Chapter 138. 70th Floor, Guide of Sin: The Leadership (Part 2)

“Whatever you plan to do, I won’t follow, so let’s cut the bravado,” Taesan said.

Typical anger.

Typical pressure.

They flaunt their power to trample the weak. Others might have crumbled under this pressure, succumbing to fear and death, obediently following.

Lee Taeyeon might have reacted similarly, though Taesan couldn’t be sure since she never detailed her encounters with the Guides of Sin.

She might have found another way; that was her strength.

But Taesan knew they could never truly kill him.

‘These are all just cowards.’

Powerful enough to have ventured deep, yet they had all hit their limits and stalled.

Afraid of anyone surpassing them, they oppress new adventurers, trying to control them out of fear.

They hate death but can’t let go of their dreams. That was the contradiction within the Guides of Sin, and it was why they could never kill Taesan.

“I’d appreciate it if you could hurry this up. I’m eager to move on.”

“Fine. That’s it,” the Lion King’s expression turned neutral, the implicit pressure dissipating completely.

“Hero, you’ve found a decent puppet.”

[Useful, isn’t he?]

The Hero chuckled as the Lion King’s lips twisted.

“Once, you were among the greatest heroes, praised as one who could conquer the labyrinth and caught the attention of all gods. And now, you cling to such an adventurer for a mere vendetta. Aren’t you ashamed?”

[Seeing you all like this, I’m not feeling so bad about it.]

The Hero spoke, his voice now devoid of mirth.

[Societh. Where is she?]

“She hasn’t come, Hero.”

[Not planning to show her face, huh? Alright. We’ll see her soon enough.]

The Hero spoke softly, causing a shiver to run down everyone’s arms.

Taesan flicked his jaw impatiently.

“Can we wrap this up?”

Frustration flickered across the Lion King’s face as things were not going as planned.

He had thought Taesan a puppet controlled by the ghost, a talented individual reliant on the ghost due to his attachment.

Thus, the Elemental Queen applied pressure, which they expected to shift Taesan’s reliance from the ghost to themselves.

A classic carrot and stick approach, but it had failed.

‘This isn’t going as expected.’

Taesan was not leaning on the ghost. If anything, it seemed the opposite.

Ambresia, who had been silent, finally spoke, his voice laced with frustration.

“I told you this wouldn’t work.”

He had been the only one to oppose the carrot and stick plan. The Taesan he observed was someone such tactics would never work on.

“Let’s get to the point. We need to verify something with you.”

“Verify?”

“Whether the gods really bestowed what you claim and if they are indeed protecting you,” Ambresia explained. Taesan nodded, understanding the intent.

“Such a cowardly choice.”

They couldn’t oppress him—fear of divine wrath. They couldn’t overpower him—fear of divine wrath. They couldn’t kill him—fear of divine wrath.

So, they would invoke a god to verify. To see if the god really cared about Taesan, to see if harming him would bring divine retribution on themselves.

“They are rightly scared.”

Ambresia spoke bitterly, his tone tinged with sarcasm, acknowledging the unavoidable choice.

They were undoubtedly strong. Among mortals, it was hard to find any stronger. Weak worlds could be crushed by them alone.

But they were merely mortals compared to transcendental beings—mere insects in comparison.

“So, we will summon the Demon God.”

[Why summon the Demon God? None of you are demons. Wouldn’t Rakiratas be more accommodating?]

The ghost questioned curiously. The Demon God was literally the god of demons, who wouldn’t fully respond without a demon’s call. Rakiratas, being a god of strife and death, was more likely to respond to others.

They remained silent, realization dawning late on the ghost.

[That makes sense. Rakiratas dislikes you, fearing he might just kill you outright for bothering him.]

Rakiratas was the god of strife and death. The Guides of Sin opposed both those aspects, making him a dangerous choice for them.

In contrast, while the Demon God disliked them, he wasn’t one to attack directly. For verification, he was the best option.

“Enough noise.”

The Lion King, his pride hurt, roughly spoke as he opened a space and pulled out a sept-colored gem.

“I will use this to call the Demon God.”

Summoning a god required a sacrifice. The gem he now held was difficult to obtain even in the deep layers, capable of containing all manner of energy—sufficient to entice the Demon God.

Crack.

The Lion King applied pressure, shattering the gem. The black mist contained within dispersed towards the labyrinth’s ceiling.

“Come forth, great being! We offer this tribute to you!” the Lion King bellowed.

As the darkness split, a massive presence began to coalesce before them.

The Lion King’s pupils wavered.

“Direct ascension?”

The sept-colored gem was a sufficient tribute, but high gods typically did not descend so easily. He had expected that it would take at least two or three offerings before one would appear, but this was beyond his expectations.

[This… this.]

A voice mixed with amusement and annoyance sounded.

Realizing late, the Lion King immediately prostrated himself. Ambresia and the Elemental Queen did the same.

From the birth of stars, the Elemental Queen of Fire and the once-mighty Lion King, who had ruled worlds, could not dare raise their heads before a god.

Only Taesan remained standing.

[Should I be glad to see you here, or should I lament seeing these losers? Hard to say.]

The darkness split, revealing the Demon God.

Jet-black hair on a not yet fully grown girl who had descended into the labyrinth.

Taesan responded calmly.

“Do as you please, isn’t it?”

[Half and half. I’m annoyed.]

The Demon God squinted, looking down at the prostrated Lion King.

[I won’t bother touching you. Enough, lift your heads.]

“…Thank you.”

They cautiously raised their heads, taking in the Demon God and Taesan, swallowing hard.

Not having to prostrate before a god and speaking his mind without inciting wrath meant, at the very least, the Demon God regarded Taesan favorably.

“Great Demon God, I have a question! May this lowly one inquire?”

[I have an idea what it is, but speak. I’ll listen.]

“The man before you, you granted him the power to learn dark magic,” the Lion King said cautiously.

“We wish to verify whether he speaks the truth, great Demon God.”

That was the true reason they had summoned the Demon God.

They couldn’t just leave Taesan be. If left alone, he would surely ascend the floors of the labyrinth, killing the upper echelon of the Guides of Sin. And if he faced them strengthened, they too were at risk.

Thus, they had to verify with a god in advance. If the god denied it, they would kill him; if affirmed, they would need to forge an alliance to avoid mutual interference.

The Demon God read all their thoughts.

[Despicable beings.]

The Demon God chuckled.

[You consume this place. The Magus and I created this labyrinth to see adventure and challenge, not to watch complacent worms. How did it come to this?]

The Lion King swallowed hard. Ambresia gave an awkward smile.

[I promised to minimize interference… so it can’t be helped. I’ll give you an answer. Yes, he cleared my quest. I granted him power, a fitting reward as one of my most cherished beings.]

“Is that so…”

The Lion King, concealing his shock, barely responded.

It was true. The Demon God had granted his power to a human, not a demon.

‘We need to form an alliance.’

The Lion King quickly concluded. Touching one favored by a god was too risky.

They must somehow pull Taesan to their side. That was the only solution. The ghost was there, but a dead being couldn’t interfere beyond a certain point. With the right rewards, Taesan might ally with them.

Desperately pondering, Taesan had no such intentions.

Taesan addressed the Demon God.

“Great Demon God, could you formalize this for us?”

[Speak. What do you want?]

“An arrangement for our battles.”

[…Ah?]

The Demon God smiled, revealing white teeth.

[I like you. Yes, that’s it. That’s why we are here. I never intended to be interested in safety alone.]

The Demon God laughed heartily, turning her massive form.

[Tell me, child from Earth. What do you desire?]

“I have no intention of getting along with them.”

The Guides of Sin were enemies.

Combining all the information the ghost had provided, they were beings he would inevitably have to kill.

It wasn’t a prediction.

It was a certainty.

“But the gap between them and me is vast.”

Although he had prostrated before the god, they were still incredibly powerful beings.

“So I want to establish a rule. A battle only occurs under conditions where neither side is certain of victory.”

[A minimum threshold?]

“I don’t want to die doing nothing. And I can’t avoid fighting them either.”

Battling the Guides of Sin offered Taesan much.

Not just stats and skills, but the experience of combat was crucial. And that was most abundantly obtained when both sides earnestly sought victory in life-threatening battles.

[Not bad. I had no intention of interfering in such fights anyway…]

Murmuring, Taesan was reassured.

The leaders were powerful.

They were beings who could kill Taesan with mere expressions of emotion.

If a being much stronger than the leaders attacked Taesan, the Demon God would intervene.

But for fights that were fair, the outcome seemed to matter little to her.

It was natural. The gods of the labyrinth hadn’t positioned themselves here to protect anyone. They wouldn’t react to a fair fight.

So, Taesan saw an opportunity to get a clear answer.

To ensure only fair fights occurred.

To obtain rules that would serve him best.

The Demon God, stroking her cheek as if pondering, then turned her gaze.

[I’ll set the rules. Losers.]

“Yes.”

The Lion King swallowed hard and nodded.

[You may challenge him. But no one overly powerful. If it’s a fair fight with losers who might overcome together, I’ll permit it. But if that threshold is not maintained, I won’t interfere. Actually, there’d be no reason to.]

“If that line isn’t maintained, what then?”

[You need my permission to act. If you move without it… then I needn’t hold back, right?]

The Demon God grinned, a colder smile than any directed at Taesan.

The Lion King prostrated again.

“We understand and will follow your will.”

[Currently, you’ve reached the 30th floor, but you’ve surpassed it. So, as things stand… maybe a few adventurers from the 40th floor. Or one from the 50th. If that line is maintained, I won’t interfere. Actually, there’d be no reason to.]

The Demon God muttered, reaching out.

[This contract is made under my name.]

A darkness like the twilight wrapped around the room.

[Those who breach it will face the darkness. If that’s what you wish, break the agreement.]

The Demon God chuckled. As the darkness deepened, the girl’s form began to fade.

[I really like you, Kang Taesan.]

The god had called a mortal by name.

The Guides of Sin could not conceal their astonishment. The fading eyes of the Demon God shone black.

[This is a very satisfying choice you’ve made.]

[You have gained the Demon God’s blessing [Victor According to the Rules].]

“Thank you.”

It was the reward he had aimed for.

The Demon God was fond of him, intending to offer something. Taesan had thought making a choice she liked would result in a gift.

His expectation was met. The Demon God smiled.

[I’ll be waiting for the day you find me in my realm.]

With those significant words, the Demon God disappeared.

The darkness lifted.

Taesan clapped his hands.

“Is it over now?”