Ranker Who Lives Twice

Swish! Yeon-woo continued to race forward. The stage of the fiftieth floor was centered around a holy territory and split into different types of terrain.

There are steep mountains, dense jungles, and vast seas. Out of all the floors in the Tower, the fiftieth floor has the most diverse terrain. The fiftieth floor is based on an old home of the Draconic species, and since different types of dragons liked different types of terrain, the stage had to accommodate that.

Red dragons like volcanoes, blue dragons the ocean floors, golden dragons the floating islands in the skies, and so on. The characteristics of each terrain were unique, and so are the hidden pieces that can be gained.

As Yeon-woo observed the terrain with his extended territory of recognition, he moved along the shortcuts he remembered from the diary. When he was halfway across a mountain range, he could see a tall cliff in the south rising over fields. A colossal temple that could hold thousands of people sat on the cliff. The combined temples of the Three Norns on the sixteenth floor couldn’t even hold a candle to this temple.

There were players struggling to climb the unkempt, rickety path to the temple. Information from the diary flashed through Yeon-woo’s head.

Of all the areas on the fiftieth floor, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind when they speak of that floor is the holy territory at the center. It’s the training area commonly called the Wailing Wall.

It was the infamous wall that countless players had challenged for thousands of years. As if evidence of its age, there were innumerable markings on it, traces of the struggles of skilled players who were desperate to become rankers—their blood, sweat, and tears.

However, Yeon-woo knew that under all those marks were even deeper ones; the traces of dragons who had struggled against the wall called Allforone in order to gain transcendence, just like the players who were forced to stop by the Wailing Wall.

No one remembered it anymore, but the ancient dragon Kalatus had requested Jeong-woo, whom he’d designated as his successor, to remember. Yeon-woo had to put aside the emotions that his brother must have felt back then and dug around in his pocket, pulling out the skeleton insignias.

[Token of the Skeleton King]

[Category: Amulet]

[Rank: ??? (Unknown)]

[Description: A token of a forgotten species that contains a secret. If you don’t find clues about its secret, you can only use it as a simple charm. However, the spiritual energy exuded by the token reveals that it is an item with a relatively superior divinity. The more you earn, the greater its effect.]

The legacy of the Skeleton King was a tablet that was considered a clue to the existence of the Giant species. His brother hadn’t been able to uncover its secrets despite repeating his special benefit over and over.

Nearly nothing was known about the Giant species because they had gone extinct sooner than Draconic species. What was more, most of their relics were pretty much gone because of the tricks the gods and demons played. They left behind descendants who were half-Giants, but they knew next to nothing about their ancestors.

However, Yeon-woo did have some basic instructions on the Skeleton King Tablet. Clatter. The tokens floated out and began to fit together piece by piece until a large bead-like object appeared in his palm. The bead glowed with a white light like porcelain from the Joseon era. It was called the Skeleton King’s bone relic.

[Skeleton King Tablet]

[Category: Amulet]

[Rank: ??? (Unknown)]

[Description: A legacy left behind by the last king of a forgotten species. If you cannot uncover the secret of the old species, you will not learn any details. However, the spiritual energy exuded by the tablet reveals that it is an item with a relatively superior divinity. It is especially effective with the dark or evil element.]

“Boo.”

Boo appeared through darkness and bowed. 「Please…speak.」

“Eat.”

「Thank…you.」 As Yeon-woo tossed the Skeleton King Tablet over, Boo caught it in his mouth and swallowed it. When it knocked against his hard jaw, it broke into smaller sections before he absorbed it. Some might think it was a waste to use the tablet like this, since it could be a clue to uncovering the secret of the Giant species. However, Yeon-woo believed that it was more important for the hungry Boo to gain more power rather than look after something that might forever elude him.

Swoosh! The Inferno Sights in Boo’s eyes blazed as black energy hovered above his body. 「Ah. Ahh.」 Boo’s emotions had been dulled after he became undead, but at this moment, he was drunk with delight. He had learned about his former power when he’d received darkness from the Demonism and briefly had Faust’s memories. This made him realize how powerless he was now in comparison. Compared to Faust, he was like a speck of dust. In fact, how could a skeletal witchdoctor with a shaky jaw even be compared to a great scholar who’d created the Emerald Tablet through a transaction with an otherworldly god? He worked harder than ever to regain his identity as Faust. He even wanted to reach a higher position than the one he’d had. Only then would he be able to better serve his master, Yeon-woo.

In the past, Faust had failed, but he couldn’t do that this time. Because of this, he tried to be as independent of the darkness as possible. He attempted to become stronger to regain his old memories and power on his own.

Yeon-woo knew Boo’s desperate desire, so he handed the tablet over without any hesitation. However, Boo didn’t seem to undergo any superficial changes despite growing thirty centimeters. But Yeon-woo could see from Boo’s Inferno Sights that Boo had changed. Hellfire that seemed to come from the deepest crevices of hell flickered in them.

Just as Shanon and Hanryeong had overcome their levels to be reborn as Death Nobles, Boo had shed his status as a Lich and had been reborn as a higher being.

[Boo (Witchdoctor) has surpassed his limits to be reborn as an Elder Lich.[

[He has successfully restored most of his past memories. He is aware of his identity as Faust.]

[However, due to the transaction with an otherworldly god, important information has been sealed. A new transaction with an otherworldly god is required to acquire it.]

[The sudden quest (Lost Memory) has been created.]

[Sudden Quest / Lost Memory]

[Description: With much effort, Boo has regained his identity as Faust with his old memories. However, not all of Faust’s memories and powers have returned. Memories of the creation of the Emerald Tablet that birthed the Philosopher's Stone are still foggy because an otherworldly god has touched his memory.

To regain this memory, a new transaction is necessary. Otherwise, you must look for clues about Faust’s past. Follow the traces of Faust in order to regain the lost memories.]

[Time Limit: - ]

[Rewards:

1. Faust’s remaining memories

2. Transaction with an otherworld god

3. Clues to the true Emerald Tablet]

Yeon-woo swiped the quest window down and gave Boo an order. “Go.”

「Yes…sir.」 Boo read Yeon-woo’s plans through their connection and bowed, disappearing in the darkness. A much darker and fiercer demonic magic flickered. Soon, Yeon-woo reached the coordinates he’d found after arriving on the floor. Below a ridge, he could see groups of players fighting intensely in the forest.

Edora was gasping for breath, holding herself up with Divine Evil. Her white uniform was covered in dust, and blood dripped down her forehead. Her comrades from Demon Beauty Castle had surrounded her protectively, but most of them had dropped to the ground. Not many were still standing.

Enemies approached her, dripping with murderous intent. They seemed to think of Edora and Demon Beauty Castle as prey that they’d already caught because they were beginning to squabble among themselves.

Yeon-woo immediately recognized the Elohim, the Devil Army, and the Lion Alliance. It was just as Duke Tuan Tien had described. Their affiliations and purposes were different, but for Yeon-woo, they were all enemies he had to push aside.

Just then, the Devil Army began to move around Demon Beauty Castle. The one battling Edora was familiar to Yeon-woo. It was Kindred.

The Elohim started to pressure them from the back, as if they didn’t want to be one-upped. The Lion Alliance bustled around them, and the suspicions among the three forces amplified.

Just then, the players who were pressuring Demon Beauty Edora froze. Boom. They all looked at each other with stiff expressions, then at the ground underneath their feet. They sensed that the sound was coming from below. Hesitation and doubt flashed across their faces. Boom! Boom! Boom! Bang!

“Wh-what is this?”

“Watch out!”

The ground cracked, and something suddenly soared up from below. A massive mouth dozens of meters wide flashed and gulped ten players down its abyss-like throat. It was an Imugi, a Flood Dragon.

The characteristics of each stage on the fiftieth floor are all different, and various types of subdragons thrive according to the traces of their old masters and traits of their magic power.

The Imugi Forest in the northwest is the home of the Flood Dragon, a type of Imugi.

It was a dragon with a snake-like body and shiny black scales. It technically wasn’t a true dragon since it hadn’t gained enlightenment, but it wasn’t a stupid beast. It was sly and had a violent temper.

“Aaaack!”

“What is that, stop it!”

“Aargh!”

The subdragon had suddenly popped out, leaving the three forces helpless. The Lion Alliance received the most damage, and as the Devil Army and the Elohim tried to escape, they found that magic squares had spread along the ground around their ankles, preventing them from leaving.

“I-I can’t move!”

“Damn it! It’s an enemy! Dispel! Rip the dispel scroll!”

Their magic power didn’t work either, so their magic failed. Boo had not only led the Flood Dragon to them, but he also cast large-scale magic. With the Spirit Guai, a shadow extended and bound their bodies.

Even if they tried to get rid of the Spirit Guai, the Flood Dragon was already prepared to unleash its wrath at the trespassers in its territory. It opened its mouth wide and spewed out acidic Breath that swept away thirty percent of the Devil Army. Then, it swung its tail, sending a tornado of dust shooting up to the sky. Half of the Elohim were crushed, their flesh and blood staining the Flood Dragon’s tail.

“Aaack!”

In the pandemonium, Edora and the Demon Beauty Castle just blinked their eyes in confusion. They had been prepared for death, and now things had changed all of a sudden. When the tail of the Flood Dragon was about to reach them, they got into defensive stances. Just then, a shadow dropped in front of Edora and flicked the Flood Dragon’s tail away.

Edora straightened and looked at their rescuer in surprise. It was a masked man in a fluttering black coat who swept his hair back as his familiar eyes smiled at her behind the mask she had missed. “Ora…boni?”

Just as Edora murmured the honorific she used for Yeon-woo, Kindred pushed his way through the dust cloud and ran towards Yeon-woo furiously. “Cain! You again…!”

Boom! Yeon-woo quickly pulled Vigrid out and dashed forward.