The Queen of the Immortal Playground
“Kyaaooooo!”
Right after felling the Twin Head Ogre, I let out a thunderous roar while glaring once at the Hwarang Guild members who had become spectators.
The powerful sound shook the trees.
I looked at Oh Jangwoo with a satisfied expression.
“I claim the rights to this one.”
“Of course. It was our complete defeat, after all.”
Oh Jangwoo gave a bitter laugh.
Unexpected. I hadn’t thought he would back down without a word after even mentioning a joint raid.
There was no reason to hesitate.
I immediately used Devour on the Twin Head Ogre sprawled beneath my feet.
Devouring the essence of the Twin Head Ogre.
“The ogre’s corpse is turning to dust.”
“It’s a Twin Head Ogre. We have to make sure of that.”
“If we process the hide, we could at least make Unique-grade armor.”
“What about its tendons? They’d make an incredible bowstring.”
The Hwarang Guild members chattered among themselves in small groups.
My party had grown quite used to my eccentricities, but they hadn’t.
It had been a while since I’d felt this kind of atmosphere.
—Are you referring to the ability that turns gold into trash?
Ah, seriously.
Please make sure I can’t hear that kind of talk, Goddess.
I devoured the essence without a care, regardless of the bewildered looks from the Hwarang Guild members.
Essence devoured at 100%.
Essence Grade: Ancient
You have perfectly absorbed the essence of one species.
Skill — Unshakable Mind has been added.
Unshakable Mind
Grade: ★★★
Classification: Active
Magic casting will not be canceled regardless of any impact or movement.
While Unshakable Mind is active, magic manifestation speed decreases by 50%.
A skill essential for battle mages.
An essence fitting for a Twin Head Ogre that uses both close combat and magic.
I had used this skill quite effectively even before my regression.
—Now you will be able to use magic even while engaging in melee combat.
“That’s true. And now I have Seon Magic as well.”
With my current capabilities, simultaneously deploying both Seon Magic and regular magic while fighting in close quarters was difficult.
—Oh? How unlike you to show such humility.
“Humility, my ass. I’ve always been someone who stays true to self-objectification.”
—If you truly reflected on yourself, you wouldn’t be able to say such things.
Well.
Why?
I looked at Nyx as if wronged, but only silence returned.
Unshakable Mind.
Before my regression, my mana stat hadn’t been high, so I had used magic only as combat support.
Now the situation was reversed.
Even after my stats had been significantly reduced by Void Projection, my mana was still the highest.
That said, it would be a waste to abandon Seon Magic.
Seon Magic held the advantage in elemental compatibility over regular magic.
An ability that bordered on divine power.
To utilize both in combat, I would need to devour the essence of “that guy.”
Good grief.
No time to rest.
You have defeated the boss monster of the Ogre Fortress.
Closing the gate.
As a clear reward, the Demon’s Axe has been granted.
◈ Durability: 7,000/7,000
◈ An axe that converts the user’s mana into aura or magic.
◈ Mana amplification effect allows versatile use in multiple fields.
◈ Strength +100
◈ Mana +100
◈ Aura / Magic effect amplified by 50%.
A lower-tier version of the Frost Sword.
An artifact that resembled the nature of the Twin Head Ogre had appeared.
“A Legend-grade item.”
“The amplification conditions are strict, but the effect is incredible.”
“It must be worth at least ten billion.”
“At minimum, we’re talking ten billion units. A weapon of this caliber.”
Players belonging to both Hwarang and Yeokcheon forgot their formations and let out exclamations of admiration.
Hmm.
People of this era really did have low standards.
I wasn’t sure if this was something to be so impressed about.
After all, I had a higher-tier artifact stored in my inventory.
“Congratulations on the raid.”
When Oh Jangwoo approached, tension flickered in my party members’ eyes.
Everyone knew that the joint raid proposal had been Hwarang’s scheme.
Even after defeating the boss, the gate did not close immediately.
If they were planning something, now was the perfect time.
“Thanks to the Hwarang Guild.”
“Your humility is excessive. We did nothing.”
“Is that so?”
I replied nonchalantly.
The battlefield had fallen silent.
The tension was even thicker than when we had been raiding the Twin Head Ogre.
Internal energy cultivated through the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method flowed through my entire body.
Seon energy operated by the power of Jinyeo’s Will writhed, waiting only for the moment to manifest.
Well then. What will you choose?
Oh Jangwoo stared at my face for a moment before speaking.
“I will not forget that you cooperated in the gate raid.”
He suddenly extended his right hand.
“How should I interpret this?”
“It means the Hwarang Guild acknowledges Yeokcheon as the number one guild in the country.”
“You’re being quite cooperative.”
“From now on, we must at least maintain our position among the top three domestic guilds.”
Oh Jangwoo replied in a relieved voice.
An indirect admission that the Yeokcheon Guild stood above Hwarang.
In my previous life, how many times had Oh Jangwoo obstructed me before I reached the top domestically?
The difference in atmosphere compared to before my regression was so vast that it didn’t feel real.
—Do not cling too much to the shadows of the past.
Nyx’s single remark pierced my mind.
Right.
Just as the fates of Ping Lei, Enrique, and Brother Yeongsu had changed,
Oh Jangwoo’s values and thoughts could change as much as the environment allowed.
Even when I first received the joint raid proposal for this gate, I had been thinking of uprooting Hwarang’s foundation.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
I clasped Oh Jangwoo’s hand.
* * *
There was no all-out war with the Hwarang Guild.
Immediately after the gate raid, Oh Jangwoo requested mediation between the Association and the Hwarang Guild.
“Why ask me to mediate?”
“It’s common knowledge that the Yeokcheon Guild—rather, Guild Master Jinho—has close ties with the Player Association.”
“You’re being quite direct.”
“After admitting defeat, what is there left to hide?”
“I’ll look into it depending on the situation.”
“As long as you don’t forget my words.”
He didn’t show much reaction even to my statement that I would decide after seeing what Hwarang did.
I couldn’t get used to this.
“Ogre Gate in Baemsagol closed. Confirmed.”
Team Leader Han Suchang, who had been waiting outside, declared the raid a success after watching the wormhole close.
“Guild Master.”
“Why are you speaking so quietly, Analyst Thomas?”
“Before the gate raid, I had already arranged for a few reporters.”
“Keep it from being too exaggerated.”
“Guild Master’s performance was so overwhelming that I’m not sure they’ll believe it even if we tell the truth.”
“You’ve gotten quite good at flattery.”
Analyst Thomas smiled contentedly.
“Once this becomes known, the landscape of Korean guilds will change.”
I nodded silently.
Domestically.
It was a royal road I had already walked even before my regression, so it didn’t stir much emotion.
My goal was the destruction of the Old Gods.
And preventing the apocalyptic future that was approaching.
Thomas gave a short cough.
“Sometimes, it seems like you’re looking much further ahead, Guild Master.”
“It’s an illusion.”
I briefly denied Thomas’s suspicion(?).
When I returned to Seoul, an unwelcome guest had entered my room.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come and go as you please?”
“I have not received such instructions yet.”
Young.
A player sent by the Black Network to serve under me, and also to act as a watcher.
“From now on, do so.”
“As you wish.”
“You came to press me about Galatea’s blueprint, I suppose. Madam wouldn’t have ordered it.”
“It is my own will.”
“Loyalty is fine, but—”
Ssssss!
The internal energy dwelling in my dantian reacted to my intent and stirred.
Though my achievement in the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method wasn’t high enough to unleash the Mind Sword,
Drip— Drip—
Sweat poured from Young’s forehead like rain.
He was barely managing to suppress the trembling of his body.
“Don’t cross the line.”
“Understood.”
“There won’t be a warning next time.”
I had no need for a blade that harmed its master.
Competence was a secondary concern.
Madam.
She should have attached someone who was at least faithful to orders.
—How unlike you to show mercy.
“I already said there won’t be a next time.”
—You’re not being honest.
This goddess.
I’m being sincere, so why are you like this?
“I’ll hand over Galatea’s blueprint in exactly one week.”
“I will trust the words of the Korean branch manager.”
“Only calling me branch manager at times like this. Ah, there’s one condition.”
“I will relay it to the higher-ups.”
“Tell your boss to come receive it in person.”
“Madam has already……”
“You know I’m talking about the one above her.”
As the saying goes, a thirsty deer finds the well.
The one who needed Galatea’s blueprint was the Puppeteer of Darkness.
Shouldn’t he at least show the sincerity of coming to fetch it himself?
“Understood.”
Young answered surprisingly without complaint.
“Get out.”
Young vanished as if sinking into the floor.
—By the way, where is that blueprint?
“I have to go obtain it starting now.”
—Hohoho, so it was an item you could acquire right away.
“If I told you that, the Black Network would be able to guess the floor as well.”
The information that Galatea’s blueprint could be obtained on the 50th floor range.
Just leaking that much had already been a significant loss.
The reason I had given a one-week timeframe was also to obscure which floor the blueprint could be obtained on.
“Information is gold.”
—Hmm, it seems you live a very tiring life.
“Humans dislike taking losses, Goddess.”
After replying kindly, I pressed firmly on the Babel Tower connection app.
Launching Babel Tower Connection Application.
The space the current user is in is stable.
Connection successful.
Floors available for challenge: 51–53.
Will you challenge the 53rd floor?
[Y/N]
* * *
Babel Tower — 53rd Floor
You have entered the Immortal Playground.
Mission — Immortal Game
Demons dwelling in chess pieces propose a game.
If you defeat the King Demon, you can win the match.
Your abilities will be restricted according to the rules of the game.
▶Objective: Destroy the Genocide King Demon
An 8×8 field.
Excluding the “King,” fifteen allied players will be randomly assigned as chess pieces.
Your role is the “Queen.”
You can move in straight lines or diagonally.
Once you move, you must wait 60 seconds before moving again.
Lucky.
I had become the Queen, the most powerful piece in chess.
Let’s see.
How do the Constellations intend to intervene?
Several Constellations have intervened in the mission.
Hell Pawn Demons have been upgraded to Shadow Knight / Dark Bishop / Death Rook Demons.
The 53rd floor mission wasn’t simply a contest following chess rules.
The demons dwelling in the pieces grew stronger according to their rank.
While movement followed chess rules, if they invaded the opponent’s territory, individual battles would occur in separate spaces.
Since the attacking side received powerful buffs, it was appropriate to look for openings according to chess rules.
—So where exactly is this blueprint hidden?
“I’ll have to go get it from now on.”
I had thought as long as I wasn’t a pawn, it would be fine.
Since I had started as the Queen, I might be able to obtain [Galatea’s Blueprint] on my first attempt.
While I was at it, I also checked the positions of my guild members who had joined the 53rd floor mission together.