his face.

[The Dionysus Gods are amazed by your power.]

[The gods are beginning to gift you with experience points.]

[The gods who recently favorite you are gifting you with experience points.]

[You're obtaining experience points and reputation.]

[Counting complete.]

[You've acquired a total of +25,000 points. You previously had +500 points.]

***

There was a crow that was secretly watching Min Sung and Oden's battle.

The crow's eyes turned red, and it cried as it flew up into the sky.

The crow flew in a particular direction with its eyes still red.

After a long flight, the crow entered a cave located just below the peak of a mountain.

As soon as it landed, the crow approached a man who was sitting in a lotus position.

Words were written in the crow's red eyes.

The man who was sitting in the lotus position in the cave looked at the crow's eyes and jolted his eyes wide open.

***

"Are we going to keep going?"

Ho Sung Lee looked at Oden's body with disgust and asked Min Sung.

"Of course. We have no reason to stay for long."

Ho Sung Lee nodded in response.

Min Sung opened the system window.

And he headed to the next destination.

All the players nearby who watched the battle gulped in fear.

They knew they couldn't stand in the way, and they even had a hard time breathing.

On the other hand, Min Sung continued walking and commented, "This is so annoying."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Ho Sung Lee asked.

"Walking. We just drove on earth, but not here."

"Then shall I look for a horse for you? I can find one quickly. After all, we're inside a castle."

"Forget it. Horses aren't fast enough."

Ho Sung Lee shut his mouth.

"We're going to ignore the dungeons and focus on finding the other rankers, and once we arrive at our next location, you must focus on finding information on the rankers with evil reputations."

"Yes, Sir."

"Let's get moving."

As soon as Min Sung said that, Bowl ran over and entered Min Sung's pocket.

And then Min Sung made a loud shooting sound as he began running at high speed.

Ssol followed behind him at high speed, but Ho Sung Lee sighed.

That was because he had to run with all his might again.

Ho Sung Lee ran toward Min Sung's direction with great determination.

***

A bald muscular man, who obtained information from the crow, slowly opened his eyes from the lotus position and got up.

He was 2 meters and 3 centimeters tall.

He was so tall that his head almost reached the ceiling of the cage.

The muscular man slowly exited the cave.

Chirp! Chirp!

He heard birds crying, and the strong sun rays shined down through the leaves.

The man covered his eyes from the sun and breathed in the outside air for the first time in a while.

And then a moment later, he heard footsteps.

After checking their presence, the man waited for them to arrive.

And then 3 disguised men appeared from within the bushes.

"Hello, Pheus."

As soon as they saw the muscular man, they bowed and greeted him with respect.

The man looked at them tiredly and then scanned his surroundings while cracking his neck.

"Let's go."

The man led the way followed by the 2 white men with pale skin.

They followed Pheus.

***

The Central Continent was surrounded by the Inner Sea.

For that reason, one had to cross the vast ocean in order to reach the Central Continent.

And on the way to the ocean, there was a city that they had to pass, and Min Sung intended to kill any rankers in that city if they had evil reputations.

For that reason, he looked for this port city.

Although they moved at a high speed, it still took them 2 days to reach the port city.

They would've arrived by now if they didn't wait for Ho Sung Lee to catch up, but they moved together, which slowed them down.

As a result, they spent 2 days for travel.

"… I'm sorry. It's all my fault that we took this long."

Ho Sung Lee expressed his apologies with a tired look on his face

"You couldn't help it. Don't apologize. You look incapable."

Min Sung then headed toward the entrance of the port city and handed them his identity code.

The guards at the entrance checked his identity card and immediately changed their expressions.

They gave Min Sung a salute.

"Welcome to Haikman Port City!"

They spoke in loud voices with proper postures.

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