Translator: Seven

  Editor: Ana_Banana

  [The hero Johann Georg buried in the Sphinx Dungeon!]

  The attack on the Sphinx dungeon had led to the new rising star in Johann Georg and his ten teammates.

  Many felt sorrow and frustration because of the disaster.

  Then a question was asked.

  [What exactly happened in the dungeon?]

  [Why is Isaac Ivanov silent?]

  What the hell happened to Johann Georg in the Sphinx Dungeon?

  The world repeatedly questioned the hero’s death and asked questions.

  However, Isaac Ivanov did not give a clear answer to these questions.

  It was just silence.

  Naturally, the world didn’t take too kindly to this silence-

  Did Isaac Ivanov really kill Johann Georg?

  ?Did he do something to get rid of his competition?

  ?Isaac Ivanov wouldn’t.

  ?Even if he did or he didn’t! Why the hell isn’t he saying anything?

  ?That’s right, it’s obvious that he has something to hide.

  As the silence prolonged, the conspiracy theories about Isaac Ivanov began to increase.

  And during this time, they received a piece of news.

  [The Phoenix Guild prepares to attack a 7 Floor dungeon!]

  [C+ rank 7 Floor dungeon, Goblin Lord’s Kingdom!]

  [Park Yong-wan finally takes on a new challenge!]

  The Phoenix Guild’s 7 Floor dungeon attack.

  The public reacted to this news in its own way.

  It was literally in its own way-

  Are they finally challenging it?-

  Isn’t it too late to do it now? I think it’s been a while since Park Yong-wan attacked a 6 Floor dungeon-

  It’s not just Park Yong-wan. It’s already September 2024 and only the Messiah Guild has started challenging 7 Floor dungeons-

  But can Park Yong-wan even do it in the first place? I don’t think Park Yong-wan can do it. Except for the Messiah Guild, I don’t even believe any of the other top five guilds can do it. And the Phoenix Guild isn’t even one of the top five guilds, is it?

  Although Park Yong-wan’s reputation had improved greatly as of late, this was mostly due to the fact that he was Isaac Ivanov’s greatest supporter.

  It was true that the evaluation of his capabilities didn’t reach that of the core players in the top five guilds.

  Therefore, it was natural that Park Yong-wan’s announcement of a 7 Floor dungeon attack, something that even the top five guilds couldn’t do, was met with suspicion and doubt rather than hope and joy.

  [The Phoenix Guild joins a strategic alliance!]

  [Thunderbird joins hands with the Phoenix Guild!]

  [The Phoenix Guild and Thunderbird virtually merged?]

  However, the people’s reactions began to change when the successive news about the merger with Thunderbird was released.

  [The Lightning King joins hands with Park Yong-wan!]

  [The Lightning King and Park Yong-wan will attack the 7 Floor dungeon together!]

  In the face of this news, it was impossible for the reaction to remain the same-

  Joining hands with the Lightning King? What’s going on?-

  This changes everything. Even the guild masters for the top five guilds would have to bow to him, wouldn’t they?-

  In a sense, the Lightning King is stronger than the top five’s guild masters. He’s a player who reigns like an emperor in a lawless country.

  After all, the Lightning King’s reputation was in no way lacking when compared to the five guild masters.

  It was around that time that the sensible people came to a realisation-

  Wait, then surely…?-

  If by chance…
-

  Is this real?

  And their premonitions immediately became a reality.

  [Isaac Ivanov, Park Yong-wan and the Lightning King join forces!]

  Isaac Ivanov had joined Park Yong-wan and the Lightning King.

  At that moment, no one had the suspicions about the Sphinx Dungeon in their minds any longer.

  And no one dared to bring up any conspiracies about Isaac Ivanov.

  [Isaac Ivanov is ready to step on the 7 Floor stage with Lee Se-jun.]

  They just went wild for the new hope that was catching up to the Messiah Guild.

  …


  “What an enthusiastic reaction.”


  The Lightning King couldn’t help but chuckle lightly as he saw the news about Isaac Ivanov, who until a few days ago was being considered as the villain who conspired against the hero.

  “It’s clear now more than ever that the Messiah Guild’s higher ups aren’t around.”


  If the core members of the Messiah Guild were in reality and not in a dungeon, then it was clear that the public opinion wouldn’t have flowed in such a direction easily

  ‘Kim Woo-jin was right, this is the only way to truly get a glimpse at the whole picture.’


  At that point, it was clear evidence that this was the last chance for something huge to be allowed at this time when Lee Se-jun and his team were targeting the 7 Floor dungeon.

  Then, Shakira appeared before him.

  When she appeared, she looked more disciplined than ever. To the point where absolutely no flaws were visible.

  She seemed like she would willingly kill herself if she was ordered to die at that moment.

  While maintaining that momentum, Shakira spoke.

  “All the preparations are complete.”


  Along with those words, she handed an item over to the Lightning King.

  The item she handed over was none other than a rough spear.

  It was a simple spear with a rough, wooden shaft, and a pointed blade that appeared to be made of gold.

  However, when he grabbed the spear, the Lightning King’s eyes shined brighter than ever.

  ‘It’s time to make use of the hidden items.’


  Then he asked.

  “What about the Phoenix Guild.”


  “They signed the agreement. Now, the Phoenix Guild and Thunderbird are practically one entity.”


  “It seems he trusts Kim Woo-jin.”


  Crackle!

  At that moment, lightning began dancing around his body.

  “In this dungeon, we’ll get rid of Park Yong-wan and eat the Phoenix Guild. Prepare all the power we can use.”


  Then, after thinking for a moment, the Lightning King continued.

  “And pass a message on to Kim Woo-jin. If he needs anything, I will support him. I’ll even give him a gift.”


  …


  “Thunderbird signed the agreement.”


  Instead of responding to his secretary, Park Yong-wan continued observing the sword in front of him.

  Outwardly, it seemed to be a normal sword. However, as he looked at this sword, Park Yong-wan’s gaze became sharper than ever.

  ‘Durandal(1).’


  After reciting the name of his most beloved item, Park Yong-wan raised his head.

  Then, all kinds of miraculous items which filled his private armory filled his eyes.

  With just a sweep of his gaze, he could see the countless legendary items he had obtained.

  Legendary items that only he had enjoyed.

  “Tell my guards.”


  “Huh?”


  “Take whatever they want from here today.”


  And for the first time, he would let others enjoy these items.

  “Huh?”


  It was so surprising that his secretary couldn’t even react properly to his words.

  However, after quickly regathering her thoughts, the secretary once again asked for confirmation.

  “Should I really tell them that?”


  “This is an opportunity for us to eat Thunderbird, which belongs to the Lightning King, naturally it is a worthy investment.”


  “Are you really going to fight against the Lightning King?”


  The Lightning King.

  His reputation was not in vain.

  Furthermore, the Lightning King had created his own force without the support of any government.

  No one considered Thunderbird to be weaker than the Frontier Guild, Great One Guild, or the Kunlun Guild.

  It wouldn’t be easy for Park Yong-wan to fight against such a figure.

  “It’ll be dangerous.”


  Park Yong-wan knew that as well.

  Nevertheless, he was confident.

  “But since Kim Woo-jin is on my side, the winner has already been decided.”


  Because he was convinced that he had a hidden card that would bring him victory.

  “Of course, I’ll need to pay a bit of a price first. Give that spear to Kim Woo-jin as a gift.”


  Park Yong-wan then looked around before saying.

  “And trade the remaining items, like that sealed hammer head over there, for weapons and armors through a broker. You can also give them more money so that we can obtain more powerful items. It’s fine if we lose a little. As long as we get a hold of items that will increase our power as quickly as possible.”


  His secretary nodded at his words.

  …


  “Understood.”


  “Understood.”


  Two of the same voices could be heard saying the same thing in a room.

  Duk!

  Duk!

  And then, the seemingly long conversations were cut off almost at the same time.

  The moment the call ended, Lee Jin-ah, who had been silently watching at the side couldn’t help but speak up.

  “I’ve seen a large number of strange things while in a team with you, but I never expected to see something like this.”


  The two Kim Woo-jins laughed in unison at those words.

  It wasn’t a difficult sight to explain.

  Kim Woo-jin had been contacted by both sides at the same time, and since he couldn’t not take care of one side, he decided to do them simultaneously with his alter ego skill.

  Of course, from an outsider’s perspective, this scene would have been quite mind-blowing.

  “Ugh, I’m afraid that I’ll have nightmares about this.”


  Lee Jin-ah clicked his tongue.

  “So, how important were those calls that you needed to take them at the same time with your alter ego skill?”


  On the other hand, he wondered just how important those calls were to warrant such actions.

  In response to Lee Jin-ah’s words, Kim Woo-jin and his alter ego once again spoke simultaneously.

  “The Lightning King.”


  “Park Yong-wan.”


  Lee Jin-ah frowned when the two answers, which were said in the same voice, overlapped.

  “The sounds overlap. Can’t you just go back to being one?”


  Kim Woo-jin nodded and released his alter ego skill.

  Then the second Kim Woo-jin slowly faded, becoming transparent before disappearing altogether.

  After that, the knowledge that the alter ego obtained appeared in Kim Woo-jin’s mind.

  “It’s simple, really. Park Yong-wan wants to kill the Lightning King, and the Lightning King wants to kill Park Yong-wan. However, both sides know it wouldn’t be easy to take down the other side, so they want to bring me to their side.”


  After hearing this explanation, Lee Jin-ah went silent for a long time before an incredulous expression came across his face.

  “To be honest, if I was the Lightning King or Park Yong-wan, I would rather die than let you know that.”


  Kim Woo-jin didn’t react to Lee Jin-ah’s words.

  Lee Jin-ah continued.

  “So what will they give you.”


  After knowing Kim Woo-jin for so long, Lee Jin-ah naturally knew that Kim Woo-jin would ask for a price in order to help them.

  “The Lightning King offered the Barisada, and Park Yong-wan offered the Jang Palsamo(2).”


  “What’s that?”


  “The Barisada is the sword of Rogero, one of the twelve knights of Charlemagne, and the Jang Palsamo is a weapon that doesn’t require an explanation.”


  “From what I can tell, isn’t Park Yong-wan’s offer better?”


  “His does have more weight.”


  Lee Jin-ah clicked his tongue.

  Kim Woo-jin had obtained two powerful legendary items from doing nothing.

  And he was certain that Kim Woo-jin wouldn’t be satisfied with this much.

  “So which hand are you going to raise?”


  In this situation, Kim Woo-jin would have to choose one of them.

  And the moment he picked one, everything that belonged to the other side would be eaten by Kim Woo-jin.

  This meant that he was currently hunting prey more valuable than any prey he had before, the Lightning King, and Park Yong-wan.

  Kim Woo-jin answered without hesitation.

  “I’m getting rid of the Lightning King.”


  The Lightning King.

  Lee Jin-ah nodded when he heard that.

  “Well, you have been partnered with Park Yong-wan longer than the Lightning King. It turns out you’re human after all. Capable of at least a little gratitude.”


  After all, Park Yong-wan had been sponsoring Kim Woo-jin ever since he’d become a player.

  Although his intentions weren’t the best, it couldn’t be said that he wasn’t Kim Woo-jin’s benefactor.

  On the other hand, wasn’t the Lightning King just a tyrant of a lawless country who would try to get rid of Kim Woo-jin if he stopped being useful?

  Kim Woo-jin didn’t raise any objections to Lee Jin-ah’s words.

  “I appreciate the fact that you think so.”


  Naturally, it wasn’t that Kim Woo-jin didn’t pick Park Yong-wan because he was grateful to him.

  It was just that he’d concluded that it was far more advantageous to partner with Park Yong-wan than it was to partner with the Lightning King.

  ‘If we don’t have a chance, I could always change.’


  Nevertheless, he didn’t know how the situation might change.

  ‘The Lightning King is more powerful than Park Yong-wan.’


  Even so, Park Yong-wan was also not an easy opponent.

  To be precise, he was also being protected by the Messiah Guild.

  If the Messiah Guild hadn’t been providing invisible support to the Phoenix Guild in order to make use of Park Yong-wan, he would not have been able to reach the current position he was in.

  ‘I don’t know what the Lightning King has hidden.’


  On the other hand, the Lightning King was a tyrant in a lawless land with no government support or supervision.

  This was a judgement made by none other than Kim Woo-jin, who had hunted both of them.

  ‘If his power is too low, I might have to choose the Lightning King.’


  In other words, depending on the situation, he might have to choose the Lightning King’s side.

  [Kim Woo-jin]

  – Level: 176

  – Halo: Emissary of the Underworld

  – Stats: Health(530+1425)/Stamina(2+661)/Magic Power(3+1332)

  – Achievements: 158

  – Extra points: 0

  ‘After I learn the Lich skill at level 180, if his powers are below my expectations, then I’ll have to change my decision.’


  In particular, the simulations that Kim Woo-jin was running in his head were made up mostly of scenarios after he reached level 180 and learned the Lich skill.

  Kim Woo-jin wasn’t sure if the Liches he summoned would have the same fearsome prowess as Johann Georg’s.

  Lee Jin-ah approached Kim Woo-jin, who was measuring his power, and said.

  “Hey.”


  With that, he held out the phone in his hand.

  “Se-chan said he wants to talk to you.”


  As Kim Woo-jin took the phone and brought it to his ear, Lee Jin-ah suddenly said.

  “Hey, ask Se-chan to buy some meat. It’s been a while since we came to Korea, we should have some Korean beef.”
-

  Hey, shut your bastard mouth! You eat beef so much you sound like a cow! Dammit! He said he would buy me jajangmyeon so I ordered it, then he said he forgot his wallet! The next time you meet this bastard, he’ll be dead!

  Kim Woo-jin only gave a small smile at Oh Se-chan’s tirade.

  “So what’s going on?”
-

  Ah, it’s not that big of a deal. Park Yong-wan left some items with me. They want to trade other items for weapons and armors. It seems he’s fully preparing for the Lightning King.

  Kim Woo-jin didn’t need to think about it for a long time.

  “There might be something useful for a long time. Let me take a look.”
-

  Sure, I’ll send you the address as soon as the items arrive.

  After ending the phone call, Kim Woo-jin thought briefly.

  ‘There shouldn’t be anything amazing there, but maybe I’ll get something.’


  He hoped he could get lucky.

  (Note:

  1. Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, legendary paladin of Charlemagne in French epic literature. It is also said to have belonged to young Charlemagne at one point, and, passing through Saracen hands, came to be owned by Roland. The sword has been given various provenances

  2. I couldn’t really think of a good way to summarize this one, so here’s the link :- …although it is in Korean. My rough summary is that it’s a length and a half spear that appeared in the story of the three kingdoms, and was said to be incredibly powerful)

  u