He’s an Immortal Guy with the Ability to Copy the Skills of Whoever Kills Him! - Manhwa Recap

Every time this guy dies, he goes back in time by one day. And now he has to kill himself 4,000 times to rewind 11 years into the past just to be able to kill an unkillable guy from whom he copied this same regression skill. From the start, Gongja was frank trash that everyone mocked. He had only one useless skill that he basically couldn't use. He could copy one random skill from anyone who killed him and make it his own. But What's the point of new skills if he's going to be dead anyway, right? So, he

just lives his pathetic life with no skills and no purpose. Until one day, as he's heading home after having a couple of drinks, he hears something strange. He witnesses a topranked hunter, the number one guy he had always admired, about to kill a girl because she tried to poison him. Even though there's no evidence, he kills her like it's nothing. Our guy tries to sneak away Quietly, but a traitorous empty bottle gives him away. To make things worse, he slips and falls. Before he can get up, the flame emperor catches him. He asks how much

our boy saw and whether he's from the same guild as the girl. Gongja denies everything and says he just wants to live and will keep his mouth shut. But the flame emperor doesn't care. He can't let a witness live, so he kills Gongja on the spot just because he saw too much. Everything goes black. He's Dead. That's when Gongja's only skill activates and he obtains one skill card from the flame emperor. Still, Gongja isn't happy about it because he died anyway, and there seems to be no point in new skills. But the next moment, he

wakes up in his own room. Gongja tries to understand what just happened, and when he checks his phone, it turns out he's gone back to yesterday. But he was definitely killed by the flame emperor. So, how is this possible? He opens his System and realizes he's here thanks to the skill he copied from him. It's called the time traveler's clock. It lets him go back 24 hours right after he dies, keeping all his memories and abilities. There's a catch, though. The higher his level, the bigger the penalty for using it. Still, it seems like the

perfect combo for his first skill. Now, he'll be able to get revenge on this bastard. The next day, at the exact same time Gongja was killed, a huge fire Breaks out in the city. The flame emperor set nearby buildings on fire to destroy the evidence. Everyone rushes to put out the flames and Gongja goes there too. The flame emperor is there as well, joking about how someone dared to play with fire without his permission while not lifting a finger to help, saying he won't get paid for it anyway. Everyone thinks he's just an eccentric hero.

But Gongja knows the truth. He's a murderer. So Gongja sets his goal to kill him. But Right now it's impossible. Even if Gongja somehow managed to kill him, the flame emperor would just rewind 24 hours, turning it into an endless loop. So instead, Gongja runs straight past the flame emperor and into the flames. It burns. It hurts, but it's the only way. He returns 24 hours into the past. The skill works perfectly. And even better, since Gongja is still frank, there are no penalties yet. So now he's going to die 4,50 times to kill that

Bastard before he ever awakens. After countless painful attempts, he finally succeeds. He somehow remained in the same building for 11 years and with the same knife and finally reached the point where he could meet the flame emperor before he ever becomes the unstoppable killer everyone fears. Our hero lies on the floor with his mind all over the place. He gets up and sees that his plan actually worked. There are no annoying posters of the flame emperor on his wall Anymore and no posters of him anywhere in the city even. Apparently, he died 30 times more

than he's supposed to and he feels kind of traumatized by that. He sets off immediately to start his mission. Our hero gets to the flame emperor's house when he is just a regular frank hunter, frustrated with his life. He remembers the emperor's complaints about having to deal with slimes, hating every minute of it, but not being able to escape. It wasn't just The slimes he hated. It was his whole boring life. He watches the emperor deal with his daily grind, getting real pissed off while killing slimes. He stands back with his knife, waiting for the

moment when the emperor, tired of the slimes, starts looking for something bigger. When a slime attacks, Gongja cuts it down quickly. He doesn't care much about it. It's just another thing to deal with. The emperor, still hunting, doesn't realize the danger That's coming. Over at the sixth floor of the hunting zone, the flame emperor stands there with his weapon, and Gongja shows up covered in fake blood from a fight with wolves, which is actually just a story he made up. He asks for a potion to heal, but the flame emperor asks for a lot of

gold. Gongja gives him 20 gold, but the dude laughs at him, calling him poor. Gongja then gives him 40 gold, but the dumbass emperor still wants more. Trying to see how desperate Gongja really is. Gongja, pretending to be in worse shape than he is, hides the pain. Sensing Gongja's weakness, the emperor decides to take advantage of him. He grabs Gongja's wallet, counting the gold inside. Gongja knows this is exactly how he really is, but he knows this is just the start. The confrontation gets heated when the candle flame emperor gets ready to attack, but our

hero kicks him where it hurts. The flame emperor falls over and Our boy takes his shot, stabbing him with his knife. He falls with blood spilling everywhere, and our hero stands over him, looking down at his lifeless body and thinking about everything that led to this moment. Killing the emperor doesn't bring him the joy he expected. After the emperor's death, a pack of wolves pulls up to the location. They circle him, but he doesn't even care. He doesn't need to fight them as he's already won the battle that mattered. He Walks away, letting the wolves

tear the flame emperor's body apart. He heads to a hidden spot where he has supplies and digs into the ground, pulling out a briefcase with some stuff in it. He changes out of his bloody clothes into a fresh black sweater and gets ready to teleport to another place. In the city, Gongja walks through the streets unnoticed. He passes a guard in shiny armor, but doesn't stop to chat. Later, he's in a bar drinking away his life Essence to forget about everything he's just done. The news on a screen talks about failed attempts to clear the

10th floor of the hunting zone. Even though Gongja is ranked first, he doesn't care. The other failures don't matter. His win over the Flame Emperor is enough for him, even if it's just for a moment. As Gongja keeps drinking, this mysterious old dude walks into the bar. He immediately gets everyone's attention and orders for milk, vodka, and honey, And everyone in the bar whispers, unsure of who he is, but recognizing that he's someone important. Our hero looks at the TV and realizes that he's the famous sword saint, and everyone starts to catch on slowly. A

newspaper shows a picture of the sword saint. People used to talk about him all the time, but after disappearing for 11 years, everyone forgot. He used to be the top hunter, but then the flame emperor came along. A man stands in the room fixing His tie. Gongja takes a sip of his yellow drink. Watching the old man, this guy's got S-level skills, but unlike the Flame Emperor, he's not all showy. His skills are all about fighting and attacking. Gongja thinks about which skills he can copy, including the sword saints, who's right in front of him.

Gongja looks at his phone, confused. There's nothing useful about the man. It's really weird for real. The sword saints got no public presence at all, Unlike the Flame Emperor, who was always in the spotlight. Gongja thinks it would be way easier if this guy liked attention too. Suddenly, the sword saint yells, making Gongja jump. The old man says something about someone not being quiet enough, and Gongja just watches in silence. The old man says all the top hunters are a little weird, and Gongja wonders if they're all like that. Gongja gets a notification on his

phone. It's something he definitely shouldn't Mention to the Sword Saint. He reads about some bandits causing trouble in the ninth floor hunting grounds. The sword saint had heard about this before, but didn't react the way the bandits expected. Instead, when one of them tried to mess with him, the sword saint wiped his sword and mocked them, saying he'd never heard of their rule about avoiding fights. One bandit tried to say the sword saint was too rich to care about rules, but he didn't finish the Sentence because the sword saint killed him right there. Gongja reads

it surprised. This guy really lives up to his reputation. Gongja focuses on the details, especially the warning not to mention the bandits family to the sword saint. It's clearly a touchy subject, and Gongja's even more curious now. He watches the old man sit down and order a drink talking to himself. Gongja realizes this guy is unpredictable. As the sword saint gets ready to leave, Gongja follows him. The old man walks out and Gongja quickly leaves the building behind him. The people inside seem relieved the sword saint is gone and some say they don't like him.

Gongja smiles and leaves money for the bartender who thanks him and says he's welcome to come back anytime. Out on the street, Gongja's confused. He thought he was following the old man, but now the sword saint's gone. He looks around and eventually spots a man in a blue suit And hat. Yep, it's the sword saint. Gongja follows him through the crowd, noticing how the old man stands out. Gongja wonders what kind of skill the sword saint has, if it's a fighting skill or something else. Gongja feels that if he can figure out the old man's

skill, it might become his own. Suddenly, Gongja feels some kind of danger vibe. The sword saint notices him and Gongja realizes he's been caught. The old man tells him to come out and Gongja, a bit nervous, steps out from behind a tree. The sword saint leans on his sword and Gongja feels a chill down his spine. There are no witnesses here. Gongja asks the old man for something, though it's not clear what he means. He realizes his request sounds weird, but he asks anyway. He doesn't have weapons, just his knife, and his heart's racing as

the old man watches him carefully. The sword saint seems to think Gongja is pretending to be someone he's not. Gongja, still confused, apologizes and tries to explain he's not what the old man thinks. The sword saint, agitated, assumes Gongja must be a highlevel assassin trying to trick him. Gongja tries to convince him that he's just a regular guy, but the sword saint isn't buying it. The old man draws his sword and shows Gongja a reflection of himself in it. He tells Gongja to shut up. His face serious. Gongja, still not understanding, realizes things are Getting

serious. The sword saint warns him that he can tell when someone's lying, and Gongja's lie is obvious. The old man talks about the 4091 people Gongja's killed, which is shown by the red number above his head. Gongja thinks back to all the lives he's taken, including his own deaths since he's killed himself 40, 90 times to reset things. The sword saint is furious, seeing Gongja as a demon who's killed without mercy. Gongja, standing there Terrified, tries to explain that he only killed the flame emperor. Gongja, realizing there's no way out, bolts, but the Sword Saints

right on his tail. Gongja barely dodges, but then he trips on something and falls straight into the ground. He just lies there, too tired to move. He knows it's over and Sword Saint stands over him, raises his sword, and finishes the job. Or at least that's what Gongja expects. But nothing happens. Instead, Sword Saint suddenly Tells someone to shut up. Gongja, still on the ground, looks up, confused. The old man is talking, but not to him. He's arguing with someone only he can hear. From the way he's talking, it sounds like this person is telling

him not to kill Gongja yet, to keep him alive and ask him some questions instead. Our suicidal protagonist has absolutely no idea what's going on. Sword Saint sounds too normal for this to be some random crazy schizophrenic episode. Then he Realizes that the old man must be using some kind of skill to talk to someone else. Maybe telepathy. That's when Gongja freaks out cuz if Sword Saint is telling people about him, that means others now know about the number floating above his head. They know about the 4,91 kills. And if the hunter department finds out,

he's done for. He can't hide. Every big shot hunter, every top guild, they'll all come for him. And when they catch him, probably a very Public and very painful execution. His only way out is to die again, reset time, and pretend none of this ever happened. He needs to make the old man mad enough to kill him fast. So, he calls Sword Saint an old man and says something about passing his greetings to his grandkids. A literal death wish that gets the old guy's attention real fast. Gongja, still talking, mentions noble families and how the

bigger they are, the more bandits they attract. He brings Up all the recent trouble in the news, adding that the old man's grandkids must be something special considering their bloodline. Swords Saint gets real mad and before Gongja could even say anything else, Sword Saint swings his sword in light speed. For a second, our boy is flying through the air and for some reason, the moon looks upside down. Then he sees his own body, his rather headless body. He expected to feel pain, but there's nothing, just a weird and Kind of good floating feeling. Well, at

least it was quick. That sword was so fast, he didn't even notice it happened. He would love to have that kind of skill. Then finally, he appears in the game lobby and the system pops up telling him that the skill condition has been met. That means he can copy it. This was the plan all along. He'll grab an S-rank combat skill, come back stronger, and be unstoppable. He looks at the choices, but there's no golden Card. This has to be a joke. He just died for this. He stares at the choices, feeling like he just

got scammed. It makes absolutely no sense as the sword saint was the best fighter. He had to have an S-class skill. But then he realizes the old man made it to the top without any S-class skills. His power wasn't from some overpowered ability. It was just him. What a waste of time. Still, he doesn't have a choice. Most of the silver cards look terrible, but four Seem okay. He picks one and hopes for the best. The system confirms it and he reluctantly accepts it as he gets respawned. Then he hears something. He turns and sees

a red-haired man right beside him. The big muscular guy nearby thought Sword Saint had just appeared out of thin air next to him. He told Sword Saint to keep quiet so he could continue his late night training without any interruptions, leaving our boy hella confused. Our hero asks the guy who he Is. The red-haired dude looks completely surprised. He turns around and asks if Gongja can actually see him. Gongja says, "And then he asks if he could hear him, too." When Gongja says yes again, the dude sits down right in front of him, talking about

how this is weird and shouldn't even be possible. But then the red-haired guy jumps up and starts demanding to know where they are and why the place feels as cramped as a doghouse. Out of nowhere, he asks about The old man's location. Gongja, confused, asks if he means the famous sword saint. The red-haired guy tells him yes, calling him an amateur. Gongja stands there surprised, wondering if the legendary sword saint is really just some amateur in this guy's eyes. He quickly checks out the red-haired guy's skill description and realizes this dude isn't from this world.

He's basically a ghost, so he straight up asks if he is the ghost tied to Sword Saints back. The Ghost turns to him and confirms it. Gongja freaks out, apologizing and saying he doesn't mean to copy or mess with the ghost's essence, but the ghost starts yelling, demanding to know if he could send him back to the old man. He shouts that since Gongja copied his skill, he should be able to undo it. He's not having it if Gongja says it can't be reversed. But the protagonist says that he hasn't gotten rid of the skill

like he wanted to. The ghost then Climbs onto the ceiling hanging upside down and yells that he, Sword Saints teacher, has been kidnapped by some incompetent loser. Gongja begs him to stop screaming upside down, saying that he's scaring him. The ghost calls this a disaster and blames Sword Saint for neglecting his teacher. He says he's warned Sword Saint a million times to respect and appreciate him, especially in tough times. Gongja asks him to chill, but the ghost dude says he's been Dead for ages. The protagonist tells the ghost that he should just die quietly and

move on. The ghost yells back, saying Gongja is cursing him as a dishonest ghost and pushing him toward the afterlife. Gongja thinks that this dude is talking way too much and way too loudly. At that moment, he starts to understand why Sword Saint is always so aggressive about telling people to shut up. Gongja admits he spent his whole life hiding from Sword Saint, using Every skill he has to avoid attention. The ghost looks surprised, saying no other hunter in the world is as noble as Sword Saint, but then he adds that's only true as long

as they're not talking about grandchildren. Out of nowhere, Gongja says that out of all sword saints skills, there's one that shows the number of kills. The ghost guy asks if he means the skill that just shows if someone has killed before, which he thinks is useless. Gongja points to Himself and says the number of murders hanging over his head is 4,91. The ghost gets mad, calling Gongja crazy since he's such a newbie. He says he is is the newest of the new and doesn't even have the right aura. The ghost asks how a bumass loser

like that could account for 4,91 deaths. Gongja explains he hasn't actually killed that many people. He's only killed one person, the future villain. The other 4 through90 are the times he's killed himself. He adds that He's been reincarnated just to take out this one guy 11 years in the future. He also explains he has a skill to copy one of the abilities of whoever kills him at the moment of death. Gongja has copied his own rebirth skill, so every time he dies, he just goes back a day. The ghost looks surprised, realizing Gongja's body is

basically immortal. Gongja says he wants revenge, but knows he can never truly kill his enemy as long as the guy has the rebirth skill and is ranked Number one in their world. That's why Gongja goes back in time to before his enemy gets that skill. The ghost asks if Gongja has really gone back 11 years just to get revenge on one person, and Gongja says yes. The ghost can't believe Gongja has killed himself over and over to go back that far. The two just sit there in awkward silence for a bit. Then the ghost asks

him for his name and why he's copied Sword Saints skill. He replies that Sword Saint is the top Hunter of their time and it's better to copy strong people's skills to get stronger fast. The ghost gets suspicious and says that Gongja's answer makes it sound like the skill card says no one, but he would notice the ghost's presence, meaning it's supposed to be a secret. And Gongja agrees. Suddenly, the ghost tells Gongja to stand up. He starts flying around him, checking him out. He says Gongja is stubborn, has a decent body, and really wants to

improve Himself. Then, the ghost flies right up to Gongja and tells him to show how he catches monsters. A while later, they're in a forest facing some monsters. Gongja asks if catching a couple is enough, and the ghost agrees. Gongja pulls out his knife and swings at a slug-like monster. The slug flies at him, wrapping around his body, but Gongja stays calm and stabs it a few times, killing it. The ghost wipes slime off his face and says he expected that. Gongja asks what he Means and the ghost starts talking about his past life. He

says he was once the best swordsman in another world where a huge tower appeared and he climbed it faster than anyone else. Gongja remembers the legend of the flame emperor reaching the 40th floor with maps even showing a 99th floor. Something crazy impressive. The ghost points at himself saying achievements like that naturally caught the attention of experienced hunters like him. He says That's why he's interested in watching Gongja hunt. Our poor boy says it all seems pointless since he has no potential. And the ghost says that's nonsense as he actually has incredible potential. Gongja can't

believe it. He asks if the ghost is joking. The ghost says no. And then he explains that Gongja has no talent for martial arts. His moves are clumsy. His body isn't suited for it. And awakening a rare martial art is something only heroes can Dream of. But the ghost says Gongja has one unique talent. No fear of death. Most people instinctively dodge danger. But our suicidal MC charges in without hesitation. The ghost says dying over 4,000 times has erased Gongja's fear of death rather than traumatizing him like everyone would think. Gongja asks if that really

counts as a talent. The ghost says yes, it isn't natural but earned through hardship. He says overcoming the fear of death is one of The hardest things anyone can do. He adds that it's really amazing. Gongja realizes that no one has ever said anything like that to him before. He remembers how the flame emperor treated him like trash, which has driven him to keep sacrificing himself without thinking about the past or future. Gongja looks at his hands and realizes his many deaths have become his talent. The ghost asks what Gongja was thinking when the sword

saint killed him. Gongja Looks away and says he thought about how beautiful the moment was. The ghost starts laughing and making fun of this weird experience. The ghost then talks about Gongja's copying skill, saying since it copies instead of steals, sword saint must have another ghost as his friend spirit. He flies closer, curious about who will become the better hunter, Gongja or Sword Saint. He says he'll train him to not just match but surpass Sword Saint. The next morning, the ghost Screams at Gongja to get out of bed. Gongja asks for five more minutes, but

the ghost yells that sword saint might already be taking over the 10th floor while Gongja is still sleeping. Gongja covers his ears with a pillow. The ghost threatens to sing a song from his homeland, saying one verse once made 33 soldiers heads explode. Gongja checks his phone and sees it's 4:00 a.m. The ghost says even bugs are up by now. And since Gongja is weaker than a bug, he Needs to wake up earlier. Gongja says the ghost is only waking him because ghosts don't sleep and he's bored. The ghost calls Gongja a zombie who can't

even die, right? Gongja finally gets up annoyed. Three days pass. Gongja trains hard, copying Sword Saints skills and staying away from Sword Saint. The ghost makes fun of Gongja's talent, calling it an abyss, but Gongja sticks to the training plan the ghost made. The ghost says Gongja needs extra classes and Tells him to win the lottery to pay for them. Gongja goes to the merchants association, the only place in Babylon where they sell lottery tickets. The guild is run by a hunter called the countest who has a special skill to trade tower items with the

outside world. She controls the tower's economy. Gongja hands over his lottery ticket. The clerk checks it and announces that Gongja won first place. The ghost makes fun of the clerk's cateared hat, saying The guild leader must be weird. Gongja stays calm because he knows the ticket is from last week. The clerk calls Arthur Taylor, also known as the caretaker of gold. Arthur is a big deal in the guild and takes Gongja to the top floor, a place usually only for important people. Gongja feels special for once. In the VIP room, Gongja sees his prize, 53,000

gold coins. That's like 5.2 billion in his country's money. Our boy is beyond surprised now. The Ghost warns him it's dangerous to carry that much money. So, Gongja decides to leave it in the guild safe. He asks Arthur to find him a place to stay in the merchants association and tells him to keep his name secret if the media asks about the winner. Arthur agrees but looks a little annoyed. The ghost says Gongja is thinking smart for once. He points out that guilds give protection and support, something the flame emperor ignored, and that's why he

failed. Gongja realizes he needs the guild to avoid making the same mistakes. While Arthur handles his requests, Gongja thinks about his goals. The money is nice, but he really wants to climb the tower. He remembers the system panel's golden glow, which feels more important than the coins. Gongja buys a second level honorary membership in the merchants association for 10,000 gold. This means the guild will protect him. The ghost says Gongja is finally using His brain. Gongja tells the ghost to stop calling him dumb. The ghost laughs and says Gongja seems happier. Gongja agrees. He feels

like he has what he needs now. Money, protection, and a plan. With the ghost's help and his new resources, Gongja is ready to take on the tower and get his revenge. They leave the building and Sword Emperor reminds Gongja that the main thing about extra classes is paying for them. He tells Gongja that since the tuition fees Are now covered, it's time to take the next step. Gongja asks if sword emperor means he needs to find a regular teacher for extra classes. The ghost acting like he doesn't understand says the teacher is right under Gongja's

nose. He says that what Gongja really needs is a boost. Something like a miracle potion to make him stronger or a scroll with the basics of martial arts written on it. Suddenly, he flies up to Gongja and says that at Gongja's current level, Even reading the scroll won't help because he won't understand it. So, the only option left is miracle potions and really good ones at that. Gongja annoyed asks how good these potions are supposed to be. Sword Emperor starts talking about the Castle of Alchemy and a guild of doctors and pharmacists. He says they'll

definitely have something like a miracle potion made by the best craftsmen. Gongja asks if this won't cost a fortune. Sword Emperor leans in And whispers the price in Gongja's ear, shocking him. Gongja starts running after Sword Emperor, shouting that even if he spends all his money, he'll only have enough for four bottles. The ghost replies that if they get a bulk discount, they might be able to buy five. Gongja keeps running after sword emperor asking him to fly slower. Suddenly sword emperor stops abruptly. Gongja irritated asks why he stops so suddenly. Sword emperor now serious

Tells Gongja to hide. He remembers he forgot to mention something important. Gongja realizes what's happening and is stunned. They're so distracted because they see someone. Sword Emperor says that Sword Saint is a regular customer of this store. Gongja gets angry and asks how Sword Emperor could forget to warn him about this. He says he should have been told in advance. Suddenly, Swords Saints and looks in their direction. Gongja hides behind a trash Can, trying not to make a sound. He's terrified and thinks about what to do because if Sword Saint catches him, it'll cause a

lot of trouble, but Sword Saint turns away and keeps walking. Gongja is relieved, but still shaken. He says it's ironic that he's hiding behind a trash can. Sword Emperor says there's bad news. If Sword Saint is here today, it means he's also here to buy miracle potions. They immediately run to the store. Sword Emperor looks around the Corner and is shocked. He starts screaming because he sees Sword Saint entering the store. Sword Emperor says with regret that they're just a little too late. What upsets him most is that this store is the best. Gongja realizes

going to the same store as Sword Saint is too risky. He takes out his phone and starts looking through the current ranks of hunters. He's looking for something specific, but it's not in the top 20. He keeps scrolling and realizes it's not in The top 100 either. He says he hopes to find it at least in the top 300. Sword Emperor doesn't understand and asks if Gongja's luck has run out. Gongja says it's the opposite. He puts his phone back in his pocket and says the potions might cost him almost nothing. Sword Emperor is shocked.

Gongja turns around and happily says he can buy potions for pennies. He says he knows an incredibly good pharmacist. Sword Emperor flies after Gongja and asks if it's just him Or if they're going deeper into the wilderness. In this area, people look at Gongja with suspicion, but he keeps walking. Sword Emperor is skeptical and asks if a talented pharmacist really lives here. Gongja says, "This isn't just a talented pharmacist. They're going to see a real genius. Sword Emperor asks if he's lying because what kind of genius would live in a place like this? As Gongja

walks, he hears the old man talking in disapproval. He feels The old man might be following him to rob him, but he assumes the old man just thinks he is crazy because he's talking to himself. He feels the old man has no idea how much money he's carrying. Sword Emperor asks again if Gongja really knows where he's going. Suddenly, they hear someone shouting not to touch the experimental equipment. Gongja says they've come to the right place. A man shouts that half a year has passed and he needs money. A green-haired girl Tries to stop him,

saying if he takes her equipment, she won't even have money for food. The man orders his workers to take everything, but the girl pleads for more time. The man shouts that a week has already turned into a month, and a month into half a year. He takes her card and the girl holds on to it, saying she hasn't finished her mixture. The man lets go of her and she falls to the ground. He tells her to stop making potions and walks away. The girl lies on The dirty ground as her equipment is taken. Passers by

say the store was going to close anyway and that the prices were too high. The girl shouts that her prices aren't high. She barely charges more than the cost. She says they won't find potions anywhere else in Babylon at that price. She puts her hand on her chest and says they should thank her for even selling in such a terrible area. The dude leaves, calling her hopeless, and she begs them to buy at Least one bottle of her special strength potion, but they refuse. Sword Emperor points at the green-haired girl and asks if the R

boy was talking about is this loser. He replies asking what if it is her. Sword Emperor is shocked and asks if Gongja has even seen her. Gongja walks up to the girl who's lying on the floor crying. He kneels down and asks if she's still selling. He says she's not some crazy person or a loser. She's a pharmacist who will rise to fifth place In rank in the future and become the head of the Alchemy Castle Guild. The girl stands up, brushes off the dirt, and says she can do anything. She asks how expensive the

order is, and Gongja says he thinks it'll cost 20,000 gold. She's surprised and our boy thinks to himself that it's smart to make connections with people who will become influential figures in the future before they rise in rank. He thinks it's like getting Golden Geese. He asks her what's Wrong, asking if she'll accept the order. He decides to get to know her before she even steps foot in the rankings. The girl invites Gongja and her unknown guest, Sword Emperor, into her messy home, apologizing. The door falls off as she opens it, showing the complete disaster

inside. Gongja talks about the mess while Sword Emperor grows more skeptical, questioning how clean the place is and if her potions are even safe to drink. They sit at the table and The girl asks if Gongja really plans to pay her 20,000 gold for her work. Gongja assures her he can pay upfront, which she hesitantly accepts, admitting she's in a tough spot financially. Gongja realizes how desperate she is and tells her to take what she needs from his safe, promising to let the traders association know, but he warns her not to take more than 20,000

gold since his funds aren't endless. The girl, relieved, gets ready to take his order, But makes it clear she'll never make drugs. It's the one line she won't cross. Gongja assures her he's not looking for anything illegal. Sword Emperor, still unimpressed by her appearance, starts listing off a complicated recipe for Gongja. It includes 23 rare ingredients, like the eyes of a balloon cat and the scalp of a giant sandworm. The girl is surprised and recognizes the recipe as something that requires insane skill to make since All the ingredients have to be infused at the same

time without being refined separately. Sword Emperor confirms her assessment, seeming a little impressed by her knowledge. Gongja, seeing how skilled she is, smiles, feeling confident in her abilities. When Gongja asks how long she'll need to make the potion, she says 4 days, but adds she could work faster with better equipment. Gongja, remembering her future reputation, agrees to the timeline. As They leave, Sword Emperor expresses doubts about whether she's reliable, but Gongja defends her, saying she'll become a master alchemist within 10 years. Sword Emperor offended brushes off her potential, saying she might just take the money

and run. 4 days later, the girl delivers 30 bottles of the potion, way more than expected. Gongja calculates it'll last him 30 days and notes it's 15 times stronger than store-bought versions. Sword Emperor, Embarrassed, asks how Gongja knew she'd come through. Gongja explains he trusted her because she seemed genuinely kind and talented. He remembers her bravery during a city fire and her dislike for the flame emperor. Realizing she's a rare genius, Gongja offers her a partnership, hoping to build a better future with her help. The girl agrees and promises to prioritize his orders. The next

day, Gongja gets ready to hunt on the third floor, knowing it won't be Easy. Sword Emperor tells him to drink the potion first. Gongja drinks it, noticing it tastes like mild lemon and honey. Almost immediately, he feels a sharp pain in his chest and starts sweating like crazy. Sword Emperor explains the potion is working, heightening Gongja's awareness of his aura, the energy all hunters have inside them. Gongja struggles to control the overwhelming sensations, his vision doubling as Sword Emperor teases him About how hard it is to master his aura. Sword Emperor says Gongja's ability to

control his aura will decide whether he succeeds or fails. And then suddenly a monster shows up behind him. Sword Emperor yells at him to run if he doesn't want to get hurt. Gongja is told to show his aura in really tough conditions and he starts sweating. The Sword Emperor watches him struggle and calls him incompetent, saying anyone who really doesn't get aura basics is just Totally useless. That kind of hurts Gongja, but he keeps going. Really pushed by a real need to get better. He thinks complaining won't help at all, especially since the sword emperor

says that if anyone really hates their life, they can just end it right away. Gongja worries about that advice, scared it might push his kill count higher. He also fears the old man's plan. Sure that the sword emperor will really go after him if his kills rise anymore. A big Green creature with a club suddenly shows up and roars. It looks like an orc, and its quick attack forces Gongja to forget everything else and focus on the fight. He tries to dodge the orc's swings, seeing they look weirdly slow to him because of a special

drug that boosts his senses and speed. Even so, he feels something is missing in his style. Gongja tries to use his aura right, remembering the sword emperor's lessons on moving energy into his legs. Even Though it sounded easy at first, doing it in a real fight is way harder. He angles his leg, hoping to direct energy well. Red energy sparks from his neck to his knee, sending short shocks through his body. He sees some smoke around him as he forces Aura through muscles that aren't trained yet. Still, Gongja avoids the orc's next smash, and the

ground shakes when the club hits. He runs, pushing his legs harder, but notices he's got his eyes closed without Thinking. Each dodge becomes tougher as his body tires out. The sword emperor watches from a short distance and says that Gongja's body has no proper channel for Aura to move through. In simpler words, his insides are like a forest with no roads. If he clears those paths, Aura will flow better, boosting his fighting ability. Gongja tries to hold on to that info, but the orc rushes at him again. At least he can feel the aura now,

and he thanks the special potion he Took. Normally, newbies need way more time to sense aura, but the potion speeds it up. The orc swings its club, and Gongja moves at the last moment, letting the weapon crash into the ground. He remembers the sword emperor's tip that these weaker creatures often have simple patterns, so you can see their moves coming. Next, he recalls, is about pulling Aura in his legs for a burst of speed. Though it seems simple, Gongja feels pain each time he tries to Push Aura through his limbs. He remembers how the sword

saint once chopped off his head before he even knew what happened. That memory shows him how far behind he is in aura skill. But he also remembers he's basically immortal, coming back to life each time, giving him a strange chance to get stronger. Not wanting to stop, Gongja stays focused. The orc swings down again, and he ducks, forcing aura into his legs. A dim red circle forms around him as he Builds up the courage to hit back. The sword emperor watches quietly, wondering how far Gongja will go. Gongja pulls a small green knife from behind

his back and he charges at the orc. Orcs have tough skin, but he still rams his blade into the creature's neck with red sparks dancing over the spot. Straining to keep control, he recalls the sword emperor's advice about pushing Aura into the tip of his weapon for more damage. Gongja's body still lacks a proper channel, so it Hurts a lot, but he keeps going, eager to beat the monster. The orc growls, but Gongja lands a second stab right into its eye. The orc falls, leaving our boy panting and shaky. The sword emperor walks over, checking

how much this fight wore Gongja out. He feels like he might pass out from using too much aura. His eyes water from the pain, and he silently curses how rough this training is. The old man gives him some credit for being crafty, but also points out That Gongja's aura use is far from good. Gongja sinks against the dead orc, still feeling messed up. The sword emperor says that if Gongja is feeling that bad, he can just die and come back since he's guaranteed to revive. Normally, the old man wouldn't say something so wild, but Gongja's

weird power makes it possible. Gongja refuses at first, thinking any death might affect his kill count or set off other problems, but the sword emperor talks about a way to avoid Increasing that number. He sets up a plan so that Gongja's next death won't hurt his tally. Before Gongja can argue, another orc appears. It swings at him, and Gongja, already tired, fails to dodge. He feels a painful hit. Then everything goes dark. A death notice flashes in his sight. Suddenly, he's back in the strange blank space he sees whenever he dies. He sees the usual

note telling him he returned to a time 24 hours earlier. He remembers stuff from Training with the flame emperor and sword saint. And then he notices a new skill message. It says he just unlocked the condition to copy a new skill, this time from the orc, and it looks pretty strong. Gongja and the sword emperor stare at that notification with so much surprise. They both realize this new skill is super OP and could change everything. Gongja stands in front of the system message feeling kind of confused as to why the tower was being So generous.

The sword emperor gets angry that a beginner can receive such strong rewards. He doesn't understand why this tower would hand out godle level or near godle powers to a new guy while ignoring the skill of someone as strong as him. Even though the sword emperor is upset, our MC with many death wishes focuses on the row of skill cards floating in the air and grabs one without thinking since he has no idea which one is better. Sword Emperor asks Him why he's picking that one and why he isn't going for something better. Gongja just says

he only sees the back of the cards, so he can't guess which might be worth more. The Sword Emperor explains that he can see the front of the cards from where he is. Because he's a spirit without a real body, he can fly around and read the skill details. Gongja's eyes light up when he hears this. If the Sword Emperor sees the front, then he can warn Gongja about useless skills and Point out anything that might actually help. Gongja is eager for that info. The Sword Emperor agrees, but says he will read each card's description

only once, so Gongja needs to listen closely. The Sword Emperor says the first card has a picture of a volcano erupting and two orcs holding hands. It shows orcs wandering a harsh land, supposedly making lots of babies to deal with tough problems. The skill text talks about fast orc reproduction. It's called Blessing of Reproduction, labeled Fank. There is some small benefit, but it also makes the user feel hot all year, which sounds bad. The second card has orcs dressed like hip hop fans who speak in a silly slang using chick or chiick at the end

of what they say. The skill is named chiick chick, also frank. Gongja thinks both skills sound awful. The sword emperor jokes that Gongja might have taken chiik chick by mistake if no one stopped him. Gongja doesn't see how Blessing of reproduction is any better. Both are frank and neither seems good for fighting. The sword emperor points out that if Gongja really wants a bit of orc power at least once, Chiik chick might be sort of fun. So Gongja decides Chiikch Chick is a bit less bad. Right before the sword emperor finishes talking, Gongja picks the

Chiik chick skill. The system blares that the skill is copied. The sword emperor gets furious, calling Gongja a fool for Missing a deeper plan. But Gongja has already locked in his choice. Next, Gongja wakes up on a bed in a safe place. A blue screen shows his rank and says there's no penalty for getting Chi Chick. The sword emperor holds his head, really upset about what he thinks is a huge lost chance. Gongja doesn't care and notices how comfy the bed is. He figures this is normal for the merchant group that runs the tower's rooms

and he kind of feels calm after all the rough Training. The sword emperor complains that Gongja is too soft, but Gongja ignores him and says they should go hunting again. Gongja doesn't listen to advice about regular training. He says they're heading to the third floor hunting grounds. The sword emperor tries to explain that 6 months of deep meditation is the right way to build strong aura paths and avoid the injuries Gongja suffered. Gongja says he can't wait that long. He reminds the Sword Emperor about his special resurrection power, which lets him die over and over

without any lasting penalty. The Sword Emperor thinks careful training will get the same results, but Gongja wants to face monsters and push his aura skills in real fights. They reach the third floor, which is a forest filled with orcs. Gongja sees an orc with an axe. The Sword Emperor guesses Gongja might change his mind and do some meditation, but Gongja pulls out his dagger, looking Ready to fight. A small spark of aura shows around him. He looks at the orc and notices again that its moves seem slow to him. He decides to try out chiikch

chick. So he speaks like an orc saying something like the orc is startled and lowers its guard for a moment. Confused why a person is talking in orc style. Gongja takes that second to rush in. Aura flashing around his dagger and slices the orc's neck. Green blood sprays out and the orc drops Before it can even fight back. The sword emperor scolds Gongja saying it's not honorable to trick an orc with random words. He adds that orcs, even though they act wild, still have their own ways of living, and they could see Gongja's orc speak

as some kind of trick. Gongja just ignores the complaint and basically makes fun of both the orc's speech and the sword emperor's anger. The sword emperor stomps his foot, angry that the tower handed Gongja such an easy skill To fool enemies. Gongja says it doesn't matter because the new skill worked and gave him a fast kill. One week later, Gongja stands before the goblin king, the boss of the fifth floor hunting grounds. He activates his skill and jumps forward, speaking in the special goblin language. The goblin king looks surprised that a human can speak the

royal goblin lingo. Gongja stabs the monster's neck, sending green blood flying. He pulls out his dagger and Thinks this goblin is the strongest enemy he has seen all week. He closes his eyes for a moment and hopes the goblin's soul finds peace. Sword Emperor says that he's being too dramatic, but Gongja says he spent six coins, meaning six deaths to beat this foe. He believes one coin means one life, so he can do what he wants. Sword Emperor taps Gongja's head and says it is nothing special, but Gongja disagrees. He points to his new goblin

speaking skill card at Level F, earned at the cost of many coins. Sword Emperor says goblins are not much different from humans, but Gongja looks at a black and white ball by his hand that shows his new power, but Sword Emperor calls it unimportant. A system alert says Gongja's strength grows. Both he and Sword Emperor see a bright light. Red sparks float around him, and the system says his level goes up. He feels a lot happy that his skill slot is bigger now. He looks at his Hands and thinks about his higher rank. Another system

notification praises him. Sword Emperor wonders if the red sparks mean blood or fire. Gongja thinks they come from leveling up, but Sword Emperor explains that this glow shows an aura tied to a big memory. He mentions the flame emperor who once killed Gongja and had a fire aura. Gongja remembers that and Sword Emperor says that aura types often show what is hidden inside and he thinks Gongja's aura is blood, not fire. Gongja asks about the sword saint and sword emperor tells him about a child lost in the mountains who kept climbing to stay alive. The

child loved the moonlight believing even moonlight can be beautiful. Gongja listens not sure why it matters and then they drop the topic. The spirit claps and says that Gongja has cleared the fifth floor so he should keep moving. Our boy raises his hand and asks if they can go straight to the 10th floor boss. Sword emperor Thinks he is too sure of himself but the protagonist insists he can do it. The spirit asks if he knows how many years tougher hunters spend on the 10th floor. Gongja makes a bet. If he cannot beat the 10th

floor boss with only two coins, he will call Sword Emperor teacher. The spirit is shocked and reminds him that he used six coins to beat the goblin king. Gongja thinks Sword Emperor is selling him short and says he is ready to take big risks. He wants to know what Skill the 10th floor boss has. If Gongja wins, Sword Emperor must treat him with respect. Sword Emperor gets mad and calls Gongja's power a cheap trick. That does not mean he can beat the top swordsman. He predicts Gongja will fail and stay a student. Gongja says the

sword emperor should get ready to serve a new master. They laugh about it together and people nearby start thinking that Gongja has gone cuckoo. Later on, a knight stands at the Entrance to the 10th floor. He says Gongja cannot go alone because even a group from the black dragon guild has failed. Gongja sees no problem and points out that any willing hunter can try. The knight worries he will be blamed if Gongja dies. Sword Emperor thinks Gongja should just knock the knight aside, but instead he takes another route and tells the guard he understands his

fear. Then he says he wants to die, which surprises both the Knight and sword emperor. He explains that he lost his partner a year ago and also learned he has a deadly disease, so he does not have much time. Instead of waiting in a hospital, he plans to fight monsters until he dies. He offers all his money meant for treatment and asks the knight to let him through without writing down his name. The knight, moved by his story, finally agrees. When the gate opens, Gongja goes through with sword emperor. They reach the 10th Floor, once

cleared by the flame emperor. Gongja wants to beat that record. He walks to a door and steps inside, aiming to do something greater than the flame emperor did. The room is filled with creepy dolls that's got shining eyes in different colors. The dolls ask to play with them and they picked hide-and-seek. Gongja and Sword Emperor get ready and a system message says he has entered the boss stage. He agrees to join the game and another Message pops up wishing him luck. Black Dragon Guild has always been the top guild ever since the tower opened. However,

today the guild faces its 30th loss in the purge. Paparazzi crowd around taking pictures and asking her why they failed. This hot purple-haired chick holds up a device and says their skills were fine, but their luck was bad. Flame Emperor stands all cocky as fireworks light up behind him. Apparently, he's got the 10th floor Stage cleared. He says luck counts as a skill, too, and calls them pushovers. Later, people call this interview the pushover declaration. Everyone wonders why only he managed to beat the 10th floor. Back to our suicidal protagonist in the burning building full

of dolls. These dolls belong to Hellfire Maiden, the 10th floor boss. The way to beat this floor is simple. The true doll is hidden somewhere in this estate. Destroying that real doll is the goal. These flames aren't ordinary flames. They're aura based hellfire. Even with aura, the protagonist only has 10 minutes to stay alive. People with firet type aura don't get burned, which is why the flame emperor did it easy peasy. Gongja creates a shield around himself to fend off the flames. Flame Emperor tells him that he's been living off his luck, but the protagonist

disagrees, saying that he's having it pretty rough right now with these flames. Flame Emperor tells him that his time is almost up. He adds that old man sword saint could last for 30 minutes here, and he's waiting till he can last an hour before he takes on the floor, unlike someone who charged in unprepared. Sword Emperor asks what he will do with only two coins left. The protagonist replies that he'll die once, then figure it out. The ghost tells him that dying won't strengthen his aura. There are two ways to finish this stage. Either find

the real doll by sheer luck or handle aura well enough to survive the flames till he finds the one. Sword emperor tells him that two coins won't help, but Gongja says there is a third choice and the ghost doesn't fully know his stuff. He starts to pick at random and he picks the closest doll. Gongja gets a hold of its tiny noggin, but it melts right away, screaming it's the wrong one. 5 seconds left and Gongja wonders why this stage is made like This. The spirit says nobody gets the tower's reasoning, so he should go

ask the idiot who gave a sorry, sweaty, weak loser such a strong power. Times up for our boy, and the fire immediately consumes him. He yells and asks the fire to kill him quicker. While Sword Saint teases him, saying there's no doubt he's a massochist for going straight into such a painful death with no plan, and that he's much weirder than the tower. Our boy finally dies and a notification Pops up saying that a skill condition is met through death. He asks the spirit if he remembers their agreement. He points to a golden card and

says it's S tier. The user must be inside the barrier to use it. He tells Gongja to grab it cuz that skill can create the same hellfire that killed him. But Gongja freezes, thinking about something. Something about it feels wrong. He remembers the doll melting in his hand. Sword Emperor is not sure what's up, and Gongja asks Him to read the other skills. The spirit does so, naming some real interesting stuff. Gongja looks surprised and makes his decision to pick the silver card against the ghost's will. The ghost tries to make him pick the golden

card, but Gongja refuses, saying that the card is what he's looking for. He realizes something is off. Among thousands of dolls, one is the real deal. That real doll organizes things. Has a fire aura so it doesn't burn. But then why don't The fake dolls burn either? A notification pops up that the skill grants immunity to fire for whatever living being or object he chooses. However, damage from water and ice type attacks increase by 300%. He receives the power and starts to go back 24 hours like he's supposed to. But just as he was celebrating

and asking Sword Saint to call him sir, a penalty notice appears. It says his penalty is to relive the trauma of the enemy who Killed him. The penalty level is low and Gongja doesn't understand, but the penalty starts anyway, recreating Hellfire Maiden's pain. Over somewhere else, a hungry girl goes to a man asking for bread, even if it's just scraps. He mocks them, calls them beggars, then slams the door in her face. She keeps going from house to house, but everyone turns her away with excuses. A distant person says he wants some people to carry

these orphans away forever, Treating them like they are dirty pests. Afterward, she bumps hard into another random guy. She says sorry. Rather than tease her, he simply puts a hand on her head and asks if she has any parents. Seeing her hunger in pain, he says he is a doctor, brings her to his home and also says more kids really wait there to have fun with her. When they get there, the gate closes and he locks her in a cage. The girl, scared and hungry, wonders if she can leave. The man looks At her and

calls her an animal. He says orphans should be treated like farm animals because they do nothing for others. Holding a knife, he pulls her from the cage, saying he knows orphans well, calling them parasites who roam around. He says he is a guardian and a doctor who wants to clear out this place by getting rid of them once and for all. He cuts the girl's hair, saying this is how she must pay for her wrongs. Later, he stands before a bunch of followers And says the orphan's hunger causes all problems. One follower lifts a knife

over a kid. The crazy man says he will save the world by giving up these kids to some higher power. The girl watches in horror while a boy gets stabbed. He makes just one last yell and then goes silent. After some time, the girl sits in a cage asking herself why he takes her friends. She hears someone say they need more people for the next ceremony. She does not get why he causes so much Hurt right now. Meanwhile, Gongja shows up in that same room. He feels shocked, asking if the sword emperor sees this too.

The sword emperor says yes, but did not notice Gongja is here as well. Gongja holds his head saying only their minds are here so they can watch but cannot change a thing. The sword emperor gets angry saying people like this exist. He wonders who else should pay for these awful acts. Gongja stands near the cage trying to figure out if this is The 10th floor boss. He never thinks a person's sad story can turn into a monster. The sword emperor says not every monster is like this, but some bosses come from real events in other

worlds. Things like heroes and other beings also come from far-off places, which happens more starting from floor 11. Gongja asks why this was never shared before, and the sword emperor says Gongja never asked. Plus, he has never seen the real source of a boss's Birth before and only knows they came from another time. They watch the man drop a candle and fire spreads around the estate as people run to save their stuff. Gongja yells at them to rescue the kids in the basement, but nobody can see or hear him. The kids are stuck in cages

crying for help. The flames grow and they cannot get out. They only want food and some playtime with friends. This sad scene ends and Gongja's mind snaps back to the present like he just Woke from a nightmare. The sword emperor tells Gongja they could not have done anything else. Gongja feels sick because of that cold reply and calls him heartless. The sword emperor says those kids died a long time ago in another world. If this took place inside the tower, maybe Gongja could have helped, but this was just an old memory. He tells Gongja to

find the doll acting as the boss and finish it, then go on. Gongja does not want to just kill the Boss without thinking. He says the flame emperor would do that in a second, but he does not want to act like that. At the estate door, the sword emperor pushes him to remove the boss and clear the floor. Gongja fires back that the sword emperor is as cold as the flame emperor. He remembers the S-class skill note that no one can leave here unless the boss says so. The black dragon guild got out without winning

against the boss, which means the boss let them go. Gongja figures the boss only wants someone to stay and play. They walk into a big hall packed with dolls. Gongja feels each doll holding some part of the children's souls. He decides to help them rest by playing hideand- seek like the boss wants. He uses a skill that makes fire around him, but the flames do not hurt him and can free the dolls. They watch, saying he is fine in the heat. One doll asks if he plans to join them. Gongja closes his eyes, counts, And

says he never loses hide-and-seek. He goes after the dolls, and each one fades away when he tags it, even though it is not easy. He keeps moving deeper into the estate, ending up in the same basement from before. He finds the last doll, a small girl sitting in that same cage. One eye stays shut, and she looks really tired. She asks if he wants to play with them. Gongja puts his hand on her head and says she is water. She thanks him then disappears like the Rest. Gongja sees a vision of the real child finally

resting in peace. A system message says the 10th floor is cleared and that Gongja now steps into the boss stage. The system panel says the clearing reward is ready and will come 24 hours after stepping onto the 11th floor. Gongja and the sword emperor stand outside a building. The spirit at home says Gongja looks a bit down, but clearing a hidden scene is huge and means he will get a sweet reward. Gongja Covers his face and says the Sword Emperor does not understand why he is sad because the Sword Emperor does not have normal human

feelings. Gongja also says he thinks the world is a bad place and hates bosses that come from sad stories like the one they just saw. The spirit at the back says that stuff like this happens wherever people live. Gongja and the Sword Emperor stay quiet until the Sword Emperor suddenly grabs his head and yells that this mood is not Right for him. He pats Gongja's shoulder, saying, "Gongja is amazing." Gongja looks unsure, so the sword emperor says he means Gongja's special way of beating the boss. Gongja calls it weird, but the sword emperor says he

always gives praise when it is due, and Gongja won by his own skill, not luck. He says they are partners and should share good news together. All at once, fireworks light up the sky. An announcement says the 10th floor is Cleared on a Friday and the 11th floor opens in 24 hours. People ask about the fireworks, confused why they appear outside the first floor. Someone writes that he is on the third floor hunting grounds but sees them and hears the 10th floor message. Our boy and the sword emperor check the timer. The sword emperor says

this reminds him of something he once saw and the hero agrees saying this is his second time seeing it. Gongja looks at his phone. On A forum, people say it is not the black dragon guild because their leaders are spotted in a cafe on the ground floor. Others bring up the Pantheon guild, but apparently their priests and a so-called cult interrogator are busy, so it is not them. Some guess it might be Sword Saint, but someone shares a photo of Sword Saint drinking milk. Everyone is confused about who cleared the 10th floor. The spirit at

home asks Gongja how it feels to go from a small helper To the main star. Gongja, staring at his phone, says he feels like he has everything he wants now. The spirit laughs and says that is not true. He only beat the 10th floor. Still, the spirit admits Gongja is the closest anyone from his world has come to the top. Gongja says he is still climbing and will reach the end. A man in armor suddenly runs over and asks if Gongja did it. Gongja acts dumb, so the man explains he means clearing the 10th Floor.

He shows his phone and points out that Gongja is the only challenger today, and everyone up there is going wild. Gongja taps him on the shoulder, asking what they would do if he really is the one. The man asks him for at least a name, but Gongja reminds him he once gave the man 100 gold. The man begs for a nickname, and Gongja says he has none. The man stands there in shock as Gongja walks off. The sword emperor praises Gongja again, saying a person's Name is special, so people will be hunting for Gongja. Now,

our boy says he just remembered something. He says the sword emperor promised to call him master if he beat the boss using only two coins. He yells that he did exactly that, finishing the 10th floor with two coins. The sword emperor looks upset, saying they are partners. Putting his hands on Gongja's shoulders, he says, "Partners are equal, and a person who conquered 99 floors and one who takes on The 100th are on the same level." The protagonist ignores his fuss and asks to be moved to the first floor. He turns away and demands the sword

emperor call him master Gongja forever. Later, Gongja sits in a cafe where people talk about the 10th floor being cleared. He sips coffee and listens to music while they chat, not knowing he did it. He asks the Sword Emperor if this taste of winning is sweeter than his caramel macchiato. The Sword Emperor stays quiet, so Gongja Makes fun of him some more. The Sword Emperor tries to keep calm, but finally asks what Gongja wants. Sword Emperor says Gongja should pick a new skill and use it on Sword Saint so he can go back to being

old man sword saint. Gongja jokes if they are not stuck together for life now. Seeing that about an hour and a half has gone by, Gongja figures it is time for something else. While sipping his macchiato, he notices a cat. He does not expect such a big figure to come in Person, but he pets the cat like he knows nothing. Deep down, he realizes there is something strange about this cat. At that moment, five people walk up and ask if he is Hunter Gong Ja. He shows his ID, saying he wonders how long it would

take them. Right away, they call someone on the phone, saying they want Gong Ja for their group. One person from the vigilante squad bows and explains what joining them is like. Gongja stops him and says he has two Rules. First, do not share his name with the news. When they ask for how long, he says, until the clock hits zero so he can dodge reporters before heading to floor 11. The recruiter agrees since they are in a public place, Gongja says they should serve the other customers first. They say sorry and rent the cafe for

an hour to keep it private. They all sit at a table with the drinks and the vigilante squad offers 10,000 gold up front. Someone from the League of Adventurers laughs at them for being broke, offering 20,000 in a leader spot. A person from the gate of a thousand faces says they will treat Gongja with the highest respect and pay 25,000. Then someone from the Pantheon group says they will give him an honored seat. Another from the department says they will also put him in a top spot. Gongja notes that everyone fears Sword Saint, a big

freelancer who stays out of guilds, so the big groups feel threatened. If Another strong person shows up, they want him on their team fast. Right then, the cat in Gongja's lap talks, offering 500,000 gold if he joins the merchant alliance. The cat jumps off and changes into a stunning woman, showing she is the leader of the merchant group, ranked third. She tells Gongja he can have not just the gold, but also the job of vice guild leader. Gongja smiles, takes off his headphones, and says now he is interested. The countest says Gongja has Guts, noticing

he does not look shocked that her cat form turned into a person. Gongja says he even sees ghosts now and then. The countest laughs, saying he stays really calm, and Gongja wonders how she looks so young for someone over 40. He figures she must be the richest person in the tower and probably drinks something like an eternal youth potion every day. A recruiter from the vigilante guild tries to talk to the countest, but she cuts him off. He says Sorry and asks if giving Gongja a 500,000 gold deposit is too much. The man tries to

argue, but the countest stares him down and he looks away, stumbling over his words before admitting he was wrong. She taps him with her fan, telling him to call his bosses if he wants to keep arguing. If anyone has a better offer than 500,000, they can stay, but if not, she won't waste her time talking to them. Everyone except the countest and Gongja leaves. Out of nowhere, someone yells insults from far away. The countest says that guy finally showed up. An angry man with a bandage, leader of the Thousand Faceless Gate Guild, ranked fifth, walks

in with a few others. A cult interrogator who is ranked fourth follows, saying the other guild leaders should admit they messed up by letting Gongja slip through their fingers. Miss Paladin, ranked eighth, says that calling the countest miss, might not be Right and reminds them their job is to keep hunters in check. The Black Witch, who runs the Black Dragon Guild and is ranked second, just stands there quietly. Gongja cannot believe all the big names in the tower are now in one place. The countest says it has been a long time since they were all

together and remembers how they once worked as a team to clear the second floor. Viper threatens her and says she is only good at throwing money around, calling her Deal with Gongja ridiculous. The cult interrogator raises a hand, saying they should order coffee first. He says it would be rude for guild leaders to come to a cafe and not buy anything. They start ordering drinks while Viper keeps complaining, saying the world is falling apart. The 10th floor was just cleared, and yet here they are drinking coffee like it is the only thing keeping them alive.

The cult interrogator ignores him and calmly orders, making Viper curse at Him, calling him a crazy religious guy. The cashier looks confused but rings everything up. As they sit, someone finally remembers Gongja is there and asks if he wants anything. He asks for a menu, saying he already had a macchiato, so he chooses hot chocolate. He sits down like he belongs there, knowing they are all here to pressure him into picking a guild. The Sword Emperor tells him not to stress. These people are just trying to scare him. Gongja agrees and Jokes that getting burned

alive was worse than this. The Sword Emperor says that is exactly Gongja's edge. He is not scared to take risks. Gongja sarcastically thanks him and reminds him that he still owes him something. The countest then mentions that Gongja once won some lottery in her guild's world, saying this proves he has real luck and guts. She says those traits will take him far. Viper says that there is no way someone who just beat the 10th floor is A complete nobody. He says they should stop playing around and make a deal already. But the Black Witch says

nothing is decided yet. Just because one guild looks weaker right now does not mean it is over for everyone. She asks Gongja straight up which guild he is going to pick. She also says that if he refuses them all, they will have to prepare for a mess in the media. Gongja asks what happens if he picks a guild, and she says that will start a crazy Bidding war. She explains that clearing the 10th floor gives them a new way to prove the tower is still valuable to the outside world. More people might be drawn in,

and different kinds of visitors could show up, keeping things exciting. She says curiosity is what keeps the tower running. Gongja says the food shortage will probably get better, too. The Black Witch agrees, saying it is getting harder to bring in enough supplies just from the ninth floor. The Countest adds that she trades with the outside world, but needs more goods. The Black Witch says they need more adventurers beyond the 10th floor to gather useful stuff. But first, they need something big to get people's attention. A strong symbol of a new era. Gongja realizes that in

the past, the symbol of a new era was the flame emperor. He remembers that the black dragon guild once tried something against him, but he does not know the Details. He figures that whichever guild gets him will become the next big deal, while the others fall behind. Gongja reaches into his pocket saying he feels too awkward to just pick a guild straight up. He has another idea. He pulls out a deck of cards, shuffles them, and says he will join the guild of whoever wins at poker. If he wins, though, he will join every guild

here, but on equal terms. He will look like a member, but he will hold some power, Too. The countest opens her fan, raises an eyebrow, and asks if this guy, who has only cleared one floor, thinks he deserves the same position as people who have conquered way more. She calls it interesting, and agrees to the game. The cult interrogator says he is fine with playing as long as nobody cheats. Viper says no skills are allowed and if anyone tries to use them, they are out. Miss Paladin says her guild is way too poor to fight

in a full-on bidding war, so Gambling is their only shot, and the Black Witch also agrees to play. Gongja holds the cards and turns to the Sword Emperor, reminding him that he promised to call him Master Gongja until this challenge is over. The Sword Emperor looks like he wants to disappear, but Gongja demands that he burn the cards for him. He quickly agrees saying he will even watch for cheaters. And so they start playing. Sword Emperor starts giving Gongja hints right away. First he Whispers that the countest has a straight and tells Gongja to fold.

Gongja does what he says. Then Sword Emperor moves behind Viper and tells Gongja to call, forcing the snake to fold. Gongja listens again. When Sword Emperor checks Miss Paladin's hand, he tells Gongja to go allin. Gongja trusts him and does it. After 30 rounds, Gongja has not lost once. Viper slams the table, yelling that Gongja is cheating. He points at him, furious that an F-rank Could win this much. Gongja asks how he knows his rank, casually mentioning that he got promoted to E-rank just yesterday, thanking the snake for the high rating. Gongja then asks if

he ran out of chips. The snake, completely beaten, goes to sit at the loser's table. The cult interrogator waves at him, saying he ordered an extra espresso for him, knowing he would lose fast. The snake gets even madder, curses at the Inquisitor, and flops into a chair. Time Passes and only three are left. Gongja, Miss Paladin, and the Black Witch. Miss Paladin loses next and throws her cards down. She says she thought her poker face was her best skill and wonders if Gongja can read minds. Gongja just smiles and says maybe he has a skill

or can see through everything. Miss Paladin stands, sighing that new players are getting harder to handle. She joins Viper, who is still fuming, saying she gave up too easily. He keeps shouting That Gongja must be cheating. Miss Paladin says it was obvious from the start. No newbie would suggest a game like this unless he was sure he could win. She says Gongja basically told them he would beat them without getting caught cheating. Then she adds that brute force is fine, but sometimes people need to use their brains. The snake yells about pride. She asks him

if pride will put food in his mouth. Suddenly, the cult interrogator offers The snake a sip of coffee, joking that at least his pride can help him finish his espresso. At the table, the black witch says things just got easier for her. Gongja raises an eyebrow. She says she feels more sure now that they can make a deal. Then she says she is from Ukraine. She lost her family in a civil war and has been on the run ever since. Whether in the tower or outside, life alone is rough. Gongja tosses in some coins and

says he gets it, but asks what Her point is. He points out that nobody from the first generation in the tower had an easy past. He was an orphan, too. The Black Witch says to her, "The tower is home. Nobody cares where you come from, and they all work hard to keep things that way. The tower lets people understand each other's languages and fight on fair ground, at least better than the outside world." She says outsiders see the tower as a junkyard, but even flowers can grow in trash. She Calls him by name and warns

that when the countdown ends, the media will chase him and his life will change. Gongja says he actually likes attention and wants people to admire and envy him. The Black Witch puts her mug down, saying Gongja and Sword Saint are complete opposites. Gongja notices that the Black Witch might have a flush and he has nothing to beat it. Still, he goes all in, pushing all his chips forward. She looks surprised. Gongja says he does not Need some fancy title just because he cleared the 10th floor. He plans to reach the 20th, 30th, and even the

100th, no matter how long it takes. He respects that the tower means a lot to them and sees no reason to make enemies, but says they are still rivals. He adds that he does not care about the food shortage or the poor. If they want to use his name as a solution, fine, as long as they support him in climbing higher, he just wants to keep moving up. The Black Witch says she got him wrong. He and Sword Saint are the same, never satisfied. Gongja lifts the edge of his card and asks if that is

a compliment. She calls it an insult, saying people like them always want more. They flip their cards and the countis announces that the black witch has a flush while Gongja has a full house. Our boy wins and says that that is the best compliment he could get. He stands up saying he expects to be treated as an Equal as promised. The black witch asks if he will take responsibility for the benefits he will get. Gongja tells her not to worry because a hunter's job is to climb. The black witch says that is a bold thing

for a newbie to say. The Sword Emperor agrees, joking that if boldness were a skill, Gongja would be level five. He says that he can finally live, then starts making fun of Gongja. Gongja ignores him, thinking the Sword Emperor does not act like someone with Such a big title. The Black Witch asks if our boy is leaving already. He says yes, because the 11th floor is opening soon, and he needs to get ready. She says nobody knows what is up there and asks how he plans to prepare. He replies that floors 11 through 20 are

role- playinging stages. The guild leaders all get surprised and Gongja says that is all the info he got as a reward for clearing floor 10. The black witch looks away and says she will pay back that Debt later. And with that, Gongja and the sword emperor leave the building. Some time passes and people start talking about how there is still no official news about the 10th floor. Everyone is confused since even sword saint himself says it is not him and the media is completely silent. There is also a rumor that someone saw all the guild

leaders meeting up yesterday. Our boy stands in the crowd as they all stare at the countdown. 11 seconds left And people get excited and countdown out loud with the timer. Meanwhile, Gongja pulls out his phone to check for news about the 10th floor. There is still some time left, so he refreshes the page. Suddenly, a flood of articles pops up, revealing that he is the one who cleared the 10th floor. That makes him happy. When the countdown hits zero, the crowd cheers. A message announces that training preparations are complete. Then the same message plays again.

People Turn to a girl and ask her to open the 11th floor. She faces them and congratulates them for cleansing the fiery hell estate of past resentment. Those seeing her for the first time are amazed, calling her an angel. Gongja wonders if she is a goddess, but the sword emperor says gods do not exist here. He says this is just the system and now she will explain the quest. The girl says one world needs warriors to fight against the demon king. She adds That they will challenge the demon king and save humanity. The time lord

says that even if she is a goddess, this is just a pre-recorded message. Gongja asks how he knows that. Meanwhile, the girl continues saying that to accept the mission, they have to say transfer, but suddenly sword saint jumps at her and cuts her in two. It turns out the girl is just a hologram. The hologram speaks again, telling them to say transmit if they wish to accept the mission. Now, Everyone realizes it is just a recording. The sword emperor says he has done the same thing in the past, so he already knows this is an

NPC. After that, Sword Saint accepts the mission and he gets transported to the 11th floor. People are surprised and the cult interrogator laughs saying it is a beautiful day and that sword saint beats him to it again. He says they will meet on the 11th floor then disappears as well. One by one hunter start Transferring to this new game level. The NPC announces that warriors will face a test of faith from the 11th to the 20th floor. She tells them to seek the truth and in doing so they will discover the truth about themselves. Gongja

watches the message impressed. Miss Paladin walks up to him saying that she has no idea what kind of being created the tower, but whoever did put a lot of effort into it. This message is made just for them, but no one seems to care. She says this is the kind of thing people should take a long time to admire. She says the tower and skills are miracles, but after 10 floors, everyone is too used to them. Gongja says she turns out to be pretty thoughtful. The head of the vigilante guild says that outside the tower,

her specialty is music. She asks if he would prefer a girl from the music department. Gongja says that in that case she has probably never seen real money before. She laughs saying that is the painful truth. The sword emperor warns Gongja to be careful saying something is off and Gongja asks what is wrong this time. Suddenly someone behind him asks if he is the hunter Gongja. He turns around and Miss Paladin says it looks like he has been spotted because of her. She apologizes and says she is heading to the 11th floor. Right away a

bunch of reporters surround Gongja. He asks if that is why she came to him. The head of The vigilante guild says Miss Paladin is just good at reading people, so he should take this as a sign of her interest. Gongja asks what she has figured out. But before leaving, she smiles and says the answer is inside his soul. Then she vanishes. Gongja is frustrated, wondering if she has just set him up and run away. The sword emperor reminds him that she seems suspicious from the start. The journalists start throwing questions at Gongja about how he

cleared the 10th floor. Gongja takes a deep breath, thinking about what he should say. He needs to get to the 11th floor as soon as possible. The reporters keep pressing him for answers, but suddenly he silences them all by saying he will clear the 20th floor. Then he wishes them luck and transfers himself. Now on the 11th floor, Sword Saint arrives and is completely surprised as a huge battle is already taking place. Warriors are Fighting desperately to stop the demon king's army for the sake of the Aim Empire. While the crazy fight is happening on

the field, the knights are fired up because if they run away, the empire is done for. Sword Saint tries to figure out what is going on and suddenly arrows start flying at the hunters. The protagonist thinks the training is over now and that fights like this will keep happening all the time. A knight runs up to the hunters, calling them warriors Who will save the empire. He holds up his sword and begs them to help him, saying, "This place is the last supply route for the empire, so they have to protect it no matter what.

If they fail, the capital will fall." The sword emperor says Gongja has gotten good at using aura to hear and see better. The knight in front of them asks them to save the Egum Empire. Right? Then the system tells them their job is to defend the port at all costs because this fight Is the first step to saving the empire. The hunters freak out. They wonder if the demon king is really about to show up. Monsters keep attacking and they start to panic. Sword Saint says he does not know the full story, but the first

step is to kill everything in sight. The hunters get excited and charge in after him. Gongja opens the system panel. A notification pops up saying he is getting his 10th floor reward. His reward for a regular scene is the Patronage of the god of all things. And now he gets a map of floors 11 to 20. The sword emperor yells that he knew it would be some kind of unfair prize. Then the system gives Gongja a hidden reward. This time he gets the protection of the human god. He can also see all NPC skills and

locations from the 11th to the 20th floor. But wait, there's more. Gongja also gets the patronage of the god of trade, which means he can get any item that exists on floors 11 to 20. Our Boy says this game is about skill. The sword emperor loses it, yelling that this game is about pure luck. Now, Gongja learns how the tower works. Floors 1 to 10 are for training, like a city for newbies to get used to fighting. Floors 11 to 20 are about warriors and the demon king. He says there are only two ways to

stop the demon king's army. Be strong enough to destroy them alone or lead an army. Sword Emperor asks if Gongja is really Going for the second option. He does not think Gongja could pull it off and asks if he has ever led an army before. Gongja says, "Of course not, but he opens the system panel and says he is sure he can learn." He looks at the Sword Emperor and says he just called this a bad game a second ago. And Sword Emperor stands his ground and says it is still a bad game. Gongja says

he is going to prove that skill is what really matters. He pulls up a list of NPCs and Filters it to show only the ones on the 11th floor. He says that the top 100 have really good skills. The Sword Emperor yells that this is not how things should work, saying Gongja should be fighting to get stronger. He says he's ruining his name, but our boy says he is not ruining anything. He tells the system to show NPCs with command skills. Then he filters it to the top three and checks where they are on the

map. He also looks at where he is. He adds again That this game is all about skill. He adds that his decent prize just became super good, all thanks to his brains. The sword emperor calls him names and asks if he really thinks he is smart. Our boy then laughs and says having an empty head is also a skill. Gongja heads towards the closest blue dot on the map. He finds the NPC he needs. He walks up to Commander Sarbus and he asks what he wants. But the first thing our boy thinks is that Sarbus

has a really cool Mustache. So, his skills must be cool, too. Gongja looks at him and says, "If he really sees him as a warrior, then do him a favor." Sarbus agrees, but freezes when he hears what Gongja wants. He asks Sarbas to kill him. Gongja says he has a secret weapon, and if he dies, a god's power will come down to save the battlefield. He adds that this is a special death move, and with this blessing, the empire will win for sure. The commander is horrified and says he Can't kill a warrior who came

all this way from another world. Gongja asks, "What is more important right now?" Then he says, "If Sarbus won't do it, he'll do it himself." He keeps pushing and says, "This is the only way to save the Empire." He insists he'd rather die by Sarbus' hands than by a monsters. The commander hesitates, but says that while saving the empire is important, he still can't do it. But after thinking for a while, he finally picks up his sword and Prays for forgiveness. He says he will try not to make it hurt too much, but first he

asks for Gongja's name. Gongja tells him and Sarbus covers his face, thanks Gongja on behalf of the Empire and lifts his sword saying Gongja is a true warrior and then he sends him back to the lobby. He copies Sarbus' skills and now everyone stares in shock as he rides into battle on a horse. Gongja still has that battlefield assessment skill Sarbus used to have, but this Version is his own creation. He figures out that if they keep moving straight and then take a right, they'll run into the commander of the demon king's army. Our boy

leads the army forward with everyone shouting about how the warrior of the goddess will protect them. He knows the skill is a gamecher, giving him a mini map and serious credibility, especially since he's already scouted the area by reliving the day multiple times. He notices a goblin still hanging Around and thinks that little guy is really persistent. Then he pulls out his legendary sword. The sword has a wild backstory. Legend says the founder of the Egypt Empire was blessed by the goddess, but he and the sword vanished without a trace, leaving behind a cryptic prediction

about a man with the sacred sword showing up when fate calls. Anyone in the empire would trust the person holding that sword. The knights go nuts when they see it, yelling that The goddess hasn't abandoned them. Gongja raises the sword, shouts for everyone to attack, and thinks to himself how useful it is to clear hidden scenes. Meanwhile, Sword Emperor isn't really too happy that our boy picked that shiny, durable knife over all the other useful items. Gongja says that the knife is durable, sparkly, and will make NPCs on the first 20 floors go crazy. He

keeps riding his horse, talking with the commander, and explaining that these Creatures aren't just quest givers, they're quest helpers. Some hunters are wondering why Gongja is always with the commander, and why he's dressed like a hunter, but acting like he's in charge. Gongja just laughs, thinking it's funny how envious they sound. Sword Emperor is still mad, yelling that he taught Gongja aura for sword skills, not eavesdropping. Gongja just says he likes it anyway and moves on. Ajims army destroys the left side of the demon King's forces, and Gongja orders them to push forward. Sarbus even

calls Gongja his commander and tells everyone to follow him. Finally, they face the big boss, the great goblin king from the 11th floor. The goblin king yells at his minions to stop the heroes, but Gongja isn't having it. He launches into the air, hits the Goblin King with a skill, and just like that, the boss is down. The knights go wild, shouting that the demon king's army is defeated, and the Warrior of the goddess has taken out their leader. The goblins panic and try to run, but the hunters aren't letting them off that easy. They

go full beast mode, taking out goblins left and right. And just like that, the 11th floor is cleared. The hunters are hyped, celebrating that they've beaten it in just 24 hours. The system tallies up the participants and announces the top 10 conquerors. Gongja is number one and the sword saint is number two. Everyone is Shocked that Gongja doesn't have an alias and that the sword saint is in second place. They wonder if Gongja is some hidden master. Sword Emperor tells him that he's just a cheater with a big head. Gongja shoots back that skill as

king in this game, but Sword Emperor refuses to admit it. Gongja thinks to himself that this ghost cares more about his own ego than skills. Gongja then tells Sword Emperor he'll train in sword skills before tackling the 20th floor, So he asks him not to be mad. He even jokes that he can't get through this without learning anything if he's hanging out with Sword Emperor. Sword Emperor gets all excited, saying that Gongja will finally understand his true power. Sarbus comes over, bows, and thanks Gongja for the win. Our boy says not to thank him since

they all did it together. Sarbus admits he was skeptical at first because some oracle predicted warriors from another world would come To save them. And he wasn't sure they'd actually risk their lives for a different world. But our suicidal MC proves him wrong. They shake hands and Gongja thinks that even though they're from different worlds, a handshake means the same thing. Sarba says he's counting on Gongja in the future and Gongja says he'll do his best. Then the system starts handing out rewards for clearing the floor. Gongja is surprised when it announces the top conquerors

will get Their rewards first and be the first to enter the 12th floor. Everyone else has to wait, but before Gongja moves on, Sarbus asks him to protect their empire. The Sword Emperor asks Gongja what he will do if Sword Saint sees him. Our boy wonders what sword saint could possibly do that would be worse than murder. The sword emperor doesn't get it and asks again. Gongja says he has a plan and tells the sword emperor not to worry. Then he moves and the other top players Follow him. They end up in the Imperial Palace

of Agim. The cult interrogator is super impressed with our boy. He walks up to him and says he's been watching his moves on the 11th floor. He thinks it's amazing how he used the NPCs. He asks if the sword he has is the reward for clearing the 10th floor. Gongja says yes. and the cult interrogator is shocked that he became the leader on the 11th floor thanks to a reward from the 10th. Gongja acts modest and says it's No big deal. Suddenly, Sword Saint shows up out of nowhere and attacks. The cult interrogator steps in

to protect Gongja. He asks Sword Saint how long he's been training as an assassin. Sword Saint isn't in the mood to chat. He tells the cult interrogator to move and says he's going to kill the protagonist. The cult interrogator acts surprised and asks if he is really talking about Gongja. Sword Saint says yes, and the cult interrogator points out that his hands Are important and that killing Gongja here would make the five big guilds look bad. He asks Sword Saint why he's threatening Gongja, but Sword Saint says he doesn't have to explain. The cult interrogator

says it looks like they're not backing down. He crosses his hands and uses a spirit displacement skill from above. Sword Saint gets attacked by the heads of two big guilds, but he blocks their attacks easily. Viper calls Sword Saint an old monster, and the old Man fires back by saying he isn't young either, since he's over 40. Miss Paladin tells Viper to focus on the enemy since they're at a disadvantage. Then the cult interrogator turns to the countess and asks her for 10,000 gold pieces. She thinks he's asking for a loan and offers him 15%

interest over 3 months. He says he's not borrowing, he's asking for a donation. She gets mad and calls him a robber. He says it's dirty money anyway and she should donate it to the temple. She reluctantly hands over the gold and coins rain down. The cult interrogator happily takes the donation, puts his hands together, and uses a sacred technique to make Miss Paladin and Viper stronger for 300 seconds. He says the gold will take over their hands, and finishes the technique. The cult interrogator adds that even Sword Saint will have a hard time dealing with

the four of them now, especially since the countest's safe isn't empty yet. He Jokes about whether the Countess will go bankrupt before Sword Saint is defeated. The Countess is not happy and asks why he's looking at her safe. Then the Black Witch shows up and says, "This alliance isn't just the four of them." She says she's joining the fight because Gongja made a deal with all five guilds the day before, giving him the same rights as the guild heads. She says attacking Gongja is the same as attacking all of them and asks if Sword Saint

really Thinks he can take them all on. This is Gongja's plan in action. Sword Saint is furious and our boy turns to the Sword Emperor and reminds him of what he said on the 11th floor. Gongja says there are two ways to deal with a strong enemy. Either have enough power to take them down alone or lead an army. He says a solo player is no match for a hunter with an allied army. He then walks up to Sword Saint and offers to talk. He says he's confused about why Sword Saint Attacked him since this

is their first meeting and Gongja has always admired him. But looking at Sword Saint's face, Gongja realizes the guy still thinks he's some assassin sent by the black dragon. The Sword Emperor says that to Sword Saint, Gongja probably looks suspicious. Not a hunter who earned his place, but an infiltrator who snuck in with the help of the big guilds. And that's why Sword Saint is so angry. Swords Saint looks up and says that Whether it's the outside world or Babylon, there's no difference. He starts talking about how not even a day had passed since he

entered the tower when people began begging him to join their guilds, but he refused. He asks if they want to know why. He points his sword at the black witch and says it's to prove that in this tower you can exist on your own. He says unlike the rotten outside world where blood, nationality, and origin hold you back, Here you can rise to the top with just a sword. He says success here depends only on your talents and skills. He shouts that he wanted to show everyone this truth. Then he angrily asks them what they're

doing and says they're no better than the messed up world outside. The Black Witch snaps back saying Sword Saint judges others without knowing anything. She says he's only so outstanding because he's always been alone, but if he had helped others Earlier, many hunters would still be alive. Viper starts yelling, saying Sword Saint didn't clear the fifth, 7th, or 9th floors alone. He's mad because if Sword Saint had cooperated, their losses would have been cut in half. The countest joins in, saying, "If Sword Saint had helped with connections outside the tower, they'd have fewer food problems."

She says the current system would be more stable, too. She calls Sword Saint an irresponsible Child. The Black Witch shouts that since he's number one, he should act like it, but instead, he just tells everyone to shut up. He says they're all whining like big babies and orders them to leave, threatening to clear his way with his sword if they don't. The sword emperor is thrilled and says this is his real disciple. Our boy steps in and asks if they really want to fight here, where there are only 10 people. He says even the NPCs

on the 11th floor work together To protect their country. The Black Witch turns to him and says, "This conversation is more serious than he thinks." The protagonist tells everyone they're called hunters, so why don't they focus on clearing the 12th floor first? He tells Sword Saint they need to help, even if it's just NPCs. He says their country is under threat of destruction, and they're here trying to be warriors called into the empire. He asks if they know what's special about The rank of warrior and explains that a warrior is someone who can handle what

others can't. He suggests they focus and deal with the remaining scenes. Miss Paladin puts her sword away and says, "Our boy is right." She says she doesn't know what he did to upset Sword Saint, but now isn't the time to fight. She takes out something and says she'll donate it so everyone can see clearly. She reveals she has a lie detector skill, which she used to rise to the Rank of deputy chief. She turns to the protagonist and sword saint and says if they trust her, she can guarantee the truth or lies of their statements

right now. She says doubt is poison and truth is the antidote. Gongja thinks this is a great opportunity and raises his hand saying he's in favor. Sword Saint turns to Miss Paladin and says she's the only one here who hasn't harmed anyone. Miss Paladin agrees and says she'll assume they both agree. She tells Sword Saint He can ask the protagonist anything and she'll report the results honestly. Sword Saint points to our boy and asks if he's killed over 4,000 people and he says yes. Swords Saint starts screaming that he's a devil, but Miss Paladin says

that's a lie. Sword Saint is shocked. Miss Paladin explains that the protagonist answered yes, but it was a lie. He's never killed over 4,000 people. Gongja smiles and asks if Sword Saint has more questions. Miss Paladin Says it's a strange question to begin with, asking if one person could even kill that many. Sword Saint points to our boy and asks if they trained him to be a specialass assassin. Gongja says yes, but Miss Paladin again says it's a lie. Sword Saint starts yelling, saying he trusted Miss Paladin to judge honestly. She says she made it

clear from the start whether he was ready to believe her or not. Swords Saint is stunned when Miss Paladin asks if he's Going back on his word now. Swords Saint says the protagonist must have killed at least one person. Gongja says he's right and Miss Paladin confirms it's true. Our boy adds that he killed exactly one person. He says murder is murder, but that man deserved it. Gongja gets angry and says that man tried to kill him first and was a cruel killer. Sword Saint doesn't know what to do because Miss Paladin confirms everything the

protagonist said is true. The cult Interrogator starts laughing and says it's a good conclusion. The sword emperor covers his face in shame and says he told the old man he couldn't rely on skills forever. The protagonist walks up to Sword Saint and says it seems like they just had a misunderstanding. He says he's glad it was just a simple misunderstanding. Gongja gets closer and asks if he'd already be dead if the guild heads hadn't protected him. He looks at Sword Saint and asks if now isn't the perfect time for Sword Saint to apologize to him.

Our boy says Sword Saint should apologize to him. Miss Paladin backs him up, saying it's the perfect truth and that his remark is absolutely true. Swords Saint starts to speak, but is clearly nervous. Everyone's waiting to see what he'll say. And Gongja wonders what's going to happen next. He thinks that even though Miss Paladin is known for being selfless, she's still part of One of the five largest guilds. He wonders if Sword Saint will accuse her of lying or if he'll reveal all the details of his skill to explain himself. If he does the latter,

he'll lose some ground, but might still justify himself. Sword Saint asks Gongja about his name. At this point, the protagonist considers the possibility that Sword Saint might try to kill him to shut him up just like the Flame Emperor did. To everyone's surprise, Sword Saint puts his sword Back in its sheath and asks for permission to start over. He bows and offers a sincere apology, shocking Gongja. Sword Saint admits he was wrong, frivolous, and misunderstood everything. He says he almost killed an innocent man because of his own recklessness. He confesses that until now he believed

in killing people who deserve to die without hesitation, but now he vows it will never happen again. Gongja notes that Swords Saint didn't blame Sword Saint or make excuses about his skill. Instead, he takes full responsibility. Sword Saint says words alone can't make up for his guilt and offers to fulfill any wish Gongja has. The protagonist is surprised. Instead of killing him, Swords Saint admits he was wrong and even begs for forgiveness. Gongja thinks about how Sword Saint, a legendary figure, is now humbling himself before an inexperienced hunter. He looks at Miss Paladin, who says

that everything Sword Saint said is true. Gongja then addresses Swords Saint and asks him to teach him the art of the sword. This shocks Swords Saint. The protagonist scratches the back of his head and clarifies that he's asking for sparring sessions in the future. He mentions he recently got a teacher by chance but has no one to spar with. Gongja thinks it's better to keep his promise to the Sword Emperor and make Sword Saint his sparring partner as it would be Beneficial for his growth. He starts to ask again but suddenly stops apologizing and asking

to start over. He says he has the right to demand this from Sword Saint but feels awkward about it. Sword Saint is surprised. Gongja turns away, putting his hand on the back of his head, and says it feels like he's suddenly become taller than Sword Saint, even though he's not that outstanding. He's just glad Sword Saint won't see him as an enemy anymore. The Black Witch is Stunned, too. Gongja says he doesn't want to act like a big shot and take things for granted. He blushes deeply and asks Sword Saint to teach him the art

of the sword, thinking he might die of shame. Miss Paladin is also stunned, saying it's all surprisingly true. The Viper doesn't understand why Gongja wouldn't ask for something bigger just because it's embarrassing. The Black Witch says she hasn't seen someone like Gongja in a long time, and it surprises Her. The cult interrogator is really happy, saying forgiveness is a sacred miracle, but someone tells him to shut up and grow up. The countest turns to Sword Saint and says, "Since he apologized and everything ended well, they wasted her 10,000 gold on him." Sword Saint stands with

his head down, but suddenly grabs Gongja by the shoulders, talking about how wrong he was about such a kind and correct young man. Gongja is surprised as swords saint Shakes his hand and tells him to call him old man sword saint. He says he has a kind granddaughter in the outside world and would be happy to introduce them if she ever enters the tower. Oiro is confused and says he's not interested in relationships. Sword Saint tells him that youth is the best time for love and that Gongja could learn a lot from it. The sword

emperor says when sword saint gets carried away, he becomes completely fairy tale-minded. Sword Saint promises To take good care of him from now on. And our boy is feeling so embarrassed, he considers killing himself and starting the day over. Suddenly, a system notification appears announcing that Gongja has taken first place in conquering the 11th floor. The system says he's being given a reward. Gongja is surprised since he's the first to receive it. He thinks about how little information there is about floors 12 through 20 and wonders what the reward Will be. The system gives him

a choice between two awards. In front of him are two figures. One radiates a pleasant light and the other is completely black holding a sword. The first is the patron goddess of the Aim Empire. Touched by Gongja's devotion, she offers him an important role in the empire such as chancellor, marshall, or commander of the knights with corresponding abilities and reputation. Gongja knows hunters can take on roles in the empire and gain Skills and reputation from them. Conquerors who reach the top in previous scenes get to choose special roles first. The system then shows Gongja the

special roles he can take on the 12th floor. He looks at the list and thinks that before he could only choose something like a guard. Then he notices the demon king's reward. The demon king, really happy with Gongja's activity, offers him a secret alliance. He promises to give Gongja the same reward As the goddess, but adds an extra gift. If Gongja kills all the other warriors in the top 10, the demon king will use his position to transport Gongja directly to the 99th floor of the tower. Gongja silently stares at this offer, shocked, the Viper

asks why he's gone quiet and is staring into space. Gongja is confused, wondering if killing all those people would let him skip straight to the 99th floor. The system asks him once again to choose one of the two Rewards. The sword emperor says it's a trap and tells Gongja not to fall for it no matter what. The protagonist replies that he knows it's a trap because the flame emperor definitely chose the demon king's reward. He says that the flame emperor probably picked the demon king's reward but ended up stuck on the 40th floor, not the

99th, which proves it's a trap. Everyone looks at him confused. Gongja keeps speculating that maybe the flame emperor initially sided with the Demon king realized it was a trap and then got reborn, but he admits it's still tempting. He wonders what it would be like to face the boss monster of the 99th floor, even if it meant dying. The sword emperor looks at him seriously and tells him not to even think about it. He says he reached the 99th floor alone and fell through, calling the demon king's reward a cruel and disgusting trap. He assures

Gongja that even with his skills, he wouldn't be able to kill the Top 10 fighters. and even if he did, he'd never conquer the 99th floor. Gongja asks if the boss of the 99th floor is really that strong. The sword emperor says there's no boss monster there. It's something far worse. He covers his face, clearly disturbed, and warns Gongja again. The protagonist asks what's so scary up there, feeling uneasy because it's the first time he's seen the Sword Emperor like this. The Sword Emperor admits he hates to say it, but Gongja is doing a good

job and should just keep going the way he is. He says if the protagonist stays on this path, he'll clear the 99th floor on his own without any issues. Gongja looks away thinking and sadly says he won't try the demon king's reward. He adds that he'll take the safest path and ignore the rewards for now to see how things play out. The sword emperor asks why he's ignoring the goddess's reward, too. Gongja replies that sometimes you need To take a step back to move two steps forward. He turns to the hunters and announces that the

rewards for the 11th floor have appeared in front of him. The black witch says she's tired of waiting and asks him to choose so things can move forward. Gongja says he's already decided he won't accept any reward. Everyone is shocked. The system announces that the scene reward wasn't selected. The goddess of protection is puzzled while the autumn rain demon king Quietly laughs. Miss Paladin is also confused and asks Gongja why he did this since sword Saint is in second place and will now choose his reward. Sword Saint says he understands Gongja's choice because it's the

safest option, but he asks why they have to refuse the reward altogether. saying Gongja might end up with nothing if he's always this cautious. Gongja thanks him for the concern but says he has no regrets. Sword Saint admits this philosophy is Too hard for him to follow and chooses the goddess's reward, the role of commander of the Knights of the Agim Empire. Suddenly, Knights enter the gate and swear allegiance to Sword Saint, surprising everyone. The cult interrogator is next to see the rewards and says it's like playing mafia. He promises to explain everything and touches

the ground, making descriptions of the rewards appear. The Viper and the Black Witch are both surprised by the Second reward. The cult interrogator puts a hand to his chin and says, "The person who chooses the goddess is called a warrior, while the one who chooses the demon king is a traitor." He adds that the chairman's position is much more dangerous than a mafiosos. Nine people will become warriors, including the vice head of the vigilante detachment. Miss Paladin confirms this and says she can identify the traitor. The cult interrogator looks at Gongja and says he Went

too far in refusing the reward, but respects his decision. He chooses the title of marshall of the empire. The Viper says choosing a reward is more profitable and picks the rank of guard commander. Miss Paladin chooses the title of Minister of Foreign Affairs, thinking it's the most acceptable. The Black Witch picks Chancellor and warns everyone not to choose the demon king or his reward will be destroyed. The Countess reassures her and chooses the Title of Minister of Finance. With that, the careful calculation of the awards is completed. The Sword Emperor asks Gongja if he's confident

in his decision. Gongja says it's the right choice, thinking that sometimes in the pursuit of prey, it's better to retreat and let it go. The system announces that the selection of the top conquerors is complete with one person refusing the award. It also says eight people accepted the goddess's reward, shocking Everyone. Then it reveals that one person accepted the demon king's reward. The black witch gets angry and starts yelling at everyone, reminding them not to choose the demon king's reward. The cult interrogator smiles and says it's surprising because being a traitor is a very unprofitable

game, but someone still chose it. The Viper feels nostalgic for the atmosphere of the early days of the tower, and the countest asks if he's talking about a Time when there were 10 large guilds instead of five. She says a lot of people died back then, many of them killed by others. They start shouting at Miss Paladin to use her lie detector on everyone immediately to find the traitor. The Black Witch, as the owner of the Black Dragon Guild, says she doesn't know who dared to betray them, but she'll make sure that person gets the

most painful reward. She tells Miss Paladin to interrogate everyone with her Lie detector immediately. Miss Paladin starts by revealing that she's not the traitor. She then turns to Gongja and says he's above suspicion since he refused the reward, but she still asks him if he chose the demon king's reward. The protagonist denies it, and Miss Paladin confirms he's telling the truth. She then turns to Sword Saint and asks if he chose the demon king's reward. Swords Saint swears on his honor and glory that it's not true. Next, the cult Interrogator says it's not him and

that he doesn't want to die at the hands of the Black Dragon Guild leader. The Viper and the Countess also deny choosing the Demon King's reward. Miss Paladin approaches the head of the Black Dragon Guild and asks if she chose the Demon King's reward. The Black Witch denies it, and Miss Paladin confirms it's true. The Viper is shocked, wondering if none of the top 10 chose the reward. Miss Paladin says not to be too surprised. It's possible the traitor has a skill to hide the truth or even a split personality. She adds that no matter

how strange it sounds, anything can happen. Swords Saint looks at Miss Paladin with hostility and says she could still be the traitor. The Black Witch asks if he really doubts them. Swords Saint says he dares to doubt and even if Miss Paladin isn't the traitor, she might be lying to protect the five guilds. Miss Paladin admits that logically such a possibility Exists and she could very well be the traitor. She says the most important thing now is to stay calm and composed because they've already overcome so many obstacles. The cult interrogator calls her innocent but

adds that trust is a beautiful word that takes time to build. He says it took them 10 years to form the five guilds and start cooperating. The cult interrogator turns to the three hunters who took eighth to 10th place and says spending another 10 years Building trust with other hunters is too inefficient. Miss Paladin tries to stop him, but the cult interrogator has already started using a sacred art. He tells the Viper to deal with the 10th place hunter. Miss Paladin shouts at them to stop, but it's too late. The cult interrogator kills one hunter

and the Viper kills another. The system announces that the hunters who died did not serve the demon king. Sword Saint is furious and pulls out his sword, Shouting that they've shown their true nature. He says nothing has changed even after all these years. Meanwhile, the cult interrogator attacks the last hunter. Gongja is shocked as the system reports that this hunter also didn't serve the demon king. The cult interrogator calmly says it's not them and that the situation has become more complicated. He's convinced the traitor is among the top five. Miss Paladin screams at him to

calm down, but the Cult interrogator says he's already calm and that the highest probability is the traitor is among them. Sword Saint attacks the cult interrogator, but Viper steps in to block him. Sword Saint calls the cult interrogator a fanatic and tells him to give a signal before killing someone. The cult interrogator sits on the floor looking at his severed hand and says the situation is heating up. He won't be able to use sacred art techniques without both hands. The Viper Under Sword Saints onslaught asks for help, saying he's about to die. Miss Paladin entrusts

Gongja with full authority, saying he's the only one who didn't accept any reward and can't possibly be the traitor. She asks him to stop Sword Saint. The cult interrogator, pouring a potion on his hand, agrees that it's better to trust someone who can't be the traitor. Another guild leader also entrusts Gongja with full powers. The protagonist is shocked and Turns to the Sword Emperor, asking if he has some kind of talent for winning over psychopaths. The Sword Emperor just congratulates him on his rise in social status and asks if he refused the reward because he

foresaw all this. Gongja says ranker relationships are never stable. So, if a traitor appears, something will definitely happen. He knew giving up the reward was the best option, but didn't expect things to get this bad. He decides he'll have to be reborn later Anyway. He turns to Miss Paladin and asks about the cult interrogator. She says he's always been like this. When they first entered the tower, religious conflicts were extreme and the cult interrogator just killed everyone to solve the problem. Gongja realizes the religious groups never actually came to an agreement and it was just

a media cover up. The cult interrogator admits he made a mountain out of a molehill due to an error in judgment. He says since Gongja now has full authority, he should stop Sword Saint. Gongja covers his face with his hand and says he'll talk to the cult interrogator seriously later. Meanwhile, Sword Saint continues fighting the heads of the large guilds. Gongja asks Swords Saint to listen to him, reminding him that he bowed to him earlier. He asks Sword Saint to stop fighting and talk first. Sword Saint suddenly stops when Gongja asks him to introduce him

to his granddaughter. Gongja says if she comes to the tower, he'd like to go on a date with her at least once. Sword Saint says he'll never forgive them and that Gongja's words won't change that. He says all he needs to do is pick up his sword and they'll die soon, so it's no big deal. He asks if he can kill them after they identify the traitor. Gongja wonders why Sword Saint is asking him this. Swords Saint puts his sword back, surprising the Viper. Gongja tells everyone to calm Down and says he doesn't know who

the traitor is and they might not figure it out. But that's not the most important thing right now. He says they can overcome this trouble without capturing the traitor. Miss Paladin says the traitor choosing the demon king's reward means their lives are at risk. Gongja tells them to look at the description of the awards. He points out that the demon king's core is located on the 20th floor. He says they should forget about Capturing and executing the traitor because it's a trap. The traitor might be shaking with fear and the system might have forced the

role on someone. Gongja says the priority is to deal with the demon king first. If he disappears, his reward will too. The system informs Gongja that the autumn rain demon king clicked his tongue, but the goddess's eyes are sparkling. Gongja says no matter what test the tower comes up with, the solution is always simple. He Suggests they rise up and smash the demon king's core. The system then begins issuing the quest for the 12th floor. Everyone's terrified at the red rain. They say that this is the same rain from a nightmare and now it's all

over. Viper is surprised and wonders if this is some kind of setup, asking if the NPCs are acting this way on purpose, but Gongja says the quest has begun. He walks over to the window, breaks it, and the autumn rain demon king appears. The Demon king calls them all pathetic nobodies. He mocks them, asking if they really believe people summoned from another world would become their shields. He says they can call thousands of warriors and millions of knights, but they're all just the same little people. Gongja opens the map and sees the castle is surrounded.

The entire map is covered in red dots. The demon king says they'll be consumed by their malice. A quest notice pops up saying the demon king has Been weakened and the heroes need to stop him. Viper is surprised and asks if the demon king is really weakened. Gongja repeats that now isn't the time to quarrel with each other, but Viper starts shouting that this quest is designed to fail from the start. Gongja tells them to calm down and says the tower doesn't give impossible quests. He points to the NPCs and says, "The Viper, as the

head of the Egyp Empire's guard, needs to lead the guards." Gongja says They can't complete this stage just as hunters. The guild heads need to inspire the NPCs and lead them into battle, treating them like real people. He tells Sword Saint as a commander to unite with the Viper since they've both been given leadership roles. It's time for them to do their duty. Gongja then tells Miss Paladin to find the Emperor and the NPC officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He turns to the cult interrogator and says he doesn't like Hunters like him, but

right now they can't afford to lose the marshall. The cult interrogator laughs and says he likes Gongja more and more, but Gongja cuts him off, reminding him that they've handed over all powers to him. Our boy says the knights on the fortress wall are terrified of the army in front of them. So, the marshall needs to personally climb the wall and calm them down. He orders the marshall to protect the wall at all costs because if the Enemy breaks through, the scene will end. The marshall bows and says he's never broken a promise since birth.

They all start acting on Gongja's orders. The protagonist says he'll go first. The other hunters are surprised and say this is much cooler than the port, the black witch, but she asks him to call her the head of the black dragon guild. He asks how she ended up here, and she says she has an instant movement skill that lets her move to any place in her field of Vision. The sword emperor says Gongja should die from her just once because instantaneous movement is a top tier skill. Gongja asks why she's here instead of going to

the fortress wall. She says she came to take him away. She saw on the 11th floor that he has a sword that affects local NPCs and with it he can raise their morale. She says the knights on the wall need him, not her. She extends her hand and asks him to agree to move with her. She says he Needs to clearly say he'll move with her or her skill won't work. Gongja is surprised. Instantaneous movement is at least an S-class skill and she's sharing information that should be kept secret. The head of the black dragon

says she's the chancellor of this empire and asks how she could hide something while defending her country. She tells Gongja to hurry because there's no time. He agrees and she grabs his hand saying there's one more condition. They jump Off the ledge and only then does she use her movement skill. As they move, Gongja thinks about the NPCs and how they're no different from living people. Even if they seem like an illusion, their fear is real. They land and Gongja thanks her for bringing him here, but she surprises him by asking him to wait. She

says she can't leave without showing her leadership to the younger ones. She adds that she didn't become the head of the guild for nothing. The head of the black Dragon guild starts addressing the knights of the Egyp Empire. She shouts at them to stand up, saying, "A stone fortress wall alone won't protect them. The only thing that can protect the empire is them." The knights are moved and she shouts at them to stand up, saying the wall could collapse at any time, but as long as they stand, their homeland won't fall. She grabs Gongja's hand

and says that God is protecting them. Suddenly, the system reports that The goddess of protection is grateful to Gongja for his choice. Gongja suddenly remembers the scene where Sarbas kills him. He sees the moment his enemy is killed. Sarbus reflects that no one knows why, when, or where it came from, but when it appeared, scarlet rain fell. This creature considers all others to be nothing. Sarbus thinks about how wherever the raindrops fall, blood soon spills. This merciless creature despises people because they destroy themselves. Sarbus recalls that every time another wall is destroyed, the territory controlled

by humanity shrinks. He orders the soldiers to retreat to where there's no rain. Every time another royal family dies, human history is shortened a little. At the same time, the demon king says that people define their own fate, and he calls it the karma of primitive animals, but the rain keeps falling. The knights are terrified, saying that humanity will End. The demon king wonders why he should hold back today and not slaughter another herd of wild creatures. The NPCs are horrified to see the demon king and beg him to spare them. They call upon the

goddess for protection. The chroniclers, saving old records, write continuously. They silently accept the fate that will be written by their own hands. A sentence declaring that humanity will be destroyed. Lord of nightmare, king of all demonic Creatures. They name him in these final moments. They call him the demon king. Suddenly, the rain stops and the fortress is illuminated by a ray of sunlight. The knights are are really happy and shout that the empire is blessed. But Gongja understands that this isn't some great divine intervention. The rain only stopped where the light of the sacred sword

reaches. He reflects that sometimes you have to be content with little, Especially when you have nothing left but little. Gongja thinks about how at the very beginning there weren't any high-ranking NPCs in the audience hall because they had all abandoned the empire. Meanwhile, the knights cry and shout that the goddess hasn't abandoned them. Gongja continues to reflect that this is why the tower was chosen as the stage for the empire just as the estate that became a grave for children was chosen as the stage for the 10th floor. The black witch shouts at the knights

to stand up. The knights immediately become inspired and regain their composure. The head of the black dragon guild sigh in relief. She looks at Gongja and asks why he has such a strange look. She asks if he's really that impressed by her speech. She turns away and says there were a lot of reds in their country and she couldn't stand communists, but they were excellent speakers. Gungja is confused and the sword emperor calls it A failed joke. The head of the black dragon then turns back and asks Gongja what he's planning to do. The protagonist

confirms that they first need to hold the fortress wall. He thinks about the S-class skill of the black witch, instantaneous movement, but he realizes that even if he moves there, it's enough to blink once to find himself surrounded by monsters. He says they need to balance the forces with the demon king first. Gongja tells the witch That while the NPC warriors hold out, they need to lead the hunters, otherwise the demon king might bring in more monsters to break through the fortress wall. He asks her to take him directly to the demon king. The witch

asks if he's really planning to die, calling it a suicide mission. Gongja reflects that her doubts are natural, but for him, death doesn't mean defeat. He says he has a couple of aces up his sleeve and asks her to trust him. The witch repeats Gongja's words that all hunters have a secret. She wishes for his blade to be sharp enough to pierce this boss. Meanwhile, the demon king says the goddess has played a funny game. He adds that it's so ridiculous it can't even be called reckless. He asks if by nurturing these non- entities, the

goddess has become like them. The demon king says if that's the case, he'll show his light, too. He strikes with his sword and the blow is so strong that many knights are Thrown aside. The attack reaches the fortress tower and the palace itself. The system notifies the heroes that one warrior has died, a warrior who didn't serve the demon king. The head of the black dragon says in shock that there was an audience hall. She adds that sword saint, the cult interrogator, and the viper are leading the troops. And Miss Paladin, following Gongja's orders, is

looking for the emperor. That means only the countest could have been in the Hall. Gungja realizes she wasn't a traitor. The Black Witch calls her a scoundrel for dying first. Gongja says if the countest died, the tower's connection with the outside world is in trouble, but the Black Witch says they need to focus on what's in front of them. She says even the demon king can't keep attacking like this forever. Gongja opens the map and sees the demon king's army has changed formation. He wonders if they're trying to break through. He Extends his hand to

the witch and agrees to her proposal to defend the fallen castle gates. They hold hands and in a moment they move. Gongja realizes they're on the front line now with no allied army to protect him. The sword emperor tells Gongja it would be great if he could hold out for 30 seconds alone. He says that to win this war, Gongja must become the hope of the human race. Even 30 seconds can matter and the one who gives those 30 seconds is a Hero. Gongja drinks an enhancement potion and it immediately takes effect. The sword emperor

asks if Gongja remembers his promise to teach him the art of the sword until the 20th floor. He says it's a little early, but it's time for practice. He starts giving Gongja commands. He says there are two goblins right in front of Gongja. They have poor eyesight and because of the dust clouds, they're squinting, effectively blinded. The sword emperor Says that in battle, it's not the absolute second that matters, but the relative one. You can win this second by taking away the enemy's sight. Gongja's sword will be faster, and the protagonist says it's hero time.

Gongja starts fighting the goblins. One dies, then another, and another. It's a sword dance that lasts for seconds. The sword emperor tells him not to just swing the sword, but to connect each blow seamlessly. The Sword Emperor instructs Him to aim the sword down and then immediately send it back up. This way, his attack becomes prolonged and connected. The Sword Emperor explains that fencing is a fight against time. An inexperienced fighter won't last even a second in a dominant position. One wrong step means the end, but a more experienced warrior can suppress opponents for about

5 seconds. Gongja keeps on fighting and the Sword Emperor reminds him to make the most of every Second and pour everything into the battle. The protagonist spots a big ogre and a question pops into his head. As he attacks the ogre, he wonders why the tower gave an S-level skill to someone like the flame emperor, who he considers a psychopath. He thinks it would have been better if someone more normal had acquired the skill. Gongja questions whether the tower is impossible for anyone but the flame emperor to conquer. He wonders if he has to become

like him To reach the top, but the thought amuses him. He decides he'll conquer the 20th floor instead of the flame emperor. At that moment, the ogre swings to hit him. Gongja prepares to attack, thinking he'll reach the 100th floor. The system notifies him that he deserves even more recognition. He defeats the ogre and the system informs him his rank has risen. The sword emperor congratulates him saying it's only been 30 seconds. Suddenly, Sword Saint appears behind Gongja. He helps by destroying all the enemies in front of him. Sword Saint says that Gongja is incredible

which surprises our boy. He introduces himself again saying that his name is Sword Saint. Gongja thinks this is the second time a topranked hunter has told him their name. He sees that things are different now and he can do things he couldn't do before. He turns and tells Swords Saint his name, and Swords Saint invites him to fight together, and they Merge into a seamless team. The cult interrogator shows and apologizes for being late. He says that leading an army isn't the easiest, but he thanks Gongja for buying them some time nonetheless. He orders everyone

to kill all the monsters threatening the Empire. Gongja fights fiercely, his mind focused on one thought, moving forward. Viper runs up to him and says he's doing well. He explains he was delayed because he was leading not only the guard, but also a Member of the guard. The snake says Gongja will now see why they're called the Heavenly Order Guild. But Gongja isn't listening. He's completely immersed in the flow of battle. The snake introduces himself as Loafing and says Gongja recently saved his life in the audience hall. He decides to cover Gongja's left side, saying

those on his right have never died. Miss Paladin appears and apologizes for being late. She reports that she found the emperor, But he committed suicide by poisoning. Sword Saint says it's fine and that it's better to fight together than waste time gathering an army. Miss Paladin agrees but is stunned when she sees Gongja. Sword Saint tells her not to interfere because for Gongja time is like gold and he's reveling in it. The demon king mocks them, calling them worthless and asking if they're proud just for gaining a little time. He says even their patron goddess

has weakened and there's no Longer a god in the empire. He raises his sword and asks what they're hoping for. The black witch shouts to raise the mirrors. She says she let him go once but won't let him off so easily this time. She uses the mirrors to deflect his blow, but they shatter. Viper and Sword Saint repel the blow together. The Black Witch grabs their hands and says she'll move them all to the demon king, but they need to hold on. She screams Gongja's name and extends her hand, Shouting for him to grab it.

She yells that they'll leave without him if he doesn't. Gongja feels like everything will soon disappear. He remembers the past and realizes they'll all forget what happened. The sword emperor calls him a partner and says it's time to go catch the boss of the mobs. Gongja thinks maybe it won't disappear, just like the fact that one person died on the first floor and a soul perished on the 99th. He realizes the problem won't Be solved by going back, but he's already grown stronger. The Black Witch uses her movement skill, and they appear right in front

of the demon king. The demon king says they've learned there's a traitor, or rather an impostor among them, but still desperately trust each other, tying together the scraps of what's left. He asks if they truly believe these scraps will become their armor. The Black Witch tries to stop Gongja, but he apologizes in his mind, Saying that they'll meet again in the next life. He decides to attack the demon king. The demon king asks if Gongja has come to kill him, but Gongja says he's come to die by his hand. The demon king grabs Gongja and

kills him instantly, and the system informs him that the conditions for using the skill have been met. Gongja is dead, which means he can now copy the skill of the autumn rain demon sea. The cards float around him, and the sword emperor says He's checked all the available skills. Gongja asks him to read them out loud, and one of them is an S-rank skill, which makes you almost impossible to track. Our boy thinks this might be how the flame emperor cleared the 10th floor. It makes him wonder if the tower itself can feel regret. Next

is an A rank skill that boosts your aura by using your emotions as fuel. The stronger the emotion, the bigger the boost, but the problem is you might get Too dependent on it. Gongja thinks there might be hidden quests on every floor, even the 12th. The third skill is about summoning evil spirits. Anyone Gongja kills comes back as monsters, but without any memories or skills from their past lives. He has to pick one, and he chooses the one he thinks will help him clear the 20th floor. The sword emperor doesn't get why he picks that

one, but it's Gongja's choice. Then Gongja asks the sword emperor about the Daily routine of the sword saint. The sword emperor says the sword saint lives like a strict old man with a fixed schedule. Gongja asks about the evening routine, which makes it clear he's planning something. After copying the skill, Gongja comes back. It's been 24 hours since then. He briefly thinks about the demon king's injury, but decides to deal with that later. Just then, the black witch asks if he's really leaving. Gongja says yes. The 11th floor is about to open and he needs

to get ready. The black witch asks how he's going to prepare if he doesn't even know what's coming. Gongja isn't too worried about the 11th floor, but says the 12th floor will be a problem. The demon king will be waiting there. She notices he looks a little pale. Gongja covers his face and says everything is fine. He's just really impressed by how amazing everyone is. Then Gongja tells them that he knows what's coming and Even the quest details for the 10th floor. The guild heads are surprised and the black witch asks if he'll share the

info. Gongja says he will, but only if they promise to do him a favor in the future. He makes it clear it won't involve money or killing anyone, and if they find it impossible, they can say no. The cult interrogator says it's a fair deal, and everyone else agrees. Gongja smiles. Step one of his plan is done. He explains that the 11th to 20th Floors are part of the Edgeum Empire ark. Everything up to the 10th floor is basically just a tutorial. From here on out, it's going to be big battles. The guild heads start

talking about how to prepare their members. Before leaving, Gongja turns to Miss Paladin and asks if she'll take a walk with him. He says he needs her advice. She agrees, but says she doesn't have much time. Gongja says half an hour will be enough. As they walk, people around them kind of gossip About the guy who conquered the 10th floor. Suddenly, the sword emperor appears and tells Gongja that someone is following him. Gongja asks him to double check. The sword emperor confirms it, but tells him not to look back. The person is using stealth and

won't be visible anyway. Gongja asks the sword emperor to keep an eye on how persistent the follower is. Something feels off. He remembers that in the last round, clearing up the misunderstanding with The sword saint on the 12th floor happened too late. This time he wants to fix it early. He also knows the sword saint doesn't get along with the guild leaders. If the sword saint turns against Gongja, it could lead to some trouble, especially with a traitor now. He has to stop that from happening. Miss Paladin asks where they're going, noticing they're heading toward

the slums. Gongja says he wants to show her a shop. His real plan is to lure the Sword saint out. He's memorized the sword saint's schedule and just as expected, the sword saint starts following him. Miss Paladin cluelessly follows along. Gongja says the store is run by a really talented but unknown pharmacist. He says a bit of promotion could make her successful. Suspicious, Miss Paladin uses her lie detector. Gongja passes. He's not technically lying. She asks if he's planning anything. Gongja smiles and says he's The one asking for a favor, so any trouble is on

him. She apologizes, saying she's often told she overthinks things. They enter the shop and the alchemy master greets them. Gongja asks if she's still working. She says business hours are over, but she's always ready for clients, especially for her favorite, Gongja. When Gongja introduces Miss Paladin as the deputy head of the vigilante squad, the alchemy master panics, thinking it's an Inspection. She starts saying she's never sold anything illegal. Miss Paladin, caught off guard, uses her lie detector again. It confirms everything is true, which only shocks her more. Gongja says he's not here to cause trouble,

saying that the alchemy chick's business isn't keeping up with her skill level. He suggests giving Miss Paladin a potion sample. If she likes it, they can make a deal. Adding the vigilantes as clients would boost her business. The Alchemy chick is really happy. She says Gongja once saved her store with a big order and now he's helping again. She asks how she can ever repay him. At that moment, the sword saint enters the store and tells everyone to leave except Gongja because he wants to talk privately. Miss Paladin asks Swords Saint what he wants with

Gongja, but Swords Saint mocks her, saying maybe her ears don't work. He tells them to step aside because he's here for Gongja. Miss Paladin asks what kind of conversation he could possibly have with Gongja, but Sword Saint repeats a third time, "Get out of the way." She doesn't move and tells him that even if he says it 30 times, it won't change anything. She says he's old now and clearly can't understand basic things anymore. Miss Paladin reminds him that Gongja officially joined the top five guilds and attacking him now would mean declaring war. Swords gets

irritated. He Says if the guilds are involved then Gongja must be an infiltrator. So he reaches for his sword. Miss Paladin still looks confused and says she doesn't understand what he's talking about. She also grabs her sword and says she knows he's been going around attacking people just because of suspicion. The vigilante squad didn't step in before because they didn't want to deal with his personal drama, but this is different. He's about to do it Right in front of her. Sword Saint asks if she really thinks she can stop him. Miss Paladin says no, but

she'll fight with everything she's got. If she dies here, he'll just be remembered as a murderer who killed an innocent person. She tells him not to hold back if he wants that title. Gongja thinks to himself, "Yep, that's Sword Saint's weak point." The poor guy can't hurt innocent people. He remembers this from the previous round. Sword Saint really Trusted Miss Paladin because she never hurt anyone. That's why Gongja brought her along. Then the alchemy chick steps in. She puts [clears throat] herself between them and says Gongja is her client and her benefactor. She says even

though Sword Saint is famous and respected, she won't let him touch Gongja. Swords Saint starts calming down and the alchemy chick asks him to leave her shop. Gongja realizes that these people might not be stronger than Swords Saint, but their presence alone can stop him and Sword Saint lets go of his sword, turns around and leaves. Everything goes just as Gongja planned. He fulfills the second condition to find a chance to exchange a few words with Sword Saint before the guy tries to kill him. As Swords Saint walks off, Gongja suddenly yells after him. He

shouts that tomorrow at noon, he'll be waiting in the wasteland north of the city. He tells Sword Saint to come if he really Wants to know who Gongja is. Sword Saint looks back, says nothing, and keeps walking. Miss Paladin says this whole thing got way too intense. She jokes that this kind of meeting wasn't supposed to happen unless it's a cursed moonlight night or something. Gongja asks if Sword Saint is really known as a murderer. She says not officially, but the top guilds are aware of it. She says, "Sord Saints daughter and son-in-law were killed

by some murderer While he was still in the outside world." Sword Saint never talks about it, so nobody knows much. Gongja feels kind of sad hearing that. Miss Paladin says maybe that's why Sword Saint acts this way. He sees a killer and instantly goes all killer mode. But again, there's no solid proof, just what people have pieced together over time. Sword Emperor tells him that it's true. The old man once told him that his grandson and granddaughter barely survived. Gongja Asks why he never mentioned that before and sword emperor casually says because Gongja never asked.

Miss Paladin says she kind of gets sword saint. Even she sometimes gets the urge to eliminate people who clearly deserve it. She turns around and says the guild leaders all know each other's backgrounds. So now that Gongja is with them, he'll get to know everything, too. Though some of these stories really stink. She says they're way off topic now and asks how Much potion is available, but reminds Gongja that the vigilante squad is always broke, so they can't afford anything too expensive. The next day, with just a few minutes left before the countdown ends, everyone

waits and the mood kind of feels a lot like the last round, except for one big difference. Gongja checks the news and realizes it's a little different now because this time he made an appointment with Sword Saint. Swords Saint shows up and asks if Gongja Really thinks he won't attack just because he's alone. He says if someone kills as many people as Gongja did, it would be strange if he wasn't confident. Gongja feels kind of nervous and the sword emperor asks if he's okay. Our boy says he's fine, just kind of feeling a little tight

in the chest. Gongja decides to say something serious. He tells Sword Saint he knows why he wants to kill him. Sword Saint says Gongja must be feeling guilty. Gongja says it's Because of the detective eye skill. Sword Saint looks surprised and asks how Gongja figured that out. Gongja says he just needs him to trust what he's about to say. He thinks about how hard it is to gain someone's trust. Everyone has their own truth and Swords Saint lives by his skill. Convincing someone like that is no joke, but Gungja is ready to risk his life

for it. He says he's a fortune teller and that he has a prediction skill. He knows that swords Skill sees the number 4093 above Gongja's head. Sword Saint raises his hand behind his back and asks how many fingers he's showing. He says if Gongja is really a fortune teller, he should guess easily. Gongja knew it had come to this. Sword Saint starts to explain what'll happen if he guesses wrong. But Gongja stabs himself with a dagger first. Sword Saint is completely surprised as he never expected the protagonist to kill himself. But now Gungja respawns and

reles the day again. This time when Sword Saint puts his hand behind his back, Gongja interrupts and says exactly what he's about to do, which surprises the old man. He tells Sword Saint that killing him is easy, but without him, the 12th floor can't be cleared. Sword Saint still says it's not enough. Maybe Gongja doesn't have foresight, but some other skill like insight or mind readading. Gongja stabs himself again and respawns. Then again And again, he keeps trying to convince Sword Saint. He says he doesn't want Sword Saint to trust him forever, just for 5

days. He tells him to watch everything he does in those 5 days and decide for himself afterward whether he deserves to die or not. Sword Saint still says he doesn't believe him. So Gongja pulls out his final card. He says that in the distant future, Sword Saint will tell him something important, and if he says it now, it'll prove Everything. He mentions the sword emperor, which surprises the old man and ghost. Sword Saint says it's enough and asks the protagonist if he really needs just 5 days. Gongja says yes. Sword Saint agrees. He says he'll

observe everything Gongja does. His steps, words, behavior, everything. Then he'll decide whether Gongja is a fraud or a real fortune teller. Our boy bows and thanks him. Now everything is in place. Sword Saint won't attack him on site Anymore, and the guild leaders are on board, too. Everything's set to prevent trouble up in the 12th floor. He tells Sword Saint that they'd meet again on the next level, and then they move on to the 11th floor. Gongja gets transported to the battlefield, and the hunters are all surprised as this whole mission is starting to feel

intense. At first, everything seems the same as the last round. But then something new happens. The Black Witch suddenly yells out to All the hunters, declaring that from now on, the Black Dragon will take the lead in this war. She orders one section to push through the left side, while the other section go right, and the Black Dragon unit will go straight down the center. She tells everyone to keep their complaints to themselves until the battle is over. The hunters charge in, and Viper shouts that he'll strangle anyone who dares die in this war. The

guild leaders jump into battle as well, And Sarbus watches all this in surprise, then yells at his own army, telling them that warriors from another world are crushing the monsters easily. He calls for his knights to join in, and they do just that. Meanwhile, the sword emperor walks up to Gongja and asks if he's okay, teasing him that if things keep going like this, he might fade into the background. He keeps making fun of him, saying that he loves attention more than anyone and wonders if he's okay losing His spotlight. Our boy just says it's

fine and that he doesn't care. The sword emperor laughs and asks if Gongja has finally grown up behind Gongja. Sword Saint is silently standing and Gongja doesn't notice at first. Then he turns and jumps in fear when he sees the old man right behind him. He asks what the old man's doing and Sword Saint reminds him that he said he'd watch Gongja for 5 days before deciding whether to kill him or not. Gongja asks if he really meant 24/7 surveillance, and Sword Saint says yes. Gongja says that maybe he should fight some monsters too since

the rewards depend on contribution. And without even turning around, sword saint casually slices off the heads of several goblins. He says he'll swing his sword from time to time, so he shouldn't worry. Gongja walks towards the black witch, but her men stop him, asking what he wants with the leader. The black witch turns around and sees him and Sword saint, telling them to make it quick since she's busy leading the charge. Our boy tells her that he has a reward for clearing the 10th floor, and she barely reacts. So, he pulls out a mini map

and says he can see the whole battlefield with the location of enemy and ally forces. That gets her attention. So, she turns around and asks if it's real, and he asks why he would lie. Immediately, she grabs his hand and scolds him for not coming sooner, then Demands to know where the boss monster is. He points at the spot and it's surrounded by enemies that are hard to see, but the map shows it clearly. She immediately activates a teleport skill and tells him to accept the transfer. He agrees, and as they prepare to teleport, Gongja

notices how different she is when she's not in control. Her real personality shows when she's flustered. They teleport right above the battlefield and the black witch asks Where they need to go next. Gongja quickly points toward a distant shape and they teleport again, appearing directly above the boss monster. As they fall, she asks if he even knows how to use a sword, and he says he's strong enough to handle this one. Then she launches him straight toward the monster. Gongja jumps down with his sword, landing on the ground and slicing the boss in half. The

smaller monsters around freeze in terror, and Gongja Turns and casually asks if they want a piece of the action, too. The monsters all run for their lives, but the hunters chase after them. The Black Witch praises our hero and says the stage is already cleared in under an hour with less than 30 hunters dead. Gongja is really surprised as she's always had a serious face because so many people died early on, but now she's really happy at the low casualties. He realizes her mood is directly tied to how many people Survive, and she's surprisingly simple

like that. He tells her to calm down, but she's too excited, praising him again and saying, "This is the smoothest conquest ever with the fewest deaths and that he should be proud." Gongja feels a little speechless, and the Black Witch tells him it's a blessing that the new hero is someone like him. She shakes his hand and says that from today, the media will be all over him. Gongja shakes her hand, thinking that being seen as a hero By normal people feels nice, but it's not enough. He wants recognition from people who actually fight hard.

people like Sword Saint, the Black Dragon Leader, and others who give it their all, he decides he wants to be acknowledged by people like them. Smiling and shaking her hand again, thinking that he wants to protect them, too. Then the system starts calculating contributions to the battle, and Gongja quietly thinks to himself that he Doesn't want to be tricked by some demon king or mocked like the flame emperor once did. He just wants to give proper respect to hardworking people and be respected by them in return. Sword Emperor says that Gongja is finally starting to

look like someone worth watching. And our hero stands in front of the system panel, thinking that in this changing world, he wants to change, too. He looks at the rankings and sees that the order isn't the same as in the Previous round. The Black Witch tells everyone that with this momentum, they can push straight to the 20th floor, saying she thought they'd lose at least 5,000 people. But now things are going smoothly. But Gongja frowns, remembering that if nothing changes, the real disaster will be on the 12th floor. He knows that losing the only specialist

who can handle trade relations with the outside world would be a massive blow. and if they don't act, they wouldn't Even lose 5,000. They'd lose 50,000 or even half a million. Gongja is immediately transported to the 12th floor, and everyone is already there. The Black Dragon leader looks around and says she didn't expect such a place. The cult interrogator praises Gongja, then asks if he knows where the next boss is since he cleared the previous scene, but Gongja says he has something to tell the guild heads first. Everyone starts paying attention, and Gongja asks if

They remember yesterday's promise, and the cult interrogator raises his hand and says, "Of course." Gongja tells them to honor that promise now. He asks everyone to do absolutely nothing for the next 5 days. Just stay put and says he'll take care of everything up to the 20th floor alone. The Black Witch is surprised and asks if this is a joke, telling Gongja to stop because it isn't funny at all. The hero says they hear everything correctly and that this isn't A joke. Everyone is surprised. The head of the black dragon says it's impossible, adding that

he knows clearing the 10th floor alone has taken them many years. Sure, they have just conquered the 11th floor in less than an hour, but according to her, Gongja is overconfident and simply too excited. The hero bows and asks them again, saying that while he clears the 10th floor primarily for himself, he shares the rewards and achievements with them. He points out that everyone benefits from the information, not just him, and that he has every right to make this request. He asks for only 5 days, saying that regardless of whether he has time to clear

everything up to the 20th floor for them or not, he just wants them to wait for this period. That's all he asks for. Meanwhile, the system begins issuing rewards for conquering the 11th floor. Behind Gongja, information about two awards appears. The guy turns around And looks at the pan. While the hero wonders if the demon king is acting more quickly because now they aren't fighting. Gongja, meanwhile, is waiting for an answer from the guild heads. The demon king strongly recommends that Gongja choose the reward. He then looks at Miss Paladin and the other heads, and

the demon king hints that he can refuse the reward. Suddenly, the cult interrogator says that he doesn't see the problem. He says that Hunter Gongja Shares information about the 11th floor with them and in return he asks them to fulfill one request which they agree to with the condition that it wouldn't be something impossible. The cult interrogator says that doing nothing for 5 days and just waiting there won't be easy considering the fuss the press will create during that time but according to him the request isn't impossible so he's for it. The black witch begins

to object but the cult interrogator says that an Agreement is an agreement. She grabs her head and reluctantly agrees. Viper also agrees, though he has no idea what Gongja is up to. The countest agrees because if Gongja is asking for this, he probably already has some kind of plan. Miss Paladin also agrees and soon all the other guild heads follow suit. However, Sword Saint still stands aside and watches. Suddenly, he says that he hasn't made any such promises. He says that he and Gongja agree on only one Thing, that Sword Saint will be watching over

him for the next 5 days, so he sees no point in fulfilling any more requests. Swords Saint adds that if Gongja goes to clear the 20th floor, he will follow on his heels as per their agreement. Gongja replies that everything is fine, though he is thinking that he plans to defeat the demon king alone. But with Sword Saint on his back, he will definitely feel more at ease, so he isn't going to give Up on it. Then he asks them to listen and silently turns around looking at them joyfully. He thanks them for fulfilling his

request and as he leaves says they will see each other in 5 days. Gongja opens the gate and walks out. Both he and the sword emperor are surprised when they see that all the NPCs have frozen. Gongja explains that this is because the quest hasn't started yet. Sword Saint as agreed continues to follow him. The hero explains to the Sword emperor that no one has yet chosen a role and now the empire has neither a chancellor nor an admiral. Replacing them with hunters will trigger the quest from the 12th to the 20th floors as it

ties into the quest given upon entering the 11th floor scene. Gongja begins to remember and wonders if last time the quest on the 12th floor has been given out too late. He realizes that the quest only opens after analyzing the roles. Heading toward the exit of the fortress, He says that if they don't choose a role, the quest won't begin, and neither will the invasion of the demon king's army or the empire's resistance to it. As he continues to leave the fortress, Gongja turns around and asks the sword emperor what will happen if the demon

king dies in this state. He opens the mini map and asks again what will happen if the boss dies before the quest begins. Gongja replies that it's elementary. No one will be able to Choose the demon king's reward. And of course, the traitor won't appear either because he will be gone before he can get things done. The autumn reign demon king begins to get angry at Gongja, but then he suddenly appears. The demon king asks how Gongja dares to interfere and orders him to adhere to the agreed order of the goddess of war. He calls

Gongja an impedent person for coming here without making a choice. However, Gongja answers, says that he has chosen as Expected. He pulls out his sword and says that this is the best choice. Gongja smiles and says that he will kill the demon king before the start of the quest and then not a single hunter or imperial will die. Of course, some kind of traitor won't appear either. He says that this will be a happy ending without a single victim. Gongja smiles again and says that he hasn't been able to stomach bad endings for a long

time, but if there is a chance, he will always prefer A happy ending. He calls out to the demon king, saying that he is interfering with him, and at this rate, they won't see a happy ending. The demon king gets angry and asks how he dares to single-handedly interfere without even enlisting the help of the empire. Gongja raises his sword and asks the demon king what kind of help there is, saying that warriors by nature fight alone. The demon king kills Gongja again, but before dying, our boy marks something on His palm. He thinks the

demon king's fighting style isn't anything special, just wild and mindless power. Sure, it's scary, but if you know the direction of his swing, you can dodge it. The sword emperor agrees and tells him it's all about timing. Gungja dies again. Still, he keeps drawing marks on his palm. He calls it the prison of time. On the next attempt, he drinks a potion and fights the demon king while under its effect. But again, the demon king's sword cuts Him down. Gongja dies and draws another mark. He wonders what would have happened if they had just gone

through the quest normally. How many people would die in the battle waves that follow? One dead knight means 20 years of life lost. 10 deaths, 200 years gone. 100, 2,000 years wasted. Our boy didn't pick any special role to earn that kind of time. He just wants to protect it. He dies again and returns 24 hours earlier. He thinks the only way to win this time Back is to have a body ready to be banished forever. Sword Emperor laughs and mocks him, saying he still can't dodge a basic swing, even after knowing where it'll come

from. Gongja dies again. While fighting, the Sword Emperor says, "Our boy still doesn't know how to use aura properly. The aura must flow evenly." Gongja dies again. He finds himself once more facing the demon king, who tells him to obey the rules of the warrior goddess. But Gongja ignores it And keeps attacking, saying, "Today he'll end it in one blow." He jumps, strikes, dies again. He repeats the same scene again and again. Every time he declares that the warrior is here to cut down the demon king, he dies over and over, but never stops. He

mocks the demon king, calling himself the sword of the empire. The demon king tells him to prove it. Gongja raises his sword and prepares to strike, then dies again. Now he pushes harder. His sword moves Faster. He blocks an attack for just 1 second. He survives. 1 second becomes a lifetime. He tells himself that even a stream starts with a single drop. Even if he lives only one second at a time, he'll keep pushing forward. Each time he comes back, he keeps drawing lines on his hand. So many that his brush can't keep up. In

one round, the head of the black dragon praises him. Floor cleared in under an hour and less than 40 deaths. In the next, it's under 50 Minutes with only 30 dead. Then it's under 40 minutes and not even 20 lost. Then maybe even just 10. And finally, one day, no one dies. The demon king sees Gongja smiling and asks why. Gongja says he's happy. The demon king is confused. How can a dying man be happy? Gongja says no one, not even him, would understand. The demon king says that sounds arrogant. Gongja just says it's the

truth and attacks again. He dies, but he keeps going. His sword today is Faster than yesterday and tomorrow it'll be faster again. Later, the head of the black dragon walks up to him and tells him she checked. No one died. She holds his hand and says, "Even the pantheon had no casualties." She cries and hugs him, thanking him. Gongja thinks he wants to keep living just a bit longer. He finds himself back again. The demon king asks how he dares to challenge him alone. Gongja says it's just the way of warriors. He fights again, dodges

the Next blow. The demon king keeps swinging, calling his shadow the true evil. Gongja blocks it, but suddenly a mirror appears. The black witch teleports in behind him. She says she was supposed to stay put, but curiosity got the better of her. She asks what Gongja is doing here all alone. He says it's the warrior game. She says she's not letting him have all the fun and joins in. Gongja jokes and asks if she's trying to steal his kill. She says Stolen prey tastes the best. The demon king tries to speak, but Gongja cuts him

off and says, "Forget fighting alone. Maybe attacking as a group is also the true warrior spirit." The demon king gets mad. He says their weak tricks won't work anymore. And calls upon the evil spirits. Monsters appear everywhere. The black witch is shocked. This is beyond what they can handle alone. The head of the black dragon shouts if the sword saint plans to help Or not. Sword Saint stands relaxed, says he's still watching. After all, it's only been 30 seconds, and Gongja is already fighting dark slime. Gongja shouts that he wanted to fight alone for a

bit and now he's ready for help. The head of the black dragon prepares to leave and tells them to grab her hand, but Gongja refuses. He says it's fine. He raises his hand and points to the sky, then activates his skill. He summons his own evil spirits and the Demon king is surprised. In a flashback, the demon king was injured. It grew in size little by little, but it still wasn't that big. Each time it received a new body, it also got happier. Suddenly, the demon king in the form of a puma saw a girl.

She started running away, screaming for her dad to save her, but there was no one nearby. The demon king ate the girl up and absorbed her completely and there was nothing left of her with her memories slowly flowed into The demon king and the creature became the girl. Her father yelled out for her. It turned out her name was Estelle. He looked out from behind the bushes and asked her what was wrong with her clothes. The girl turned to her father and said she's okay. Back to our hero, who had just activated his skill. skeletons

start to emerge from the dark shadows. And Gongja asks the Sword Emperor if he's wondering why he chooses to summon evil spirits. He says that at First he also leans toward a different skill. He starts talking about the technique that enhances aura, saying it would probably be kind of cool if he could use it like the demon king. But now his opinion has completely changed. He shows a skill card and draws the Sword Emperor's attention to the fact that the card mentions summoning people killed by the owner of the skill. He asks the Sword Emperor

how many people he has personally killed. The sword Emperor replies that he has killed zero people, adding that maybe he's only killed two, the flame emperor and himself. Gongja agrees and says that must be true. Then he asks why the detective eye of sword saint shows his kill count as over 4,000. He says the method of counting deaths in the tower is different. He asks again how the sword emperor sees the number of deaths on his hands. Suddenly the sword emperor sees that one of the skeletons is Holding the same sword that Gongja carries. He

realizes these aren't just ordinary skeletons. And Gongja says that he really has died many times. The black witch looks surprised and asks if this is Gongja's skill. She says this must be why he cleared the 10th floor alone. The demon king also looks all surprised and asks where Gongja got such a technique. Our boy tells him that he has no intention of telling him where. The demon king shouts that this is Unforgivable and unacceptable. Meanwhile, Gongja turns to the sword saint and asks him to fight the skeletons with him, saying that with his support, they'll

be invincible. Sword Saint says he's not thrilled about fighting beside monsters, but admits they're still better than Gongja. Then the hero turns to the black witch and asks her to help him, saying the two of them can defeat the demon king together. Gongja raises his sword and calls to the Evil spirits, telling them to show what they do best. He points the sword at the demon king and commands the skeletons to kill or die. The skeletons rush toward the monsters, but the large monsters take them out easily. The skeletons rise again, even with missing arms

or legs. And by uniting, the skeletons manage to defeat the large monsters. The sword emperor watches, says that the nature of these skeletons is just like Gongja's, an army of monsters who don't fear Death. The demon king gets even more pissed and asks Gongja how he dares to do this. He calls him a mere outsider from another world, someone who hasn't carried the weight of this world's pain, hatred, or life. He demands to know how Gongja dares to interfere. Gongja points his sword straight at the demon king and asks what difference it makes where he's

from. He says he's here now, even if the demon king doesn't think he has any right to be, and he tells him not to Interfere. Right then, the system sends a notification that Gongja has earned a nickname from the tower, the death sovereign. The tower officially gives him this title, and Gongja says that the tower has recognized his rights. In another flashback, the demon king doesn't age and just gets more beautiful over time. People call her Lady Estelle and the holy virgin. Rumors say Estelle can cure any disease, so people bring their sick kids to

her. One desperate Mom begs Estelle to save her dying child. Estelle tells her to leave the child and come back at dawn. When they're alone, Estelle picks up the crying baby and says it smells delicious. She talks about how people are desperate for love and how the kid's mom wrapped him in the best rag she could find. Even with so little, the kid is full of life. Estelle promises the child it won't hurt anymore. Then she eats the kid. His flesh and memories Fill her and she says she understands everything now. She tells the child

to live a little longer, touches some black goo, and a kid comes out of it, though she calls him a non- entity. When the mom comes back, Estelle hands over the revived baby and says he's healthier now and won't even catch minor illnesses. She tells the mom to keep loving the child just as before, and the mom bows and thanks her. Over time, more people gather around Estelle, calling her a Savior who heals the sick and gives people hope. She becomes known as the one who saves those who suffer. Meanwhile, some knights are accusing her

of heresy. Their boss orders them to attack and they go in with torches, burning everything and killing people. Estelle screams in rage, calling the knights heartless monsters who don't care about human life. She says their evil will destroy them. Over at the battlefield, Gongja dodges an attack From the demon king and tries to keep his team calm. The demon king swings again and Gongja can't figure out where the next hit is coming from. He dies, but his reincarnation power rewinds time by 24 hours. The system reminds him he keeps his skills and memories, so he's

not starting from scratch. He fights the demon king again, dies again, and keeps looping, slowly getting better each time. The black dragon's head helps Gongja every round, but the demon king Keeps summoning monsters, and Gongja keeps dying. Time passes, and eventually only 4 days are left before he can summon spirits again. He dies again, then again, and finally, with 23 hours left, he faces the demon king once more. The dragon is worried he'll die, but Gongja dodges the attack and says he's fine. The demon king asks if Gongja has some kind of foresight, and Gongja

gives a vague answer. Then the system tells him spirit summoning is available again. Gongja activates it, surprising the demon king. He jumps high and swings his sword, but the demon king blocks it. The sword emperor, one of the summoned spirits, says the demon king is strong but valuable. He tells Gongja to test if he can summon a second spirit later and jokes that Gongja could go from zombie to zombie king. Gongja tells him to stop talking because it's distracting. Suddenly, Gongja dies again and resets the day. He's mad and yells that the Sword Emperor distracted

him. The Sword Emperor mocks him, saying it's not his fault Gongja is weak. The system updates, showing nearly seven days are left before the next summoning. Gongja swears he'll beat the Sword Emperor someday, but the spirit teases him, saying, "You can't kill someone who's already dead." He tells Gongja to hurry up and beat the demon king. The Sword Emperor brags about reaching the 20th floor without cheats, and Gongja shouts To the Black Witch that the next strike will come from the right. She gets ready and uses mirrors to focus her energy and blasts the demon

king, tearing his torso apart. Gongja laughs and jokingly calls her ma'am. She gets annoyed and says she's not that old and Gongja blames it on the potions, even if she's actually pushing 50. The demon king recovers and Gongja senses another attack. He warns the dragon it will come from the left and tells the sword saint to get ready. He orders the dragon to dodge the next attack if no one else is there as it might become a big strike. The black witch attacks again, surrounding the demon king with mirrors and blasting him from all sides.

His torso gets torn apart again. Then something new happens. Skin starts forming out of the black goo. Gongja is surprised and the system tells him that the autumn rain demon king has decided to retreat to the 13th floor. The heroes are surprised because Bosses never run away. The demon king warns them not to get cocky and says he'll be back. Now only a tiny bit of him is left. Gongja is frustrated and covers his face, wondering what all this means. The tower gives him a hidden quest and suddenly quests for floors 13 to 19 unlock.

Gongja is surprised and the system calls him a hero and says he can chase the demon king now. It asks if he accepts the quest and Gongja happily agrees. The hidden quest, Hero of a Time Frozen world, activates, and the system wishes him luck. The system starts searching for the demon king on the 12th floor, but doesn't find him there. It keeps tracking him, and the sword saint Gongja and the head of the black dragon watch this. The black witch is surprised and asks Gongja what's going on, but he says it's his first time seeing

this, too. The sword emperor is also seeing this for the first time. Gongja is surprised and turns to the black witch, Pointing out that there are way fewer banners on the fortress wall now. The head of the black dragon agrees and takes his hand, saying there's something he needs to check. They move to the fortress wall, expecting to see a frozen city, but instead all the inhabitants are alive and moving around, living peacefully. The protagonist says this is a change in history and realizes history has been rewritten due to their heroic actions. He explains that

the Egum Empire was originally supposed to be occupied by the demon king and whether they defeated him or were destroyed was always a question, but now there's no invasion in this world. Gongja is very happy. He understands that no one knows about this yet, but history changed because of him. He remembers the beginning of the red rain, but now life is blooming in the same place and the town's people are enjoying the bustling life. The heroes happily look at the City from the fortress tower, but suddenly someone starts shouting at them. Sarbas along with two

knights demands to know who they are and how they dared to set foot on the fortress tower of the empire. Gongja remembers how Sarbus once asked him to help their country. He recognizes him immediately and calls him by name, but this only makes Sarbus angrier. He asks how Gongja knows his name. Gongja thinks about how Sarbus, who was once friendly and on the 11th floor, now acts like a complete stranger. He remembers how Sarbus asked him to protect their empire before Gongja moved to the 12th floor. Gongja starts laughing hysterically and Sarbus is confused. The

black witch watches in surprise as Gongja laughs like a madman. The sword emperor also doesn't understand and looks at Gongja with confusion. Gongja laughs for a while but then starts to calm down. Suddenly yells that he protected their empire. The Knights look at him with confusion and our boy continues saying that he kept his promise. All the residents start paying attention to him. Gongja thinks about how he wasted hundreds of days because he didn't want to allow even one victim. Hundreds of days later, he finally defeated the demon king. He shouts that he's proud of

it, that he did it. Gongja reflects on how he used to be a mess, envying others, mocking them, and wasting days drinking alcohol. He justified his frozen heart with indifference and gave up on his life. But today, Gongja can be proud of himself, and that makes him very happy. He thinks that even if the world only notices the sword saint and the head of the black dragon, the most important thing for him is that he was a worthy person today. The system starts counting the participants in the purge and displays three conquerors on the screen.

The first one is the death sovereign. Sarbas irritably asks Gongja what he's talking about. Suddenly, Gongja shouts his name again, waves at him, and tells Sarbas to take care of the empire. Gongja confuses the knights by shouting that it's enough to catch the demon king, but their empire can still rot here and there. He starts shouting that they'll manage it themselves. The sword emperor laughs and says that he thought Gongja would act like a decent adult, but all he did was brag loudly. Meanwhile, Gongja turns to the head of the black dragon and suggests they

quickly head to the 13th floor. she says with a gloomy look that she understands hunters in the top are never normal. She uses her movement power and they end up next to the sword saint. The old man says the right to enter first is always given to the first place. The head of the black dragon calls Gongja the death sovereign and says since he's their representative, he should say the word Transmit and he says it. They get moved to the next floor right away. As soon as they step in, the system pops up, welcoming the

demon king. The moment they arrive, they hear the demon king screaming like crazy, yelling that someone took his children. He looks furious. Sword Saint says that scream is terrifying. He's never heard anything like that. The head of the black dragon wonders why the demon king is shouting so much. Gongja gets ready for a fight, But Sword Emperor suddenly asks what's wrong with the demon king. Sword Emperor notices something's off. He says the demon king seems weaker than before. Gongja turns around surprised. Sword Emperor says the Black Witch must have hit the demon king hard with

aura. Maybe he's messed up because of that, but he thinks that's not it. He says the demon king's form dropped. Sword Emperor explains that this guy used to be an SSS ranked monster boss back on the 12th Floor. But now he says the demon king feels more like that oversized goblin king from the fifth floor. The one Gungja barely beat while screaming like a little kid. Sword Emperor says something's weird. The bosses are supposed to get stronger the higher they go. So maybe the aura from the black witch had some extra weakening effect. Gongja starts

wondering if something changed in the story. Then the system tries to calculate the reward for Clearing the 12th floor, but says it can't. Rewards will be counted after clearing the 19th floor instead. For now, Gongja just gets a small reward. His God of War patronage gets boosted and a map from the 11th to 20th floor is revealed. Gongja is surprised. It's like a whole world map. He turns to Sword Saint and the Black Witch and says he figured it out. He asks the Black Dragon to remember what they saw before. The story about the demon

king invading the Capital is gone. The refugee camp is gone, too. Gongja tells them to think, "Where did all those refugees even come from?" He realizes it makes sense. They probably evacuated the whole continent, but even that refugee camp vanished. The Black Dragon gets it, too. She says the story of the invasion changed, not just in the empire, but the whole continent. Gongja says they've gone back in time to before the demon king almost took over everything. They're now at the moment When this temple was attacked. He tells Sword Emperor that the demon king's level

dropped. He adds that every time hunters level up, people say their existence becomes stronger. Gongja always thought that was just fancy nonsense, but maybe it's real. Maybe the demon king got stronger by killing all those Imperials and refugees. And now that all of that is gone, his power dropped, too. The system says the demon king's existence is fading. The demon King suddenly starts screaming again. The heroes get ready for a counterattack. The demon king calls upon his evil spirits, summoning thousands of demons. He calls them his children and orders them to attack. The Black Witch

says she always hated zombie movies. While fighting, Gongja turns to Sword Emperor and says, "Let's make a bet." He asks how many times he'll die before reaching the 19th floor. Sword Emperor guesses under 100 times. Gongja says he Bets under 99. Sword Emperor says fine, but he won't help. Gongja agrees happily and then dies right after. He asks the black dragon how to deal with this mess. She says she's already doing her best and asks if Gongja can use his skill. He says it's still on cool down and he needs three coins before he can

use it again. When asked what that means, he says it's a special thing. Then he asks Sword Saint to smash the big roof that looks like a sarcophagus. He wants to Check something. Sword Saint asks what he's trying to check. Gongja just says he'll explain later. He's a fortune teller after all. Sword Saint looks skeptical but does it anyway and surprise surprise, Gongja dies again. Next round, Gongja tells Sword Saint the sarcophagus was a secret passage. There's a special hammer down there that works on the undead. He tells Sword Saint to go with the black

dragon and use that hammer. Sword Saint says he Only uses his sword and life. Gongja keeps convincing him the hammer has area damage. He just needs to cast aura and hit the ground and all the dead will fall. Sword Saint asks how he knows this. Gongja yells he's a fortune teller again and dies mid-sentence. Next round, Sword Saint finally listens. He grabs the hammer and uses it. Boom! Dead army defeated. Gongja tries to say only the demon king is left, but then a massive monster shows up. He can't tell if it's A zombie or a

giant or both. He thinks maybe it's the sacred cyclops who used to protect the temple, but now serves the demon king. Gongja says he'll fight it, dies instantly. Sword Saint says he wants to fight it instead, but Gongja refuses and tells him to keep fighting zombies with aura attacks. Sword Saint complains that this is the perfect enemy for his sword. Gongja yells again that he's a fortune teller and orders the black dragon to blast the cyclops in the Eye. The black witch gets excited. She says she always wanted to shoot a giant in the eye,

but suddenly the cyclops shoots a laser from its eye and kills Gongja again. Gongja comes back and uses his spirit summoning skill. The black witch is surprised. It's supposed to be on cooldown. Gongja orders them to attack the cyclops but asks one thing. Don't hit the eye. The black dragon is confused. Gongja says if they hit the eye, something bad will happen. The Black witch complains because she really wants to hit it. Gongja says, "Yeah, he gets it. It's a tempting target, but just don't." Sword Saint tells her to listen to him as he is

the fortune teller. The black witch sigh and says she'll try her best. Then she attacks the cyclops. The demon king retreats to the 14th floor. Suddenly, flowers bloom everywhere and kids are running around laughing. Gongja looks at the mountain and sees the cyclops is normal again and Protecting the temple. They all hold hands and move forward. They reach the forest and the demon king retreats to the 15th floor. They fight again. He runs to the 16th, same thing, then 17th. The story is slowly wrapping up and the demon king ends up on the 19th floor.

His existence is almost gone. The heroes arrive and find the demon king looking super weak. He says none of this would have happened without Gongja and his meddling hero friends. Now he's just a Tiny little guy. Gongja grabs his sword and says now he can finally see the demon king's eyes. He says it's crazy that they never made eye contact until now. He tells the demon king to gather everything he's got and attack. He asks how much weaker the demon king will get if he runs again. He says if the demon king wants any shot

at winning, he better fight now. But the demon king just calls Gongja a scavenger hyena. Gongja yells for Estelle. He tells her One last time, "Go all out, otherwise his story will last longer than hers." At another time, Gongja dies and gets a penalty for using his skill. He and Sword Emperor get transported to a burning village, and he gets surprised. He hears knights shouting that they need to kill everyone because they're all monsters who've been corrupted. Estelle watches all this in horror as she can't understand why people are burning other people. The knights say

they've got Orders from the emperor. They're doing all this on the orders of the forest king. There are also magicians who got the same orders. The village keeps burning and some residents don't make it out of the fire and stay in their burning houses with their children. The fire doesn't spare anyone young or old. At dawn, when it's all over, Estelle looks around horrified. She walks through the village and sees burnt wood everywhere. As she walks, she also sees Burnt bodies. She remembers taking another step and seeing the corpse of a girl she once cured.

She falls to her knees and she starts saying the names of all the dead people. She picks up ashes from the ground and starts eating them along with the dirt. After eating the ashes, she calls the knights non- entities. She repeats it again and again. Meanwhile, some black substance starts coming out of her eyes. She stands up and says they were people, Too. They were also born human. They know the beauty of life as well. She says they're people, so they're also capable of crying. She wonders why they stubbornly call other people monsters. The black

substance completely covers her and her eyes turn red. She wonders if they're people, but she's destined to be called a monster. It starts raining red and Estelle keeps wondering if only they have the right to be called people in this world. She says they need to Prove that a person is a person. The demon king's shadow covers everything around him and he says, "Now they'll prove it." The demon king curses them and says their evil created him. No more villages will burn. He says their malice will consume them. Sword Emperor immediately wakes him up. He

says this isn't Gongja's hell and now the penalty reproduction is complete. Later on, Gongja is still fighting the demon king. He cuts him in half and sword emperor Gives him a signal. He tells him to empty his mind and the demon king jumps back feeling so much pain. Our boy sees that the demon king's body has clearly shrunk and almost all the dirt is gone. The system notifies them that the existence of the autumn rain demon king is fading, but the demon king doesn't want to admit it. Suddenly, blood starts flowing from his hand and

he's surprised. Then he's even more surprised when Gongja orders him to retreat. Gongja tells the demon king to retreat to the 20th floor because he still can't defeat him. He says the demon king can safely return to his base, his last fort. He tells the demon king to go back to his starting point because that's his final destination. Sword saint watches all this silently. He picks up his sword and the black witch says she's letting the death sovereign take the last attack. The demon king is very unhappy but still retreats to the 20th floor and

Gongja changes history again. Gongja turns to Sword Saint and the Black Witch and says he wants to go to the 20th floor alone. Sword Saint bows and thanks them for helping him so far, but he says he wants to reach the finish line with the demon king. The head of the black dragon doesn't object. She says thanks to his huge contribution, they made it this far. She also says she broke her promise not to move for 5 days, so this time she'll really wait. Sword Saint Says today is the end of the fifth day and

orders Gongja to meet him as soon as he deals with the 20th floor because they have a lot to discuss in private. Gongja agrees. He bows and thanks them once more before moving to the 20th floor. The system greets Gongja and tells him he's entered the boss stage. The demon king stands in the forest and Gongja walks toward him. The system starts counting all the rewards from the 11th to 19th floors. It tells Gongja the Tower recognizes his huge contribution. It notifies him that the powers of the death sovereign have been established. He's given limited

rights as an apostle and he gets the right to improve any of his skills except the X-level skill. He says he doesn't know why the tower was built, who built it, or why it's filled with creatures from other worlds, and starts to guess what kind of creature the tower is. A creature monitoring their choices, and one that will Remember Gongja's choice. The hero points his sword at the demon king and says, "It's time to end him." The demon king is terrified, shouting that Gongja should not dare destroy his paradise. And from here, the boss scene

starts. Our boy stands in front of the demon king, lifting his sword. The demon king yells that he can't forgive anything. He says the memory of the ashes is still stuck in his head and eyes. He asks how the protagonist dares to forget Everything they did. He summons his sword and asks if he plans to burn his paradise by turning back time. The hero thinks this place is the tightest stage in the world and this demon king is actually the weakest boss ever. The demon king charges at him, swinging his sword, but our boy easily

blocks it. He says that everything has changed now. He and the demon king have switched roles. On the 12th floor, the demon king used to be the boss and he was the hero. The Demon king was the one who attacked and he was the one who stopped him. Now he pushes the demon king back without trouble. He says, "This world is crazy because now even the demon king is the one trying to fight back." The demon king screams and attacks again, telling him to die. But our boy just says those words mean nothing to him.

I mean, dying is literally his hobby. Then he cuts the demon king straight in half. The system pops up and says the demon king's Existence is fading away. The demon king heals, but the protagonist cuts him again and says he'll just have to keep getting weaker. Every time he slashes, the system keeps saying the demon king's presence is fading. Then he cuts him again and suddenly the demon king freezes. Dark dirt starts pouring out of him. Estelle panics because the tower has taken away her title as the autumn rain demon king. She screams and begs

the tower not to do it, but it's Useless. Even her eyes turn back to normal. The hero watches her struggling. He says she's weak enough now. Estelle looks scared and tells him not to come closer, but he walks toward her and says if she doesn't stop him, he'll keep coming. Estelle backs off, rambling about her children and what people did to them. Then she shouts that he has no right to treat her like this, but our boy cuts her off and says she's wrong. He tosses his sword over his shoulder And says that from her

point of view, he's just a stranger from another world. He also says her whole world worked together to burn her village down and only he is truly an outsider here. He says the other hunters had nothing to do with what happened, so she has no right to judge him and she doesn't even have the strength to stop him anyway. Estelle cries out saying she was only trying to help the sick, but the protagonist's face turns serious. He asks if she Really believes she did nothing wrong. He says she must have felt just as scared before,

just like she is now. He remembers how she begged not to be killed and cried out for her father. He talks about how a desperate mother brought her child to Estelle, hoping she would save him, but Estelle devoured him, too. He says she acted like a savior, but betrayed everyone who trusted her. Estelle shouts that she didn't want to do any of that. He tells Her she hid the truth, stole someone's identity, and ate someone else's child. She stayed quiet because she was afraid people would see her as a monster. Estelle yells that she didn't

know. She holds her head in shock, saying she didn't understand human life or what those words even meant. He asks if that's why she did all this. She screams yes, saying that if she had known, she never would have done it. But he says this is exactly how people are. He says Even those rulers who burned villages probably said the same excuses. Estelle yells that it's not true and he agrees maybe some were just lying but asks her can she really say all of them were like that. What about the soldiers who just followed orders?

What about the people who had to run from place to place looking for shelter? He says surely some of them truly didn't know either. He walks closer and says he never went to school and doesn't know much. But he Understands one truth. What goes around comes around. Since Estelle now sees the people she hurt as real humans, then she has to go through the same pain. That's what fairness means. Estelle stares in confusion and asks what he's trying to do. He talks to the tower and says he wants to use his cleanup reward. He says

the tower lets him improve any skill. The tower agrees, but says there's a limit. It can only raise a skill from SS to SSS level. He chooses to upgrade his Evil spirit summoning skill. He says he wants to change it so that if he wishes, the summoned person keeps their memories from life. Estelle is surprised and asks what he's planning. He says this is a fair change. He doesn't want their skills, only their memories. The tower checks if it's possible and confirms it. The skill is upgraded to SSS level. Now when he summons the dead,

they can keep their memories and faces, but not their powers. This becomes his first ever SSS Skill. He says he'll now kill her. If she doesn't like that word, she can just imagine that he'll consume her the same way she did to others. He swings his sword and says he'll absorb her and spit her out the same way she did to the sick and helpless. Estelle crouchs and picks up her sword. He says he's glad she became human now, but before this, she was a monster. If she stayed like that, he wouldn't even be able

to summon her with this skill. She decides to fight Back and charges at him, but he dodges super easily. The sword emperor watches and shakes his head. He says her stance is all wrong, her feet don't land properly, and she doesn't even look ahead when swinging her sword. He says she only relied on skills and aura before. She's not even a real swordsman. Estelle attacks again, but the sword emperor reminds our boy that's why he always tells him to train the basics, because at the end, only your hands and Feet can save you. He yells

at him to end it. The protagonist smashes Estelle's sword in one hit and a big chunk flies off. She falls and cries and he stands over her about to end her for good. He raises his sword, but the sword emperor suddenly stops him. He apologizes for interrupting, but says he shouldn't rush to kill her. The hero, annoyed, asks why. The sword emperor says this all seems too smooth. He says Estelle might not be a monster anymore. Maybe she's just an NPC now, but they don't even know if NPCs can be summoned through his skill. He

argues that NPCs are people, too. But the Sword Emperor says that's just how he sees it. He tells him to check the skill description again. It says it only works on people he killed. He says that still includes NPCs. The Sword Emperor says, "Sure, but how does the tower see it?" Estelle stays silent while he talks to himself. Then he gets an idea. He asks the tower, "Does this skill work on anyone he kills or only people like hunters?" The tower says the question is unclear. Then it says the question is outside its authority. The

tower checks his rights and announces something surprising. Because he is acting as the death king and has temporary apostle rights, the question will be taken seriously. The tower says it'll call a meeting with the six pillars of eternity to vote on the answer. He is surprised and asks the Tower to wait, but it's too late. He's already being transported to the meeting. The protagonist appears in an empty space, totally confused when a notification pops up about participant verification. One by one, the pillars start joining. The sixth pillar, the ancient staff shows up, followed by the

fifth pillar, the princess who walks through miragages. Then the fourth pillar, moon, that observes the blind. And finally, the third pillar, the one Who legislates the beginning. Our boy stays on edge, but he can't see anything. He just feels this overwhelming presence. Two more notifications appear saying that all pillars have arrived and they would now be discussing the question asked by the king of death. They ask if NPCs should be included in the revival skill and they decide to hold a vote for it. They start speaking in weird untransated languages. And our boy holds his

head, Confused by these strange sounds he's hearing. Normally, the tower translates everything, but this time it doesn't, and he realizes these beings aren't part of the tower. They're beyond even the demon king. He starts thinking these might be the tower's creators. The voting begins, and the fifth pillar votes in favor, followed by the fourth pillar also voting in favor. He looks at the other two silhouettes, and the third pillar votes against, while the second Pillar refuses to vote. The result is two in favor, two against, and one abstension. He wonders why it's a tie and

then realizes that one person hasn't voted yet, and that's the tower's owner. He suspects they're worried about him abusing the skill to summon armies by killing NPCs, but he believes he's proven his intentions. He speaks up, saying that he's not the kind of person to misuse the skill for such reasons, nor would he become one. He gets a Response saying that his declaration is not bad, but still complicated. The celestial being asks him to speak from the heart and not the brain this time. With a confident smile, he replies that the demon king is his

prey, so they shouldn't even think about touching it. The first pillar, master of all lives, votes in agreement, and with that, the voting ends with them wishing him good luck again. NPCs are now included in the skill, but his temporary apostle power Is revoked. He snaps back to reality, and the sword emperor asks why he zoned out after he simply asked him to ask the tower a question. He stays silent for a moment before finally speaking up, saying that it all happened in the blink, the blink of an eye. But at the same time, it

feels like an eternity has passed. He asks the ghost hard anything strange, telling him that the tower summoned him to another world and that the tower's creator appeared and laughed At him. The spirit admits he knows nothing about it. Not even a legend who cleared the tower to the 99th floor knows what our boy is talking about. He raises his sword at a terrified girl preparing to strike and decides to handle other matters. After reaching the 100th floor, the sword emperor asks if he's going to ask about the the tower, but he says he already

got his answer. He kills her and then uses his power to make black slime form on the ground. The Estelle chick rises from it and he tells her to stand. Though she looks the same, this is a new life and he carries responsibility for it. She can't keep the name Estelle, so he gives her a new identity. Hungry Ghost, now loyal to him. She bows to him and raises her hand, listening silently. The girl starts to shed tears and given how he treated her, she should hate him, but she obeys without hesitation. The presence of

the demon king on the 20th Floor is undetectable as the system confirms his absence. The hungry ghost stands in a village watching as people go about their lives, but she doesn't want to be there. She covers her face, asking someone to stop. An army with horses marches forward, and Commander Sarbos sits on one of them, commanding the army to halt. The hungry ghost collapses, telling her master she would not resent him. She will hold no grudges against him and will follow any order he Gives. Nearby, two people bring food to a girl and her mother.

Estelle starts to cry. She says she doesn't care what happens to her next, but he should please spare her haven. Gongja stands in front of her and the sword emperor watches everything. Finally understanding, Gongja asks her if she means that Li has the responsibility to protect its subjects. She apologizes for not realizing that earlier and our boy walks away from her, telling her that She lost her bet, so she better think of how to make up for it. Gongja tells the army to halt and commander Sarbos questions his authority. Gongja asks why they're here and

Sarbos explains they came on Imperial orders to cleanse the area from a witch corrupting mines, saying they can't stand and let that happen. They'll burn everything with sacred fire. Gongja remembers them all. The knight, the pharmacist chick, and the blue monster. He rescued them across Multiple dungeon floors. 13th, 14th, 15th, and onward. The knight says the high priest ordered punishment for heretics who dared call the witch a saint. Various factions have gathered. Warriors, nomads, traders, knights, all once saved by our suicidal hero. Sarbas demands to know who Gongja is, and a message appears. Hero of

the frozen world. Difficulty unknown. Gongja stands silently for a moment. Reflect on the past and on how the people of the Continent don't the great deeds he has done for justice and devotion. But regardless, justice is justice and devotion is devotion. He addresses Sarbus by name, irritating the knight, who says Gongja has no right to address him that way. Gongja points out that he knows the emperor's current situation, but fusses over some boomass imperial order. Sarbus pretends not to understand, but Gongja hints he knows Sarbus' plan to overthrow the crown Prince and support the third

prince over the rightful heir. He figured it out just by experiencing Sarbus' trauma. Gongja walks up to him talking about how much the emperor helped Sarbus rise from a port worker to a commander. Sarbus angrily says that he must be from the Amber Palace, and he's only here to change the views of everyone that has gathered here. and Gongja mocks him, saying that the fishing nets he's been carrying aren't the only things with Holes in them, as his eyes seem to be serving him no purpose. The knight starts sweating in fear, asking who sent Gongja.

The protagonist raises his sword, telling them to look for themselves. He's the heir of the founding emperor, Lefanta Aim. The sword glows brightly, and Gongja declares he knows about the political unrest and Sarbus' betrayal. He questions Sarbus' loyalty and asks if he's disappointed by his words, and Sarbus falls from his Horse and kneels, saying he isn't disappointed at all. Gongja tells him to protect the empire and all life in it. Sarbus' men salute him as the predecessor, and the entire army bows to him. The Sword Emperor stands beside him, admitting the hero's deception is unmatched.

Our boy asks him if he's just realizing that now, and the Sword Emperor advises him that confidence is key, not just in sword play, but in deception, too. In order to completely Fool your opponent, you must fool yourself, too. Gongja lowers his sword, and all the knights kneel before him. Two elves and two men in red clothes discuss if he's truly the predecessor. They aren't sure, but the sword is real. Sarbaz, still kneeling, asks a question. Why is the predecessor here if the army came to defeat a witch? Gongja recalls the spirit's advice. Believe your

own lie. His eyes turn red and he declares, "The witch is already defeated." He Points to the white-haired girl, Estelle, the witch of the West. Sarbas confirms it's her. Gongja waves his hand and the girl stands. The army shouts to burn her, but Gongja orders the hungry ghost to kneel. She does. He tells her to bow and hit her head on the ground, and she obeys. Then he tells her to do push-ups, planks, squats, and run sideways. She follows all commands until she collapses, saying she can't move anymore. Gongja says this proves the Witch is

no longer a threat. She now obeys his every word. Sarbus and his warriors are surprised, and a knight questions this, saying the girl might still be dangerous, and they can't fall for this. He says Gongja has nothing but a sword to prove his identity. Sarbas defends him, saying doubting the sword means doubting the goddess. The knight says he's just following orders from the high pope, but Sarbas interrupts, accusing him of prioritizing the church Over the empire. He declares the third prince no longer needs the priest's support, and they start fighting over it. Gongja smiles quietly

as he has seen clearly what the third prince's faction truly stands for. No wonder Hungry Ghost tried to put a wedge between them. The elves talk about the pointless fighting with one saying, "Humans with short lives are always thick-headed." Some knights are offended, and one warrior suggests settling this with a duel. Suddenly, a blue monster with a long tongue appears and tells everyone to give way. The lizard-like creature says it's easy to resolve everything. Tests the witch and the hero using a soul gem. The gem given by the ruler of the mer people shows whether

someone's soul is light or dark when exposed to their blood. The monster holds out the gem and says that if Gongja is truly the emperor's predecessor and the girl is truly a witch, then both must take the Soul gem test. The creature explains how the gem works. If it touches the blood of someone with a good soul, it glows white. But if it's someone evil, it turns black. Our boy asks the sword emperor if this is true, and the he confirms it, saying that half creatures are good at making tools like this. So Gongja tells

them to test him without hesitation. The lizard says that bluffing won't help and warns Gongja not to regret it later. The monster grabs Estelle's hand, cuts her palm, and lets her blood drip onto the gem. The gem turns black immediately, and the lizard is surprised at how dark her soul is, wondering what kind of crime she's committed. He calls her a witch or even the demon king and pushes her aside. Now it's Gongja's turn. He steps forward and says he's ready. The lizard cuts his palm, still talking about how bluffing won't help, and lets his

blood touch the gem. The gem lights up like a solar Flare, glowing so intensely that everyone is blinded. The elves and the lizard are surprised, and the commander and the others can't believe how pure Gongja's soul is. He's glowing like a holy figure with a halo above his head. The lizard is convinced that our suicidal boy is a saint and tries to remember where he's seen a soul like this before. Tears fall from the lizard's eyes as he whispers that Gongja must be the apostle of the goddess, and Gongja confirms it, saying that he is

indeed the apostle. The dumbass knights are all confused, wondering what the creature meant by calling our boy the light, but it's clear that Gongja is something special. Some monsters notice the sword he's holding. It's the emperor's sword, which proves his noble origin. One captain says that if Gongja is the great emperor's successor, then why does he stand in their way from burning the village? Hungry ghost tugs On his jacket, suggesting that if he's really the apostle, he should lead the heavenly punishment against the knights. He remembers the sword emperor says that the best lies are

90% truth. He tells the knight to watch his words as he'll decide the method of punishment. As a matter of fact, he has already taken care of the evil ones. He snaps his fingers and raises skeletons from the ground as proof, which scares the living spirits out of the knights. Gongja Places a hand on Estelle's head, claiming it's his mission. He asks why they assume that this witch is the only evil in this world, explaining that these skeletons are villains he defeat, demonic followers of evil comparable to that of the witch. He says it's the

will of the goddess to destroy evil and send demons to hell. This is his destiny. The lizard realizes that Gongja did all this on his own. And Gongja confirms this, saying, "This truly is their hell, and No one could have imagined the apostle would go this far." Gongja says, "There's no need to punish Estelle anymore. He already eliminated the real villains. These demons will suffer in his hell forever." The Sword Emperor admits he has nothing left to teach someone like him. He's more skilled in lying than he thought. He tells the Sword Emperor not to

be modest, as he still has a lot to learn from him. Then, Gongja reminds everyone that this is the Will of the goddess. The night captain asks if Gong Ja is really in control of these demons. He just wants to be sure they won't escape someday. Gongja snaps his fingers saying the captain simply wants proof he's not sheltering demons. A skeleton with black emerges from the ground. Gongja interrupts and says this should clear all doubts. The skeleton starts to disintegrate and Gongja calls forth the spirit within. Surprise, surprise, it's the flame emperor. The Flame emperor

immediately grabs Gongja by the collar and starts yelling at him, saying that boiling him in hot sewage water won't be enough for what he did to him. He screams that he'll kill him and drag him through hell. and he keeps shouting and shaking him by his jacket. Gongja tells everyone this man is one of the true villains, even worse than the witch. The witch was born evil, but this man was born human and committed worse crimes. The elves watch in fear as the Flame emperor makes more noise. Our boy snaps his fingers again, telling him

to dance. The flame emperor suddenly starts dancing uncontrollably, confused and furious, and entering a huge ord. He yells dancingly that he'll gong someday, but keeps dancing. He dances circles around Gongja, literally and definitely anything but a victory dance. The captain kneels, seeing this overwhelming power, and Gongja says the demons can't disobey him. Yet, the warriors still Hesitate. The knight asks the hero's name, and Gongja replies, "It's Confucious," which actually is the meaning of Gongja. All the knights fall to their knees and say they will follow him. While the flame emperor continues to put on a

show and throw fabulous threats to our boy, the system congratulates him, telling him that he has cleared the quest and the boss stage has been completed. Two notifications pop up above the hero's head and the sky Changes from orange to blue. The system starts to calculate the rewards for clearing the stage and it will be given in 24 hours. The 21st floor will open soon. Sword Emperor laughs, looking at the hero and talking about how insane it is to clear a boss stage like that. The hero raises his head and says he doesn't care if

he's crazy or not. At least he cleared the tower up to the 20th floor, doing everything his own way. Not a single hunter died during the battles. He remembers how knights died in the past. But this time, no Imperial or Continental resident lost their life, and he was able to take the hungry ghost under his wing. Even if they had just watched from the sidelines, the stage would have probably cleared anyway. But the other possible ending was brutal. Burning the city down and destroying everything could have been another outcome. The tower doesn't care about good

or bad endings. If it did, someone Like the flame emperor wouldn't have made it to the 40th floor. Gongja says the tower didn't choose this world, and the ending doesn't always need to be perfect. The day is calm, no fire, no rain. This ending is the one he chose. Sword Emperor asks if that ridiculous dancer is also part of his chosen ending. Flame Emperor yells, telling him to stop, confused why Gongja is letting him continue dancing. And our boy simply gives a thumbs up and smiles, asking if It's beautiful. A loud announcement says the 20th

floor stage has been cleared twice and Gongja is bummed cuz there's no connection. Sword Emperor reminded our hero that he once said he'd rather be recognized by special people like the Black Witch or the old man instead of just random people. Gongja tries to deny ever saying that at first, but then says the more the marrier. He says maybe it's possible to earn recognition from everyone. And Sword Emperor calls him Greedy. Suddenly, Black Witch jumps on Gongja, happy that he's alive. She calls him crazy and says that on top of that, she heard that he's

still a baby that's not even in his 30s yet. She squeezes his neck out of excitement and he complains that it hurts. The old man stands nearby under a tree and the girl shows her phone to Gongja. She says people are glazing him for clearing the floor in just 5 days. She went back to the first floor and took screenshots of A bunch of news articles. Headlines are everywhere. 14th floor cleared. King of death, a new star rises. She couldn't take screenshots of all of them, but it's clear that things are running wild, not just

inside the tower, but outside, too. Gongja is surprised about all of this and the Black Witch says that everyone is talking about him, where he came from, how he got so strong, how he's climbing so fast. He asks if they went through the trouble of taking all These screenshots herself and she proudly says yes. She even used a portal to get to the first floor just to collect all those screenshots for him. He can't believe it. The number two hero going through all that trouble just for him. She moves his face closer and tells him

again, "Yes, she did all this herself." His face turns red and the girl warns him not to look at the comments because of the trolls. They obviously have nothing else to say. Gongja looks at her and thinks she's like an angel. Sword Emperor jokes that anyone would look like an angel if they treat him nicely for even a minute. His face turns even redder. In his head she's not just an angel now, maybe a goddess. She shows him a newspaper with rankings and he's surprised to find out that he's in third place now. Something that's

never happened this fast since the tower opened. She says he now represents all the hunters and hits his Shoulder with the newspaper, reminding him to think about his next steps. Technically, he's a member of five major guilds, but he's not really part of any of them. Someone in third place shouldn't just be called a regular member. He should be the head of a guild. He thinks about that title, guild leader. She says that if he plans to go off on his own like the old man and kill everyone in his path, she won't force him.

Sword Saint heard that obviously And asks why they're talking behind his back. The Black Witch asks who all these people are, and Gungja says they're knights from all over the continent. He explains that after he beat the demon king, an invasion event happened on the 20th floor, so he used tricks and skills to lie his way through, pretending to be some great emperor's descendant. She laughs and says he's good at lying, but still no blood was spilled. Thanks to him, they can now trade with this Continent. She adds that they don't need to do business

with people of the outer world anymore as their prices are insane. The old man says trade has always been unfair. Outside people have all the resources, tech, and power. Gongja remembers how cold the black witch seemed when he first met her, but now they feel close. Gongja asks how much she wants to trade with this continent. She says a lot, so he tells her that she can use his name for it, And he'll speak up for her. After all, in this world, he's the apostle of the goddess and the emperor's predecessor. She says it's a

tempting deal because she knows he wants something in return. Gongja says what he wants is the entire 20th floor. He wants to own all the land. In return, he won't take any reward from the 11th to 19th floor clears and they'll share trade profits with others. She says she can't decide that alone and will need to talk to the Other guild heads. She also asks why he wants the 20th floor. It looks worthless. The soil sucks and there's not much space. He just says he likes land more than money, so that would do for our

suicidal real estate owner. She agrees to talk to the others, but she has one more pressing question. She looks at Flame Emperor still dancing like an idiot and asks what the hell that is. Gongja says they should just pretend they didn't see anything. The Hunters teleport to the first floor city and the black witch asks if they can make the same coffee shop their meeting place again. Gongja says it's fine by him and they walk forward. For others it was only 5 days but for our boy it was hundreds. The black witch tells him everyone

in the tower is talking about him now so he should be prepared. As soon as he steps out of the building tons of paparazzi start taking pictures and yelling his name. Gongja, Sword, Saint, and the Black Witch are making their way down to the first floor, and people start whipping out their phones to record the whole thing. Everyone's calling Gongja the King of Death, which is a pretty badass nickname. Journalists are shoving mics in his face, asking if it's true he soloed the 20th floor, and what's the deal with him and the Black Witch? Gongja

is sweating, and the Black Witch whispers for him to keep his mouth shut. She quietly asks if he's ever Dealt with the press before, and he doesn't answer. She tells him he's got to pick a vibe. either go full-on mysterious mode or embrace the whole celebrity thing. Once he picks, there's no going back. Sword Saint says he'd rather stay out of the spotlight, avoid the drama, which is why he chooses to travel alone. Gongja asks about being mysterious, and the Black Witch says it's all starts with keeping a straight face. No social media, no live

streams, No constant filming, interviews twice a year, Max, and only with reporters she okays. Gungja's still confused, so she breaks it down. Attention is like a drug, and once you get a taste, it's hard to quit. Sword Saint calls it all meaningless, and the Black Witch agrees, but says it's fun meaningless. Then she asks the hero what he really wants. He says he's after recognition, not just attention. She says that most people are cool with a small circle of fans, but Gungja's aiming for something bigger. She respects that, even if the difference seems small. Suddenly,

the journalists get even more up in his face, and he asks the Black Witch how to keep a straight face, so she shares her secret. Think of something super depressing for her. It's remembering the time she fled a civil war, losing her dad along the way. Gongja tries it, thinking of the flame emperor, and his face goes ice cold. The black witch is Impressed, saying he's a quick learner. They push through the crowd, and Gongja is looking all serious and intense. Later, they all chill at a cafe, and the cult interrogators hyping Gongja up for

clearing the 20th floor in 5 days. Miss Paladin admits that she thought they were all going to die during the cleanup. She asks if Gongja's got some secret method, and he says she should just live by her conscience. The countest or count depending on the day Talks about how the empire's NPCs turned on them, arresting them as palace invaders. Viper calls the cult interrogator sneaky for finding a secret escape route. The cult interrogator says that he was kidnapped by the Bulgarian mafia as a kid, saying those were the best days of his life. The Black

Witch says that they've all got rough backstories, slums, gang leaders, you name it. She calls them all trash from the outside world, and Miss Paladin Tells her to cool it with the oversharing. Miss Paladin asks if that means Gongja is officially one of them now, and the Black Witch says, "Yeah, since he played a huge role in the cleanup, no one died, even with a ton of people on the 11th floor." She says Gongja is the perfect guy to represent their tower as a new hero. Everyone else has problems. The count's too greedy. The cult

interrogators got too much blood on his hands. Miss Paladin hates The spotlight, and Viper's just awkward. Sword Saint is an old dude obsessed with fencing, and she works in the shadows. Gongja's the only one without a public image. The cult interrogator starts analyzing Gong Ja, saying he should play up the mystery angle. So now he's freaking out as they start planning his whole public persona with fake backstories and donation announcements. He reminds them that he's going for the mysterious gimmick, but the Black Witch Insists they need at least one photo for the press. They start

a photo shoot, making Gongja pose with a sword while the sword emperor tries not to laugh. Gongja is so done with it, taking off the jacket and yelling that hunters should focus on climbing the tower, not this nonsense. He mocks them for being stuck on the same floors for years while worrying about stupid stuff. The Black Witch and Countest just laugh, saying his outburst is perfect for headlines. Sword Saint tells Gongja to give up, saying the same thing happened to him back in the day. He's ready to bounce, complaining this could go on all day.

Gongja follows him, and the guild heads shout that there's a press conference tomorrow, so Gongja should lay low until then. On a rooftop, a hunter recognizes our boy and asks for an autograph. Gongja's never signed anything before, but does it anyway. Once the guy leaves, he talks to Sword Saint, saying that he Has killed a lot of people, but never punished himself. He admits he lives by his own rules and says that everyone else at the top has a tragic backstory, but he was born into luxury. He joined the tower to see if his skills

were real or just privilege. He draws his sword, saying he used to rely on skill, but ended up depending on a skill card called vigilance. He asks if Gongja's ever killed an innocent person, and he says, "No, never." Sword Saint cuts his Skill card in half, saying he'll trust his own eyes from now on. He thanks the protagonist for sticking with him through the last five floors and tells him to rest up for the press conference and the 21st floor. Then he jumps off the roof, leaving our boy behind. Gongja asks the sword emperor if

sword saint just acknowledged him and the sword emperor says, "Yeah." Gongja collapses, crying in relief that it's finally over. The sword emperor teases him for acting Like he cleared 50 floors. Then out of nowhere, Gongja gets a system notification. The goddess of protection's impressed with him and wants him as her apostle. Gong Ja is confused and the goddess tells him to look down and to the left. He realizes the last authority is activating and it hits him. The goddess of protection has been a sword this whole time. She confirms it and Gungja's mind is officially

blown. Gongja sits on a couch Watching the news which is completely focused on him clearing the 20th floor. They keep showing clips of him taking down a massive ogre like it's nothing. They even claim that if the footage is real, the so-called king of death defeated an 11th floor stage boss in a single strike, something no one has ever done before. Our boy feels super awkward about all the attention and quickly turns off the TV. The sword emperor says he wanted to keep watching, but Gongja Points out that every channel is running the same story

anyway. Suddenly, Gongja's sword starts talking. It's the goddess of protection again who lives inside the blade, congratulating him on his incredible achievement. He says all this fame feels like a heavy burden, like some kind of tax he never asked for. He's already exhausted from yesterday and asks if the goddess is maybe overestimating him. She calls him the light and brings up the speech he Gave when he first entered the tower. Gongja cringes so hard he wants to disappear. He realizes that she might be fangirling over him the same way he used to glaze the flame

emperor. Hi Gongja holds up the sword and threatens to clean it with a gross dirty rag if she doesn't stop the glaze. The goddess panics and begs him not to do it and he's glad she finally shut up. He looks at the sword and asks if she's really a constellation, some kind of being that Represents an entire world. She explains she used to be a divine spirit but got sealed into five sacred swords by the founder of the Egypt Empire. Her name is Idol, the first sacred sword. There are four others: compassion, prayer, sacrifice, and

salvation. If he can collect all of them, she'll regain her full power. Gongja asks where to find the other swords, but the goddess goes mute. He guesses she probably doesn't even know. She says that she can sense Them if she gets close, but Gongja is not in any rush to track them down anyway. He asks what else she can do besides rallying Empire citizens and glowing like a flashlight. She brags about slashing through monsters and then blasts him with that blinding light he's seen a million times before. He tells her to come up with something

better. Just then, the black witch knocks at the door, reminding Gongja they've got 5 minutes before the press conference. She Also says that the 21st floor will open right after, so he can head there once it's done. He agrees, and when she leaves, he goes right back to pressuring the goddess. He decides that aside from glowing and giving basic support, she's pretty much useless. The goddess says that's not fair, but Gongja shuts her down, pointing out she didn't even protect her own empire. He threatens to toss her back into Agum if she keeps talking and

that shuts her up real fast. Soon the press conference kicks off and Gongja, the Black Witch, and the Sword Saint sit at a table while reporters swarm around them. The journalists immediately ask the Black Witch to face them, and Gongja reckons that she used to rule this generation before the saint came around. The Black Witch grabs the mic and announces that floors 11 through 20 have been cleared. She knows everyone wants details, but says there's something even more important to Celebrate. Not just the decadesl long effort to clear the 10th floor, or the lightning fast

win on the 20th. She reveals that not a single life was lost this time. She points to the stones beneath their feet where the names of those who died in past tower conquests are carved. The room goes silent as everyone remembers how each cleared floor used to come with a deadly cost. Now, no new names will be added to the square. When it's time for questions, The black witch tells the reporters to go one at a time. Gongja just wants to get this over with so he can hurry to the 21st floor. A guy named

John Evans from Babylon Daily News raises his hand. He calls Gongja the king of death, pointing out how fast he's climbed the tower. He's already in third place. Evans talks about rumors that Gongja's rise is thanks to some secret training program by the big guilds, basically calling him an industry plant. He also Brings up claims that Gongja monopolized the 20th floor and asks if powerful guilds are trying to take control of floors 11 through 20. The black witch whispers to him not to answer as it's likely a trap and this reporter dude is quite an

annoying one. She says it'll blow over if they just ignore it, but our boy insists he has to say something and clear things up. He reaches for the mic, telling her guys like Evans won't stop unless he makes his stance clear. She starts to argue, but Gongja cuts her off and says he's got his own way of doing things. The Black Witch tries to stop Gongja from talking too much during the press conference. She warns him that small mistakes can be fixed by the guilds, but a big outburst would be hard to handle. Gongja says

he's calm and won't mess up. When he finally takes the microphone, he introduces himself politely and turns to John Evans, the journalist who asked about him taking Over floors 11 through 20. Gongja remembers an old interview where the flame emperor yelled at Jon Evans, insulting him and his family, which turned into a big mess. Gongja decides to do the opposite. He bows a little and says he's not as strong or well spoken as the Black Witch or the Sword Saint, but he couldn't have reached the 20th floor without their help. He makes it clear his

success isn't just his own. He says aiming for zero deaths is his job As a hunter, not a way to get famous. He also says he's giving up control of floors 11 through 19 and will just manage the 20th floor. After finishing, Gongja smiles at Jon Evans. Evans has no more questions. Other reporters start raising their hands, all trying to get Gongja's attention. Gongja remembers how the Flame Emperor once ignored a big newspaper, so he makes sure to let that same paper ask the first question, doing the opposite of what the Flame Emperor Would do.

Time flies as he answers questions, but with only 5 minutes left before the 21st floor opens, the Black Witch steps in. She takes the microphone and says they have to get back to clearing the tower. A reporter shouts one last question, asking what the relationship between the Black Witch and the King of Death is. The Black Witch smiles and says they're more than friends because they're teammates, then ends the press conference. Reporters ask More questions, but she leaves quickly. Gongja asks if she just stirred up interest and then left. The Black Witch laughs and says

she loves drama, explaining that a little excitement at the end makes the event more memorable. Backstage, she grabs Gongja's hands, happy with how he handled the press. She says people love heroes, but like them even more when they're humble. Gongja admits he was just doing the opposite of what the flame emperor would have done. The Black Witch says calling them more than friends is a way to distract people from rumors. Since she's dealt with gossip for a long time, she tells Gongja to trust her experience in handling the public. With 5 seconds left on the

countdown, a girl appears. She congratulates everyone for beating the demon king on the earlier floors. She says they can stay on the first floor for a quiet life or keep climbing. Because they've reached the 10th and Then the 20th floor, she says they'll now see the deeper parts of the tower. Almost right away, the system starts moving people to the next stage, even those still sitting in cafes. The tower seems to be forcing everyone to go. They end up on the 21st floor. Someone greets them, saying he's been waiting forever. He calls the place the

Great Library of Boundless knowledge and welcomes them. The hunters are surprised because absolutely all the hunters, even those Who are washing or sleeping, have been brought here. The library manager says that he wasn't careful enough. Suddenly, the hunter who was just washing finds himself wearing a black box. Gongja feels relieved and breathes hard. The black witch asks the library manager who he is. The boy says he's just a humble, nameless little man, the manager of a small library. He adds that compared to them, he's an unimportant third rate character. The black witch looks Unhappy, and

Gongja looks around the strange library. He says it feels like a whole world. The library manager is clearly happy to hear this. He flies up to Gongja and calls him the king of death. He says there's no need to feel uneasy because he just wants to greet them. Gongja surprises the hunters, including Viper, by saying that for him they're like heroes of an epic. The library manager suddenly shows them the chronicle of the Aegim Empire. He says His hobby is reading books. Many books fly around him and he explains that the books in his library

aren't ordinary. They're related to the worlds the tower is built in. He says they're wondering why out of so many warriors only they were called. He quickly adds that it's because in their worlds only they have the names of the actors. He picks up two books and says all 302 people gathered here are warriors with nicknames. The hunters look at each other in surprise. The black witch gets worried and asks if they really have to clear the tower with just this number. The library manager shows the chronicle of the Agum Empire again and tells them

not to worry too much. He says the three of them save the empire so it won't be hard for them to pass the stage prepared for them. While the black witch thinks with her head down, Gongja suggests they start quickly. He says he understands the manager is excited to meet people after A long time, but they want to move up fast. The library manager suddenly remembers that in his excitement, he forgot to give them quests. A lot of books appear behind him, and he says he doesn't like explaining everything in detail. He starts choosing the

piece that will move them the most. Before opening the book, he warns them not to be too scared. Then he opens the book. They see a strange futuristic city with many skyscrapers. The manager says the Records in his library aren't simple books. The hunters are now floating high in the air. The library manager says these books are on a much higher level. He calls the great library of all thoughts a repository of records from many worlds. He holds the chronicle of the Egypt Empire in one hand and a book called the tale of the city

of ascension in the other, calling it their own world. Flying among the books, the manager says these books can be called Many things, an epic, a chronicle, a saga, but he prefers to call them apocalypses. He says their apocalypse, as he calls it, is in progress. The long prologue is over, and they're now at the part where the story starts to get interesting. Gungja is high in the air, looking down at the entire city. The manager says, "Not all apocalypses are progressing happily. Suddenly, there's a huge explosion." The manager watching with the hunters says, "Some

apocalypses Have been discontinued." He says, "This world isn't the only one like this, as many people do this. If the reason for stopping one apocalypse was fire, the reason for stopping another was water. The water destroys all the skyscrapers and buildings in its path, and the manager calls it tragic. They're then transported to another apocalypse where they see a volcano erupting. The manager says the actors in this apocalypse lived like they did, but before reaching the Right conclusion, it ended for an unfair reason. He closes the book and says, "While he calls it discontinuation, people

just call it destruction." As soon as the manager brings them back to the library, the hunters start vomiting. The sword emperor says it's no surprise they feel sick because they were shown things that are hard for ordinary people to handle. The manager tells them their quest is a post. He asks them to choose eight discontinued apocalypses, eight Destroyed worlds. He says he just wants to read these apocalypses to the end. He wants to continue the stories of the destroyed worlds. He points at Gongja and tells them to personally enter the eight worlds of the apocalypse

and save them from the threat of discontinuation. He says that this is the quest of their humble manager. The hunters receive a notification with a task to save the world. The boy asks everyone to clean after themselves, wondering if they've Never learned basic manners, saying that everyone needs to work together to keep the place in order. Nearby, there are flatboards with brooms and human-like hands. These are patrons. One patron with a blue bow is sweeping the floor, and another with a yellow bow is holding a tray of mugs next to the girl. These maid patrons

will serve everyone until the 30th floor is cleared. The black witch is handed a tray with a teapot and a mug, and she wonders if these patrons Are monsters. The boy smiles and says she can think of them as monsters if she wants. He tells everyone that they have to follow certain rules in the library. The first rule is not to touch any books without permission. The boy explains he collected these books with a lot of effort and each apocalypse exists in only one copy in the entire universe. A man picks up a sword and

gets ready to attack the boy, saying, "It's all a joke because the boy is actually the boss Monster." The boy just smiles and the man shouts for everyone to grab their weapons, saying, "It doesn't matter if it's a quest or not. They'll just kill the boy and clear the 30th floor." He points at our boy, saying, "The king of death cleared the 20th floor alone, so they should be able to defeat the boy in white, too." Apparently, everyone wants the smoke now and are looking at our hero with hunger. The man asks if there's anything

warriors can't do, then Tells all five big guilds to step back. The head of the black dragon looks angry at this man, raising her left hand. He doesn't like how they monopolize the 11th to 20th floors among themselves, brought in a newcomer, and made him a new hero. Suddenly, the hero grabs the girl's hand and tells her to be patient. The head of the black dragon looks at him, starting to argue that letting people like this do whatever they want will lead to trouble. But our boy Interrupts, reminding her they're live on camera with people

in the city watching on a big screen. She's unaware of everything. Apparently, before our hero fortunately turned suicidal, he once watched the clearing of the tower up to the 30th floor from the square where live coverage was shown through a hologram. He tells her to remember what the constellation told them. He says that if they look bad now, people will remember it forever. She guesses the Important thing is how they handle this situation calmly. The hero stands straight with a notification behind him already working in the great library. A reward is given for clearing the

20th floor. Our boy looks at a pink table with hearts. The normal reward is the blessing of the god of beauty which lets him see the interest levels of characters from the 20th to 30th floors. There's also a hidden reward, the blessing of the snake god, which lets Him read the thoughts of those characters. The guy goes to the girl to test his new skill. She's got this pink character window showing her favorite genres, characters, and plots. Now, the protagonist can know her thoughts and knows that she likes younger men like him and Prince Charmings.

She looks at him and our boy starts sweating from shock while the Sword Emperor laughs until he cries. The Black Witch thinks something's wrong with him, but he says Everything's fine. The Sword Emperor holds his head, laughing, and Gongja gives him a dirty look. The spirit tells him he should find a horse and ride it now to be her prince charming. The protagonist immediately uses the skill on the sword emperor and his face twists in disgust when he realizes that his favorite type is mother. The hero stands there smiling, but the ghost hits him from

behind, telling him to leave his head and delete the memory or he'll kill Him, even if he can't touch him. Our boy says the sword emperor should better stay obedient until the 30th floor and should keep his head down or else he'll open his thought window again whenever he feels like it. A group of people stand with weapons raised, ready to start a boss fight, but someone says that's stupid. It's sword saint or farming again. He says that the boss could throw everyone into a destroyed world if he wanted. Still, they want to Fight. The

old man says if they're planning a group suicide, he won't stop them. The warriors lower their swords, but the black-haired man turns around again and shouts that the king of death also cleared the 10th to 20th floors alone and that monster bosses are all talk. He thinks all big guilds are con artists. The boss asks if they're done talking. The boy slams a book that glows blue, saying he hates cliches, so he'll finish things quickly. A black pillar Rises under him with a purple light on top. The boy smiles, holding an open book with some

kind of creature inside. He says that in this apocalypse, all humans were destroyed, leaving only one magician alive. The boss closes the purple book. Because of many hardships, the magician has turned into something closer to a tentacled monster than a person. The boy likes this main character a lot, ranking him about ninth among his favorites. The magician's Special skill is seal magic, bound to the boy in a deal. As long as the boy gives him ingredients now and then, the magician happily does tasks. He floats in the air with maid patrons around him. With three

patrons with different colored bows stand on the floor, the magician's hobby is putting maid costumes into finished pieces in his own world. Since all humanity except the magician is dead, it's no surprise he's gone completely insane. The black witch Stares at the glowing scene, which gets cleaner once useless minor characters are removed. The boy asks if any of them want to become main characters. Seven hunters sit not far away, books scattered around. The cult interrogator says that they've barely started but have already lost 50 people. He says that progress always demands sacrifices and now they'll

carry those burdens to move on. Almost 100 people were thrown out, but ending with only 50 gone is Considered lucky. A patron comes up to him asking if they want some because it's tasty. Our boy asks the cult interrogator to shut up because him talking only weakens their morale. The boy agrees and decides to stay silent. Suddenly, the protagonist stands and starts gesturing, understanding they shouldn't attack the constellation right now. Instead, they can just follow the quest from the library manager. He says that he is now third in rank and has to Get used to

being the center of attention and says following the quest won't be a burden for them. A girl approaches him and asks everyone to look carefully at the quest. They'll all each pick one book with a different unfinished story. If they save that world, it'll count as their 22nd floor. He says the reward will change depending on the world they save. If it's a world full of diamonds, that world will become their 22nd floor. The Black Witch is Suddenly so interested as soon as she realizes that diamonds are an example. If they find a world rich

in other resources, they can solve the tower's food shortage without outside help. Our boy opens a blue book and someone yells for him to be careful. A man with an eye patch appears, surprised that nothing happens. The boy flies over the hunters, explaining that until he activates an apocalypse, the books are just ordinary. The boss has hidden the forbidden ones, Which are dangerous even to touch. The protagonist looks at the group and points at the books, telling everyone to go read and choose books they can handle, ones that'll bring them benefits. Gongja opens the book

and a bright white light comes out of the pages. The book shows a young man kneeling in front of a girl in a school uniform, saying she is his other half. They hold hands as a blue comet hits a building, making the castle explode. The Page shows their heads cut off, and the story just stops there. At the same time, Gongja stands, explaining that each book has a difficulty level and they should choose carefully, but the hunters don't care. Some yawn and others just look sad. Our boy realizes they aren't listening because he is talking

too formally. The sword emperor tells Gongja that the hunters are acting this way because he is using respectful speech. Gongja sees that the higher Level hunters are too proud to listen. So, he raises his voice and shouts at them to split into groups based on their reading experience. The ones who know novels go left, the ones who don't go right. The hunters start grouping by genre, but Gongja notices no one is into historical books. He hits the book and tells everyone to start reading. The apocalypses are divided by genre, and Gongja tells the hunters to

decide which books are worth saving. The cult Interrogator raises his hand and says he doesn't understand what makes a book bad. Gongja shows him a book where there's a picture of a girl and a guy in a destroyed city labeled surviving a volcano with a survival romance tag. The story ends with a nuclear war killing everyone. The cult interrogator claps, not bothered by the sad ending. Gongja thinks about the flame emperor, who can handle volcanic areas, but didn't care for anyone else but himself. Gongja Holds a stack of books and tells the hunters to focus

on whether saving the world is worth it, not on the characters or story. Then he sees the black witch reading a black book and is surprised and mentions the mystery genre. The girl says she knows about it and Gongja is surprised that she, a romance fan, is reading mystery. The romance group is small while the mystical genre is full of male hunters. Gongja is annoyed that even in this situation, the hunters are Pretending to be something they aren't. The sword emperor says highle hunters are too proud to listen. Gongja walks up to the black witch

who looks confused when he calls her a romantic. She asks if romance suits her and Gongja looking at his drinks reflection thinks it is strange to see the black dragon in another group. He sits next to her as she laughs quietly. Then she gets up and walks away saying they have decided to try romance despite the death king's Advice. The cult interrogator smiles at Gongja, saying it is rare for the Black Witch to switch groups. Gongja notices him if he's into mystery books, too, and he says he knows Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Watson. He checks

his character window and is surprised. Unlike the others, he says exactly what's in his mind. He marks him as part of the children's fantasy group and sends him off with a maid holding a fairy tale sign. The boy is supposed to study all the books in That genre as he's the only one there, but he realizes there are no children's literature books in the library. He's a bit frustrated as he can't believe how many hunters are lying about their preferences. Then he notices Viper reading a book. He checks his character window and is disappointed to

see that the sixth ranked hunter, leader of the Heavenly Order Guild, likes some particularly uncultured and pretty sus stuff. The guy is upset that the martial Arts books keep failing to meet expectations. Gongja walks over, but the guy asks him what he's looking at because he is busy reading. Gongja thinks it is odd to see a light novel expert in this group. Meanwhile, the Black Witch is clearly pissed off, and Gongja tells her not to go into details about the situation as it would make him not want his sandwich anymore. She smiles and apologizes for

being blunt, saying the books always stop at the best Parts. Gongja wishes she wouldn't mention what falls out of the story, but she teases him anyway. She says that they are still alive, so the stories aren't completely lost yet. Gongja smiles a little, feeling like the hunters finally understand his frustration. The shelves are full of books, some very destructive, but they often end suddenly or unrealistically, leaving everyone kind of disappointed. Gongja realizes the boy has given the Hunters these incomplete books on purpose to show them the flaws. Suddenly, the alchemist chick calls Gongja over. She

has an alias now, the pharmacist, which impresses him. She says it comes from her, her inventions, which are helping save the world. Our boy praises her for climbing the rank so fast, saying it is all her hard work, and the alchemy chick smiles and offers to help him if he needs it. All the groups are finally done reading and Gongja holds out his hand asking each group to recommend their best works. The cult interrogator suggests a children's literature book which surprises Gongja since there are no other books in his group. He is interested in a

book called Yours and My Sacrifice, a children's literature book with difficulty level A. Gongja thinks jumping into this apocalypse, no matter how hard, is worth it. The Sword Saint recommends The Annals of the Heavenly Demon, a martial Arts story with difficulty B. It's pretty easy and is about a heavenly demon who collects martial arts techniques. The old man says mastering those skills is the goal and Gongja realizes saving this world will give them access to a library full of powerful techniques. His mind is full of ideas. Sword Emperor jokes about how Gongja's love for cheating

his way out hasn't changed and Gongja ignores him, focusing on figuring out how to get Through this new world. But with his current powers, it seems impossible. Then his sword starts glowing like something big is about to happen. A yellow notification pops up saying the sister sword is nearby. Gongja stands in front of a guy named the sword saint who is reading a white book, the same one he has seen earlier. He realizes his sword sister sword is closer than ever. The hero sits on the toilet next to the sword emperor holding his sword. Before

Going to the world of martial arts, he decides to die once, but his sword shiny doesn't get what he's planning. The sword emperor asks asks him why. And Gongja thinks of a white-haired man, Lefanta Aim, the first emperor of the Aim Empire and the one who made the goddess of protection. Even without knowing him, it's clear he's been to different worlds. The city looks like a Chinese empire. Shiny came from Aum's world, but now her sister sword is in The world of martial arts. It only makes sense that this guy can move between worlds. He

starts sweating cuz a man strong enough to build an empire and split stars isn't just some reckless master. Gongja realizes he's been nervous lately. Scared that being too confident might ruin him. He remembers becoming one of the top three hunters, almost beating the demon king and leading even the best hunters. He's afraid of messing up like the flame Emperor who died because he was too arrogant. The sword emperor covers his mouth thinking Gongja says they need to figure out who Lefanta Agam really is, but they have no info right now. The sword emperor agrees but

doesn't get what Gongja wants to do. Gongja lifts his sword, saying there's still one way. Shiny as a constellation, even if she's split into pieces. Gongja wonders if killing himself with it would be suicide or murder. He puts the blade to his Neck, thinking it's a 50/50 chance. The lion symbol glows and Shiny begs him to stop because she doesn't want him to see her past. He asks why she's so secretive when he shows her his everyday life and she says she's embarrassed. Even though she protests, Gongja touches the blade to his neck and boom,

he's dead again. Notifications pop up, skill conditions met, but he won't be able to the goddess of protection skills because they're locked away. More notifications say his Rank is now D with penalties for using skills. A vision appears. A winged girl, which happens to be shiny, stands in front of a man on a throne, saying his journey is over, and the man agrees. Gongja appears next to the sword emperor again, unsure if the man was really Lefanta Agim. The warrior on the throne thinks about becoming an emperor. The sword emperor says it's clear he's the

constellation assassin. He got his name by hunting constellations. Well, Obviously. On the 50th floor, hunters start meeting challengers from other worlds, but Agum didn't go higher. He only cared about killing constellations. He's obsessed with them for some reason. The Sword Emperor says that Agum is a hunter, too, but he just says it's surprising to see an old face here. Shiny says she feels like she's at the start of her journey, and Agum was once just a normal person. The Sword Emperor says they used to fight, but Agum never Beat the Hymn. Aim stands from his

throne looking at the girl. She asks what he'll do next since there are no more divine or ghost enemies left. He cuts her off, calls her a constellation. He says the world belongs to humans, not constellations. Edjim raises his hand and sends out a red light. He says he won't kill her yet because she assisted him up until this point. Instead, he plans to split and seal her power so she can't get it back. She panics, but Before he finishes, the scene fades. Trauma reenactment done and penalty gone. Gongja is back in the booth holding

his sword. He still doesn't fully understand what he saw. He asks Shiny why Agum sealed her, but she doesn't know. says Agen was fair, but she doesn't get why he betrayed her. The sword emperor waves his hand and says, "Strong hunters eventually lose their minds." Gongja lowers his head. A spirit tells him not to waste time trying to Understand such people. Just get stronger and beat everyone, then it's over. Gongja agrees. He looks in the mirror, thinking the constellation assassin would see him as a threat since he carries part of a constellation. The sword saint

holds a paper. 21st floor cleared. Hunters move to the 22nd, picking annals of the heavenly demon as sword saint suggested. The boy in white appears asking if they chose the world of martial arts as the first genre. He Says this version is different but still full of martial arts. Depending on the path, hunters might face ironic fates. The boy says powerful skills cost a lot and dying in the apocalypse means real death. Gongja stands in the crowd. Only four can join this apocalypse. He tilts his head saying he's in. The sword saint also joins. Those

who recommend can't stay back. Two spots left and sword saint shows why this apocalypse was stopped. A super infection wiped out the World. The disease killed the heavenly demon and others. So a hunter who knows about diseases is needed. He calls out an old man with white hair, the king of medicine. Sword emperor points. He knows this man. He runs the clinic which sword saint visits. The battle will rely on sword saint with backup from death king. If any disease hits, king of medicine handles it. Gongja says that he wants to bring in someone as

well. He points at the pharmacist who's in disbelief and Asks if he means her. He confirms it saying yes that he needs her. The pharmacist protests. She just got her alias like a week ago and is weak. Gongja takes her hand, says she's the best alchemist he knows. She stares at him speechless. Using his SSS ranked skill of gaslighting, he reminds her she once promised to help. Holding her hand, he asks again. She nervously smiles, sweating. The hunters are surprised that all four spots are taken and can't Figure out who the pharmacist girl is. The

sword saint says he's met her before, but the pharmacist hides behind Gongja. The sword saint tells her not to be afraid because he and the king of death have cleared up any misunderstandings, but he warns that they're going to a very dangerous place. The constellation reminds them that dying in the apocalypse means dying in real life. Gongja agrees and says she's the best pharmacist he knows. The Protagonist looks at the medicine king doubtfully, saying he makes good potions but isn't the best, especially compared to the pharmacist. The sword saint repeats Gongjas words, calling her the

best pharmacist he knows. He starts thinking she must be special since the king of death recommended her. The sword saint decides to let the two young men connect with the king of medicine. Gongja is surprised because the sword saint usually insists on using his Connections, but his arrogant attitude stays the same. Gongja thinks sword saints sword emperor is judging the pharmacist by her looks just like his sword emperor previously did. The medicine king frowns, unhappy that Gongja called the alchemist chick the best he knows. He calls Gongja a scoundrel and says it's funny how he

acts like he's climbed a mountain after just getting over a small bump. He scratches his beard and says Gongja Reminds him of his younger self and he doesn't like it. Sword Saint asks him to understand that the king of death is an exceptional person. Suddenly the medicine king turns and starts yelling that Gongja acts like he knows everything but lacks experience. He compares Gongja to himself when he made nearly a billion dollars in Silicon Valley saying Gongja has the same flawed plan. Gongja is shocked and speechless. He thinks about the old man's strength Which even

made the invincible sword saint retreat. The medicine king says he's put up with Gongja's nonsense and actions, constantly looking at the sword saint. He's annoyed that Gongja brought along a girl who seems to come out of nowhere. Gongja thinks about how the old man is being overshadowed by an even bigger old man, like the ecosystem of the world of elders. Meanwhile, the alchemist hesitantly says that the king of death is not a joke. She's annoyed That the old man is talking about rotten plans. The medicine king laughs and says she's acting like she's defending her

husband, which of course gets her all flustered. Miss Paladin steps in and says the girl is indeed an outstanding pharmacist recommended by the king of death. She says the vigilante corps relies on her excellent medicines. The medicine king stares at her and says that for the vigilante squad's level that might be true. He mocks her saying She doesn't know good quality, which is why she has yet to visit his shop. He asks where her guild would go for his level of medicine. The sword emperor asks Gongja why he's just taking these insults, asking if he

is holding back. Gongja denies it, saying this is all being broadcast live. He asks if this isn't the perfect timing with everyone watching. He thinks this is the best moment for both a debut and a retirement. Suddenly, Gongja asks what They think about a competition. The medicine king laughs and says Gongja can't win with words and suggests they fight instead. But Gongja takes out a flask and says he's not talking about himself, and it's certainly not a fight. He says they should each brew a potion using the ingredients he provides, and they can compare the

results to see who's better. The alchemist complains to Gongja, upset that the old man insults him, but is still called the medicine King. Gongja puts his hands on her shoulders and says he believes in her, so she should believe in herself, too. The alchemist tightens her fists and says she'll try, then says she'll win. The competition begins. People around them talk about how the king of death has gone too far since the medicine king's pharmaceutical skills are so elite that people book appointments a month in advance. The alchemist continues brewing her potion. Someone Says that

even though both are kings, the age difference matters. The countest takes the opportunity to start taking bets on the winner. The Black Witch asks our hero if he's sure of what he's doing since the betting ratio is now 1 to 47. Gongja says that's good and asks if she wants to make some pocket money by betting on the alchemist to keep the ratio from dropping too much. The Black Witch replies that Gongja is the one who said they're live. She warns that if his Recommended pharmacist loses badly, his reputation will suffer. Gongja agrees and adds

that the broadcast isn't just in Babylon, but worldwide. He says he feels a little sorry for the old man called the medicine king. Suddenly, the medicine king shouts that his potion is ready. He holds it up and tells Gongja to bow before his great creation. He's made a special restorative potion, a sign of true mastery. People are amazed and start cheering him on, saying, "This Is what they expect from the medicine king." He stands with his arms crossed, head held high as people fight to buy his potion. Then, the alchemist finishes her potion. It shocks

everyone because it produces an unimaginable light so bright it blinds people. The great library is filled with light as the pharmacist girl creates a potion near divine level. If stored right, it could even help regrow a lost body part without any problems. The king of Medicine and the pharmacist girl stand facing each other. The pharmacist girl now has this overconfident evil smile, checks the potion, and hands it back to the king of medicine, asking if that's all he's got. Gongja watches nervously, wondering if she's one of those people who gets more cocky with success. The

pharmacist girl calls the king of medicine an old man, and he calls her a lucky brat. She asks if he thinks his skills are bad. The king of medicine, Holding his beard, jokes about his past, saying when he made $17 million in 10 minutes on Wall Street, he thought it was all because of his skills. The pharmacist girl challenges him to another round. He warns her that the goddess of luck doesn't smile twice. After several rounds of making potions, the king of medicine, though amazed, keeps saying it's her luck, not her skill. The sword saint,

embarrassed, tells the king of medicine to stop and Admits that the pharmacist girl is the best pharmacist. The king of medicine yells that his experience will beat her luck. The sword saint apologizes, admitting he was wrong and praising the pharmacist girl's skills. The pharmacist girl crosses her arms and says, "It must be hard for the sword saint to have such a dumbass scenile friend." The sword saint agrees, saying, "While the king of medicine isn't as skilled, he's at least useful as an assistant." At that moment, The countest sees a chance and rushes immediately to offer

the pharmacist girl an exclusive contract, promising the best terms. The pharmacist girl, overwhelmed by the attention, says anyone who wants to make a deal with her must first talk to the king of death. Miss Paladin, who already has agreements with her, is the only exception. The countest isn't happy, but Miss Paladin and Gongja smile behind her. Gongja gives a thumbs up, suggesting they talk About it after finishing the annals of the heavenly demon. The library manager confirms that the team has been chosen. He repeats that if they die in the apocalypse, they die in real

life. The only way out is to avoid stopping the release and bring everything to a proper ending. Gongja asks what a proper ending means. The manager explains there are many possibilities, but they can either stop the disease and save Wilson Buu or use the disease to capture Wilson Buu. Gongja agrees and asks to be sent to the Heavenly Demon Chronicle. The manager interrupts, asking if Viper, the head of the gate, will join them. Viper stands quietly, arms crossed. Everyone expects him to join, but he reluctantly agrees, questioning why his students want to send him there.

He says while Muhammad is the homeland of his soul, it lacks basic comforts, which annoys him. Still, he won't go without complaining. The sword saint apologizes, saying the head Of the guild should lead. Viper is tense, but agrees to go, though he's not happy about it. Miss Paladin tries to reason with the sword saint, explaining he's already helped clear floors with the king of death and the black witch, and starting the 22nd floor would be unfair. Viper's disciples are thrilled, and Miss Paladin says the head of the guild should take the lead. While the sword

saint, a loner, doesn't have the same reputation to worry about. The Sword saint straightens his tie and thinks about the situation. He says he doesn't care about the reputation of the five guilds, but thinks it's worth considering his conscience. He agrees to let Viper take over, though Viper, despite being satisfied, stays annoyed. The cult interrogator, impressed by Miss Paladin's ability to persuade the sword saint, suggests the sword saint should hug her, but the sword saint says no. Meanwhile, the black witch notices that Everyone seems to be growing. The king of medicine, tired of waiting, complains

about the delays and reminds everyone he's still the best pharmacist, even after losing. The pharmacist girl confidently says she'll always be better than him. A fact as solid as Galileo's heliocentric theory. Viper, though reluctant, promises the civilians have nothing to fear because he'll handle the battles, but his thoughts show he doesn't want to go. The library manager Opens the book and announces Viper, the king of medicine and the pharmacist girl, as the new main characters of the Heavenly Demon Chronicles. He hands them the book, saying once they open their eyes, they'll be in a world

10 days before the Heavenly Demon Chronicle faces a tragic end. The manager says he expects them to create an excellent ending. In the world of martial arts, the martial arts genre is already losing its charm in Gongja's time. He can see It in the way the world looks. The visuals feel old. The energy is flat, and the seriousness that once made the genre great has turned into a joke. It's a world that used to thrive, but is now it's just weird and ignored. To our suicidal boy here, it feels like a forgotten genre, now kind

of buried under newer, rather cold trends. Still, he finds it interesting. It's not just a scene. It's a piece of a once great world. As they enter, heavy snow falls Around them. The blizzard is thick and hard to see through. Gongja immediately releases his aura and tells the others to do the same. The cold isn't normal. It's dangerous. The pharmacist girl admits she hasn't learned how to handle this kind of environment. The medicine king groans, saying he's about to freeze to death. Gongja turns to Viper and asks him to carry the medicine king. Viper silently

agrees and lifts him onto his back. Gongja reaches out to the Pharmacist girl and tells her to follow. She hesitates, but he insists and asks her to trust him. She gives him her hand and blushes, saying it's embarrassing. Gongja admits he feels the same, but this isn't the time to be shy. In a world like this, there's no room for hesitation. He explains that what the library management constellation calls production and release isn't just storytelling. They're not in a scene or a chapter. They're in a real world, one That needs to be saved. The pharmacist

girl realizes how serious things are. She admits she's underestimated everything. She promises to give it her all. Gongja tells her to focus on her role. He'll protect her, but it's up to her and the medicine king to deal with the disease directly. As they walk, Gongja remembers the basic story of this world. A mysterious disease has killed the heavenly demon. After that, the whole world starts falling apart. The Story is vague. It doesn't even mention snow or the extreme cold they're facing now. Gongja suspects there's more to it. The heavenly demon's death is just the

start. He needs to figure out what really happened. Suddenly, the pharmacist girl points ahead. There are people visible in the distance. Gongja grows more worried. What kind of disease could bring down an entire martial arts world like this? As they move toward the figures, the swordmaster says something Feels off. It's too quiet. The sword emperor agrees. It's not just silence. It's the absence of any movement, any life. As they get closer, they realize the figures aren't just still. They're frozen. Not by cold, but by something else. They stand as if caught mid-motion, stuck in place.

The medicine king is surprised. He asks why they're standing instead of lying down as sick people usually would. The pharmacist girl checks one of the bodies. She Removes a piece of glove and uses her diagnosis skill to check his condition. The man has died 2 years and 3 months ago. The cause of death infection, but the disease is unknown, something not in the mobile hospital's records. The medicine king says that it really doesn't make sense. No one froze to death and no one seems to have died naturally. He says that if it were a normal

infection, the bodies would be lying down. Instead, they're upright, Mid-action, as if frozen at the moment of death. The pharmacist girl suggests someone has placed them like this on purpose. The timeline of deaths is inconsistent. Some died two years ago, others three. Someone has dragged the bodies here and arranged them. Gongja opens the character window of one of the corpses. The screen shows the status of a dead person. He stares at it, and the only thing in its mind is light. He's wondering if this is some kind of Monument. Maybe the light in the character

window is the last thought the zombie dude had when it was alive. But why are they placed like this? As if in formation, Viper says they look like terracotta soldiers. Before they could think more, they hear some voices through the snow. A man and a woman are arguing nearby. The man shouts that he'll end the reign of the demonic path. The woman laughs and mocks him, a black-haired girl in dark clothes stands Her ground. She says the demonic path will rule the celestial world as long as she lives. She turns to the man, Walsson Buu,

and tells him his faction is finished. Walsson Buu refuses to back down. He claims the demonic cult is already destroyed, that he's killed their elders himself. He boasts of having 500 masters with him. She tells him to stop lying. Gongja whispers to the others to move closer and watch. The girl mocks Walsson Buu for sending his Clan leaders on endless secret missions. He replies angrily, blaming her for ruining the world under her leadership. She fires back, calling him worse than any demon. Their argument escalates until they stand face to face, each holding a simple wooden

stick. The girl asks where Walsson Buu's famous jade ax is. He asks where her demonic sword has gone. She says her wooden stick is a new weapon she's made herself, the demonic heavenly blade. He mocks the name, Calling it pretentious. She replies that it's just a rod. He laughs and calls it a demonic wooden whip. They argue over names while standing in the middle of a battlefield. Suddenly, it begins snowing again. The weather has changed without warning. Wilson Buu asks her why she said it would be clear. He says that even a street fortune teller

is more reliable. She shouts at him to stop talking and get ready to fight. From the bushes, the heroes watch in confusion. The pharmacist girl asks why the two are acting like this. And our boy has no answer. Then someone appears right behind the heroes. The pharmacist girl gets scared and they all turn around at once. Something has arrived. Something worse than they'd expected, so they all run away. This is a world where martial arts rules everything. The heavenly demon has tried to unite the martial world under one banner. The demonic path and other factions

have been on the Brink of war. But before battle can begin, something else strikes. A super epidemic. A plague that doesn't just kill, but changes everything. What destroyed this world isn't war. It's a zombie virus. The group continues to run and the medicine king points at the zombies coming closer, shouting he's never seen anything like this, not even in Silicon Valley. Gongja cuts off a zombie head and says that this really is the apocalypse. He quickly realizes the Zombies don't die unless their brains are destroyed. He turns to the head of the demonic cult and

Walson Buu, yelling at them to run. The demonic cult leader squints, unsure if her eyes are tricking her. She sees four people running and asks if they're real. Wian Buu frowns, also seeing them clearly, and feels strangely embarrassed by her earlier teasing. Our boy shouts again, telling them to run and give directions while doing it. The two marshall leaders look At each other, surprised. They thought they were dead, either in hell or heaven, but now realize the newcomers are really alive. As the heroes run, Wilson Buu says he doesn't believe he belongs in hell anyway.

He fought for a good cause as the head of the military alliance. When they catch up to the two, Viper grabs Wilson Buu and keeps running. The old man is stunned and says, "This must be real. He can't believe living people have appeared in This ruined world." Gongja picks up the demonic cult leader and carries her. She touches his chest and feels the warmth. This isn't a corpse. She asks where they came from, guessing they aren't locals because of their strange tech. Gongja is about to answer when more zombies appear above them. He freezes. Viper

looks up and shouts in disbelief. Zombies are flying. The demonic cult leader corrects him. That's her personal movement technique, one she borrowed and improved From another martial artist. These are her real demonic sect members. Warriors who haven't forgotten martial arts even after death. Gongja alarmed asks if that means zombies can still fight. She confirms it. Martial artists don't lose their skills after becoming Jong Shir. In fact, her students are even more dangerous now. She explains they're trained to sense blood in their sleep. Even as corpses, their form and execution are perfect. She's proud of Them.

The group keeps running, but they can't outrun the undead forever. The medicine king yells at Viper to go faster, threatening to bite him first if he turns into a zombie. Viper snaps back, cursing the old man and asking why he ever agreed to carry him. He wonders why he isn't paired with Gongja instead, who at least has the girls. Gongja shouts at him for complaining in the middle of a crisis. The sword emperor is also panicking, barely staying ahead of The horde. Gongja asks the demonic cult leader for the Jang Shir's weaknesses. She says they

can be killed by destroying their heads. Gongja asks if there's an easier way. She pauses, then points to the sky. Sunlight freezes them. Gongja turns to the demonic cult leader and the pharmacist girl. He apologizes in advance and tells them he's about to throw them. Using his aura, he launches them ahead. They both land in the snow. One lands upside down. Gongja apologizes again. Then he turns to face the undead alone. The sword emperor says he'll enjoy watching his zombie student get eaten by his own allies. He says it'll be one less thing on his

wish list. Gongja asks where that list even came from. He raises his sword and declares he isn't going to die today. He calls out to Shiny. She answers. His sword lights up with aura radiating energy and the zombies start collapsing. The group uses the opening To escape. The medicine king looks around surprised he survived. He says he'd never have entered the tower if not for the sword saints request. Gongja, holding his sword high, asks if everyone is safe. The pharmacist girl says her face stings from the impact, but she's fine. Viper drops the medicine king

and says he's done carrying old men. Gongja turns to the heavenly order guild leader and asks him to protect the others while he handles the zombies. Viper asks what Gongja plans to do. Gongja points his sword at the horde. He's going to finish them, but the demonic cult leader steps in. She thanks him for saving her, but says she'll have to stop him if he plans to harm the Jang Shir. And Gongja asks why. He thinks there might be a curse tied to killing them. Maybe something that would pass to him. But she says that's

not the reason. They're her subordinates, her students, her sect members. She explains the great war to Wipe out Wolson Buu's faction is almost over. Every warrior matters. The demonic sect has already lost too many. She can't afford to kill more of her own. Gongja stands silently thinking, "The world of the Heavenly Demon Chronicles is already falling apart. Where do they still find the strength to fight?" He remembers the library manager's words. When they woke, they'd be in the Heavenly Demon Chronicle world 10 days before its fall. The manager hoped for An amazing ending. That means

only 10 days are left. The demonic cult leader says she and Wilson Buu swore an oath on their honor. Wilson Buu introduces himself as the leader of the military alliance. The demonic cult leader announces today is the 989th day since her subordinates became Jang Shir, but they can still use their martial arts. She says since they're still part of her sect, she can't just kill them. She adds if they have to kill anyone, they should Target monks instead. Won Buu explodes. He shouts it took him years to gather the elite warriors of his clan. He

reminds her of their promise to settle the war between the two of them without using Jang Shir. The two glare at each other, shouting again. Gongja stands there dumbfounded. Even now with the world on the edge of destruction, they want to keep fighting. The demonic cult leader turns to Gongja and says he's wrong. The world didn't end because of The war. It ended while they were still fighting. She points at Wolson Buu and says she won't stop until she defeats him. The end of the world isn't a reason to abandon the battle they started. She

says she still has 500 warriors, the Jang Shir, and she plans to lead them to finish what they began. Wilson Buu shouts back that the warriors of the military alliance will stand with him until the end, and they're finally going to end this war that has lasted for 989 Days. The woman in the black dress points her wooden sword at the old man and says she can send him to his grave using only the demonic heavenly blade. Wilson Buu grabs a stick and says he is ready to fight. Eager to see who will come out

on top in the path of martial arts, they shout at each other, then start swinging their sticks, clashing back and forth while yelling nonsense. Suddenly, their sticks snap. Wolson Buu grabs her by the hair and she grabs his Beard in return. Gongja watches in horror, wondering what he is even seeing. Wolson Buu tries to aim for her eyes, but she blocks it easily. The sword emperor watches their fight and says their technique and breathing are perfect. Even in his own world, they would be considered elite masters. Gongja asks if he is serious. The sword emperor

says yes, he can see it clearly. The eye strike is from a technique called the divine dragon catching the Dragon's fear. The movement covering their faces matches a form called the descended Buddha, a move used to hide a monk's face before a final blow. Gongja asks why such skilled fighters look so ridiculous. The sword emperor says that is what confuses him. Their will and [clears throat] chi are strong, but their movements lack energy. He thinks they might be low on chi and aura, but even a damaged Danjun wouldn't make their movement so sloppy. Viper agrees

And adds that their attacks still follow marshall principles. The old man's stance is like the earth cleaving lords and the woman's hand technique is like a quiet floating dragon. The sword emperor confirms it and teases Gongja saying even Viper has a sharper eye than him. Gongja opens Viper's character window. He is using his analysis skill as an unrivaled warrior. Gongja sees the breakdown. Wilson Buu is trying to use the jade dog guarding the palace of the Demon king, but the woman keeps disrupting him with her counterattacks. She on the other hand is modeled after a

legendary dragon warrior. Watching it all, Gongja feels secondhand embarrassment. Viper says it looks like a game but asks the pharmacist what separates true masters from beginners. If everyone can see their forms, still Viper is impressed. He feels like he is learning martial insights just by watching. Gongja closes the window and Says, "So this is how Viper sees martial arts." The sword emperor agrees. Then the medicine king shouts that he is freezing to death and demands the two stop fighting. He curses at them and asks how long they plan to keep this up. Wilson Buu says

it is rude to treat guests this way and offers to lead them to his cave. Eventually, the sun rises. The heroes walk ahead while Wilson Buu and the demonic cult leader follow behind, tired and out of breath. Gongja Turns and offers to carry her. She admits she can't control her breathing technique today. Gongja steps forward, but Viper says this isn't appropriate. In the end, Gongja carries Walsson Buu and Viper carries the demonic cult leader. As they walk, Wolson Buu says body warmth is the best heater on a cold day. The sword emperor says that he

is a complete eccentric. They finally reach Wilson Buu's cave. Inside, the pharmacist is excited. There is a hot Spring. The demonic cult leader says she found this place long ago, but didn't expect guests from another world to end up here. She tells the group to bathe while she and Wilson Buu look for food. He asks if there is anything besides roots and fruit. She reminds him that's why they are going out to search. As they walk off, still arguing, Gongja and the pharmacist look at each other. The pharmacist says it is strange. These two were

trying to kill each other moments Ago. The medicine king says it is natural after 3 years of fighting. They probably know each other better than most couples. The medicine king says the cave is warm and cozy, though he still feels gross from holding Viper's hand so long. He tells Viper he can let go now. Viper says he doesn't understand why the sword saint would be friends with someone like the medicine king. The old man snaps back, saying he allowed the sword saint into his circle, not the Other way around. Soon, Wilson Buu and the demonic

cult leader return with grain balls. Wilson Buu explains they usually hunt, but no animals are left. Gongja thanks them anyway. They taste the food and are shocked. The pharmacist asks if people can survive on just this. The demonic cult leader says more or less. When asked how long they've lived like this, she looks at the stone wall marked with tally lines and says 2 years. The pharmacist is skeptical. Grain balls alone can't provide enough nutrients. The demonic cult leader says she doesn't know what nutrients are, but they get by. Suddenly, the medicine king loses it.

He shouts that he can't take it anymore. He uses his skill and real food appears. He says it's no wonder they can barely walk. They are starving. He starts cooking right away, pouring water into a pan, adding ingredients, and preparing a full meal. He says it isn't fancy, but it's enough. Wson Buu Says they are old, but the medicine king replies that old age is even more reason to eat well. Gungja tastes the food and is stunned. It's better than anything he's eaten, even with lottery money. He thinks this is what makes life worth living.

The pharmacist says the food is amazing. The demonic cult leader asks if the medicine king is secretly a royal chef. Wilson Buu says he's tasted a lot as the head of the military alliance, but never anything this good. The Medicine king proudly says he earned three Michelin stars after age 50. He adds that if they'd had a proper stove, their stomachs might have exploded. The Viper asks how a man like him ended up in Babylon. The medicine king replies, "Why not? Even the sword saint came here." Viper asks if they know each other from the

outside world. Wilson Buu folds his arms and says, "The sword saint is just a corporate heir." The medicine king adds that anyone making it To Silicon Valley is just lucky, but then says the sword saint came here by choice after failing in the real world. After the meal, the demonic cult leader asks where the group came from and why they are here. She also asks if they found a cure for the Jang Shir disease. The pharmacist looks at Gongja. She admits they haven't found a cure yet, but they are trying. The demonic cult leader size

and says doctors and Tauist monks have tried everything but failed. Even Walsson Buu's allies gave up. Gongja asks if there really is no hope. He points to the pharmacist and says she saw how they prepared food. That alone shows their knowledge is different. He says she is one of the best at curing disease and creating medicine. The medicine king scoffs and says she is just lucky. Gongja replies that the medicine king can at least serve as her assistant. The two marshall leaders look at each other and our boy says if they Help, maybe a cure

can be found. They admit it might not be a full cure, but it's a start. The pharmacist asks what they mean. The two lead her into a dark cave. After some time, they return carrying a wooden coffin. They place it on the floor. Gongja and the others gather around. Inside the coffin is a chained, nailed down Jang Shir. A very horrifying sight indeed. Gongja asks what it is. The head of the demonic cult says it's the head of the Wuong sect. She leans toward the coffin and says he gave his body to them after the

Jung bite so they could study it, but the only thing they found was to press the acupuncture points of the chi energy. She removes one nail from his throat. Suddenly, he screams horribly. The pharmacist girl gets scared and falls back. The head of the demonic cult puts the nail back in place. She says pressing the chi point between the brain and spinal cord helps put a Jang Shir to Sleep, but it's not a cure, just a temporary fix. She says a person bitten by a Jang Shir gets infected with corrupted energy through the vessels and

Chi points. She closes the coffin lid and says no matter how much a person meditates, they can't fight it. Whether it's a cultist with demonic chi or a monk with righteousqi, nothing helps against a jung bite. While Walsson Buu stands quietly looking away, the head of the demonic cult says the body feels Like it's on fire, as if the person is burning, and soon they turn into a Jong Shir. She also says the Shane monk lasted the longest. He stayed sane for a year after his hand was bitten, but that's one in a million. Even

the best martial artists can't last more than 2 weeks. She asks if the strangers are sure they can find a cure, but the medicine king and pharmacist lady look tense. The head of the demonic cult stands up and says, "Meeting strangers When you think there are only two of you left on Earth is a blessing." Wilson Buu says he'll prepare a place for them to sleep so they can rest. He suggests they discuss the rest tomorrow. Then night comes. All the heroes are sleeping, but even in his sleep, the medicine king curses the sword saint.

Meanwhile, Gongja can't sleep. The sword emperor asks why he's awake. Gongja says he needs to check something. Gongja then covers himself completely with the Blanket. Two shadows appear above Gongja. The two think the heroes are sleeping and decide to take their chance, but Gongja isn't sleeping. He stands up, shocking Wolson Buu and the head of the demonic cult who are standing in the water. Wson Buu shouts they thought he was asleep. The head of the demonic cult looks at Gongja quietly. She says he's smart and asks how long he's known. Gongja says things seemed strange

from the moment he first Saw them. Gongja says they were lightly dressed and standing in the cold. He says it was so cold they couldn't survive without using their aura orqi energy, meaning they used their inner strength to protect themselves from the cold. It seems strange to Gongja that out of nowhere, those who perfectly controlled their chi energy got tired after being beaten by children. Gungja points at them and says they're focusing all their energy on something else. He Asks if they've been bitten while the sword emperor watches with displeasure. Gongja continues saying, "Like the

heads of other factions, they're using theirqi power to suppress the corrupted energy." The head of the demonic cult looks up silently. Suddenly, Walsson Buu starts screaming in fear. The head of the demonic cult reaches for her dress and tells Walsson Buu to calm down because they've been caught. She says Gongja is right. They show their backs where the Process of turning into zombies has already started. They say they were bitten 3 years ago, but Gongja is wrong about one thing. Wilson Buu turns around and says they're not suppressing the corrupted energy. He says it's suppressed

by pinching the cervical vertebrae using theirqi. The sword emperor, horrified, calls them crazy for using something so dangerous. He asks if Gongja has heard of the flying sword technique. Gongja says, "Yes, it's used To make the sword fly with chi." The sword emperor says their bodies are paralyzed because they're pinching their cervical vertebrae with chi. And just like with a flying sword, they move their bodies using chi. Gongja is surprised. The sword emperor says this is how they make their hearts beat, their lungs breathe, and their muscles and joints move. He says they control everything

they need to survive with Chi. The sword emperor says they're Using the flying sword technique all day long. The head of the demonic cult turns around and says, "It's no wonder they're so tired after just a few steps." Wilson Buu says with annoyance that this is how they can keep fighting the war. In a flashback, a martial artist shouts that half the blood demons have been destroyed. The elders have fled, saying they'll regroup in the world of martial arts, but they've already lost them. He tells his comrades to stop fighting Among factions. The whole world

is changing, and unity matters more than ever. bowing. He says they've set up an independent pharmacy outside the sex. They plan to capture a Jong Shur for research and hope to deliver results soon. Time passes. Two warriors kneeling talk about how a thousand more Jang Shir will appear by tomorrow no matter how many they kill today. Later, another warrior begs the heavenly demon to flee, saying the Jang Shir won't be able to Cross the sea. He pleads for her to give up her oath to Walsson Buu. The world has changed, he says. Heaven's law and

human duty have shifted. That promise belonged to a time before everything fell apart. Eventually, that same warrior gets bitten. As the infection takes over, he still calls out to the heavenly demon, refusing to abandon his last duty. Back in the present, Gongja asks the two marshall leaders how they've endured all this. The demonic Cult leader and Walsson Buu look at each other, then walk out of the cave, telling Gongja to follow. Outside, they say that all people die. The demonic cult leader starts a story. There was once a master, invulnerable, immune to all poisons. His

body as hard as stone. No weapon could pierce him. No poison could kill him. In every way, he was nearly indestructible. Then she asks how he died, and our hero asks her to explain. She smiles and says he was Killed by a succubus. She says, "Please, the unity of yin and yang, isn't a poison or a sword, but something more dangerous. The succubus was clever. She didn't overwhelm him with pleasure from the start. She waited slowly, gently. She lured him in. In the end, the master was consumed by it. During their final moments together, he

didn't even feel the pain. The succubus' whip felt like bliss. Everything brought him joy. At the final moment, she wrapped her hands Around his throat and strangled him. His face, even in death, was smiling. Invulnerability meant nothing when happiness itself became the weapon. The demonic cult leader turns back to Gongja and says that that's the lesson. Wolson Buu suddenly shouts that this isn't just a story. It happened. They approach a group of frozen Jang Shir. The demonic cult leader explains the man was once a respected martial master raised in luxury, but sent to his death

by Seduction. She says, "Young martial artists misunderstand the path. They think mastery is about immortality or invincibility, but it's not. Even someone immune to poison or swords can die in another way. Dragging a zombie by the arm, she says. Martial artists don't just choose techniques. They choose what kind of warrior they want to be and what kind of death they'll accept. Everyone dies. The only choice is how. She doesn't want a death like this. Not by Jang Shir. Wolshen Buu dragging zombies too doesn't argue. The demonic cult leader goes on. Death by poison is acceptable.

Death in battle fine. Even being betrayed by a comrade is tolerable, but not this. Not eaten alive by soulless corpses. That's unworthy. Gongja silently watches them. He remembers the pharmacist girl's earlier words. The cause of death is the same, but the dates are different. The two marshall leaders stand facing each other Again. The demonic cult leader says, "Few have lasted this long. The moon the night before stopped a jang. Dim light, but enough to slow death." Gongja realizes this is their great war. a war not just for survival but for control over how their story

will end. Walsson Buu shouts that his faction will never fall to the Jung. The demonic cult leader yells that her sect will never be brought down by corpses. He says if his faction dies, it will be by her sword Alone. She responds if the demonic sect vanishes, it will be by his. Gongja thinks that even if all the great schools disappear, even if martial arts scrolls turn to dust, the spirit of martial arts is still alive in this standoff. The two bow to each other in respect and Gongja says there are billions in this world

but all have died except them and if even one person can choose their end then the collapse of this world won't be due to disease but Choice. Years pass and only two remain. The heavenly demon says they fought all this time to decide how the world should end. Wson Buu enters their 99th duel. She asks if they'll fight until surrender or death. He chooses death. They clash again and our boy watches. Their movements are slow, childish even, but they keep fighting. Gongja says that this can't go on. He calls it absurd, meaningless. The two fighters

rise again and continue. Sword Emperor says, "While It might seem noble, what can Gongja do? Kill them both." He says, "Maybe that would be a fitting end, a gift even." But Gongja disagrees. These two aren't asking to be saved, they simply want to die by someone's hand, not as zombies. Gongja stands and says he'll end this world his own way. Later, the heavenly demon tells Wian Buu it's dark already. They return to the cave. She promises she'll beat him tomorrow. Viper asks where they've been. The pharmacist girl Tells Gongja they've been dealing with infected ones.

Gongja asks if there's any progress. The medicine king answers flatly. None yet. The heavenly demon sigh and goes to rest. Gongja turns to the pharmacist girl and asks how long a cure will take. She removes her glasses, hesitates, and says at least 120 days, maybe more. The medicine king says it could take 300. They lack equipment, proper conditions, and time. There are no guarantees. Gongja thinks of the Library manager's warning. Only 10 days remain before this world's story ends. A cure can't be made in time. But Gongja draws his sword and says, "It's enough." He

smiles and tells them to keep researching. He'll take care of the time issue. He reminds them of their promise when they first entered this world. If they fail, they'll stay here forever. The pharmacist chick promises to repay him. Gongja extends his hand. She shakes it and promises the problem will be Solved. Gongja asks them to trust him and keep working. The pharmacist tells Gongja that if it weren't for him, she would still be stuck in the slums, living in the back alleys. Her equipment had been taken and she couldn't even imagine what her life would

have been like. She looks at Gongja and says she'll repay him by throwing herself into creating medicine. She adds that when she's focused on her work, she feels completely disconnected from Everything else. Gongja tells her it doesn't matter and to just do her best. She adjusts her glasses and agrees. She walks over to the medicine king, calls him an old man, and says she needs his help. The medicine king scowls, hits a rock, and says there has to be order in everything. He says an inexperienced girl shouldn't talk to the king of medicines like that.

In response, she pulls out a skill card. The medicine king looks at her in disbelief, Complaining that young people only care about skills these days. She tells him to just look. She explains her skills. The mobile hospital skill lets her do real-time procedures from blood tests to imaging and grab pre-tocked medicine with a low error rate. She also has the life witness skill, which lets her check patient conditions down to the genetic level. Together, they make misdiagnosis almost impossible. The medicine king gets annoyed and warns her he could Report her to the Alchemist Guild. She

calmly says she's not competing. She just wants his help to make a cure. He still doesn't get it, so she repeats that she needs his cooperation. Then she asks if he's upset because she's young and talented. The medicine king is stunned as she keeps talking. She says he's probably mad because she'll be praised longer than him. She offers to share her formulas without taking any credit. Suddenly, the medicine king Slaps her. Her glasses fall off. She picks them up and says she's researching the zombie disease and needs his help. He tells her she'll face failure

eventually. She wipes her glasses and asks again for his help. He says someone will surpass her someday. She puts on gloves, sits by the coffin, and tells him to leave. His breathing is distracting. The medicine king turns to Gongja and says they need more samples. A child, a youth, an old person, Different genders. Gongja makes a mark on the wall. The medicine king also tells them to gather medicinal ingredients. Time passes and the team collects samples. Days go by and the heavenly demon and Wilson Buu keep fighting. The others bring specimens back to the cave.

The pharmacist and the medicine king keep working even while the others sleep. A week passes since the fall. A snowstorm hits and the heavenly demon says they can't leave Today. She warms her hands by a candle saying days like this aren't rare. It had been unusually sunny before. She remembers a storm that lasted 30 days during which they couldn't go outside. and the Jang Shir kept moving. Gongja says that without sunlight, the Jang Shu will wander further. The heavenly demon agrees, noting her sect once had a thousand people. Wolson Buu's faction had similar numbers, but

people disappeared as the gang she spread. Staring at the fire, Gongja says the worst part is waking up and realizing the Jung from yesterday are gone. The heavenly demon asks if he really thinks she can feel fear. He says yes. She says in another life, she'd have taken his head for that. She calls him a child of the Outerlands and says he should be glad the world has ended. Gongja says even theirqi has limits. Chi powers everything, movement, breath, strength, and it will run out eventually. He asks When that day will come. The heavenly demon

smiles faintly and says he's smart. Then she says it's unfortunate that he is. Gongja thinks the end of the heavenly demon chronicle is simple. It comes when theqi ends. The heavenly demon confirms this. When it happens, the body will rot with only the heart, lungs, and upper dangen preserved. The rest will decay. She says they already know it. The monk lasted a year. He died sitting in lotus position. Only his face Remained untouched. The heavenly demon admits she fears that moment. She fears losing Chi. Fears being powerless. Fears her subordinates fading away. She fears not

killing Wolson Buu or him not killing her. She fears a silent unfinished end. One night they're both sleeping. The old man turns toward her and she turns too. He says he's sorry, but he can't move anymore. Tears fill his eyes immediately. The heavenly demon says she's scared. The old man lying With his back to her repeats that he's sorry. The heavenly demon looks up, really troubled by the idea of dying without meaning. The thought of fading away quietly while others disappear after their last fights bothers her a lot. Nearby, the pharmacist girl checks Walsson Buu's

lungs. After taking off her stethoscope, she quietly admits what everyone already knows. His condition is too far gone to fix. The heavenly demon walks over to Walsson Buu and tells him To get up, but Walsson Buu keeps his eyes closed and just says he's sorry. She gets frustrated as she didn't come here to hear apologies or watch him give up. She reminds him of the promise they made, his vow to challenge the celestial demonic world, and raise the banner of the righteous faith at its highest point. Everything they planned, every alliance they built between the

nine great schools and the five noble clans, all of it will mean nothing if he lets Himself die in a bed. As she gets angrier, a dark aura starts to form around her. She yells again for him to get up and take his weapon. Gongja and the pharmacist are both surprised and silent. The heavenly demon insists he doesn't even need his ax. She'll be happy if he just fights her with nothing but defiance. But the old man only lowers his head and apologizes again. His voice very empty and tired. Despite her rage, he doesn't move.

He admits He's weak, saying every breath hurts and his energy is completely gone. Even his physical strength has faded beyond recovery. He says she might live another year, but for him, the end is already here. He asks her to finish it, not because he's giving up, but because he wants to die with dignity. He doesn't want to rot away like others have. The heavenly demon asks if this is really what he wants, a quiet end, alone in bed, far from any battle. Her aura grows Darker and she demands to know if this is the end

of the fight he promised. If he can't keep fighting, she wishes he would have at least taken her to death with him. The old man admits he tried to rally the members of the righteous faith and told them to self-destruct. She sits beside him and she gets less angrier as she thinks back. She remembers how many people admired him, his rare talent for martial arts, his quick rise to leadership, his role as head of his Family before he was 30, his position as ruler of Walsson Buu as the demonic sect grew. He once stood at

the very top, but now he lies still and fading, unmoved by the memories of his past glory. The heavenly demon tries to wake something in him, saying the ideals of the righteous faith still live in him, that the memory of those who fell is still in his heart, but he still chooses this end. She says that she'll give him death, but it won't be an honorable one. Even the protagonist, the king of Dea, had to look away as the heavenly demon pulls out an ax for this. She holds it in front of him, a reminder

of his past, a symbol of what he used to be. She tells him to admit his failure, to say that the warrior has lost his skill, that the skill itself is gone forever. Gongja realizes she wants more than just his death. She wants him to accept that the righteous faith is over, to say the words himself so she can kill him Without regret. But Wilson Buu refuses. He starts to shed tears as he says he can't bring himself to say it once more. He apologizes again. The heavenly demon strikes him, not to kill, but to

provoke. Her sword lands near his head, kind of more of a warning than an attack. She reminds him he's already said he's not really alive anymore, just existing like a jung. If he dies now, it won't even count as death. She leaves the axe stuck in the ground and walks Away, saying no word to anyone. She thinks about the difference between life and death, wondering if it even matters anymore. To her, everything feels empty. Heaven and earth, the world itself has lost its meaning. Around her, the other heroes stand quietly as Walsson Buu's body gets

worse. Gongja sees that another day has passed, another mark carved into time. The pharmacist chick, now studying the decaying body, says she's gotten a rare and valuable sample. With it, they can watch the infections progress in real time. Unlike others who turned instantly, Wilson Buu's body shows some kind of delay. The infection seems to spread slowly through the brain. The medicine king hands over a report about their research. Gongja reads it carefully as the king of medicine says that the pharmacists got skill in creating things, but she kind of lacks clarity in explaining them. She

admits a cure is probably impossible, And our boy asks if it's just a matter of time. She confirms saying they'll need at least 90 days, maybe even 120. Before they could talk more, Wilson Buu's body starts to twitch. He screams and kicks wildly, and everyone freezes. The heavenly demon steps forward with her blade in hand. She walks up to the hymn and says, "This is what's left when humanity is stripped away. Nothing more than an animal." She puts her fist in the zombie's mouth and asks it to eat It. Viper tries to stop her, but

Gongja holds him back. The situation is already out of control. The zombie bites her and she raises her hand to the sky now glowing purple. Something inside her is wrong and terrifying now. She starts to scream with her mind falling apart. The sword emperor says that she's been taken over by the devil. Her aura grows stronger and her words become really terrifying. She accuses them of being sent to assassinate her and dares them To come throw hands. The hero yells for everyone to run away, but she's too quick for them. She kills the medicine king,

slicing his head off. Gongja runs carrying the pharmacist while Viper tries to fend her off for as long as he can. The sword emperor says herqi has been fully unleashed, pushing her beyond human limits. Even at his best, he admits he wouldn't stand a chance against her now. The heavenly demon lost in darkness raises her sword again. She Says heaven is crying, the earth is sleeping, and the universe is burning. She claims only ashes will be left of Mount Wuang. As Viper tells Gongja to run, the heavenly demon says she is the will of the

demonic sect. She calls out asking where Nam Gun Wu is. The pharmacist looks back in horror, seeing Viper's body already fallen with blood splattered everywhere. Crying, the heavenly demon says only Nam Gun Wound can face her now. She appears behind Gongja and raises her sword. The pharmacist says that she believes in the king of death, which eventually turns out to be her last words. Blood spills across the snow and Gongja's last thought is that this world makes people keep going even after everything has burned away. The tower responds saying its time starts to respawn. He

goes back to 24 hours prior, saying that this time he will save her world. In a flashback, a little girl walks through a heavy Snowstorm. She calls out for her mother, and a woman ahead turns to look at her, but then walks away without a word. The girl stands there surrounded by snow, watching her mother disappear. Her eyes are filled with sadness and confusion. This girl is Beckyang, who will later become the heavenly demon. At that moment, she doesn't know if her mother has abandoned her, said goodbye in the storm, or simply vanished forever. The

truth remains a mystery to her. Meanwhile, our boy's on the floor in his psyche again. The Sword Emperor stands nearby holding his head, and Gongja asks if the Sword Emperor remembers anything that Miss Pharmacist writes in her documents. The Sword Emperor admits he remembers a little, and Gongja scratches his head, saying that if they combine their memories, everything fits together like a puzzle, but they need to act fast before they forget anything. The Sword Emperor picks up one of the silver Cards, and its glow lights up his face as he reads the title, Demonic Heavens,

Rank A+. Gongja sees that it is the same demonic technique they have just witnessed from the heavenly demon. The sword emperor explains that whether it is martial arts or something else, every technique depends on how one chooses to deal with the world. If Gongja approaches the world with acceptance, he aligns with the orthodox faction. But if he wants to strike the world like a Storm, he belongs to the demonic sect. To demonstrate, the sword emperor punches the air and wind swirls around Gongja. He explains that the name of the move doesn't matter. What matters is

how one makes it their own. But then the sword emperor demonstrates the demonic arts and the mood all changes. Shadows rise around him as he speaks of anger, pain, and grief. You're meant to feel these to fully harness the demonic arts. He remembers being held down by bandits, His younger sister taken away by the magistrate and digging her grave in the frozen ground with his bare hands. His nails are torn, his hands bloodied, but he keeps digging until he can bury her. The shadows of his pain and rage are so much behind him, and the

hero stands there sweating, imagining claws that can tear the world apart. The sword emperor warns Gongja that learning demonic arts will drain him completely like a squeezed lemon. He insists that Gongja Is being fooled by illusions and that demonic arts are worthless compared to proper martial arts. But Gongja remains calm and repeats his decision to learn the skill. The sword emperor is surprised, thinking that our boy has been kind of swayed by the heavenly demon's power because of how cool it looked just now. He can't understand why Gongja would choose such a path. The protagonist

makes fun of his ghost friend and says that he's just jealous That he wants to learn martial arts from someone else and not him, which pisses him off. He admits that the sword emperor is the best the world has ever seen. But he wants to learn the demonic arts to clear this food perfectly. Even if they create a cure, only two people can be saved. The others have been dead for over 2 years and won't survive, even with treatment. Gongja raises his hand, asking what the real ending will be. Will Lord Wilson Buu and the

heavenly Demon become like Adam and Eve? The sword emperor rubs his chin, finding even the idea of the two of them being headover heels for each other disgusting. Gongja picks up the skill card, saying that he wants to give Wolson Buu and the heavenly demon an ending they can be happy with. The skill is copied, but a penalty is applied and he is now a rank D. He has to endure the same trauma the heavenly demon has faced, though the penalty level is Medium. He is then sent to the hungry ghost realm. Back to the

past, they're walking through the thick blizzard again. The old man and the viper walk through the snowstorm, shivering from the cold. The pharmacist smiles at Gongja, thanking him, and Gongja asks Viper to care for the medicine king. Miss Pharmacist points ahead again to spot the shadow she can see. Gongja points out the dirt in one of the frozen zombie man's teeth, bits of meat, as if He has been biting someone. The pharmacist girl summons a screen, revealing that the DNA from the body doesn't match the flesh in its mouth. The man dies 3 years ago,

but the flesh is from someone who dies 2 years ago. The pharmacist chick says that despite the corpse dying like 3 years ago, it has been moving for a while now. The old man shivers, saying that he hates all these monsters from horror movies. He can't understand how Gongja remains so Calm. The pharmacist and medicine king turn, noting that progress is faster than before, and Gongja tells them he has an amazing skill. He remembers when he and the sword emperor sit together, discussing the second page of the research. It contains the results of cell experiments,

and Gongja's skill analysis matches it perfectly. The pharmacist lady is impressed by the research method, saying it's without flaws, and she can't criticize it. Our Boy smiles, proud of how she is asserting herself now with more confidence. The old man pats his head, relieved that the research time is shorter, and says that it seems the research time won't be as long as he thinks, though for now he wants to stay away from zombies. The old man spots the two fighters again, arguing. They decide to stop the demonic reign. The girl smiles, remembering sitting in a

cave with a candle, once terrified. Even Heaven trembles. The demonic angel declares that the demonic path will survive as long as she lives. She tells Wilson Buu to say goodbye to the Wilson Buu faction. The girl believes she is the best. Gongja stares at her like she is the strongest woman in the world. The heavenly demon turns to him and he kneels before her declaring that he has come after hearing of her greatness. He admires her and asks her to accept him as her student. In another flashback, Little Beckyang lies in the snow. Her face

looks sad and pale. She feels cold and the sky above her is covered in gray clouds. Snowflakes keep falling quietly and everything is silent. There's no smell in the air, no movement, and no one else around. A white patch forms on her stomach. She feels like her insides are frozen. The cold is deep and sharp. Suddenly, a blue light bursts from the sky. The clouds open slightly and an old man with a crutch appears between them. Rays of light fall on the girl's face along with his shadow. The old man looks surprised. A snowstorm has

been raging for 9 days in this area, and the snow is nearly 1 and 1/2 m deep. Yet, the child is still breathing. The old man takes the girl's hand and helps her up. He looks at her closely, feeling heavy-hearted. He thinks there's something special about this child. The little girl places her hand on his. Her body is icy and soon all the cold inside Her will turn into internal chi energy. It's remarkable. The girl has survived 10 days in the snow with her eyes open. When the old man asks her name, she says she

doesn't know. She follows him through the snow, leaving a trail behind them. She doesn't know how old she is or how she ended up in the snowfield. The old man looks at her from the side. She remembers nothing but has already been touched by the cruel laws of earth and sky. He feels that her body is perfect For learning martial arts. The ruler of the northern sea would pay a fortune to get a talent like this. He gently pats her head and he doesn't know if his sect will shape her fate or if she will

shape the sect's fate. Still, he invites her to follow him. He promises her food and shelter and she agrees. She takes his hand and walks beside him. A butterfly flies above them. She feels nothing, has no name, and comes from nowhere. The old man believes she is born from snow Itself. He gives her his last name and because of her icy scent, gives her a name. The girl holds his finger as he tells her she is now part of the demonic sect. She asks where they are going. He leads her to a place where other

children like her have gathered. Later, the heavenly demon says she will never take a student. Gongja kneels in a cave hoping she will accept him. She says she has never trained anyone and doesn't plan to start. The world's rules won't Change and disciplehip means nothing to her. An old man in a white kimono strokes his beard, confused by her answer. He thinks it's strange that a boy like Gongja, who came through such a hard world, is being rejected so easily. The heavenly demon sits in a lotus position. The old man says Gongjas efforts deserve some

praise. She replies that maybe they do. The man sits down too and the girl says their sect has strict rules. Only abandoned children Can join. People think the demonic sect is selective, but in truth they are more careful about who they allow in. The old man offers to take Gongja as his own student instead. He says he is Namun Wu, ruler of Walsson Buu and head of a noble family. But before he finishes, Gongja turns to the heavenly demon and asks why she can't take him in. The old man looks surprised and Gongja ignores the

man completely and waits for her reply. She explains that only children rejected by The world can be accepted into their sect. Gongja says this. The world has changed. People have turned into Jang Shir from a strange disease. The Orthodox and the other sect have fallen. He smiles saying that everyone is now abandoned by the world whether they want to admit it or not. He also says he is a hunter and an orphan, someone who has given his life to the tower. The girl doesn't look convinced and the old man asks if this situation doesn't meet

the Conditions of rejection. Gongja says maybe he hasn't been rejected by the world, but maybe he has rejected it instead. The heavenly demon tells our hero that if truly he believes in what he says, she will test him. He will have to try the three basics technique. She explains the test will prove whether he is truly worthy as she thinks he only speaks well, not fights well. Gongja bows his head and grabs his sword. He thanks her for the chance and red lines Like lightning immediately appear around him. His skill activates. His eyes glow red

and his body starts to shine with the same color. The devil divine energy skill has begun. He closes his eyes and raises his sword. Sword paths appear in his mind. He sees countless movements visible only to him. He hasn't mastered the technique yet. His sword style is messy, like a sparrow chasing a storm. He remembers the ghost telling him to hold on to his pain, to feel his Helplessness, and to remember the cruelty of the world. His red eyes have white spots in the center. He wants to cut through the pain with dignity. He remembers

the sword emperor's words. If he wants to hit this world like a typhoon, he will walk the demonic path. Gongja takes a stance, sword held sideways. He remembers cities burning, children crying, asking to be saved. The more he focuses on the technique, the more his thoughts change. He stands on One leg, covers his eyes with his sword, and remembers the screams and begging. People have told him to destroy everything, to burn the witch's nest full of monsters. The demonic sect isn't about claws, it's about screams. A figure stands holding a weapon. Behind him are the

heavenly demon and the old man. The world made from yin and yang is full of sadness. Even the best teachings can't stop the cries of the rejected. Gongja's face darkens, blood flickering In the air. His sorrow is sharper than steel. His screaming sword is stronger than any sword style. A girl with black hair stands before him and tells him to stop. Gungja thinks the stronger the pain, the louder the scream, the stronger the sword. Only the strongest can survive. That is the demonic sex truth. The mountains stand behind them and his sword moves like a

cry to the world. The girl warns him again to stop. His face is hidden in shadow, sword in Hand. He sees a girl in a snowstorm. At the last moment, even the sky screams. The sky demon screams in rage and orders him to stop. She blocks his sword with her wand. Black smoke rises from it. She looks at him in surprise and asks where he has learned their sex technique. His eyes are white and his body drips with sweat. The girl says she isn't fooled. His technique is sloppy, but clearly the devil divine energy. No

outsider should know it. He bows his head before her and She orders him to explain where he has stolen it from. Gongja starts sweating and asks if he is worthy of her. The woman in black looks heartbroken. Gongja collapses to the ground. The girl turns away. Someone shouts his name. Other hunters gather near his body. They realize he has used too much aura. The girl begins to perform a vascular flush. The heavenly demon is already walking out of the cave. The sword emperor stands with arms crossed. He says Gongja Has pushed his body too far

with a skill that exceeds his level. That is why building a strong foundation is so important. Gongja lies face down. The sword emperor adds one more thing. He didn't do badly, so he's proud of him. In a snowy ancient city, the old man and little Beckyang walk through the streets. He tells her this place is now a children's home. A resident waves at the girl. She is told she can eat, sleep, and play whenever she wants. The Girl with black eyes silently looks ahead. The old man says she should live the way she wants. In

the dining room, children are eating. One girl says the adults are kind and don't force them to do anything. Two girls talk at the table. One suspects the adults will turn them into slaves. The other says they've been here for a year and nothing like that has happened. A black-haired girl sits alone. The children note she is the only new one so far, but more children Will arrive today. A spoon lies next to a rice plate. Many new orphans have arrived recently due to a bad harvest year, but still everyone who comes here is considered

lucky. The children look toward the black-haired girl as she asks how they ended up here. One child looks surprised, another annoyed, and others just stare silently. Then their silhouettes turn red, each remembering their past. One has a mother working in a brothel. Another comes from a village With poor crops. One has seen his village attacked at night. Another's village falls to illness. One child runs from his abusive father. Beckyang's silhouette turns red, too. Then she remembers a jar of poisonous animals. Snakes, frogs, insects sealed together. They devour each other until only one remains. That survivor

becomes the deadliest of all. Every time the children speak, it is like poison pouring out. This place isn't a Paradise. It is a vessel to raise the most poisonous creature. Beyang sits with Viper lying on the table. She asks if the children are happy. They all smile and say they are. One boy thinks he won't have to work for his mother anymore. If he gets sick, he'll be cared for and no one will beat him. That is good enough. The woman walks through snow again. Snow-covered mountains shine in sunlight. A man opens a door and

calls the children to breakfast. Most Are still asleep. One bed is empty. Beckyangs. In this place, children can rest and eat freely, but Beckyang often disappears. She helps adults in the fields instead. A large building stands in the distance. Children think Beckyang is odd. She always works with the adults and doesn't eat much rice. The old man approaches her. They haven't seen each other in a while. She greets him quietly. Near the river, a child sits alone. The old man asks why she works so Much. Her braids move in the wind, leaves flying overhead. He

has heard she volunteers to help with harvest. She says yes. She touches the water, making ripples. Her clothes and blankets are handsewn. The old man asks why she works if she doesn't need to. Beckyang holds a maple leaf. The man says this place is called Utopia. Adults farm and gather food. Children are meant to rest. But Beckyang speaks of a farmer who lost both daughters to the county ruler. Mr. Choi, who works in the garden, lost one son building a fortress and another after reporting injustice. Beckyang remembers Mr. Choi waving at her. He and his

wife join the sect after burying their sons. The maple leaf slips from her hand. The adults feeding and clothing the orphans are victims, too. This place isn't heaven. Beyang stands and walks away. She says other children don't realize nothing is free here. The old man asks why the adults give so Much. Beckyang says they hope the children will take revenge. One man lies beneath a tree filled with anger. Many adults can't forgive the rulers who ruin their lives but lack the strength to fight back. Adults can't learn martial arts anymore, so they work for children

who still can. That is the truth of utopia. Children don't live free. They are being raised to fight the world. The old man looks at his staff. He calls Beckyang's name. Her black eyes show her Sadness. He asks if she has anything to say to heaven. She remembers snowstorms and red silhouettes. She says she has a lot to say. The old man raises his staff and closes his eyes. Then he opens them and says the world will be forced to listen. Wind picks up. He introduces himself as Mabel, one of the seven elders. He smiles.

Beckyang asks if there is Buddha in hell. He says Buddha is useless if not in hell. A man's shadow with a weapon appears. Beckyang Has passed the test. She has not been blinded by comfort. Her poison is clear. She should now call him her mentor. Her sword will scream for her. Beckyang kneels and the man touches her head with his staff and asks for an initiation ceremony. The woman asks our boy to get up. She's sitting on Gongja who lies under a blanket and says he can't stand if she stays on him. She teases him.

The heavenly demon walks toward the cave exit and she tells him to go wash up. Gongja removes his shirt and he wonders what dreams they are having. The old man dreams of his 100th win. The pharmacist girl dreams of explaining things. The viper just laughs in his sleep and Gongja sees they won't wake up. Heavenly Demon and Gongja stand outside in the snow. She asks if he washed properly and he says yes. She doesn't like how much he talks and thinks he is a smooth talker. She thinks he is clever but clumsy like someone drawn

by a bad Artist. Gongja doesn't understand the reference. She says he still needs to pass tests before wearing demonic sect robes. He has shown ability but he hasn't passed the exam. Gongja says the first test is comfort. Those who settle into comfort become workers, not warriors. True disciples study martial arts and formerly join the sect. She asks how he knows that and he says he just knows things. She sigh thinking heaven has sent her a tricky man. She Doesn't believe his story but doesn't think he is a bad person either. They walk together and she

isn't sure if he will belong to the sect or shape its destiny. She points to the side. Gongja asks what his test will be. She shows him a frozen man, a former master. She says Gongja has to defeat him. Gongja looks to the side surprised. She tells him to fight. He thinks being called a student doesn't matter. It is just words. Blue particles float behind her. She says he must fight with hunger and pain. Only then will the devil divine energy awaken. Gongja draws his sword and asks what happens if hunger controls the sword. Her

face appears beside a broken house. A person who has never starved can be cut down in one strike. Half of the righteous faith faction is already gone. Red silhouettes scream. Gangja remembers. First comes hunger, then thirst for death. One must use a sword born from both. He will learn all Nine swords. They can change the world. He raises his sword and says it is interesting. And the heavenly demon smiles and asks what he is waiting for and that he should jump right in. The Jung blasts our boy to space with an air bust. It's a

wind wave formed by its palm strike. The jung pushes him upward and does this super cool flip in the air. The heavenly demon watches the fight and yells at him to show his hunger, not just swing his sword around. She reminds him that if he doesn't carry the pain of those who died from hunger, his sword stays hollow. Without that feeling, the devil's divine energy means nothing. The frozen Jang Shu nearly bites him. Gongja says he's not starving right now, but the heavenly demon scolds him, calling him a fool. She says just because there's no

red rice ball in front of him doesn't mean he can't imagine hunger. He's supposed to bring that feeling out. Even if his stomach's Full. The Jang Shu tries to strike again, but something invisible blocks the hit. White spots flicker around Gongja. He still can't bring out the feeling of hunger, and that's the problem. Students of devil's divine energy must use their imagination and summon emotion freely. The heavenly demon folds her arms and keeps watching. She tells Gongja to remember the last time he was truly hungry, what he wanted to eat most, how long he fasted.

Red Lightning crackles around him. He admits the longest he's ever gone without food is 3 or 4 days. She looks at him with pure disdain. She can't believe someone not from a noble family has only fasted for 4 days. In the Celestial Empire, hunger is a way of life. One bad year just follows another. His answer means nothing to her. Gongja leans back to dodge another strike. She questions how he, supposedly a commoner, has barely starved. He explains his homeland is Slightly better off than the central middle kingdom regions. The heavenly demon says that hunger

is one of the sharpest pains. People live just to feed that hunger. It doesn't care if you're rich or poor. It eats at everyone. Red sparks fly around Gongja. She asks how he plans to awaken devil's divine energy if he doesn't even understand what hunger really is. Then something clicks in him. He remembers his life as an F-rank hunter. 10 years scraping by, Living off scraps, chasing dumpling stalls for extra helpings. The girl turns away. She thinks she overestimated him. To her, he has no real core. There's nothing left on the cliff. Gongja calls out

to her, but she doesn't respond. He looks up. The Jang Shur charges again. He wonders why hunger matters so much. The Jang Shur's face is terrifying with a mouth missing half its teeth. Gongja can't believe this is the reason he struggles with the technique. Before he can think further, the scene shifts. He's back in the skill room. Cards float in the air. Gongja ruffles his hair in frustration. A ghost stands nearby, quietly watching. The sword emperor says that the girl's training is old-fashioned and she only teaches the feast of the 12th month, but all her

words carry weight. Gongja accepts the rules anyway. In a snow-covered cave, Gongja holds a blanket in his hands. He refuses to fear the heavenly demon's Way. He won't give up. He runs outside. A man with an eye patch sees him and asks where he's going. Gongja says he needs something to clear this stage. He remembers he's already burned alive once. He's not afraid of hunger. The sword emperor grabs his head in disbelief. He thinks the boys lost it. Gongja runs through the snow. The sword lord follows. They're getting ready for 10 days of training. Back

in the cave, Gongja stands with his eyes shut. The Sword emperor looks at him and shakes his head. He realizes Gongja plans to sit in the cave and starve. The sword emperor tries to stop him, but Gongja raises a hand. The sword emperor asks how long he plans to last. Gongja says he saw the heavenly demon's old injury. She once survived without food for 11 days, so now he'll endure 112 days. The spirit calls it madness. The sword emperor points toward the exit. Frustrated, he says, "Gongja won't Survive 100 days in this cold." He asks

how Gungja plans to keep his aura from fading. He watches the boy who now just stares at the ceiling. He says, "This isn't hunger anymore. This is something else entirely." If Gongja's never truly faced 100 days of starvation, he shouldn't talk about it like it's simple. Gongja asks if the Sword Emperor has ever gone hungry. The Sword Emperor sits and says he fasted for a few days in his youth like monks do. After 2 Weeks, the hunger fades, but that's not fasting. It's mental training. Gongja looks at his palm and says he needs to fast

for 15 days, then relive that same hunger again and again every 15th day. He says he'll trap his body in a cycle of hunger until it hits 112 days. His aura won't weaken and the hunger will stay sharp. The sword emperor says he's insane. He tells Gongja to just train with the spirit instead of following a strange sect master. He can't understand Why Gongja pushes himself this hard. Gongja closes his eyes saying he wants to master devil's divine energy completely. The heavenly demon had already lost hope in the world. her world is crumbling and our

hero feels that too. He doesn't want that kind of ending. He says it's easy to live like the flame emperor, a man with a cheat skill, which is his oversized ego. That man only takes on fun stages, mocks the world, and laughs at everything. Gongja Says that cynicism isn't childish, but living your life by it is. Arguing can be immature sometimes, but finding a solution through arguments isn't. Gongja admits the flame emperor is cool, but he's a person, too. And a person must live, and now he knows how. A week passes since our boy started

starving. He out here meditating and the first days are the worst. But by the third, the pain kind of fades away. His stomach stops making noise and his mind turns Kind of sluggish. It feels like his life is slowly slipping away. His body is thin and weak and he has lost a lot of weight. He thinks of himself as a river overflowing with hunger. For a moment, he wonders if it's thirst instead, but he stands up, pushes the thought away, and grabs his sword. Sitting around doing nothing would be a waste of effort. The sword

emperor watches, asking what he's doing. He says he's training. He starts swinging his sword, Admitting he was wrong. Hunger isn't just starving. Hunger is refusing even a crumb when the body begs for it. He thinks of a starving farmer. A farmer wouldn't just sit home because he's hungry. A farmer still has to work. Even if there's nothing to eat at the end, he imagines one working the dry soil with a hoe, hoping for seeds to grow. But the land is barren and the hunger stays. No rain for 6 months. The reservoir dries up. The village

well is empty. The rice Fields crack. People abandon their homes, moving to the coast. But not the farmer. He knows it's just as bad elsewhere. He only knows how to take food from the land, not from others, so he stays. Every day, he returns to the dead field, knowing it's useless. At sunset, he climbs a hill, stripping bark from trees to boil for food. But now, even the trees are bare. There's no bark left. The sword emperor listens, asking what happens next. The farmer boils the Last bark pieces in water, bringing the pot home. But

the child knocks it over, crying that it's disgusting. The bowl shatters on the ground and the farmer raises his hand, almost striking the child. But he freezes, staring at his own hand in shock. He never thought he'd do something like that. But hunger changes people. Years of famine break the strongest minds. The thought haunts him, but he keeps training, swinging his sword harder. How many farmers like that Have existed throughout history? How many have lived and died like this? He looks at his sword and sees her reflection, the heavenly demon. He realizes he must fight

while holding hunger in his heart. Every strike must carry that pain. His blade slams into the wall, leaving a deep mark. He understands now. Hunger has its own movements, its own expression. He starts imagining different gestures of hunger. A slap meant for a crying child, a Desperate throw of useless food into the yard, a gentle offering of bark soup. He repeats these movements, shaping them into strikes, different farmers, some hitting their children, some holding them close, whispering apologies, some surviving, some dying together. He closes his eyes, and every motion is hunger itself. Then he moves

into the first form of devil's divine energy. The impact splits the rock. He tilts his head back. This is hunger and thirst is Next. The sword emperor is stunned, but the protagonist says his movements are still sloppy. The old man calls him crazy. Our boy wipes his sweat with his shirt, asking why. He's just following the training. The sword emperor shakes his head, saying people who know nothing can be scarier than those who do. He says that the kid's mind is already soaked in demonic thinking, even though his spirit still belongs to the righteous faith.

The protagonist says That that doesn't make sense. The sword emperor tells him that Master Walsson Buu used demonic arts and now this kid is falling into the same path. It's frustrating because how is he supposed to teach someone like this? The sword emperor says he can train him like he did the sword saint, but the protagonist is so hungry that everything just looks like cake or steak now. Then he says he needs to head down the mountain. He asks if the kid is planning to show the Heavenly demon what he's learned, but he says no

as he hasn't mastered the technique yet. Maybe dying and starting over is the only way to reach the next step. He remembers how the heavenly demon once said he had potential. And the sword emperor asks if that isn't enough, but he says he hasn't achieved anything yet. He starts descending and asks if the old man knows how frustrating it was when the heavenly demon dismissed him for not Understanding hunger. A simple confession won't fix that. He wants her to say she's surprised by his growth, that he's talented. The sword emperor watches in disbelief, calling him

a lunatic. The protagonist keeps walking, saying that while using devil's divine energy, he felt something. Compared to real starvation, he is still far from the truth. He imagined the farmer boiling bark, but he doesn't even know what kind of bark it was or how to cook It. He immediately summons Estelle and she bows, waiting for instructions. She asks him how he's doing and tells him that she worries for him. He's surprised and asks her if she means it. She tells him that if he dies, she dies. And our boy laughs and says that he admires

her honesty. He gives her a task. This world is dying. People are nothing but ghosts, bodies wandering between life and death. He compares it to the Egypt empire she once destroyed. He orders her to search The land and bring back every corpse that starved to death. Some corpses might move, but it doesn't matter. She can handle it. Estelle hesitates, saying that that number is too much, but he cuts her off. He already knows the number 1 and 12. That's how many he wants. If he can study their hunger, he can finally understand it, and then

he can finally be closer to the heavenly demon. Estelle stares at him looking surprised. She says that dragging in 112 Dead bodies is way too much. She also points out that he's gotten so skinny lately that it's hard to even recognize him. He stands there in front of her and casually asks when she started caring this much. She tells him that if he disappears, she'll be gone, too. Without him, her happy little world, her memories, and her reason to even exist would all be gone. She's totally tied to him now. Sure, she cares about him,

but she's also thinking about how she's Going to survive. He chuckles a bit, puts his hands on his hips, and says he likes how she's honest. Then he asks how she's been doing. She seems a bit surprised by the question. He remembers how after he got full control of the 20th floor, he brought her to the village. He says he's asking because now she's living in Eel Village again and all the people she cares about are back too. His plan is to keep her in the village most of the time, except for Moments like this

when he needs her help. She says she's doing all right. He asks if anything interesting happened. She lights up and starts talking. Apparently, some hunters barged into the village recently, saying the death king was getting stronger and that some big treasures from five guilds were hidden there. But the witch he brought there, plus her group, stood their ground and blocked the whole mess. He thinks, "Yep, that's what he expected from the Black Dragon Guild, they did a solid job." Estelle also says that the nearby kingdoms aren't getting involved, so everything's pretty chill right now. Then

she suddenly says she lost her powers. He touches his chin thinking about it. She says she's not sure what to do now because rumors about miracles keep pulling more and more people to her. He remembers that pharmacist girl and tells Estelle not to stress. He's got a plan. He wants to build a new Pharmacy for her on the 20th floor. That pharmacist girl said she'll only take new patients through him anyway, so he'll have to manage how people come in. She can't handle it all alone, so he's thinking of bringing in Estelle to help her

out. This new pharmacy will be a branch of the castle, and later it'll be the main spot for everything. He asks if there's anything else going on. Estelle holds her head and starts talking about a girl named Dne, who's been loving all The food hunters bring in. She also talks about an old guy, Gus, who works in the garden and keeps handing out fruit to the black dragon hunters on guard duty. He chuckles again and says everything sounds fine. He tells her to hurry up and gather those corpses. She used to be this scary demon

king called Autumn Rain, a fallen star who once wrecked the world. Estelle reaches out and says they first need to find a town or village that has a government office. He figures out she knows how to do corpse collection properly. She sends out skeletons to dig up maps from the old records. She says if they piece together all the maps, they can find even the tiniest fishing or farming village. She also tells the skeletons to find kids crying next to their dead moms and to carry the bodies of prisoners who were stuck and couldn't run.

She wants every person who starved or got sick or cursed their fate to be brought back. Not long after, Estelle shows up with 112 selected corpses for him. He takes off his shirt and tells them to drop the bodies. He tosses his shirt away and gets ready for action. Then suddenly, a corpse bites him. He yells in pain while more of the dead start attacking. He ends up dying. Then all the pain from those who killed him starts playing in his mind. First, an old man is riding a boat on a quiet river. He says

he's ready to die alone. His hands are Freezing. He grew up in a fishing village and worked there all his life. Now, he just floats quietly under the moon, waiting for the end. Another corpse bites him, and another memory starts. A worker tells the mayor there's no food left in the storage. In a week, they'll run out. The mayor says to cut the food rations. Kids and old people get one-third less, and everyone else gets half. The worker says people will riot, but the mayor says he'll starve First if needed. Still, even that won't fix

anything. More bites. Another memory comes up. Some kids are talking about what the mayor decided. A girl in red says they've been left to starve. Another kid asks what they should do now. One girl pulls something out from her clothes and says they should eat before they die so they won't turn into weird zombie things. She learned a recipe from the vagabond sect, mud cookies. She tells the kids who can swim To catch fish, but not to share with adults. Others are told to dig soft dirt by the river. Another girl asks what she's going

to do. Then more flashes come up. Gongja is still getting torn apart. The kids get excited and say they made it, but some of them look scared. They just have dried mud. A boy says it's a secret recipe and gives out the cookies. They start eating. One kid says, "Don't lick it too much or the taste will go away. Chew slowly." Then They see a boat. A corpse is inside. When it reaches the shore, the body stands up. The kids run away. Gongja thinks they were just trying to stay alive. Later, the kids are lying

on the ground. Gongja thinks about how hard it must have been to be that hungry. One kid drops a cookie and it breaks. He starts thinking about those hands digging dirt, drying mud under the sun, holding those awful cookies. He realizes every little movement came from hunger. The flashbacks stop. Gongja's on the ground. The system checks his condition. He opens his eyes and sees snow. He stands up and says, "Maybe now he'll figure out how to cook tree bark." Then he starts digging. He digs like crazy, thinking real life is worse than any story. Tree

bark sounds like a luxury. People even ate dirt when things got bad. He reaches the soil and makes mud cookies. He picks one up, takes a bite, and tells himself to enjoy it. It tastes Awful. No, even worse than awful. He wonders how something like dirt, which grows everything, tastes so nasty. He grabs some snow and wonders why it smells and tastes so weird. He looks half insane, face covered in dirt and snow. He scrapes more snow, then thinks that sometimes you can't say things out loud, but your hands can show it. He thinks martial

arts is about using what your hands can do. He picks up his sword and says he's going back. He's going to Face the heavenly demon and show her what he learned. Then he meets her. She says she just threw a jang shur at him. If he can beat it while staying hungry, she'll train him. Our boy knows he doesn't know much about martial arts. He doesn't understand all that yin-yang stuff or five elements. But she told him his strength should come from pain and hunger, not feelings or thoughts. He remembers the starving kids and thinks

maybe real martial arts is hidden in Their pain. He jumps down with energy swirling around him. He thinks if swords carry heaven's power, then his sword carries all the pain from people heaven ignored. His sword turns red. He believes anger and sadness bring out the true power of demons. He charges the enemy. Still tasting dirt in his mouth. He mixes two energies, one from heaven, one from darkness. Because he's looking at the sky full of rage and pain. He swings the first move of the devil's Divine energy, hungry sword, and the heavenly demon looks surprised.

Our boy asks whose head he's taking next. After a while, Gongja and the heavenly demon sit facing each other. She starts explaining the devil's divine energy technique, saying it has nine sword forms. What he used earlier, hungry sword. That's only the first. Next is the thirsty sword. He sits there and talks about how people die without water, too. She agrees and tells him he Did well with the first form. If he keeps this up, he might actually become a solid member of the demonic sect. But he interrupts her, acting smug. He asks if she just

admitted he's good. He starts teasing her, joking that even after doing something awesome, all she says is good, like his confidence isn't already hanging by a thread. She gets annoyed fast, warning him not to act cocky just because he pulled off one move, right? He keeps laughing and Pushes again, asking if she really thinks he's talented. She finally snaps, slamming her knee on the floor, yelling if he'll only be happy if she bows down to him. He just watches her get all worked up. Clearly enjoying it. She shouts again that she's the teacher here. He's

just the student. He asks if she officially accepts him now. Not just some outsider, but her real first disciple. She avoids answering straight and says she doesn't want to talk about It like that, but she admits she'll teach him, so he better pay attention. Gongja doesn't say anything, but deep down he knows she's already accepted him. Even if she won't say the words out loud, her actions make it obvious. He starts to realize that this whole master student thing is more complicated than it looks. It's not about fancy titles, it's about trust. The heavenly demon

suddenly tells him to listen properly. Gongja looks serious now, still Wondering if someone like him really deserves to be her student, but she says since he did well with Hungry Sword, he now has the right to learn her sect secrets. He opens his character window, wondering if she's finally starting to trust him. She stays quiet, arms crossed, deep in thought. Taking on a disciple this late in life doesn't feel easy for her. Everything feels like it's nearing the end. And yet here he is. Gongja silently hopes she's nervous. He Wonders if that old fight between

her and the Lord of Walen Buu will go on forever. Or if maybe she's finally ready to pass her legacy on. He feels she shouldn't disappear from the world without leaving something behind. Even if everything crumbles, she should live. He wants her to keep going. They both stay silent and Gongja understands why she didn't say the words. Sometimes words can't carry all the weight people feel. She feels the same. It's not time Yet, not for big statements, but they both know what's in their hearts. She suddenly complains that his eyes are drifting again. He lowers

his head a little and says he's paying attention and they stare at each other in silence again. Then she gets up and says he looks too confident. She tells him to come to the next test, but not to follow her just yet. She walks away. Gongja notices something weird. No footprints in the snow, not even a single one. Then Out of nowhere, the sword emperor shows up. He says he wants a duel with her, but our boy is hella confused. The sword emperor says he always wanted to fight a real demonic sect master. In his

world, the demonic sect was weak and he always dreamed of crushing them. Gongja stares at him. The sword emperor keeps talking, saying that back in his world, he ruined the names of over a hundred masters from Wolson Buu. He even says he envies this world's lord of Wolson Buu because if it Were him, he'd have fought to the death without hesitation. He sigh, wishing he wasn't just a ghost now. Gongja stays quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he finally says something. He talks about how the pharmacist girl is working on a cure. How the heavenly

demon accepted him, but still something feels off. The sword emperor steps back a little when Gongja reaches out his hand, saying, "The old man's words just completed everything." The sword emperor calls it A bad omen. Gongja, standing with his back turned, says, "There's still a debt to settle." He asks how many deaths it took for the Sword Emperor to reach the 19th floor. The old man goes quiet. Gongja reminds him of their bet. The sword emperor said he'd die at least 100 times, but he only died 97, so Gongja won. He turns, smiling, and asks

him to do one thing. Later, the heavenly demon is standing there holding a corpse. She says this one used to be part of her sex Elite force, the blood ghosts, her best assassins. Gongja, holding a sword, realizes this fight's on a whole different level now. This isn't just about martial arts. It's a real killer he's up against. She tells him not to stress. She picked an opponent that fits him. He realizes she's gone out of her way, probably even wandered through fields of zombies just to find the right one for him. It feels like her

own way of caring. She tells him to show the Same skill he showed earlier. He agrees, saying this time his heart will be filled with thirst. She agrees. His mind should be empty except for that feeling. He gets ready for the fight, but dies again. When he opens his eyes, he's in the middle of another snowstorm. He shouts about how strong the zombie is. Then he rushes to the pharmacist girl and the king of medicine, handing them a book. It's a plan to study the virus properly. They look surprised as it Feels like the kind

of work they'd write themselves. After some time, our boy is now inside a cave. He raises his hand and calls for Estelle. She shows up and he orders her to start collecting corpses of everyone who died from hunger. Estelle agrees, but Gongja says there's another job. Zombies are out there using martial arts. He wants her to find them. He says if they wear black, they're from the demonic sect. If they wear white, they're from the Righteous forces. He doesn't care if it's 100 or 300. He wants them all. Estelle asks why he's doing this, trying

to save lives. Gongja says it's because in this dying world, there are still two people trying to fight for a real ending. But everything he sees now just looks like a sad little play. So, he decides it's time to create a real war. He looks at her smiling and says he'll start a proper Orthodox versus demonic war from here on