Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-512

Agares was ready to fight Fenrir any moment. His eyes blazed with fury, as if he were trying to frighten Fenrir away from his possession. However, Fenrir dropped his cute manner and bared his teeth at Agares with a loud bark. Woof!

“What is it, dog? Is there something you want to say?”

Woof! Woof!

“It’s mine. Scram.”

“What? I’m delusional? A mere dog like you dares…!”

Woof! Woof!

“Hmph! What’s wrong with calling a dog ‘dog’?”

Woof!

“Shut up! I’m not a dog like you!”

Woof! Woof!

Agares and Fenrir could only bicker with each other, but that didn’t mean the societies behind them remained unmoved.

[The demonic society <L’Infernal> expresses hostility towards the demonic society <Niflheim>.]

[The demonic society <Niflheim> sends a strong warning to the demonic society <L’Infernal>.]

[Baal sighs deeply.]

[Loki clucks his tongue in disgust.]

Agares and the East Demon Army were back in L’Infernal, and the messages between the societies flew. Yeon-woo didn’t interfere that much since the tensions between societies might lead to greater conflict. For better or for worse, the two leaders didn’t seem interested in a battle. However, the other societies were also beginning to stir.

[The godly society <Asgard> protests against you!]

[The godly society <Olympus> attempts to contact the godly society <Asgard>.]

[The godly society <Deva> warns the societies around it.]

[The godly society <Dilmun> declares it will close off some territories temporarily.]

…

[The demonic society <Jie Sect> has declared martial law and is carefully observing the <Chan Sect>.]

Even the societies who had good relationships with each other were watching each other warily in case someone snatched the revelations. As time went by, the distrust among them increased. It was easier for Yeon-woo if the heavenly world was fragmented, so he just watched, inciting quarrels between them when he could—like not interrupting Agares and Fenrir. ‘As long as they don’t destroy the sites.’

Yeon-woo smirked and entered the site, where smaller and younger envoys waited for him with bright eyes.

“All the traps inside have been deactivated.”

“As you ordered, we didn’t enter the last section.”

“Unlike the other places, this one took some effort to clear. There’s definitely a great secret here. We had to use a significant amount of our powers and the laws of causality.”

“Please let us see just a corner. Please…”

They spoke using their physical voices instead of their true ones. Their true voices could bind the souls of their opponents, but it didn’t work on Yeon-woo, so they tried to minimize using the laws of causality as much as they could. Their requests were simple; they wanted Yeon-woo to share any discoveries he made at the sites with them.

As he searched, the envoys deactivated traps or cleared the land. However, they weren’t allowed to enter the final section that contained the stone related to the revelations. If they entered by accident, they had to leave without examining the stone.

The envoys had faithfully followed the rules, not wishing to be eliminated like Asgard because of greed. Even if they were tempted to take a peek, there were too many other envoys watching, and it was too risky. With everyone being suspicious of each other, what could they do? Besides, they didn’t know how to extract the revelations from the stone, anyway. They could only hope that Yeon-woo would take pity on them if they followed his orders.

However, as always, he didn’t reply to their entreaties. The envoys were about to sigh, thinking that they had to give up again, when Yeon-woo spoke up. “Follow me if you will.”

It was unexpected.

“R-really?”

“Finally…!”

Hope seeped into their faces.

“If you can handle the consequences.”

“I’ll…step back.”

“Me, too.”

They retreated at his words. They weren’t too stupid to understand what the consequences were. Yeon-woo smirked as he passed by them. The envoys were angry, but they had to restrain their tempers and grit their teeth. If there was a position that ruled over the domains of bad temperaments and power-tripping, Yeon-woo would be perfect for it. They swore to themselves that when everything was over, they would force Yeon-woo and Arthia into ruin.

However, Yeon-woo just scoffed, as if he could read their minds. Good relations between him and the heavenly world had never been possible from the start. The heavenly world didn’t make it explicit, but it was clear that they saw him as a pawn. He was only mirroring their own actions. What was so wrong about that? He could use them for many things as long as he had the upper hand.

As he entered the depths of the site through an underground path, Metatron and Malach followed him closely.

[The godly society <Malach> observes you persistently.]

[Metatron watches you solemnly.]

They had been like this ever since they sacrificed Gabriel. They were pressuring him into giving them the revelations since they had given him the Fruit of Good. It was clear they wouldn’t let him off easily.

‘I definitely didn’t expect they’d give up Gabriel like that.’ That was the part Yeon-woo still didn’t understand. Azrael was already a great loss, but losing Gabriel greatly damaged their forces. He didn’t know the details, but he was certain that there must have been many opinions in Malach about this. The fact that they had willingly given Gabriel up could only mean one thing: ‘Something’s rushing them to make a move. They desperately need the revelations.’

It was the same situation when it came to L’Infernal. They had given up Gamigin, who had been ranked fourth in their society. Yeon-woo didn't know what Malach and L’Infernal had said about the Book of Enoch, a book of prophecies, and Lemegeton, a grimoire. Those were the names that the societies called specific sections of the revelations.

The difference was that the revelations contained the truth of the entire universe, but the Book of Enoch and Lemegeton had the details of the rise and fall of each society. In other words, it was the information they needed most from the revelations. The fact that they needed it so much meant that something urgent was happening.

‘Did the war with Allforone grow so bad that they’re feeling threatened? Or are they planning something else?’ Yeon-woo didn't know what was going on, but he didn’t think the situation was necessarily bad. There were still a lot of things he could take from the societies.

He soon reached a large wall.

[You have arrived at the last site of the giant race.]

[Currently collected stones: 14/15]

It seemed like a grave for a mighty being. The stone walls had divine murals painted on them, and there was also a room filled with numerous weapons of the giants that were at least at S Rank. Yeon-woo guessed it was a royal tomb or at least of a giant who had a high position. However, considering that the gods and demons didn’t recognize the tomb, it likely didn’t belong to a king.

Once he pulled out the stone, the third scenario quest would be over. “Boo.” When Yeon-woo shouted, black clouds whirled around, and Boo silently appeared with a bow. Boo had also gone through many changes.

[Arch Lich]

[Position: Familiar]

[Description: He is a creature who sought death, reached it, and appeared once more as a being who has defied death. He is a philosopher who represents death itself. As your strongest familiar, faithful advisor, and great conqueror, he will spread your will throughout the land.]

[Special Note: Completed the divine position of Defeat and reached the divine position of Pale.]

Boo had grown more than two meters tall. Although he was smaller than Shanon, his aura was stronger, and he exuded a dangerous scent, as though he were death itself. It was probably because he had reached the highest position one could reach after dying: Arch Lich.

Yeon-woo was sure that Boo had reached the peak he had as Faust or even surpassed it. The words “divine position” stood out. Pale was another word for death, so it meant Boo had gained holiness, which was the first step towards exuviation and transcendence. He could now go toe to toe with Yeon-woo, but as in the past, he knelt and bowed.

「Greetings…Master.」 His loyalty to Yeon-woo was still strong. In fact, his attitude was more respectful than before. He looked like a zealot who was meeting the god he served. Just as Yeon-woo had seen the holiness Boo gained, Boo saw Yeon-woo grow closer to darkness.

Strongest familiar and faithful advisor—Yeon-woo thought there was no better description for Boo than that. “Have you recovered some of your memories?”

「Thanks to…Your Grace…I can…remember…the entirety of…my past life… However…my past life… has nothing…to do with me… I am just…a familiar…who serves…you.」 After Boo awakened at the first site, he had been busy recovering his memories and organizing his strength, which was why he couldn’t show himself until this moment. He had finally finished his metamorphosis and become a full Arch Lich.

Yeon-woo smiled at him. He was satisfied with Boo’s growth and pleased to see that Boo drew a clear line between his past and current life. “Do you know where we are?”

Boo scanned the room and nodded. 「Yes…Master.」Clack. Clack. His jaws made noise when he spoke. 「It’s not…just this…place… I’ve…visited…this hidden stage…in my past life…to search for…the Crawling…Chaos.」 When Yeon-woo first arrived at the sites, Faust’s memories helped Boo advise Yeon-woo to combine the stones. 「At the time…I was chasing after…darkness…so I attempted…to find the answer…within the Crawling…Chaos…but…he did not…give me…an answer… I came…to this place…to obtain…the Emerald…Tablet.」

Yeon-woo didn’t miss the strong emotions of joy and remorse in Boo’s eyes as he looked around. These were emotions that only those who had been forced to wait a long time before reaching their goal could feel. It was also the sadness of someone who’d realized that he’d been searching for an item in the wrong location.

“The Emerald Tablet? Here?”

「Yes…after…learning…the giant race…was enslaved…by the Crawling…Chaos…I explored…their…sites.」 It seemed he had obtained the stones of the Emerald Tablet here and returned to the stages to create a dungeon where he could experiment on it. That was where Vieira Dune and Walpurgisnacht found it.

“Then, you mean there aren’t any stone tablets left?”

Boo shook his head. 「At the time… I was ignorant…and didn’t know…the value…of the stone tablets… I could only…uncover…a few…of them… There are more…tablets remaining… If they are combined…they will be of…great…assistance…to you…but…」

“But?” Yeon-woo cocked his head.

「If you…take these…stone tablets…the Crawling Chaos…will find out…you’re…here.」

Yeon-woo contemplated for a moment. For some reason, the Crawling Chaos hadn’t appeared even when the envoys from the heavenly world arrived, which was why Yeon-woo could explore the sites so quickly.

However, once he dug the stone up, the site would release a wave of magic power, and the Crawling Chaos would realize he was here. If the Crawling Chaos caught on now, it might cause a setback to their plans since the half-giants weren’t completely trained yet. However, he eventually nodded. “It’s fine. Go ahead.”

He couldn’t avoid a fight with the Crawling Chaos. There would be no difference if it came sooner or later.

「As…you…command.」 Boo raised his hands with delight and began to recite a spell.

Rumble! The tomb quaked.

[You have finished exploring the final site.]

[You have completed the scenario quest (Proof of the King III).]

…

[All the collected stones have been combined into one.]

[You have obtained the artifact ‘Book of the Black King’!]

Space ripped open and a great wave of thoughts descended on Yeon-woo. You. Again.