The Ruler's Downgrade

She thrust her phone toward me as she said it.

I looked at Shin Seojin.

Unlike Seol Yura, she had a petite frame and a mischievous face full of playful energy.

She hadn't said it outright, but she was clearly a speed or movement-type Awakened.

"Hello?"

Seol Yura greeted Shin Seojin from the side, then turned to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me with a question.

"So... what exactly is your relationship with her?"

I felt a flicker of confusion at her question.

After Shin Seojin had come over to our table earlier, the two of them hadn't spoken to each other at all, right?

Or was I mistaken?

"Eh. Well... we're senior and junior? For now, anyway? Ahaha..."

Even though the question had been directed at me, Shin Seojin answered in a teasing tone.

"Really? Weren't you two meeting for the first time today? Yet you're calling him Oppa."

"That's because Dohyun Oppa is older than me! Still, just looking at his face, he could totally pass for a freshman. Doesn't he seem like an oppa? Definitely not an uncle... Ahaha!"

"No, that's not what I meant... Ha..."

Seol Yura's expression hardened.

Whether she noticed or not, Shin Seojin kept talking to me.

"What do you think, Oppa? Clearing the tutorial with S-rank means you'll be entering the Tower pretty often from now on. Isn't that going to be a hassle?"

The moment I opened my mouth to reply—

"Ah, I already promised to help senior. We won't need two people, I think."

Seol Yura looked straight at Shin Seojin and smiled as she spoke.

Wait, hadn't I never agreed to anything like that?

"Oh, for real? So that's what you two were talking about earlier?"

"Yes. So thank you for the offer, but Seojin-nim..."

"No, but."

Shin Seojin tilted her head with a genuinely puzzled look.

"Yura... nim? Didn't you say you've never entered the Tower before?"

"...That's true, but why do you ask?"

"Well, from what everyone's been saying."

Shin Seojin gestured toward the Awakened scattered around the bar.

"People in this group are forming parties to tackle gates and the Tower together, organizing teams and practicing their abilities as a group."

"And?"

"If you're going to be the president or vice-president, shouldn't you be the one coordinating all that? It only makes sense for someone who's actually been inside the Tower to take the role... right?"

She had a point. Clearing gates usually required Awakened to form proper parties and enter together.

The Tower worked the same way—after clearing the tutorial floors from one to ten, you could enter the higher floors with other Awakened.

Since the broader Awakened community and gatherings weren't very active yet, we'd created this group ourselves.

In fact, people were already suggesting they should all go in together sometime soon.

This was exactly what foreign Awakened guilds did, which was why I'd seen the potential in the group and decided to take on the role of president.

And Shin Seojin, while not S-rank, was an Awakened with an A-rank clear on the second floor.

Even if she'd only achieved A-rank once, and only on the second floor.

That alone put her in the top tier among the Awakened gathered here.

"Of course a healer is incredibly valuable! But I still think this kind of coordination should be handled by a combat Awakened who actually enters the Tower."

"I'm not planning to avoid the Tower or gates entirely. If you consider my skills... wouldn't I end up doing more party play than anyone?"

"Ahaha..."

What I was curious about was that while the vice-president position in a group that could eventually grow into a full guild might be tempting...

Was it really worth going this far against the group's only healer?

That question was soon answered.

"Oh, right. Oppa, I have a friend from high school named Lee Yumi."

When I nodded at Shin Seojin's sudden remark, she continued.

"She's a healing-type Awakened too. If you make me vice-president, can I invite her to the group? She's been looking for party members..."

So that was where her confidence came from—she already had another healer lined up.

The claim about looking for party members was almost certainly a lie.

If she were truly struggling to find teammates, it wouldn't be her doing the searching—healers were the ones who never had to look.

Unless, like Seol Yura, she had no intention of entering at all.

If she'd genuinely wanted to do party activities, she could have joined one immediately.

So this was essentially an offer: make me vice-president, and I'll bring you a healer.

I looked back and forth between Seol Yura and Shin Seojin.

Shin Seojin had approached me even before I'd cleared the first floor.

Still, the fact that she was pushing this hard was almost certainly because of my S-rank clear.

Logically, Seol Yura should be the one to get it, but...

Bringing in another healer would be a waste to pass up.

Shin Seojin knew how to make a deal.

When it came to healers, there was no real choice.

"Then how about both of you help me out?"

I spoke up.

"There are already this many people here, and it looks like the group will only get bigger. It'd be great if the two of you worked together."

"Yes, I'd love to!"

"Got it, senior."

Shin Seojin looked satisfied with the compromise, while Seol Yura seemed slightly disappointed.

That made sense—Shin Seojin was someone she'd only just met, while she and I had already been close.

"America already has proper Awakened guilds, but we don't have anything like that here yet. It'd be good if this group could eventually fill that role."

"Oh, I was thinking exactly the same thing!"

When I casually floated the idea, Shin Seojin took the bait immediately.

"If it really grows that big later, you'll both keep helping, right?"

I smiled and said it like a joke.

"Of course! Oh, I'll invite my friend right away!"

As expected, she caught on fast.

Shin Seojin was sharper than I'd given her credit for, and I found myself liking her.

Still, if things stayed like this, Seol Yura would probably feel a little hurt.

"Oh, now that I think about it, Yura also said she wasn't planning to avoid the Tower or gates completely, right?"

"Yes."

"Then how about forming a party with me? Once I have more free time, I'll help you out."

"Wait, really? Yes, please, senior!"

The slight stiffness in her expression vanished, replaced by pure delight.

It would've been awkward if Shin Seojin had tried to join in too.

Fortunately, she stayed quiet this time.

She really was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quick on the uptake.

The constellation faction Underworld had been defeated by the constellation faction 72 Demons.

The rumor had spread not only among the constellations themselves but even to their incarnations.

The incarnation who had destroyed the statues and prayer rooms belonging to Underworld-affiliated constellations was still alive and well.

That alone was humiliating enough, but it got worse.

At the public execution ground, when the incarnations from each faction clashed, the Underworld's incarnations had fled without putting up a real fight.

On top of that, both attempts at manipulating public opinion against The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge had failed spectacularly and blown back in their faces.

While minor skirmishes between incarnations continued in that world, this incident was undeniably a loss for the Underworld.

And if The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge had been the greatest contributor to the 72 Demons' victory...

The constellations of the Underworld began searching for the one responsible for their humiliating defeat.

Of course, the most furious of all was The Ruler of Snakes and Darkness.

She had created this entire mess by stealing the incarnation of The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge in the first place.

Not only had she failed to clean up after herself despite asking for help, but even after receiving the diluted elixir from The Great Warrior of Tartarus, her boasted attack on The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge had ended in failure.

She had lost the trust of her fellow constellations.

Several incarnations had already terminated their contracts with her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after this incident.

Doubts began spreading that The Ruler of Snakes and Darkness might actually be a far weaker constellation than everyone had believed.

Above all, an absurd rumor had begun circulating—that she had apologized to The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge by sending a photo of herself performing a naked dogeza.

A constellation's power came from those who worshipped it.

The more believers they had, the stronger they became. Their personal abilities, the credits they received through faith, and even their rank were all determined by it.

So what would happen if such ridiculous rumors spread about the very constellation they served?

That she had stolen another constellation's incarnation, lost miserably, and then sent such a shameful photo as an apology.

In the end, after all these disasters piled on top of one another, The Ruler of Snakes and Darkness...

She ground her teeth at the unbelievable reality.

She wanted to take revenge on The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge immediately.

But she was now Medium-Low rank, while he had reached Supreme.

On top of that, he had become a member of the 72 Demons.

He was now an opponent she couldn't touch even if she mobilized the entire power of the Underworld.

With the situation having deteriorated this far, the constellations of the Underworld—including The Ruler of Snakes and Darkness—needed somewhere to redirect their fury.

However, as one of the conditions The Seeker of Sublime Knowledge had demanded in exchange for joining the 72 Demons, the incarnation Aisha was already under the protection of the 72 Demons' incarnations.

As expected, the easiest target was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the incarnation who had triggered the entire incident in the first place.

It was none other than the incarnation Violet.