A Great Many High Apostles...

Yujun had just watched a great many High Apostles die, and so he called for Paranet.

"Paranet."

Paranet happened to be close by. He came at a run.

"Use Spatial Movement."

"The coordinates?"

"Wherever the party is."

"At once."

Their location was clear in an instant. They had already fled a considerable distance — wary, no doubt, of the High Apostles still lying in wait. Either way, spatial-movement magic lifted Yujun and Paranet clean off the spot.

Hong Yeji rushed over, eyes wide.

"Y-Yujun? What happened?"

There was no time to answer her. Yujun opened his inventory and equipped the gear he had prepared in advance.

The Destruction God set. One thing was certain: among level-400 Mythic equipment, these were the finest pieces there were. That was why they had been so famous in War of the Gods — an item set no one but No-Pay Casual Gamer had ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠possessed. The single time Yujun posted the item data on a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠community site, the place had gone up in flames. The options looked like the Great Berserker set, upgraded several stages over.

Accessories next, then.

What he had been wearing until now was, frankly, shabby. Every piece carried a miserably low level requirement, and the performance lagged that far behind proper high-level gear. Now, at last, he could put on the real thing.

Two rings, two bracelets, and a necklace — five accessories in all. Look at them, and it was obvious why War of the Gods had earned its reputation as an item MMO. The amplification was absurd. Magic Power climbed an additional 230 percent, and spell power rose by 640. Not flat numbers. Percentages. Honestly, options that had no business existing. Even among Mythic-grade items, figures like these were almost unheard of — the very peak of Mythic. That was what he had just put on.

And the nullification is genuinely useful.

Nullification could erase an ability outright, the sort of thing that got you out of a crisis. All that remained was the weapon.

The Absolute Sovereign's Sword — once called the strongest item in all of War of the Gods. A Stone of Omnipotence was already socketed in it, which brought his total to two. Yujun drew the stone out of the Radiant Transcendent Sword he had been wearing. He was just about to set it into an accessory when—

Whoom. Crash!

The Captain Apostle dropped onto the ground where Yujun and his party stood.

"I thought you'd run a long way. Fortunately, you hadn't."

His voice was low. Yujun smiled brightly.

All I did was swap a few items. Why does that face look so welcome?

"You came alone again?"

"I don't need support to deal with you."

The Captain Apostle said it with open arrogance, and he had reason. Only moments ago, he had taken the victory in a contest of strength against Yujun.

Yujun didn't waste words. He drew his magic power up, and his presence changed at a stroke — beyond any comparison with before. An overwhelming pressure, sharp enough to ache in the bone.

The Captain Apostle's eyes flew wide.

"Wh-what..."

"Magic? Sword? Which do you want to fight with? Just say the word."

"How is this possible? You... you shouldn't have had power on this level."

"Not going to choose, then. I'll decide myself."

Yujun moved. The Captain Apostle tried to retreat in a panic, but the sword had already passed through his neck.

Shhk.

"...Easy."

In the instant he chose to move, the Captain Apostle was already dead — faster than the man himself could perceive. So clean a kill that it was hard to believe this was the opponent who had given him trouble a moment ago.

"W-wait!"

"Stop!"

The High Apostles came pounding up, out of breath.

"Stop what?"

"His Majesty wishes to see you."

"I already killed him."

"..."

"..."

They looked badly shaken by the Captain Apostle's death. The man who had contested the very peak of martial might in the Abyss, now a cold corpse.

"You did ask to see me first, though. So I can go, right?"

"...Y-yes. Follow us."

The High Apostles closed around Yujun's party as if to surround them. With the Captain Apostle already dead the gesture meant little, but they seemed determined to keep up the form of it. And since they were guiding the way themselves, there was no longer any need to watch their step.

"But why's he calling all of a sudden? He was trying to kill us," Hong Yeji whispered at Yujun's ear.

"He must've figured the High Apostles might get wiped out."

"The king could be watching this place, too."

"Probably, yeah."

They were going to meet the Abyss King regardless. They would know soon enough.

The palace was a fair walk. They went on through a cool breeze until the High Apostles halted.

"From here, you will be silent."

One of them said it in a low, trembling voice. Until moments ago, he and Yujun had been trying to kill each other, and Yujun could see him forcing the killing intent down.

"Show no disrespect to His Majesty."

Yujun nodded without protest.

"Obviously. I don't treat just anyone however I please."

"...I don't like you."

"Yeah, yeah. Open the door."

"Tsk. Ah — and only this man may enter. The rest of you will wait."

"What?"

"You alone may have an audience with the king."

"Hm."

Thinking it over, meeting the Abyss King alone seemed the better course.

"That's fine, isn't it?" Yujun asked the others.

Hong Yeji and Ju Donghyeon nodded. A High Apostle threw the great doors wide, and a fierce pressure crashed down over the party. It was no one's attack. The Abyss King was simply letting his presence spill outward.

Yujun stepped through. The doors shut.

The Abyss King was just as Yujun remembered from War of the Gods: a dark elf of tremendous size. Even at a glance, he stood a good four meters tall.

"What business have you with me?"

"You're the one who called."

"I know you wished to see me."

"Then you should've called sooner."

"Because I did not know you were so strong. In the Abyss, it is only natural that a crime be met with punishment."

"Oh, right. There's something I want from you. Mind if I say it?"

"This impudent—"

The High Apostle behind him flared, and the Abyss King gestured him off — a motion that meant leave. The apostle withdrew, having no choice.

"You said there was something you wished to receive. What is it?"

"Abyss Herb, and skill gems. High grade or better, for the gems."

"...You mean to demand those two things of me?"

"Yeah."

"Preposterous. Do you truly believe you are in a position to receive them? After the chaos you stirred in the 1st Realm?"

"I'm not asking for free. I want to make a trade."

"A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trade. Something fit to stand against the two items you named, I trust."

Yujun nodded.

"Your daughter. She's ill, isn't she? I'll cure her."

The Abyss King's eyes went wide.

"How do you know of that...?"

"There are ways of knowing these things. So — are you dealing with me, or not?"

"I cannot trust you. That sickness has yielded to nothing. Not even the elixir they call a cure-all..."

"I bet it hasn't."

Because it wasn't a sickness. Yujun kept that to himself.

"I know how to cure it. You want to try something — anything — don't you? You're running out of time."

"You came knowing all of it."

"Yeah."

In truth, it was nothing more than what he had lived through in the game. Fortunately, events seemed to be following the same course they had there.

"I'll take the skill gems up front. Call it a down payment."

"Impossible. Do you take me for a man who cannot tell right from wrong? Cure my daughter first."

"Hm."

He hadn't expected an immediate yes anyway.

"I'll need to see her condition for myself."

"Attempt nothing foolish."

"Of course. I came to treat her, didn't I?"

The Abyss King descended from the throne himself. He was so tall that the mere act of walking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠closer pressed down like a weight.

"I will guide you."

"Good."

Yujun put his weapon away and followed. He knew the power the Abyss King held very well — a strength that ten level-500 players, rushing him all at once, still could not match. Even Yujun himself had failed to kill the King of the Abyss. That said everything.

Could I manage it now?

He was far stronger than his past self. Felling the Abyss King might actually be possible. But that would be cutting open the goose that laid the golden eggs.

I killed even the Captain Apostle, and he doesn't seem to feel much of anything about it.

The Abyss King carried himself as if none of it touched him.

Works out for me.

A relief, that killing the Captain Apostle hadn't wrecked the whole affair. He had done it because he already knew the king's character — and still, he hadn't expected to be summoned in person.

"My daughter is here. I do not trust you. But she has not even two days left that she can endure."

"So that's why you let me in so easily."

"Yes."

The Abyss King smiled, bitter. To entrust his daughter's treatment to the man who had killed his own men — how absurd a thing it was.

Calitheus, King of the Abyss, believed this would be the last time. Countless people had come to the palace swearing they could cure his daughter. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of renowned players had come, and failed. If this, too, came to nothing...

He meant to execute on the spot everyone who had failed to cure her. The fates of thousands hung on the man before him. With eyes sunk deep, the Abyss King watched Yujun's back as he walked ahead.