“Hell?” Gi-Gyu felt he had heard it wrong. “Didn’t the Tower absorb hell?”

“Hmm…” Paimon didn’t answer Gi-Gyu immediately. After a few seconds, he mumbled, “I don’t think the tuning is perfect.”

“...?”

“I can’t remember it very well.”

“Pardon?” Gi-Gyu asked in puzzlement.

“It doesn’t look like my consciousness has settled well in Min-Su’s body. My memories are all mixed up. This won’t do.”

“...?”

“A bit more fine-tuning is needed… We will talk later,” Paimon mumbled to himself and stood up. “Don’t worry. I am certain nothing will happen for a while. The fact that I joined your side will put pressure on Andras. He’ll definitely plan something, but he won’t rush into anything yet. So, focus on improving your newly gained power for now.”

Paimon looked at Gi-Gyu and continued, “This war… It will be long, boring, and difficult. You’re more important than you think in this war.” He gazed into Gi-Gyu’s eyes and added, “You’re at the center of this battle… My head hurts. You’ll have to come back later. I need to rest.”

With this, Paimon left the room. Gi-Gyu didn’t stop him because he could tell Paimon wasn’t lying.

Left alone, Gi-Gyu thought about what Paimon had said. He needed to think about hell and the source of this war.

***

“Haaah...” Soo-Jung yawned loudly. She seemed bored, but she was constantly moving. She had a heavy-looking club in each hand, which she twirled nonstop. It was seemingly a boring task because she couldn’t stop yawning.

“Unnie!” Yoo-Bin called out as she walked to Soo-Jung.

“Hey, Yoo-Bin,” Soo-Jung greeted.

Yoo-Bin, with her friendly nature, was the only one who called Soo-Jung “unnie.” Even though Yoo-Bin was close, Soo-Jung didn’t stop twirling the clubs.

Whoosh!

Soo-Jung swung the clubs toward Yoo-Bin.

“Hup!” Yoo-Bin groaned and stepped back in confusion, narrowly missing a wave of bloodthirsty energy.

Soo-Jung continued to twirl her clubs. One of the clubs fell straight down this time while she turned in a full circle. As soon as she landed, she began twirling her clubs again.

Clang!

For the first time, Yoo-Bin dodged one club and blocked the second one. Her hand turned black but remained unscathed despite getting hit by the club. She finally began fighting back. A set of wings appeared on her back, and they targeted Soo-Jung.

The clubs, wings, and Yoo-Bin’s black hands crashed into each other repeatedly.

“Unnie! Stop already!” Yoo-Bin shouted. Soo-Jung finally stopped.

“Haa… Haa… That was intense…” Yoo-Bin panted and looked down.

“Ha! This is so not fair.” Soo-Jung lowered the clubs and grumbled, “Should I ask him to sync with me too? Pfft…!” Soo-Jung laughed and looked up. Her pouty face looked friendly.

The infamous Lucifer getting angry would have scared anyone, but Yoo-Bin was used to this side of Soo-Jung.

Eden was busy, but there wasn’t much Soo-Jung and Yoo-Bin had to do. This was why they had spent a lot of their time sparring. Of course, Yoo-Bin won every single time.

Soo-Jung unclenched her hands, dropping the clubs. She murmured, “You are becoming stronger so fast.”

Shhhh.

The clubs turned to dust and disappeared.

Soo-Jung muttered, “This is not fair! I know you’re working hard, but still… Your growth rate is unreal.”

Yoo-Bin was becoming stronger at an alarming rate. She used to be a rookie ranker, but after syncing with Gi-Gyu and absorbing an Asmodeus piece, her growth rate went through the roof.

Gi-Gyu had recently absorbed an incredible amount of sorcerous energy, which also increased Yoo-Bin’s growth rate.

No longer panting, Yoo-Bin replied, “You should ask him to sync with you too!”

“No, thanks.” Soo-Jung shook her head. “It would be no different from me selling my soul to a demon.”

“A demon? Is Gi-Gyu oppa a demon?”

“No, but I don’t want to feel unconditional loyalty toward anyone. No matter how powerful he can make me, I will never want that,” Soo-Jung replied. Of course, this wasn’t the only reason, but Soo-Jung couldn’t tell Yoo-Bin everything.

Before Yoo-Bin could ask more questions, Soo-Jung changed the subject. “How’s my pupil doing? After talking with Paimon, he told everyone to take a break for a while, didn’t he? But I haven’t seen him around lately.”

The battle with Ha Song-Su had ended, and Eden’s restoration was also complete. Gi-Gyu had been very busy dealing with Paimon, but now that he had some time for himself, Soo-Jung wondered why she hadn’t seen him lately.

Yoo-Bin replied, “He went to have a meeting with the Korean government.”

“A meeting?” Soo-Jung frowned, disliking what she had just heard. But she quickly lost interest. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

The situation was already out of hand now. The humans couldn’t do much to or for them apart from, perhaps, giving Gi-Gyu peace of mind.

“Hmm… I guess after this talk with the government, he’ll have some time to rest.” Soo-Jung thought for a moment before mumbling, “Maybe I should go on a trip with my pupil! It has been a long time.”

“...!” Yoo-Bin’s face turned strange when she heard Soo-Jung’s mumble.

Yoo-Bin asked, “You mean like on a date…?”

“What the hell are you talking about? A date? I meant just dinner or something. He has been stuck in Eden for so long. Don’t you think he deserves a nice dinner?”

Yoo-Bin’s head tilted to the side in confusion. “Isn’t that like a date, though?”

Soo-Jung didn’t answer Yoo-Bin. Instead, she gave her a mysterious smile and left.

“This is my chance,” Yoo-Bin whispered while clenching her fist.

Not too far away from her, Brunheart watched everything from the Sephiroth Tree. “My master’s wife will be…!”

Brunheart had already decided whom Gi-Gyu would take as his wife. With a smile, she headed toward an unknown destination.

***

“It’s an honor to meet you.” A man gave his hand to Gi-Gyu for a handshake. “I’m Kim Sung-Moo, the Assistant Secretary of the Player Maintenance Department.”

“My name is Kim Gi-Gyu.” Gi-Gyu shook his head. Beside him were Sung-Hoon and Rohan.

“Haha, I’ve only seen you on TV, so I must say that this feels surreal. I only saw you in your silver armor on TV, so… You are such a good-looking man.” Kim Sung-Moo sat down and announced with a laugh.

After the players’ first appearance, the governments of different countries felt the need to form an independent department to maintain them. They named it the Players Maintenance Department.

At first, this was a powerful department, but it lost its authority to the player associations around the world.

However, things are different now. After the KPA’s collapse, the Caravan Guild and Andras claimed to take over its function, but they neglected most of their duties. They kept the gates closed but didn’t do anything to manage the players’ needs. Therefore, the Players Maintenance Department regained its power not too long ago.

But this department was about to lose its authority once again.

“So the new association will be named Eden… How meaningful,” Kim Sung-Moo announced with a smile. He acted friendly toward Gi-Gyu, but Gi-Gyu knew better.

‘He is good at hiding his true intentions.’ Through his well-developed senses and faint sync, Gi-Gyu could discern Kim Sung-Moo’s true thoughts. He realized that this man was incredibly ambitious and saw people, including Gi-Gyu, as nothing more than tools.

“I can’t believe a great player like you had to live as a wanted man, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu. Something was obviously very wrong in this world.” Kim Sung-Moo poured Gi-Gyu a cup of water and continued, “But don’t worry. The Korean government believes in your innocence now, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

Gi-Gyu had been deemed a wanted man when he was innocent. He found it ridiculous that the government only now “believed” he was innocent.

“...” Gi-Gyu’s lips curled up.

Kim Sung-Moo’s eyes flinched, but the smile remained on his lips. This department was in name only, but it appeared that Kim Sung-Moo had reached this position with much effort.

Gi-Gyu went right to the point. “You wanted to see me?”

He felt uncomfortable about this meeting. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of a reason why he had to meet with the government. Sung-Hoon and Rohan must have felt that Gi-Gyu wasn’t happy about this meeting because they flinched.

Kim Sung-Moo replied, “Yes, that’s correct. A new group called Eden will be launched, and… I thought I should meet its head in person. The president wanted to come in person, but… As you know, he’s incredibly busy.”

‘Who is the current president of Korea?’ Gi-Gyu couldn’t even remember, and he didn’t bother. He asked, “Wasn’t Mr. Heo Sung-Hoon supposed to be the head of this group?”

Kim Sung-Moo waved his hands in surprise and replied, “Ah! You’re right, of course. But Mr. Sung-Hoon will be the head of it in name only, isn’t he? He’ll be basically a figurehead, and you, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu, will be the real—”

Crack.

The glass in Gi-Gyu’s hand shattered, but the pieces didn’t fly everywhere. Instead, they floated in the air.

“What the…?!” Kim Sung-Moo watched in fear.

Gi-Gyu apologized, “Ah, I’m sorry.” When he relaxed, the glass shards fell and lodged into the desk like daggers. “I have difficulty controlling my emotions when I meet the type of people I hate.”

A smile appeared on Gi-Gyu’s face as he continued, “For example, I don’t like rude and disrespectful people devoid of human decency. I also hate people with big ambitions but no real skills. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Gi-Gyu openly insulted him, but Kim Sung-Moo remained quiet with a rigid expression.

Gi-Gyu asked, “Can I assume that you aren’t one of those people, Assistant Secretary Kim Sung-Moo?”

“...”

“Mr. Heo Sung-Hoon is the head of Eden. I just don’t understand why I had to be present for this meeting. I am just one of the many players out there. If you have anything to discuss from now on, please address it to Mr. Sung-Hoon and Mr. Rohan.” Gi-Gyu pointed at Sung-Hoon and Rohan.

“Ah!” Gi-Gyu continued. “And I’m sure the situation regarding Eden in the Bukhan River region is resolved, correct?”

“...”

“Please answer my question. I think you have the authority to answer me.”

In the end, Kim Sung-Moo replied, “You’re correct… The place named Eden in the Bukhan River region has been acknowledged as a special autonomous district. From now on, it will be considered a part of the new association, also named Eden, and its headquarters. Therefore, the Korean government promises never to interfere with—”

“Yes, that sounds about right.” Gi-Gyu stood up. “I’m not that busy, but this place makes me uncomfortable, so I’ll take my leave now.”

Gi-Gyu walked toward the door. Kim Sung-Moo’s trembling troubled him a bit, but this wasn’t his problem.

When Sung-Hoon and Rohan tried to follow him, Gi-Gyu asked, “Why are you guys following me out? Weren’t you here to converse with Assistant Secretary Kim Sung-Moo?”

Rohan and Sung-Hoon tried their best to hide their laughs. Sung-Hoon replied, “I don’t think so.”

“Did I make a mistake in that room?” Gi-Gyu asked Sung-Hoon. Because he felt the situation allowed it, he had let his emotions take over. Now, he wondered if he had put too much burden on Sung-Hoon.

Sung-Hoon replied, “Of course not. I brought you here for this very reason. The Korean government was being difficult. They don’t want to make the same mistake they made with the KPA before. They want to retain as much authority as possible, and it has been so tiring trying to deal with them. I’m not the type to make a scene, and Rohan didn’t want to do anything to bring you shame, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu. So we had no choice but to bring you here.”

Sung-Hoon laughed and continued, “I know Kim Sung-Moo doesn’t look like much, but he’s an influential figure. I could smell something gross when we left, though. I think he peed in his pants… Hahaha. You did very well. Things will go a lot smoother from now on, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

“Hahahaha.” Suddenly, Rohan began to laugh too. He had been dying to shut Kim Sung-Moo up since he had been rude to his master. But everything worked out in the end.

Gi-Gyu smiled as well, and the three of them left together.