‘So is becoming stronger pointless now?’

Gi-Gyu felt hopeless; it was as if someone had pushed him into a giant storm. This world was full of players who could never become half as strong as Tae-Gu or Soo-Jung, yet there existed creatures even more powerful than these two players. Could he ever defeat such entities? 

Gi-Gyu felt like he was drowning in deep, dark water. 

Slap!

“There is no reason for you to be this scared,” Soo-Jung consoled Gi-Gyu with a smack to his back. Thankfully, she didn’t use her full force. Else, he would’ve died on the spot. 

Soo-Jung calmly continued, “Most beings in the Tower are trapped and sealed for now, and there is still plenty of time left until the invasion. We also took some measures to prevent them from leaving the Tower too easily, so don’t worry about the end of the world just yet.”

‘Sealed?’ One of Soo-Jung’s words caught his attention. 

‘Sealed? Like El…‘

“Sealed away the demon!” When Gi-Gyu suddenly shouted, Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu jumped and asked.

“What?” 

“Huh?”

Shaking his head quickly, Gi-Gyu replied, “N-no, it’s nothing.”

It was obvious to everyone that Gi-Gyu wasn’t sharing something with the class. Still, Soo-Jung shrugged and said, “Well, if you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine.”

It was one of the few things Gi-Gyu liked about powerful players: They didn’t force him into revealing stuff he wasn’t ready to share. Instead, they waited until he was ready.

Gi-Gyu replied, “I will tell you about it later.” He had already told Tae-Shik about it, but Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu didn’t know how he obtained El. For some reason, Gi-Gyu didn’t want to talk about it just yet.

Gi-Gyu changed the subject, “So, you mean the Caravan Guild is related to everything you told me and the door that leads to the Tower’s basement?”

“That’s right.”

“Exactly, Young Man.”

Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu replied simultaneously. When Soo-Jung gestured toward Tae-Gu with her chin, indicating for him to explain the rest, Tae-Gu continued, “The Caravan Guild is certainly a problem, but… Andras is a much bigger issue.”

“Andras,” murmured Gi-Gyu. ‘Even Lou felt resentment toward the name.’ 

Tae-Gu added with a voice full of disapproval, “Andras is nicknamed the Marquis of Dissension.” Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu frowned as Tae-Gu explained, “He’s the worst demon that wants to free the Tower rulers. He wants to end our world.”

***

After their meeting, Gi-Gyu returned home without Soo-Jung because she wanted to have a private chat with Tae-Gu. 

“The worst demon…” Gi-Gyu murmured, going over the earlier conversation. According to Tae-Gu, Andras was the worst demon not because he was the strongest but because he was the evilest. Andras was renowned as a lover of dissension and promoted violence and adultery. He was the incarnation of evil that dreamt of the world's end. 

“Sure sounds like the worst.” When Gi-Gyu murmured, Lou replied with a frustrated sigh.

-Yeah… There are annoying jerks, then there is Andras. Haa… He was born a jerk. 

-Even I have heard of his evil reputation, Master. 

Even the usually silent El chimed in.

-Oh no! I’m the only one who doesn’t know him… Hng.

Brunheart sounded very disappointed that he couldn’t join in the conversation. Finding Brunheart adorable, Gi-Gyu felt a little less tense. 

Working on the magic circle beside Gi-Gyu, Baal said quietly, “Andras sits in the lower Seat of Power, yet he’s famous for surviving this long.”

"Oh, I see,”—Gi-Gyu turned toward Baal—“what’s ‘Seat of Power’?”

“...?”

-...?

Both Baal and Lou seemed shocked, confusing Gi-Gyu. He had never heard of “Seat of Power” before, so why did asking about it draw such reactions?

Baal asked, “Oh, you really don’t know?”

“N-no.” When Gi-Gyu replied hesitantly, Baal raised his glasses as if troubled. He murmured, “My goodness. Didn’t Lou… I mean, Master Lou, tell you anything about it?”

-I’d forgotten all about Seat of Power. I remember it now, though. Seat of Power is a title—a way to address high-level demons under demon kings. I’m not talking about creatures like Soo-Jung, who isn’t even a full-fledged demon. Just as there is a clear order among the demon kings, the high-level demon lords also have a unique order system with 72 seats called the Seat of Power. Demons with this title own territories, and the gates are examples of these territories. Oh, and do not assume that only demons have territories.

While Soo-Jung had a connection with his Egos, it was very limited. However, Baal could hear Lou clearly. Baal agreed, “That’s right.”

Gi-Gyu nodded and replied, “I see.” To his surprise, he gained new information and didn’t suffer the penalty for it.  

Whir.

The magic circle suddenly resonated. Baal watched keenly and explained, “I think it will now produce crystals consistently.”

Thanks to its newfound stability, numerous crystals appeared on the magic circle from the surplus energy. These crystals were then eaten by Brunheart’s gate again.

"Creative economy!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed in pleasure. It was a slow process, but he now had an infinite cycle of energy and magic. The magic circle transformed the surplus and wasted energy into crystals, which Brunheart’s gate ate and released surplus energy. Consequently, the gate was becoming stronger without losing a gram of energy. 

Baal's face returned to its usual expressionless state and replied, “Well, I suppose your statement isn’t wrong.” 

Baal only showed human expressions while discussing the magic circle or other black magic stuff. 

‘Wait, he isn’t human.’ Gi-Gyu had almost forgotten. 

“Lou was the emperor of all demons, so I guess he didn’t have a Seat of Power.” Being very curious about this mysterious demon, Gi-Gyu suddenly asked, “Then what seat level do you hold, Baal?”

Baal was a demon lord, so he should also have had the title. With his usual blank face, Baal replied bluntly, “I used to be…”

Suddenly, a bitter and sad expression appeared on his face as he whispered, “First Seat of Power.” The fact that he had to use past tense pained Baal.

Lou ruthlessly muttered,

-Idiot.

***

“You’re leaving?” Gi-Gyu asked in disappointment.

“I need to be away for a while. Why? Are you sad I’m leaving? Will you miss me?” Soo-Jung smiled teasingly and replied. 

“N-no, it’s n-not that.” When Gi-Gyu stammered, Soo-Jung calmly promised, “Once I take care of it, I’ll come back.” 

During her private conversation with Tae-Gu, Tae-Gu ended up making a request to her. Soo-Jung decided to accept this mission since she was an association mercenary and the request lined up with her interests.

‘The association employing Lucifer herself for a request? Sounds unbelievable.’ On numerous occasions, the association’s might had awed Gi-Gyu, so he wondered just how strong Lee Sun-Ho was to defy the association. What was more confusing was that Lucifer and Baal were powerful enough to make direct deals with Lee Sun-Ho. 

‘What complicated relationships they must have with each other,’ Gi-Gyu mused. He couldn’t tell if it was peaceful only because these players’ power was well-balanced. No matter how hard he tried, Gi-Gyu found untangling this web impossible.

Just then, Soo-Jung suggested, “I’m going to say goodbye to your mother and Yoo-Jung. You…”

“Yeah, there is something I want to talk to Baal about,” replied Gi-Gyu. He could tell that Soo-Jung had gotten close to his family during her stay here. They have spent many days together, and it was nice to see different sides of her. Seeing the infamous Lucifer’s humane side nearly made him question reality; it was akin to living with a celebrity. 

‘What the heck am I thinking?!’ Gi-Gyu quickly shook his head, surprised by his thoughts. Soo-Jung was a dangerous figure— someone capable of ending their world. And her spending a few days with his family didn’t change that. 

His mind told him not to get too attached, but the heart wants what it wants. 

‘It’s hard not to want her as a friend.’

The darnedest thing happened somewhere along the way. He began looking forward to seeing her. Feeling a little embarrassed, he quickly changed the subject. “Umm… Anyway, go say goodbye to my family.”

Gi-Gyu’s odd response confused Lucifer, but she remained silent and looked at him for a fleeting moment before climbing the stairs. On the other hand, Gi-Gyu went down to the basement and found Baal standing in the middle, concentrating on something.

“...” Baal was probably very focused on his task because he didn’t even acknowledge Gi-Gyu’s arrival. Instead of interfering, Gi-Gyu decided to sit down on a chair nearby and wait. He knew how vital Baal’s work was for Baal and him. 

Various bright and dark lights appeared from Baal, who controlled his magic to form and edit the content of the magic circle. Watching with interest, Gi-Gyu wondered, ‘What level is Baal?’

Now that he thought about it, he realized he didn’t know the level of any high ranker or above close to him. Gi-Gyu suddenly became very curious, but it wasn’t the right time to ask such a question. 

‘Haa…’ Gi-Gyu sighed silently. He was worried about what was to come in his future. 

‘Ironshield…’ He promised himself he would kill Ironshield for the nth time before realizing torture wouldn’t be that bad an idea. Currently, Rogers was getting less than an hour of sleep every day and was forced to build the pyramid. Despite the constant whipping and starvation, Rogers didn’t die because he was a player. After Nine took away his stats, leaving him a shell of his former self, he began resenting Ironshield. So, torturing Ironshield like Rogers Han could indeed be a splendid idea.

‘After he finishes the pyramid, what should I make him build next? Eiffel Tower seems fun. Should I hire a talented architect for the next idea?’ Gi-Gyu chuckled, reveling in his fun revenge. 

‘Who knows? Rogers might come in handy in the future.’

Gi-Gyu looked down at his watch. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice how much time had passed. It was already dinner time, so he assumed Soo-Jung was having dinner with his family. Gi-Gyu thought about joining them, but he decided to stay with Baal. 

Currently, Gi-Gyu’s head was somewhat calm, free of its usual chatter. Brunheart was asleep after getting tired from their incessant chat earlier. 

‘Egos sleep too… How surprising.’ As far as Gi-Gyu knew, El slept most of the day. The only one who didn’t sleep was…

-It’s definitely not because I slept for so long before. I’m just superior. 

Lou explained. He had lived an eternity—a period so long that he had to erase his memory just to stay sane.  

When Gi-Gyu began to feel sad, Lou grumbled,

-Don’t be so pathetic. 

Gi-Gyu smiled. 

Suddenly, Baal greeted, “You’re here.”

Baal had long been aware of Gi-Gyu’s presence, but he still greeted Gi-Gyu out of respect. 

“Yes, I am.” When Gi-Gyu replied, Baal apologized, “I’m sorry I made you wait for so long.”

“Not at all.” Their conversation remained very formal. Despite their long time together, Gi-Gyu still found befriending Baal hard. 

-And there is no need for you to be his friend.

Baal heard Lou’s annoyed comment and smiled. Gi-Gyu knew Baal only smiled when his experiment was successful, so he asked, “I guess it worked?”

Gi-Gyu must have guessed right because Baal nodded. “Nine’s corruption has been completed. It was already so close to being fully tainted that it wasn’t hard to nudge it further. You shouldn’t have any problem using it from now on.”

“Thank you.” Gi-Gyu nodded to show his appreciation. In a way, Nine was a gift Rogers Han gave him. Because it was a unique sword, neither Lou nor El could absorb it until now. But Gi-Gyu kept the sword because he knew its potential was endless. It was also vital in carrying out his next plan.

For the last several days, Baal worked on fully corrupting Nine. When Gi-Gyu first obtained this sword, it was in an awkward state, so he decided to turn it into an evil sword since it was much easier. 

-But Master, you’ve to maintain a balance. You cannot lean toward the darkness too much. 

“I remember, El,” Gi-Gyu replied and sheathed Nine before placing it inside the gate. 

Then, Gi-Gyu walked toward Baal. A stone coffin with damage all over stood before them. 

“Min-Su,” Gi-Gyu murmured as he looked at the little boy. Old Man Hwang’s grandson and Hwang Chae-Il’s son, Hwang Min-Su, still lay inside the coffin.