Meanwhile, Kwak Jun’s survival project was ongoing in Bifrost.

“Although Her Majesty sinned in the past, it wasn’t for her personal gain. In fact, wasn’t it a result of her motherly love for prince Viktor? It’s not fair for us to be skeptical of Her Majesty’s capabilities.”

His comment gave strength to Mei Ling. Kwak Jun was just about to gain Vilhelm’s trust and thus commence his plan, but since Vilhelm had died so suddenly, Kwak Jun now had to resort to flattery in order to continue his secretive deal with Kang Chul-In.

“His Majesty, Vito Clemenza, is deeply regretful for criticizing Her Majesty in the past. I did so too, but I’m not ashamed of it. Who would happily forfeit a guaranteed victory? But let’s not dwell in the past. Do tell me, is there anyone who still harbors resentment towards Her Majesty, Mei Ling?”

Kwak Jun spoke with passion.

“...”

The Lords of the Gullveig Alliance couldn’t respond. Resentment? That was impossible to erase. In fact, they had no intention of doing so. However, they were afraid of the potential backlash from Overlord Andrei Ivanovic and Neptune Spear.

“Thank you, military advisor Kwak.”

Mei Ling began to speak.

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve heard that you are a great tactician from my late husband, so I wish to appoint you as our army’s commander.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course.”

Mei Ling nodded.

“I heard that your strategies were critical in the previous war. We didn’t manage to clinch victory due to my misplay, but not this time. Feel free to display your skills, okay?”

“I will do you proud, Your Majesty!”

Kwak Jun bowed at Mei Ling.

“Says who?”

At that moment.

“Stop being cocky, bitch.”

Ludwig Heinel, the rank 11th Lord, stepped forward.

“Acting like you are the chairman, no, the emperor...”

“Mind your words, Lord Ludwig Heinel.”

“Why should I, after you sold us out to the enemy head?”

Ludwig Heinel spoke ill of Mei Ling in her presence, but that was normal. Who would want an unverified woman, who had become the Heavenly Queen of the North overnight, as the alliance’s chairman?

“Oi, bitch.”

Ludwig Heinel smirked at Mei Ling.

“Trash belongs in the trash bin.”

“...”

“You can become a puppet boss if you’re bored. I may accept you as the figurehead, but nothing more.”

Suddenly...

Flick! Darkness enveloped the surroundings.

“...!”

Ludwig Heinel froze in place. A black blade, made of shadow, stopped 1 centimetre before Ludwig’s neck. This blade was an ability called ‘Shadow Domination’, which belonged to Andrei Ivanovic.

“Tired of living?”

Andrei Ivanovic spoke icily towards Ludwig Heinel.

“Andrei Ivanovic…!”

“Didn’t I tell you? Overlord Neptune Spear and I support Her Majesty.”

“...”

“And you still dare to insult the Heavenly Queen of the North? Can I take that as a provocation?”

Andrei Ivanovic snarled. However, Ludwig did not falter.

“Keuk… I don’t understand why you are sucking up to that bitch so much… perhaps you are her secret lover?”

He even ridiculed Andrei. Such strong confidence! This was to be expected from the rank 11th Lord, who was going to become an Overlord soon.

“I assume that's your death wish.”

“Me? Death wish? Heh…!”

Ludwig snickered.

“You are not even Kang Chul-In, the Supreme King of the West. You dare to threaten me, when you’ve never even displayed actual ability?”

With that,

Flash! A brilliant beam of light illuminated the whole of the Pentagon. And…

Thump!

A Titan! A 4 metre tall metallic giant stood proudly inside the Pentagon.

-You thought you could kill me with those trickeries? You are too slow to even intimidate me.

Ludwig’s snigger echoed from the loudspeaker attached to the Titan’s chest. He boarded the titan instantaneously. It was an ultimate move for people like Ludwig Heinel, who were specialized in magic-engineering. Being physically disadvantaged, the magic engineers had to board their machines instantaneously to ensure their survival.

Wiiing! With a sharp mechanical screech, [Ghibli] – the Titan carrying Ludwig – revealed the laser cannons attached to its shoulders.

[High-precision guiding sensor system, Soul Chaser, online!]

[Scanning the target!]

[Identification of target, complete!]

[Aiming…!]

The [Soul Chaser] system, which was Ludwig Heinel’s special ability, locked its crosshairs on Andrei Ivanovic.

-Oy, secret lover. Say that again. Didn’t you say that I have a death wish?

Ludwig Heinel was confident and proud. He had the right to be. The Soul Chaser system lived up to its name. It boasted an incredible hit rate, which even threatened Kang Chul-In in his previous life.

-Say that again.

Heh. Andrei Ivanovic smirked intimidatingly in response.

“You think that scrap of metal will make any difference?”

-Just because you are an Overlord...

Suddenly...

Bang! A tremendous roar could be heard.

Thump! Ghibli tossed about on the floor of the Pentagon, with its chest piece ripped out.

“Do you know your place now?”

When did he even make a move?

Andrei Ivanovic smacked his blood-red lips as he grabbed Ludwig Heinel’s hair.

“...!”

Everyone stood aghast at this sight. Or rather, there was no ‘sight.’ Nobody in the Pentagon had witnessed how and when Andrei Ivanovic had assaulted Ghibli.

“U-Urgh…!”

Ludwig Heinel moaned in agony.

“W-When… how…!?”

“Curious?”

“No way…!”

“Find the answer in your grave.”

With that,

Munch! Andrei Ivanovic sank his fangs into Ludwig Heinel’s neck.

“Arghhhhh!”

Ludwig Heinel’s scream echoed in the Pentagon.

***

Kang Chul-In, Dorian, and Hecate reached the summit of Mt. Hephai in just two days.

“Are we here?”

Kang Chul-In glanced at his surroundings and spoke.

Above a lava field, there was a bridge that led all the way to a distant cave entrance.

“I think so?”

Dorian nodded.

“Doesn’t this obviously look like a dungeon? What a giveaway.”

“We saved some time.”

Kang Chul-In smiled with satisfaction.

‘Finding the way’ was always the most time-consuming aspect of any dungeon conquest.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Chul-In began to make his move.

“Hmph, what an annoying quest.”

Hecate complained as she tagged along with the other two. To be honest, she had no interest in the quest. All she wanted to do was seduce Kang Chul-In… but she hadn’t had any opportunity to do so.

There’s something there.

Kang Chul-In thought.

This presence… it’s not going to be easy.

His Oraclomind hinted. There was something dangerous lurking at the end of this dark dungeon. Needless to say, it was probably a boss monster.

“W-What is that? D-Does that even make sense?”

When the crew reached an enormous hall illuminated by a crimson light at the end of the long cave, Dorian gasped in horror.

“Huh? What is that?”

So did Hecate.

“What is it?”

Kang Chul-In looked at where Dorian was pointing.

And...

“What the fuck?”

Even he was shocked.

Simmer…! 20 metres ahead, a gigantic monkey was bathing peacefully in some boiling lava.

“So, it’s true that monkeys love hot springs?”

Dorian mumbled in disbelief.

“You idiot… how is that a hot spring…?”

Hecate reprimanded Dorian.

“Hmm?”

At that moment...

“Humans, huh.”

The monkey, which was enjoying its bath, opened its eyes and stared at Kang Chul-In’s crew.

“Why are you here? For the hot spring? Well then… come in quick… you will feel your whole body relax… That is, only if you can tolerate this heat, of course.”

What a sight. Considering that lava’s temperature ranged from 700 to 1,200 degrees celsius, the monkey was basically telling them to go and kill themselves.

“Are you the blacksmith [1]?”

Kang Chul-In questioned the monkey.

“Blacksmith? Well… I was one in the past… but not now.”

“...”

“My skills are still solid, of course. But...”

The monkey turned its head and glared at Kang Chul-In.

“Who are you to speak so informally to me? You wanna die?”

Blood-red eyes. The monkey gave Kang Chul-In a death gaze.

“You dare to be so rude to this elder?”

“Elder?”

“I’m 1,231 years old this year. You infantile bastard...”

Suddenly,

“Hmm?”

The monkey tilted its head sideways.

“Oi, human.”

“...?”

“That thing, is that Kaiforce?”

It pointed at Kang Chul-In’s left waist.

“Right? That’s Kaiforce, right? And is that… a light sword? Mitra, huh. Why are you, you bastard, carrying around the sacred sword of the Baldur religious order that worships the sun?”

The monkey identified the other sword precisely as well. It was an interesting fellow, indeed. For a monkey, it could bathe in lava, talk, and even had a pair of sharp eyes.

“Got a problem?”

Kang Chul-In shrugged.

“Problem? Of course I do.”

“What?”

“I made that.”

The monkey pointed at Kaiforce.

“Do you think I will feel good seeing an idiot carrying my masterpiece around? Huh?”

“Idiot…?”

That triggered Kang Chul-In.

“Oi, you orangutan. What did you just say?”

“What? Orangutan?”

“Then what, are you a human? Know your place.”

Brrrr…! The monkey trembled.

“Kek… keke… you have a death wish, don’t you?”

With that,

Splash! The monkey got itself up from the lava pool. Red lava flowed down the monkey’s body.

Look at this bastard.

Kang Chul-In was flabbergasted. The monkey was totally unscathed by the lava. Not to mention... it was immensely muscular, incomparable to that of an ogre or an ork. Imagine taking one blow from that arm. It would probably hurt less being hit by a car speeding at 200 kilometres an hour.

“Oi, human.”

The monkey growled and pointed at Kang Chul-In.

“I will teach you a lesson now. Get ready.”

Immediately,

[‘Proof of Strength’ quest, activated!]

A notification popped up in front of Kang Chul-In.

[Prove your strength to Vulkan, the blacksmith in Mt. Hephai. (Reward: Demon Sword Kaiforce / Light Sword Mitra upgrade)]

“Simple.”

Kang Chul-In smiled in satisfaction. Yes, this kind of quest was better than a complicated one. All he had to do was fight.

“Come at me, monkey.”

Kang Chul-In waved at the monkey to provoke it.

“Lemme test your tricks.”

“Tricks? You fucker...”

“If I find them satisfactory, then I will personally write a letter of recommendation for you to enter a circus or a zoo...”

Kang Chul-In was about to finish his sentence, when...

“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”

Vulkan screeched in a monkey-like demeanor and charged at Kang Chul-In.

[1] Kang Chul-In said this in an informal tone. When talking to strangers, it is a common courtesy to speak formally.