Ranker Who Lives Twice

Doyle sat in the central control room of the floating castle, Laputa, reviewing the incoming reports from various floors of the Tower.

『We’ve completed the takeover of the eleventh floor.』

『The three clans that ruled over the twenty-fourth floor have sworn an oath to serve us. There are two casualties on our side and 241 casualties on theirs…』

『We have secured the forty-eighth floor.』

『We have successfully found all the spies from the other clans outside the Tower. The clan leader’s suggestion to use Night Watch to root out these spies were very helpful.』

“Thank you, everyone,” Doyle replied. Demon Beauty Castle, Illusion Knightage, Iron Throne, and Children of the Forest were known to have the greatest strength among Arthia’s affiliated organizations. They were also acknowledged for their loyalty to the Shadow King and their willingness to serve on the front lines during battle. They had grown famous as the Four Black Wings.

Before Yeon-woo disappeared for his personal reasons, these four forces had already begin faithfully carrying out the order to clear all remnants of the Blood Land, the Elohim, and the Devil Army and seize control of the other clans below the fiftieth floor.”

Thanks to this, the lower floors and the areas outside the Tower were now firmly established as Arthia’s territory. Insurgents who refused to recognize and succumb to Arthia’s authority fled to the upper floors. The rest accepted life within the new order.

Due to this development, the fifty-second floor had become the new battleground between Arthia’s forces and those who opposed them. Arthia was currently in the process of rearranging their forces to crush through this barrier, preparing to strike and rapidly advance up the floors.

At the same time, the elite members of Arthia were concentrating on advancing up the Tower, which they had been postponing. At some point, they would have to confront and defeat White Dragon on the seventy-sixth floor. With these plans in the works, Doyle was charged with overseeing these matters on behalf of Yeon-woo.

“Hyung, may I ask why you are so obsessed with domination? It seems like you are aiming for a system that’s even more secure than the one of the Eight Clans.”

Before Yeon-woo had gone to the fifty-first floor, Doyle had been prodded by his curiosity to ask why Yeon-woo was so motivated to dominate the other clans and reconstruct a new order. At the moment, everyone only saw him as one thing: a tyrant.

Once, Yeon-woo was seen as just another elite player born with qualities valued by the Tower. However, as he advanced through the floors and escaped the clutches of death over and over, he seemed to become more vengeful. He seemed to be obsessed with swallowing the entire Tower, as though it were the compensation he was owed.

It seemed like he was trying to become the next challenger to go toe to toe with Allforone, just like the Summer Queen in the past.

However, from what Doyle knew of Yeon-woo, he didn’t really have a great deal of hunger for power or honor. He took revenge on those who were involved in the unjust death of his younger brother, punishing those who turned a blind eye to his brother’s plight. This was why Doyle thought Yeon-woo would feel satisfied after revitalizing the legends of Heaven Wing and Arthia. However, the plans that Yeon-woo had put into motion were very different from what Doyle expected.

“Doyle.”

“Yeah?”

“It occurred to me one day.”

“What?”

“As long as this Tower exists, the warfare will never end. Even after I complete my revenge, the biggest enemy will still remain.”

“Who would that…”

“The Tower.”

Doyle was speechless.

“I plan to tear down the Tower someday. To do that, I need to gather more faith.”

Doyle did not know what kind of picture Yeon-woo was drawing. He could only guess that Yeon-woo had a plan that stretched far into the future and was much wider in scope than Doyle could imagine. Yeon-woo’s followers also knew, deep down, that whatever Yeon-woo was planning would not hurt them.

‘Even if it is harmful, if it is the will of a god, then I, as an Apostle to a god myself, must only observe and carry out his will.’ Apostles were those who acted on behalf of their god’s will. They were the ones who led believers at the forefront so that the god’s words could be preached to the world.

Arthia would soon become Yeon-woo’s faithful congregation, and Doyle would be the liaison between them and their god. Thus, he could never have doubts or question the will of his god. For the first time in his life, Doyle had chosen for himself, so he served with all his heart.

Furthermore, this moment in time was extraordinary.

“Five days from now, as soon as the restoration of the fifty-first floor is complete, we will build a basecamp there. Since it will be an outpost for conquest, each clan, including the Black Wings, must send their elites and rankers to man the basecamp. I trust that the Children of the Forest will make sure that there is no disruption in supplies,” Doyle said, conveying Yeon-woo’s orders.

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

Doyle laid back in his chair, his eyes half closed as the answers rolled in. The never-ending work was tiring, but he knew that he’d grow even busier during the lead up to the actual conquest. Doyle wanted to close his eyes for just a bit. Behind him, the phantasm of the Summer Queen glanced over his shoulder before turning around and disappearing. Silence fell on Laputa.

***

“Um, Boss…”

As Chemical was walking inside a tunnel, one of his faithful subordinates, Sudo, called out to him after looking at his expression for a while. Sudo was the leader of the group who’d challenged Yeon-woo.

“What?” Chemical asked.

As soon as he saw Chemical’s sharp eyes, Sudo automatically straightened his back. Those eyes belonged to a killer who had slaughtered hundreds of players without batting an eyelid. They were eyes that would make anyone feel a cold tingle down their spine. Anyone who defied that gaze would get struck down, their heads chopped off or else turned into a smear of red added to the Blood-Tear Stones. Sudo also felt an icy coldness running down his spine.

‘However, I’m more scared of him than the captain,’ Sudo thought as he recalled Yeon-woo’s unyielding, blazing eyes. His fear of Chemical disappeared. If Chemical was a ferocious beast, Yeon-woo was more…like a ghost. A ghost that moved silently but devoured its victims completely and mercilessly. Yeon-woo possessed something intangible that affected everyone’s very core.

Yeon-woo reminded him of the Martial King, another elite player who’d entered the Tower several decades ago and shocked the established order.

Chemical, who was the strongest amongst the prisoners in the cave, had suffered the worst beating from the Martial King. In the end, Chemical had to submit to the domination of both teacher and student. It was understandable that he would be in such a foul mood. However, as he looked into Chemical’s unpredictable eyes, Sudo hesitated to speak, even though he felt like he needed to convey the opinions of his subordinates. He gave the halfling Mary a side glance, but Mary continued whistling away as if she neither saw nor cared to acknowledge Sudo’s glance.

‘Damn messenger kid!’ Sudo muttered under his breath, vowing to kick her ass if he had the chance.

“What is it!” Chemical screamed, making Sudo snap out of his thoughts.

“Uh…sh-shouldn’t w-we use th-the Blood-Tear Stones?” Sudo managed to stutter.

“Blood-Tear Stones?” Chemical repeated, a little bit of madness gleaming in his eyes.

Sudo nodded vigorously. “If we let him continue to run around as he likes, there will be divisions between the brothers. Before that happens, shouldn’t we put him in his place in front of everyone?”

“Hmm.” Chemical’s wild madness seemed to subside for a moment. He contemplated for a while, then stated, “You do know what it means to use the Blood-Tear Stones, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know.”

“No. You don’t know,” Chemical said in a low voice.

“Sir, I know,” Sudo responded confidently. He had already started speaking his mind, so his voice took on more strength. Adamantine, which could increase magic power to a monstrous extent, was made from Blood-Tear Stones, which in turn were only found in the Cave of Yaaneck.

It was partly the reason why many prisoners decided not to leave despite finishing their sentence. As long as one met the daily quota, one could keep any extra minerals. If they managed to collect a large amount, they would have a huge advantage upon their return to the Tower since they had enough materials to create top-level artifacts. It was for this reason that Sudo, Mary, and Chemical were told by their superiors to stake out the Cave of Yaaneck.

They were ordered to do two things: collect as many Blood-Tear Stones as possible and find the dormant Blood Essence hidden somewhere inside the cave.

However, even if the Central Bureau turned a blind eye to their personal collections of Blood-Tear Stones, they would never allow someone to take the Blood Essence. So, over the past few decades, the group moved secretly to add brothers one by one and search for the Blood Essence. By now, they had a good idea of its location: the heart of the cave. Due to the cave’s uncharted depths, even the Central Bureau did not know what dangers lurked there. The only thing they had left to do was to search for a way into the heart of the cave. However, a disciple of Martial King appeared all of a sudden. Was this really a coincidence?

They did not think any information leaked about their activities, but the Central Bureau might have noticed something. Whatever the reason was, the appearance of the disciple had thrown a big wrench into their plans. The heavier surveillance from Tarneck and the other Bridgeheads meant that their movements were restricted.

Moreover, the brothers whom they’d recruited weren’t united with similar ideals but only cared about getting a share of the spoils once they found the Blood-Tear Stones and Blood Essence.

If their Chemical lost his authority, it was highly probable that their hierarchies and alliances would fall apart. Some were already extremely agitated, and in order to keep the brothers together and focus on the search one more, they had no choice but to subdue this unexpected variable as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there was a way using the Blood-Tear Stones. The upper management already figured out how Blood-Tear Stones could be used to circumvent the system limitation on their powers, and they could regain their skills as rankers. The cave was filled with so manyBlood-Tear Stones, that it was almost impossible not to stumble over one.

If they went all out, the Central Bureau would definitely discover their plot. However, if they controlled their use of the Blood-Tear Stones, they would be able to avoid the Central Bureau’s surveillance. In fact, they had even tested out this several times.

Still, if they wanted to challenge Yeon-woo, they would have to take on this much risk, at the very least.

‘This might even become a rebellion,’ Sudo thought.

“Are you all of the same mind?” Chemical asked as he looked at the other brothers. Since he knew what Sudo knew, he understood Sudo’s intent and meaning. Everyone nodded with firm expressions. “Alright. Let me consider it. I will give you an answer within the day.”

“Thank you for considering our opinions.”

“I need to organize my thoughts. Leave Mary and take the others away.” Sudo glanced at the halfling girl. Chemical always conferred with the halfling when it came to making important decisions regarding the brotherhood’s movements. Chemical probably relied on the unique competence that halflings possessed. The lesser races tended to develop traits in order to survive.

When only Chemical and the halfling Mary remained, Chemical suddenly went down on his knees, pounding his head on the ground. Bam! Blood splattered as his forehead tore open. His sudden actions did not match the image and prestige associated with the Executioner of Hot Sands. His wild and fierce eyes softened into those of an innocent sheep. If someone who knew Chemical or if the brothers saw this scene, they would have been in turmoil.

As if she were used to this behavior, Mary sat cross-legged on a rock nearby. She no longer looked busy and deferential to the brothers, and instead, the dignity and body language of a leader were apparent in her actions.

“I’m very sorry.”

“Whatever. Things can’t go smoothly all the time. It wasn’t your mistake. Who would have guessed that the goddamn Martial King’s disciple would appear? Even upper management didn’t expect this.”

Chemical commanded the movements of the Brotherhood in the Cave of Yaaneck, however, it was halfling Mary who had been tasked to monitor and evaluate them. He knew that her reputation had once reached the stars and that she was an ancient being. Chemical could not even guess her true identity. The only thing he was certain of was that if she wanted it to happen, many—if not all—of the prisoners and guards would perish in this place.

“What should I do?”

“You must recall how Martial King pulled down our stature and prestige a long time ago.” As Mary recalled that fateful day’s events, she grew angry. All of the plans they had prepared became useless thanks to Martial King’s raging destruction, something that he did whenever he was bored. His attempt to relieve his boredom had led to a tremendous amount of damage, including the destruction of all the Blood Essence that they had found.

“As Sudo said, it isn’t very important whether or not the disciple knows what we’re doing.”

Crack! Mary ground her teeth. Her eyes glittered with malice. “He must have come with some plan in mind. Now, some sensational incident will surely explode, and like last time, there’s a huge possibility that our work up to now will be all for naught.”

“If that’s the case, we should definitely use the Blood-Tear Stones against him…!”

“No. it’s not enough,” Mary said as she cut Chemical’s words off. She shook her head and continued, “It’s obvious that he’s circumvented the limitations of the Tower’s system just as my teacher has done. We won’t be able to survive by just from using the Blood-Tear Stones to increase our magic power. We need to regain the protection of the Tower’s system at all costs.”

‘The disciple is outside the limitations of the Tower?’ Chemical’s realization of this absurd fact showed up in his facial expression. “H-How…!”

“Trust me. I’m sure of it. Doesn’t the One-horned tribe have their own cursed means of not relying on the system?”

‘Ah.’ Chemical suddenly swallowed without thinking. Even an idiot would understand the implications. All high rankers knew of the One-horned tribe’s unbreakable wall: Mugong.

“Then…what can we do?” Chemical asked in a trembling voice.

Mary’s sharp eyes glittered. “We’ll have to move our plans forward.”

“That’s…!”

“Although we haven’t found the Blood Essence’s exact location, we know its approximate location, so we’ll go there. Tell Sudo and the other brothers to immediately start a rebellion.”

Using the Blood-Tear Stones to regain the Tower system’s protection, the brothers could revolt and push against the Central Bureau’s managers. During the confusion, Chemical and Mary would enter the heart of the cave and take the Blood Essence.

If the rebellion was successful, the Cave of Yaaneck would fall into the hands of the brotherhood. Even if the rebellion failed, they would have acquired the Blood Essence, so it was a win-win situation.

Although they were moving a year ahead of schedule, they were almost ready to make a move. Chemical stood without any hesitation. The madness in his eyes, which had been repressed by Mary, reappeared and spread throughout his body. Mary also got up to do what she needed to do.

Rumble! Suddenly, the whole cave began to shake. Chills ran down both their backs as soon as they instinctively raised their heads, their expressions stiffened. Bits of stone and dust descended, and cracks started to appear and spread across the ceiling as the quaking intensified.

‘No way, this fucker has already made his move?’ Although they expected a disciple of the Martial King to act without any concern, neither of them expected that he would cause a commotion only a few hours after arriving. The Guardians like Tarneck would be closely monitoring any developments from now on.

They had just been planning their own rebellion but in that short period of time, the unthinkable had already turned into reality. The disciple of Martial King even was crazier than his teacher!

Kwang! Clatter! Clunk! The cave shook as though it were starting to collapse.

“Fuck!” Mary’s screams were swallowed by the roar of the cave’s shaking walls.