Chapter 484 - Akashas Records (3) (1/2)

[You have entered Section E.]

[This is the outer territory.]

Yeon-woo folded his Fire Wings and quickly left the tunnel. Clearing the Tutorial again brought back a lot of memories.

「Were you too busy walking down memory lane to see the other challengers looking flabbergasted, Master? They were so dispirited. Aw. Poor guys.」 Shanon thought of the challengers struggling among the traps and shook his head. They watched Yeon-woo sliding through the section with his Fire Wings with so much despair that he almost felt sorry for them.

The thought that Yeon-woo was a novice like them probably made most of them retire immediately, thinking that the Tower was full of monsters like him. Shanon thought it was worse to hurt the delicate feelings of the innocent newbies than to crush the stages and make the Bureau suffer.

“That’s why I did it.”

「Why?」

“Most of them will only be filled with despair after entering the Tower anyway.”

Shanon couldn’t think of anything to rebut that statement. He had also felt despair after bumping into a wall after becoming a ranker and dropping out because he couldn’t pass the fiftieth floor.

“If that’s all they amount to, it’s better to give up and return home.”

「Huh. I guess I don’t have anything to say to that.」 Even though Shanon had jokingly called the newbies “innocent”, there weren’t really any innocents among them. The fact that they qualified to challenge the Tower meant they were quite well known in their home worlds or planets, and it was always easier to find immoral seekers of strength than not. Besides, Yeon-woo wasn’t going to leave the Tower alone, and his first plan was to close off the Tutorial. If most of the challengers lost their motivation, it might turn out for the best.

However, Yeon-woo hadn’t only displayed his strength. ‘There were a few with potential.’ He’d seen some people he thought about recruiting for Arthia, and he’d already sent Doyle a list with their descriptions. As soon as they cleared the Tutorial, Doyle would start to scout them.

「That was fun. It’s been a while since I was in the Tutorial. I feel like I returned to my younger days.」 A hazy fog trembled next to Yeon-woo and Lana appeared, holding her spear. She looked relieved. She had led a large crew called the Blue Rose when she was still alive, but she always felt like she was being chased by something and didn’t have time to enjoy things. After she was summoned from the dead, she spent most of her time worrying about Jeong-woo, and this chance to remember her youth made her feel more at ease.

Yeon-woo smiled at her and looked around when he realized someone was missing. ‘Where’s the Vampiric Lord?’

He had been looking for her since they came through the portal but he hadn’t been able to find her at all. He felt her presence in the outer territory so he thought she was waiting for them outside, but he was surprised not to see her. She wouldn’t have left without finding out where Count Ferenc was, nor would she have left Lana behind.

At that moment, a voice made Yeon-woo turn his head.

『Are you searching for me?』

However, he couldn’t see anything at all.

『What are you doing? Are you blind?』

“Where are you?” Yeon-woo looked around incredulously. He couldn’t see her. Her voice sounded like it was nearby, but he couldn’t locate her. He opened Draconic Divine Eyes in case she was hiding, but he still didn’t see anything.

『You dimwit. Look below!』

‘Below?’ He looked down, but of course there was nothing there. He could only see his belt with Vigrid, the Magic Bayonet, and Carshina’s Dagger that he’d pulled out of subspace. Suddenly, Vigrid began to shake. Urrrrng.

『Why do you look so dumb?』

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. “Are you…?”

「Cain, I think you’re right.」 Lana laughed in disbelief.

When he pulled Vigrid out of his belt, the shaking grew more intense and a dark haze floated up. Chhhhh. The haze gathered and transformed into a fairy the size of a sparrow. It was so small that it was hard to recognize its energy, but the cold, sharp eyes were still the same.

“Why are you in that state?”

『Why do you think?』

“Is it because of Allforone?”

『Hmph! An annoying, impudent bastard.』

Yeon-woo clucked his tongue to himself. He’d forgotten that since the Vampiric Lord had already finished exuviation and gained transcendence through her endless battle in the Demonic Sea, Allforone’s constraints made it impossible for her to enter the stage.

Yeon-woo had met Allforone after inheriting the Throne of Death as well. Fortunately, he had managed to escape after tossing Allforone to the progenitor gods and creator gods but Allforone would immediately appear once Yeon-woo finished exuviation or gained transcendence. The only reason why he wasn’t stopping Yeon-woo now was that Yeon-woo was in a gray area according to his standards.

However, the Vampiric Lord was a different matter. She had the strength of a superior divine being, so it was only natural that she’d stand out, which was likely why she’d hidden her identity. She’d even asked the Bureau for help because she didn’t think it was enough.

At that moment, Yeon-woo felt a sharp gaze from the sky.

[A mysterious being is carefully watching you.]

[A mysterious being is searching for something.]

It was different from the gazes of gods and demons. This one was filled with indifference and contained neither greed nor emotions. Allforone. He was already looking here with his Thousand Li Eyes. Had he felt something?

The Vampiric Lord frowned in annoyance, but she didn’t do anything just in case he recognized her. After a few suffocating seconds, the gaze moved on.

[A mysterious being turns to look somewhere else.]

『Ha!』 Her voice was filled with irritation. 『He’s an annoying bastard. Since I’ve come out of the Demonic Sea already, I’ll stay here for some time.』

Yeon-woo silently nodded. Vigrid was a holy sword with the vestige of many heroes. There was probably no better place for a spiritual being to hide. He was only worried it might be harmful for the Vampiric Lord because of its villain folklore, but she seemed to be fine. In fact, she looked comfortable. ‘It works out well for me. Vigrid’s strength will increase, so the longer she stays, the better.’ The deeper her vestige was engraved, the more the sealed folklores within Vigrid would awake.