The Sea's Three Kings
The warship plan for the Black Animals had been scrapped. Mingming and No. 100 were clearly useful robots, but there simply wasn't enough manpower to put their knowledge into practice. Continuing construction with only zombies and leopards, without any golems, was practically impossible. There was also the matter of floating materials. With the number of users reduced from three to two, supplies had dropped to two-thirds. "What a shame."
But it wasn't Mingming's absence that had changed the fundamental situation. It was the fact that the Golden Lord had been injured and forced to retreat. A few days later, the deep-sea monster returned battered and spent its last strength to leave behind a final message. There were three kings in this sea. To completely escape the Golden Lord's grasp, it would be wise to seek protection from another king, but none of them would help us without demanding something in return.
[I am dying now. If you offer my corpse as a bargaining chip, the other kings will listen… Please, lead our child into the true world.]
Watching him sink into the deep darkness of the Dark Trench, I felt my stomach churn. Siling's voice rang out.
[Dad! Dad!]
Repeating the dying monster's final message, I felt a surge of anger. Perhaps it was because I had fused with Siling and shared emotions. But I clearly felt a sense of responsibility toward him.
"Baek Suhan… what the hell are you doing?"
Having reached Stage 5, I was weak. Even if I had been a ruler in Stage 4, the new world meant starting from the bottom again. Yet I had been complacent. Not in the physical sense—I had kept up my workouts and continued honing my combat skills—but I had neglected something far more important. While others were already pushing themselves to the limit just to survive, I had been hunting only those weaker than me.
"I only fought the ones I thought I could beat…"
Living like this would only lead me back to the same cycle on Earth. One day, everything would be taken from me and I would end up a slave. Those who settled for comfort would inevitably lose everything to those who lived fiercely.
I had to rethink my approach.
"Three kings in this sea? And one of them is the Golden Lord, so I should rely on another?"Bullshit. I would devour them all, turn them into zombies, and make them crawl beneath my feet. And someday, I would do the same to that snake living high up in the heavens. To make that happen, it was time to steel myself to dive into true danger—the most dangerous thing this world had to offer.
"Park Seona."
"Yes, Nanggun-nim."
I felt bad for the cat who had come forward for my sake, but I no longer had the luxury of waiting for her. Three kings, including the Golden Lord. To face them, I needed an [Event].
"Can you get a contract from your sponsor?"
"A sponsorship? Ah… well…"
"What's wrong?"
As if it had been waiting for this exact moment, a message window from a new entity appeared before my eyes.
[Greetings, Zombie Summoner! I can provide the contract you just mentioned!]
"Who are you?"
[Hmm… There was a bit of commotion, but I'm the sponsor who sent you those lovely females.]
"The host of this whole mess?"
I was unsure how to judge this. Park Seona was an ally, and while Mingming had her circumstances, she had ultimately put me in danger. The last one hadn't even revealed her face yet. So was the one who sent them an ally?
[I understand your hesitation. But let me clarify: the incident orchestrated by 'Heaven's Snake' has absolutely no connection to our event.]
"…"
"Even so, how can I trust someone I've never met?"
[Surprisingly, this isn't our first meeting. Back when you were in Stage 3, I watched you together with the cat from inside her box. I saw the decision to tamper with the rewards!]
That was completely out of left field. What did it matter if she claimed to know me when I had never seen her? But thinking about it again, the statement was meant to signal her connection to the cat.
"A sponsor close enough to the cat to be allowed into her domain…"
The cat destroyed anything she didn't like without hesitation. And this sponsor had overheard the reward tampering, which was the cat's dirty secret. That meant the sponsor currently speaking to me likely had a fairly deep relationship with the cat.
"One thing I want to confirm."
[Please, go ahead.]
"If I make a contract with another sponsor, will the cat be all right? If it would harm her, I'd like to include that as a contract condition."
[What do you mean…? Sponsors don't profit from contracts with summoners in the first place.]
"What I mean is, will there be any disruption to the cat's snack supply?"
At the very least, the cat's snack supply was the most important matter I could think of. This was the minimum courtesy I could show. And at my words, the other party burst into laughter.
[Kuh… Khahaha! How amusing! I swear on my name that I will ensure it. If the cat suffers any disadvantage regarding snacks, I, 'Heaven's Rabbit,' promise to resolve it personally.]
"Heaven?"
[I understand your wariness, but please don't forget that 'Heaven' was the one that disciplined the snake. Furthermore, the one offering you sponsorship is not 'Heaven,' but the organization called Success Myth. Please don't misunderstand!]
Everything she said was correct and understandable, yet I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. Sensing my thoughts, the rabbit added:
[For reference, 'Song of the Grass' will likely be unable to provide the highest difficulty rewards you might request. As you know, rewards are items the sponsor possesses and provides to the summoner.]
'Song of the Grass' was Park Seona's sponsor. I didn't know if the statement was true, but even if it was a lie, if they applied pressure, 'Song of the Grass' would most likely not make me an offer.
"Hmm…"
Setting everything else aside, refusing didn't make logical sense. I fell into deep thought. A sponsor sharing the name 'Heaven,' who had orchestrated this strange situation and gave off suspicious vibes. Should I accept the offer?
But thinking again, I had no other choice. I looked up at the empty air and began listing my conditions.
***
The rabbit raised a toast with the members of Success Myth. The Zombie Summoner had just raised the difficulty by forty levels and formally contracted with Success Myth. The operation was a resounding success.
Of course, he still seemed cautious, but who hadn't been? Every summoner was wary and fearful when first meeting their sponsors. It was normal for them to gradually become dependent as they received information and sponsorship. The Zombie Summoner's caution wasn't a problem or anything unusual.
'Heaven's Snake' was also present at the toast. When it was first revealed that she had intervened and awakened the 'Golden Lord,' many executives of Success Myth had been furious. It was clearly an act driven by personal grudge. It was unacceptable for an individual's impulsive action to derail the organization's plans.
But as time passed, the anger subsided. The Zombie Summoner had shown no particular interest in the females sent by Success Myth. The executives weren't incompetent enough to blame her for an operation that was bound to fail anyway.
Then, the snake's actions had led the Zombie Summoner to contract with Success Myth. It was a case of accidentally catching a mouse while stepping backward. 'Heaven's Snake' was honored as the second-greatest contributor to this operation, right behind 'Heaven's Rabbit.'
But the snake wasn't pleased. To her, the Zombie Summoner was someone she wanted to kill, not support. Still, she forced a smile. If she showed any discomfort, she could be demoted on the grounds of trying to sabotage Success Myth's event.
"Ohoho. I had foreseen this entire situation and planned accordingly. You know, don't you? Among us, I'm the sponsor best at handling males. Hohoho…"
"As expected, excellent."
"You had it all planned out!"
"Excellent, my ass! Planned out, my ass…!"
The more they praised her, the more 'Heaven's Snake's' rage built up until her insides felt like they were flipping over.
In truth, she had never intended to interfere with Success Myth's affairs from the beginning. She didn't like the guy, but he wasn't worth throwing away her entire career over. But when she saw the snake bracelet he possessed, she lost control. That item was something she had used long ago, before she had attained the status of sponsor. It was also the item that a certain vile cat bitch had forcibly stolen from her.
The horrifying memory of her meteoric rise, the adoration of everyone, being torn to shreds and falling from grace. The sensation of the predator's chilling eyes looking down on her had moved her instinctively. And before she knew it, she had already intervened in the Zombie Summoner's Stage 5.
"Zombie Summoner… Making me feel this filthy twice. I will definitely kill you."
She smiled outwardly while harboring poison inside.
***
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Park Seona. She smiled awkwardly and acted cute.
"Aing, Nanggun-nim. I have to do business too. Idols are originally like that, you know? Ahaha."
I had been the one to make the contract, yet suddenly she had received an enormous number of rewards. Various items, enhancement materials, and even a level-up for her summoning circle. Honestly, this was the first time I learned that levels could be raised through methods other than clearing rounds.
"Was this your goal all along?"
"Eh… well… yes. But aside from this, I really do like you, Nanggun-nim! I-I really do!"
"Hmm…"
Suddenly, Mingming's words came to mind. The situation was different from what it appeared on the surface. But she probably wouldn't believe my words anyway. Park Seona was saying the same thing, wasn't she? Approaching with greedy, black-hearted intentions while still shamelessly calling me Nanggun-nim.
"For now, I understand."
"Eek? I just confessed… Is that it?"
"Be quiet. For now, use the rewards you got to enhance yourself. You might actually be useful now."
"Uwaaang, this is unfair."
"Shut up."
I thought to myself. As expected, aside from the cat, females were not trustworthy creatures. Then can I trust the cat? Don't be mistaken—she doesn't even possess the intelligence to deceive someone.