The God of Controls' One-Coin Clear: The Meeting (1)
The equipment card Ran picked was a Unique-grade item.
More precisely, it was an accessory.
Just from the name, that much was obvious.
Flip.
Taeyang turned the page in the catalog.
The equipment Ran had chosen was, of course, also listed in his own category.
“Ah, found it.”
North Wind’s Crystal.
Looking at the photo, calling it an accessory felt like a stretch.
For one thing, it was enormous.
The gem was at least the size of Taeyang’s fist. As a physical object it would be worth a fortune, but it couldn’t be used as a weapon and seemed awkward to carry around.
Not to mention how much it would get in the way during combat.
“Is the size really this big?”
“It should be.”
“You’ll have to materialize it to get the synergy. You okay with that?”
“I’m planning to hang it from the end of my fan.”
The synergy attached to it was Agility +1, Intellect +1, Mage +1, Mana Freeze +1.
It was a shame that none of the synergies were stacked, but objectively speaking, they weren’t bad at all.
Taeyang had no idea what kind of build Ran was going for, but Agility, Intellect, and Mage all suited her perfectly.
The synergy that really caught his eye, though, was Mana Freeze.
Mana Freeze belonged to a very unusual category of synergy.
Most synergies either granted additional stats when conditions were met—Strength, Agility, Hero, and so on—or bestowed special effects like Blood Drain or Divinity. Mana Freeze, however, granted an actual skill once the conditions were fulfilled.
Mana Freeze
Prevents the use of mana for 1 minute. Freezes all mana within a designated space for 1 minute.
At a glance, it was an extreme double-edged sword.
At the same time, if you had trustworthy allies, it could become a highly effective tactical weapon.
“Can you even use Mana Freeze?”
Mana Freeze was a synergy that activated with just two copies.
At Taeyang’s question, Ran shook her head.
“I don’t have it yet. This is the first one. I figured it’d be useful once I got it.”
“But if you use it, won’t it screw you over too?”
The term “mana” encompassed both the mana of Eden and the qi of Changchen.
Ran was a wind shaman. Naturally, she used qi to manipulate the wind.
Physical fighters or warriors like Taeyang could still function to some degree even if their qi was frozen, but if Ran used Mana Freeze, she would literally become a sitting duck.
Ran simply shrugged.
“That’s exactly why I understand the value of this skill better than anyone.”
Finally, the North Wind’s Crystal had one skill attached to it.
Skill: Call Ice Field.
It was a technique that covered the surrounding ground in ice. For someone as mobile as Ran, it looked like a surprisingly good fit.
“What card did you pick?”
“Slot Expansion Ticket.”
“Hmm.”
Ran didn’t seem particularly impressed.
Given how many cards Taeyang already carried, she probably figured it made sense.
The real explosive reaction came from the chat window.
Belial asked in her lazy, seductive voice.
“Then, shall we enter the stage right away?”
“Sure, why not?”
At that moment, Hyeonhye quietly sent him a message.
—Taeyang, shouldn’t you at least check the shop first?
“Ah, right.”
Taeyang, who had been about to move without thinking, stopped in his tracks.
The shop.
If you possessed more than 100 gold, you could view three random cards at every shelter.
The odds of finding a Rare-grade or higher card in the shop were truly abysmal, but…
‘No harm in looking.’
At Taeyang’s request, Belial obediently went to fetch the cards.
Watching her leave with an expression completely free of irritation or annoyance, Taeyang became half-convinced.
‘This is definitely a dummy.’
The aura he sensed was unmistakably that of a Demon King, yet her behavior was far too cooperative.
This was more like an NPC placed here specifically for the players.
Soon Belial returned and laid three cards before Taeyang.
Womb of Wisdom: Intellect +1
Guard’s Greasy Handkerchief: Agility +1
Demonic Soldier’s Belt: Strength +1
—Yeah. Exactly as expected.
Just like Hyeonhye had said, the shop was utterly predictable.
Well, he hadn’t been expecting much anyway.
“What about on your side?”
At Taeyang’s question, Ran answered in a bored tone.
“Strength 1 sword, Strength 1 greaves, Agility 1 shoes.”
Same story over there.
“We’ve finally entered the stage.”
Belial’s languid voice settled softly inside the room.
Taeyang’s guess had been correct.
The Belial guarding the pub was a doll created by the real Belial infusing it with her power.
The true Belial was currently in her private chamber, observing the players on floors 7 through 9.
More precisely, she was observing Taeyang.
“Saint Apocalypse. A stage where you must survive against a legion of fallen angels for 12 hours.”
The man sitting across from her muttered.
“According to Andromalius’s evaluation, he performs better in boss raid formats than battle royales. I’m not sure how he’ll do in a survival genre like this.”
“Oh my. You’re saying the skills he showed in the battle royale were actually him holding back?”
Knock knock knock.
“Were we expecting more guests?”
“Indeed. The only Demon King I informed was you. We seem to have quite a few visitors today.”
Belial rose from her seat to greet the newcomer.
Another man who had been sitting across from her grumbled.
“It’s only a 7th-floor stage. What’s there to see that everyone’s gathering like this?”
Belial opened the door.
Standing before her was a tall man wearing a fedora.
The red gem embedded in the book he held in his right hand was particularly striking.
“Oh my, Dantalion?”
“Haha. Hello. It’s been a while since we last met at Andromalius’s place, hasn’t it?”
“What brings you here?”
“What else? I came to watch how the stage is progressing. May I?”
Belial raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Is this because of player Yoon Taeyang?”
Dantalion smiled.
“He should be entering the 7th-floor stage around now. He’s someone I’ve been paying very close attention to lately.”
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
Dantalion removed his fedora and stepped into her room.
“By the way, floor 7. Isn’t this the floor that offers your category as a reward?”
“It is.”
“This should be fun. What card did he choose?”
“What do you think he chose?”
Belial asked back in a seductive tone.
Dantalion smiled.
“Hmm. Shall I take a guess? Care to make a bet?”
“You already took something from me last time. Is there something else you want?”
“Not particularly, but for motivation’s sake?”
Belial shrugged.
Dantalion clicked his tongue softly.
She didn’t seem interested in taking the bait this time—probably still sore from their last encounter.
“Well then. Shall we make a simple prediction?”
Dantalion picked up the category list.
After scanning it for a moment, he answered immediately.
“There’s nothing else worth taking. Slot Expansion Ticket.”
“Slot Expansion Ticket? You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”
“It’s not like there’s anything at stake. Whatever.”
At that moment, a deep male voice rang out from inside the room.
“Dantalion. So the rumor that you’ve been emptying the pockets of other Demon Kings lately wasn’t nonsense after all?”
“Oh? You have guests?”
At Dantalion’s question, Belial gave a light nod in confirmation.
It was quite unexpected.
Demon Kings usually craved stimulating scenes, and those kinds of spectacles appeared far more frequently in the mid-tier floors—starting from floor 15—and especially in the high-tier floors above 36.
While low-floor content wasn’t completely without demand, most Demon Kings preferred to enjoy recorded footage at their leisure.
Therefore, it was rare for a Demon King to personally show up just to watch a live broadcast.
Yet inside the room, two more Demon Kings were present.
Two might not sound like much, but for a mere 7th-floor stage, it was an unusually large audience.
“I heard you were quite famous. Since a promising rookie is about to reach my floor, I came to take a look.”
“Oh, Kimereis. So it’s you.”
The 66th ranked Demon King, Kimereis.
He was a black man with an impressively solid physique.
His upright posture and distinctive rigid aura reminded one of a highly disciplined soldier.
He was also the Demon King in charge of floors 10 through 12.
“As for me… I just followed him when he said he was coming.”
Following Kimereis’s words, another man stood up and offered Dantalion a handshake.
Even though Kimereis was no small man, when the newcomer rose, his presence seemed to shrink in comparison.
“Oh, Valac. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. Can’t say I’m happy to see you.”
Instead of shaking hands, the massive hand simply gave Dantalion’s shoulder a light smack.
The 62nd ranked Demon King, Dragon Lord Valac.
He ruled floors 16 through 18 and was the Dragon Lord whom every dragon in the demon realm bowed their heads to.
If Kimereis evoked the image of a soldier, Valac evoked the image of a tyrant.
More precisely, a warmongering tyrant.
His aura and actual personality were perfectly aligned.
Valac was a loud, hot-tempered, and ferocious individual who never hid his emotions.
“Ahem.”
Valac had never liked Dantalion, who always wore that inscrutable smile and seemed to be plotting something.
Of course, while Dantalion smiled on the surface, he didn’t particularly care for Valac either.
After the greetings, the four Demon Kings took their seats.
At Belial’s gesture, a massive screen materialized before them.
“What? It’s already started?”
“Valac, it’s been running for a while. Didn’t player Yoon Taeyang already enter the stage when Dantalion knocked?”
The 7th-floor stage, Saint Apocalypse, was a survival scenario against a legion of fallen angels that had descended upon a city.
Having identified the origin of the stage, Valac muttered quietly.
“They really know how to recycle material. It’s from Godom, isn’t it?”
“Correct.”
Belial nodded.
The Saint Apocalypse stage was based on a real event in which a city on the outskirts of the demon realm had been destroyed by an angelic invasion.
“Didn’t a legion commander-level fallen angel show up in this one?”
“That’s what I remember as well.”
Belial puffed out her chest with confidence.
“Replicating that took quite a bit of effort. To accurately reproduce the power of a legion commander-level fallen angel from three centuries ago, I had to burn the souls of six 7th-circle mages, you know?”
“Burning six souls for a single stage? You’re insane.”
“Demon Kings and demons these days are very demanding. They nitpick over the smallest details in historical accuracy. I had a claim filed against me not long ago and it was a real headache.”
“That was quite the bold decision. Especially since anything related to history tends to attract even more scrutiny.”
While the Demon Kings chatted among themselves, Taeyang and Ran continued progressing through the stage.
On the screen, Taeyang quickly assessed his surroundings, moved together with Ran, and began waging a guerrilla war against the fallen angel legion.
Watching Taeyang’s movements, Kimereis’s eyes sparkled.
“I see now why the other Demon Kings were so impressed. His combat sense is razor sharp. That player.”
Valac, on the other hand, looked bored.
“I don’t see it. Isn’t his spec way too high for the 7th floor?”
“That is also part of his ability.”
“Sure, but the question is whether he can maintain that competitiveness on the higher floors. That part I’m not so sure about.”
Dantalion tapped his knee lightly.
“A legion commander-level fallen angel. Do you think player Yoon Taeyang could defeat one?”
At Dantalion’s question, Valac let out a scoff.
“Impossible. Even if his specs are overkill for the 7th floor, that’s all they are. Even though it’s from three centuries ago, a legion commander-level fallen angel would be strong enough to appear as a boss in my own stage.”
Kimereis nodded in agreement.
“The boss of floor 18. An appropriate comparison. He has good senses, but I don’t see him overcoming that kind of weight class.”
“I agree as well.”
Belial added her support to Kimereis’s opinion.
Dantalion’s eyes sparkled as he asked again.
“Care to make a bet?”