Currently, Gi-Gyu and Michael were in Botis’ territory and were walking down to the dungeon. Around the time Choi Chang-Yong got close to the gate’s center, the duo witnessed something weird. 

“What a scene,” Gi-Gyu whispered in awe as he looked down.

“It's gross.” Michael had the opposite reaction. 

Before them, there were countless cocoons wrapped in white and black threads. Their sheer number made the area look like a city of sinister cocoons. 

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened. 

Noticing his reaction, Michael asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“Suk-Woo…” When Gi-Gyu whispered, Michael asked, “You mean Arok?”

Michael followed Gi-Gyu’s line of sight and saw a cocoon made of black and white threads. They both could see and hear the heart beating loudly inside this cocoon.

Lou announced with certainty.

-This is where Botis lives.

Michael failed to sense it, but Gi-Gyu could sense Suk-Woo’s presence inside this cocoon. Suk-Woo’s heart was beating fast, confirming that he was still alive. His need to quickly help his friend agitated his impatience. And the confirmation that Suk-Woo was alive did no wonders for his increasing anxiety. 

Lou warned,

-Don’t rush. If you go without a plan, it will be a suicide mission even for you. I’ll bet that even your trusted Lucifer wouldn’t come out alive if she barged in right now.

Lou’s voice was cold, but he was sincere. 

-You might not feel them because they aren’t activated yet. But a high-level demon lord’s territory is usually filled with barriers and bobby traps. By the way, can’t you feel them yet? Even with your heightened energy sensor?

Gi-Gyu shook his head. Why couldn’t he feel them? Currently, his senses could pick up two things: Suk-Woo’s presence and the army of this cocoon city. He felt the latter much strongly. He could tell that the army in this city was stronger than all the monsters he had faced inside this gate. 

“There are few in particular that are incredibly powerful.” When Gi-Gyu murmured as he looked around, Michael asked, “Huh? Can you feel anything here?”

“Can’t you?”

“No. Because of the thick demonic energy, my senses are all jumbled. The demonic presence here is especially bad.” 

While the strong demonic presence was hindering Micheal’s senses, the opposite was happening for Gi-Gyu: His senses were more accurate than ever. 

-The powerful beings you’re sensing are the corps commanders. Do you remember that creature Lucifer killed inside the Maze of Heryond?

“Ah!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed. Even though he was unconscious for most of that battle, he remembered vaguely seeing the giant black mountain. Recalling the fear he felt at the time, he blushed. 

Lou continued,

-They will have different appearances, but you bet your ass they will be just as powerful. 

‘So what are you saying I should do? I should just sit here like an idiot and wait for the Blue Dragon and the Cain guilds to show up?’ Gi-Gyu asked Lou in annoyance. He had confirmed that Suk-Woo was alive, yet he was supposed to wait for the others? 

Suk-Woo’s energy felt much weaker than usual, so he knew he had to save his friend as quickly as possible. 

Lou replied sarcastically,

-You think I’m you? Have I ever told you a problem without giving a solution?

El protested,

-Lou, please be more respectful toward our master.

-Shut up, you two. You’re both idiots.

‘Idiots?’ Gi-Gyu didn’t like how Lou treated El and him, but since only Lou had a solution… 

-The territory war. It’s time. 

“Ah!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed. He tried to declare war when he entered the dungeon, but it didn’t work. The system announcement told him that he had to reach the enemy territory’s heart to declare his intention. 

This cocoon city was the heart, and now that he was here, he could finally declare war. 

“I declare the territory war!” Without explaining anything to Michael, Gi-Gyu shouted. 

Dun, dun, dun, dun.

The space and the entire gate began to tremble lightly. 

“What did you do?!” Michael screamed in confusion. 

[You will be transferred to another location for the territory war.]

***

“So the territory war will take place here,” murmured Gi-Gyu. Lou had explained a few things to him earlier. The demons from hell became stronger when they ate their enemies; of course, there were certain rules they needed to follow.  

As one could expect, a territory war was often vicious and destructive, so to keep the well-kept territory free of damage, the war always took place in a wasteland. The winner got everything, including the territory, the landlord, and all the creatures and soldiers within. In summary, the new landlord held the fate of everyone and everything inside the gate. 

In a single battle, the winner could take it all. It was a primitive yet simple rule. Perhaps in a way, this rule was consistent with how Gi-Gyu synced with a gate. 

Of course, there was an exception to this rule. 

Lou explained,

-If you are super powerful, you can just destroy everything and everyone before the territory war starts. Then, you give the landlord a choice. They can either submit or die. Usually, they choose submission. 

The pride in Lou’s voice told Gi-Gyu that he had done this before. El muttered,

-You’re the worst, Lou. 

Brunheart yelled as she tried to flatter Gi-Gyu.

-Lou, you’re that strong? But our master is even stronger, right?! 

[There is one hour left until the territory war begins.]

Michael walked up to Gi-Gyu and stated, “Well, I don’t know what happened here, but this place will work better for me. It will be easier for me to fight in this space.” 

Since Michael needed open space to employ his skill, he couldn’t help but look around the open area in satisfaction. But quickly, his face tensed as he continued, “But doesn’t this mean we’ll have to face all the enemies at once? This S-Class gate… No, let’s just call this an SS-Class gate for now. We might have to battle everything in here and the SS-Class gatekeeper simultaneously. Do you have any idea what we should do?”

Michael’s question was a reasonable one. The new open space made it convenient for them to fight, but it did the same for their enemies. Now, their enemies didn’t have to line up to attack them—their entire army could simultaneously attack the duo. It would be a picture-perfect example of an unfair fight. 

“Well…” Gi-Gyu thought for a moment. He had planned to keep his gate a secret as long as possible, but this wasn’t the time to be secretive. After all, his life was on the line, and he also had to save Suk-Woo. 

‘I will have to reveal my power someday. I guess I should just focus on winning this battle right now. Haa… Gotta do what I gotta do.’ Gi-Gyu made his decision. 

The system made a sudden announcement.

[The players will appear in the neutral area.]

“Huh?” Gi-Gyu gasped.

“Players?” Michael murmured in confusion since he heard the same announcement as Gi-Gyu this time. “Which guild? The Cain Guild? Or the Blue Dragon?”

Gi-Gyu replied, “Well, whichever it is, I’m sure it’ll be on our side, right?” 

Michael and Gi-Gyu’s eyes met. They both agreed that they needed to join whoever entered the neutral area. 

[You will have temporary access to the Commander’s Eye.]

[Please use the eye to look over the battlefield.]

When he heard the announcement, Gi-Gyu murmured, “The Commander’s Eye?” 

Lou muttered. 

-It’s the same as what happened in hell. You’re free to use it.

Since Lou was the most knowledgeable about this stuff, Gi-Gyu obediently called up the Commander’s Eye. Suddenly, his point of view changed. 

‘The sky.’ Gi-Gyu found himself looking down at the wasteland from high up in the sky. He saw the spot where he and Michael stood and another area covered with thick fog. 

-That’s the enemy camp. Did you think you would be given access to the enemy camp?

Ignoring Lou, Gi-Gyu examined different areas to find the neutral ground. Before long, he found it in the middle of the open space. The players were on a hill, and although they seemed confused at first, they quickly returned to their battle formation and readied themselves. This was what Gi-Gyu expected from a guild with a long history. 

‘It’s the Blue Dragon Guild.’ Gi-Gyu could tell by the energy he felt from the group. The Blue Dragon Guild gave off different magic from the Cain Guild. The energy from the Blue Dragon Guild felt a little colder and sharper. 

When Gi-Gyu deactivated the Commander’s Eye, Michael asked in surprise, “Did you find them? Just who are you? How can you do all these things so easily?” 

Michael stared at Gi-Gyu with interest. Or was that wariness? 

Gi-Gyu replied, “Let’s just join the Blue Dragon Guild. I think the Cain Guild must be searching the outer edges of the gate as I asked.” 

Michael narrowed his eyes for a moment, but in the end, he just shrugged since he had no other choice. “Sure. It looks like you’re the boss for now.” 

***

“Dammit. I can’t believe we were suddenly transferred to this place!” Choi Chang-Yong quickly scanned his surroundings. They were standing in an unprotected and open area. If they were attacked right then, every single one of them would die on the spot. 

He ordered, “Get into your position. Protect all corners right now! Prepare yourselves so that we can fight immediately!” 

At Chang-Yong’s calm but decisive order, the Blue Dragon Guild members began moving quickly. No one panicked. Instead, every player moved quickly and efficiently. Tao Chen and Chang-Yong stood on opposite sides. As the two most powerful players, they would take the most vulnerable positions. 

Whoosh!

As the muggy wind with demonic energy swirled around the Blue Dragon Guild members, players realized that only enemies surrounded them, and tension rose. Since their senses weren’t working properly, they couldn’t even pinpoint their enemies' location. The support category players worked hurriedly to create a barrier; unfortunately, it would take some time to accomplish this in such an open field. 

Chang-Yong suddenly screamed, “Is that an enemy?!” 

Something with an incredible aura was coming toward them. Whatever it was, it held such powerful magic that even their jumbled-up senses picked it up. It was high up in the sky, flying toward them at an absurd speed. At first, they assumed it was a large herd of monsters; shockingly, the enormous energy signature emanated from a single creature. 

Chang-Yong yelled quickly, “Get ready to battle!” 

Was it the gatekeeper? Chang-Yong was preparing himself for a battle against the boss monster when…

Flap, flap…

Chang-Yong was certain it was an enemy, but the thing coming for them had angelic wings. 

“Ah, it’s not an enemy.” Tao Chen broke away from the formation and walked toward the newcomer. Chang-Yong frowned but didn’t criticize Tao Chen because he believed Tao Chen would never lie. 

Tao Chen explained, “He’s the other foreign player dispatched here.”

“Someone that powerful…” Chang-Yong frowned at the sharp power he felt from the incoming player. He realized this winged man was much stronger than Tao Chen or him. What shocked Chang-Yong was that he had no idea such a strong player existed. 

‘Where has someone powerful like him been hiding all this time?’ Chang-Yong wondered. When he sheathed his sword, the winged man approached them. 

It was Michael. In a relaxed yet sharp voice, he greeted, “Nice to see you again, Beautiful Beard.”

“Weren’t you planning on joining the Cain Guild? Why are you alone?” asked Tao Chen. Tao Chen was supposed to join the Blue Dragon Guild while Michael the Cain Guild. So why was Michael here alone? 

Suddenly, Tao Chen exclaimed, “Ah! The Cain Guild must be nearby too. I understand now. Your group destroyed all the monsters near the center of this gate!” 

With a frown, Chang-Yong muttered, “I’m sure it wasn’t the Cain Guild. This player must’ve done it alone.” 

It was an unnecessarily rude comment toward the Cain Guild, but no one objected. The Gypsophila Guild and Gi-Gyu weren’t even mentioned during the conversation. 

Michael explained, “Well… You’ll learn everything later. We better hurry up and join him. According to him, the territory war will begin very soon.”

“Territory war?” Both Chang-Yong and Tao Chen asked in confusion. Tao Chen caressed his long shiny beard in contemplation. He was covered in monster blood; for some reason, his beard was clean as if he had just washed it. 

Tao Chen replied, “I have heard of this before. This is how the demons decide their seniority. It’s also how they become stronger easily…” 

Tao Chen provided the information he gathered from the demons that worked with the Chinese Players Association (CPA). “By the way, a territory war will take place here? Are you saying a demon from our side has entered this gate?” 

Scratching his cheek, Michael replied, “Umm… Let’s just go.” 

“Kirrrk!” Suddenly, dozens of griffins appeared from behind Michael as they shrieked.

Not knowing what was happening, Chang-Yong was about to unsheathe his sword when Michael explained, “They aren’t enemies. I’ll explain on the way. We don’t have much time. You can just get on top of the griffins.”

Tao Chen stared in surprise while Chang-Yong stammered, “Y-you mean we’ll ride the griffins?” 

No one could understand what was happening. Still scratching his cheek, Michael tried his best to explain.