Chapter 05: Entry

The hammer hit the anvil.

The Thunder Light Anvil, that had been sleeping for thousands of years, woke up with a loud roar.

There was a surge of magic power. The wave roared through the atmosphere and woke up the servants of the Great Enkidu that had been sleeping for many years.

They opened their eyes and obeyed.

The trivial magic of the orc shamans that had been deceiving the eyes and ears of the swamp mammoths didn’t last. The swamp mammoths were released from the delusions and obeyed the right command.

The first one who noticed was Vandal.

He wielded metal bars in both hands and smashed them against an orc’s bones. Vandal recognized it. He wasn’t a magician but he sensed it instinctively.

At this moment, the flow of the battlefield was changing.

There was no logic or rationale to it. Vandal just felt it and acted without hesitation.

“Ararararai!”

The ogre’s unique battle cry caught the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Vandal, who had been acting as a barrier to protect his allies, became a tank. He trampled on the orcs of the Red Lightning tribe and rushed.

“Ararararai!”

“Ararararai!”

Vandal’s ogre warriors acted in the same manner. The ogre warriors rushing forward destroyed the entire formation of the expedition army, but they didn’t hesitate to run after Vandal.

The Red Lightning tribe warriors at the front were confused by the sudden rush. However, Yakuzan smiled from where he was observing in the rear. Vandal’s charge was like a fleeting moment. Due to the broken formation, the damage to the expedition would only become larger.

However, Yakuzan’s judgement was wrong. The swamp mammoths started trampling on the Red Lightning tribe instead of the expedition army. A few of them rolled over on the ground and crushed dozens of orcs.

Confusion spread like wildfire. There was a crack in the formation of the Red Lightning tribe.

Vandal plunged in through the gap and the explosive rush of the ogre warriors split the battlefield in half.

Now, even the soldiers felt it. Chris, whose body was tired and bloody, looked up towards the sky and shouted,

“The prince and princesses did it!”

It was enough. Chris, who grasped the situation, smiled like a demon. He gave a signal to the lycanthropes.

“Bushiberyeo!”

More than one hundred lycanthropes roared in unison and a magic blessing appeared over the heads of the expedition army.

It was magic contained in the Thunder Light Spear.

The magic spread through the swamp mammoths and aroused the strength of courage of the expedition army. The orcs belonging to the expedition force forgot their fatigue, suffering and fear.

It was the exact opposite situation for the Red Lightning tribe as a curse of confusion spread over them. Fear grabbed onto their feet and the unbearable sense of defeat made them unable to extend their weapons. The chiefs yelled at them but it was no use.

An army that had lost its enthusiasm was just a set of individuals. The confused and frightened Red Lightning tribe panicked and crumbled.

“We must flee!”

A shaman standing next to Yakuzan cried out urgently. As a magician, he could read the flow of mana from the swamp mammoths. This situation absolutely wasn’t a coincidence. It was something that someone created.

This battle couldn’t be won. The situation was so confusing that even a retreat couldn’t be done properly. The only thing left was the annihilation of the Red Lightning tribe.

So, they had to give up. They had to run away, even at the expense of this battle.

“Tribe Chief must live! If Tribe Chief survives, we can stand up again!”

Yakuzan understood what the shaman was saying. He knew that fleeing was the best choice but he also knew that he couldn’t.

He turned and looked at the centre of the battlefield. The orcs of the Red Lightning tribe were being trampled on.

“Ya-ku-zan-!”

The bodies of the shamans shook involuntarily at the thunderous shout. Yakuzan stared straight into Vandal’s face. There were still more than a hundred warriors between Vandal and Yakuzan but that was meaningless.

“It seems like it is up to here.”

Yakuzan laughed hysterically. The chief of the Red Lightning tribe raised the great iron sword that had been his lifetime companion.

“Tribe Chief?”

Yakuzan didn’t respond to the call of the shaman. Vandal laughed wildly as he kept narrowing the distance.

&

“It is over.”

In-gong said with a sigh. He could see the battlefield through the eyes of the swamp mammoths thanks to the anvil.

Vandal had killed Yakuzan, the leader of the Red Lightning tribe. Kairam and a few chiefs of the Red Lightning tribe still lived but they couldn’t become Yakuzan.

Yakuzan’s death broke the heart of the Red Lightning tribe. The orcs gave up fighting and either escaped or surrendered. The lizardmen, who had entered the battle as mercenaries in the first place, left early and traces of them couldn’t be seen on the battlefield.

In-gong put the hammer down as Chris, who was bathed in the blood of the orcs, shouted with victory. His gazed moved naturally to the two people leaning on the anvil.

“We won.”

Felicia laughed despite her nosebleed. Caitlin, whose cheek was pressed again the anvil, spoke with a blank expression.

“We won.”

It seemed like she wanted to express her feelings more intensely but her strength was so weak that her shoulders sank. In fact, Caitlin needed to lean on the anvil. It wasn’t a choice she’d made.

Felicia was in a better condition and she spoke after wiping the blood off her face.

“Shutra, put the swamp mammoths to sleep for now.”

Currently, Shutra was the only one who could use the Thunder Light Anvil to control the swamp mammoths. They had caused trouble to the expedition army, so it was a good idea to put them to sleep for now.

However, In-gong didn’t raise the hammer again.

“I already did it. That was the last command that I gave.”

“Okay, then I will be able to sleep for the next few hours.”

“Huh?”

Instead of answering, Felicia turned her gaze toward Caitlin. She tried to grab Caitlin’s shoulder but her shoulders were shaking and she couldn’t even lift it.

“It is too much. We’ll speak later. Good night.”

Felicia spoke to Caitlin, who was behind her, before falling unconscious. Caitlin glanced from Felicia toward In-gong.

“Sorry.”

Caitlin said one word before closing her eyes as well.

‘I’m sorry.

In-gong remained silent. Now that the tension was released, the fatigue overcame him and he found it hard to keep his eyes open.

‘I should stretch out.’

The moment that In-gong thought so…

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

“Huh?”

In-gong made a surprised sound as he levelled up. White light shone around him and his stamina and strength, that had been exhausted by the Thunder Light Anvil, quickly recovered.

‘Is this the achievement experience?’

There were occasions in Knight Saga when finding artifacts or achievements would give experience.

‘Well, at first I levelled up just by running.’

The anvil was an artifact belonging to Enkidu, one of the six elder dragons, so it was natural to get a lot of experience.

He had gained one level during the battle they had lost, so In-gong was now level 13. However, this wasn’t the end.

[The level of Conquest has risen.]

“What?”

In-gong cried out unintentionally and hastily activated his skills window. The level really had increased.

[Conquest Lv2]

[Below the King’s Flag Lv2]

[The King’s Knights Lv1]

‘The level of Below the King’s Flag also rose. What is the effect? Is the effect stronger? Maybe the number of people I can buff has increased.’

He wanted to try it out right now. However, there was something more important than that.

The King’s Knights Lv1.

There was also a skill. It wasn’t a passive skill like the skills related to Protagonist Correction. It was an active skill like Below the King’s Flag.

‘Just by the name… Is it a summoning skill?’

He briefly saw knights in shining armour flashing in front of him.

After the brief delusion, In-gong sighed and leaned against the anvil. Thanks to the level up effect, both his physical strength and magic power had been restored. However, the mental fatigue still remained. It felt like when he had used Below the King’s Flag.

‘Punishment, obedience, governance.’

It was the golden-crowned female with white hair.

This time he didn’t simply see her. It was just for a moment but they shared senses.

It was probably the influence of Conquest’s level.

Who was she? Was she In-gong’s power of Conquest itself?

His head, that had become lighter due to the level up effect, started becoming heavy again. His eyes could barely stay open any longer and he was on the verge of collapsing.

This was his limit. In-gong’s body slumped slightly and he turned to look at Carack.

“Carack.”

“Prince! Did you see? We won!”

Carack exclaimed as he stared up at the windows of light showing the image of the expedition army. In-gong sat down in front of the anvil.

“Please.”

And he fainted. He was knocked out fast enough to be called a skill.

“Heok? Prince? Prince?”

The confused Carack rushed over to In-gong but he had already fainted. Seira approached Carack and said,

“Warrior Carack, I will take care of the princesses. You should deal with the prince and the dark elves.”

Delia and Katuin were also collapsed around the anvil. Carack and Seira were the only ones who hadn’t fainted.

“Understood.”

Carack answered quickly and hugged In-gong.

&

The white-haired woman was smiling softly.

Her red and blue eyes stared at In-gong as she whispered.

“Conquest Knight, you are my-”

She kept speaking but her voice was out of reach. The white woman licked her lips and smiled again.

It wasn’t the time yet.

Darkness twisted around the white woman.

“Oh, Prince. Have you regained consciousness?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Carack’s voice above him. Just like most people, In-gong sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“Carack.”

“Drink some water.”

Carack extended a canteen filled with cold water. He took a sip and asked,

“My sisters?”

“They are next to each other.”

Carack grinned and pointed to an area. Caitlin and Felicia were lying side by side.

‘Did I wake up first?’

He thought that Caitlin, the most physically superior, would be the first to wake up.

‘Ah, the level up effect.’

It was probably because his level had gone up. In-gong’s body had been restored, so it was normal for him to wake up first.

‘It has only been two hours.’

In-gong looked away from the mini-map and towards Caitlin and Felicia. Seira was sitting next to them and she said to him,

“The princesses seem to be tired. They need to take a break for a while.”

“The dark elves are in a similar state. Still, there doesn’t seem to be any risk to their lives.”

Carack pointed to the dark elves lying on In-gong’s left side. Just like Carack said, their lives weren’t at risk but they were making pained expressions.

Anyway, no one had died. The mission had been completed successfully.

“You have obtained a decisive victory. Congratulations.”

Seira recognized In-gong’s merits. Carack glanced at him and imitated her words.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. It is also thanks to Caitlin noona and Felicia noona.”

Seira smiled at his reply. She seemed more agreeable after hearing his words about Caitlin.

In-gong then spoke to Carack,

“It was also thanks to you.”

“Hoho, you know it already.”

Carack laughed.

Delia and Katuin would have frowned at Carack’s rudeness, but Seira was already accustomed to orcs. She spoke in a slightly more friendly tone than before.

“It seems like more time is required for the princesses to wake up. Prince should take a break as well.”

Caitlin and Felicia seemed like they would be unconscious for three or four more hours, so In-gong nodded.

“Yes, yes… Wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

Instead of answering, In-gong looked around. The light from the Thunder Light Anvil had disappeared and there was a door beyond it.

‘This place is a ruin.’

It was a ruin related to the wyrm, Enkidu. When he had arrived here while playing the game, he had skipped the intermediate process, so there was no change in the room.

Exploring the ruins.

It wasn’t easy. There were various traps and powerful guardians.

‘But what if I am the ruler?’

The dungeon was originally intended to defend the anvil and In-gong controlled the anvil.

“Carack, carry the bag and follow me.”

“Huh? Prince?”

In-gong didn’t reply to Carack and got up. He was looking at the door beyond the altar.

Ruins were discovered in Knight Saga for a reason.

Reporting useful ruins to the Demon King’s Palace would help someone to gain publicity and the appropriate rewards.

The most important thing for the Demon King’s children was that it was a system that allowed them to gain achievements.

Of course, depending on the type and nature of the ruins, privatization could sometimes be beneficial. However, the privatization of ruins was accompanied by considerable risks. If the Demon King’s Palace discovered it, not only would a great deal of achievements be removed but penalties such as fines and imprisonment would be received.

‘I’ve experienced it before in the game.’

However, the Demon King’s Palace didn’t just maintain a tight hold. They didn’t just treat the discovery of ruins harshly.

In general, those who discovered a ruin would be able to keep some of the relics, depending on the size.

‘Of course, there are slightly more informal procedures.’

The hidden ruins and relics differed in their difficulties.

It was clear that the discovery of the Thunder Light Anvil was a great achievement. Even though it would be divided between three children of the Demon King, he was sure that the achievement would be great.

However, it was up to there. It was impossible to privatize the Thunder Light Anvil.

The Thunder Light Anvil was tied to these ruins. If the anvil was separated and installed elsewhere, it wouldn’t be able to give off the same performance.

‘It can’t be helped.’

It was a fact he had learnt after controlling the anvil. The anvil was powered by the enchantments left behind by the wyrm, Enkidu, and the enormous magic power flowing underneath the ruins. It was why the dwarves had left without the anvil.

‘But can I leave empty handed?’

He felt sorry towards Caitlin and Felicia but they were sleeping right now, so it was a perfect opportunity to obtain relics.

‘The ones I can use will go in the inventory, while the miscellaneous items will be put in Carack’s bag.’

There was no water left, so his excuse was perfect.

‘Sorry.’

In-gong apologized to Caitlin and Felicia in his mind, then he entered the second room with Carack.

The second room was much bigger than the one with the anvil. The ceiling was higher and it seemed to be 10 metres wide.

“Wow, what a terrific monster!”

Carack acted like a little child as he pointed excitedly to a monster in the middle of the room.

In-gong was puzzled.

‘Oh, my god. It is an arc golem! Look at that shape!’

A monster with the head and wings of a eagle and the body of a lion. The monster in front of him seemed to be a griffon covered in armour.

If In-gong’s eyes weren’t mistaken, the monster in front of him was obviously a arc golem among the dungeon guards.

‘Could we possibly face that head on?’

If it was the Caitlin at the time of the lycanthrope subjugation, it might be possible. However, right now, she was weaker.

‘Felicia also doesn’t seem to be a combat magician.’

Although she was a capable magician, not every capable magician was a combat one.

The magic that Felicia had shown on this expedition had mainly been indirect magic, such as supporting allies or changing the environment of the battlefield.

Carack asked In-gong a question while staring at the arc golem which stood still a statue.

“Prince, it won’t move, right? It won’t suddenly get up and attack us, right?”

“It’s okay, I am in charge of this ruin now.”

It was okay since he had the acknowledgment of the Thunder Light Anvil. In the eyes of the arc golem, In-gong and Carack were treasure keepers.

In-gong examined the room instead of the arc golem and said,

“We need to find a warehouse or arsenal. This is basically a fortress, so it is unlikely to have a treasure trove.”

Additionally, it was highly likely that the arsenal or warehouse was connected to this room or the next room. This was the safest place in the ruins.

Carack nodded at In-gong’s words.

“I’m sure that the anvil in that room is the best treasure.”

The purpose of this ruin was to defend the Thunder Light Anvil. As always, Carack’s understanding was quick.

There were no passages in the room with the arc golem, so In-gong moved to the next room. This time, it was a room with many doors.

‘I think there was some remodelling done.’

It was quite different from the dungeon he remembered from when he played Locke.

‘Well, I was busy destroying it at the time.’

After he had destroyed the anvil, the mountain had collapsed and buried the dungeon.

“Carack, I’ll investigate this side, so take the doors on the opposite side.”

“Understo… Ooh! Look at this!”

As soon as In-gong spoke, Carack shouted loudly after opening the nearest door. Once In-gong approached, he saw a room full of weapons and armour.

‘Perhaps Carack is the protagonist?’

In-gong laughed inwardly as he entered the armoury with Carack. The item that greatly impressed Carack was the large armour in the middle of the armoury.

“Prince, isn’t this really cool? It looks really robust.”

Even In-gong was forced to admire the remarkable armour. The chestplate was decorated with stylish dragons while dragon wings were attached to the shoulders like decorations. It was obviously a magic armour because he could feel the magic power coming from it.

‘Is it for an orc mercenary?’

No matter how he looked at it, the size showed it wasn’t for a dwarf. It seemed like only someone Carack’s size would be able to fit into it.

‘It is likely a mass production item.’

It was a mass production item made by Enkidu’s treasure keepers. It couldn’t be compared to the armour that Carack was wearing now.

In-gong looked up and down and examined the armour using the authority of the anvil’s ruler. There weren’t any curses or harmful magic.

“Carack, do you want it?”

Carack’s eyes shone at In-gong’ proposal. He was speechless before finally opening his mouth.

“R-really? I can really have this?”

“Yeah, it is too big for me anyway.”

Furthermore, Carack was his precious subordinate number one. Carack becoming stronger was like In-gong being stronger.

“Thank you. I really thank you, Prince.”

Carack immediately rushed over to the armour and tried it on. In-gong looked at the scene with a warm gaze before turning his attention elsewhere.

There were strangely empty places at various points in the armoury. When the treasure keepers left the dungeon, the dwarves had taken the dwarf equipment.

‘Well, the dwarf size isn’t right for me anyway.’

In-gong thought it was good and started to enter things into his inventory. There was no reason to hesitate because they were treasures that the dwarves had left behind.

‘One day, I will use them.’

The dwarfs had left them behind with the Thunder Light Anvil, so they probably didn’t play a big role. In-gong would decide whether to use the items, give them to his subordinates or sell them.

In-gong swept up the swords, shields and axes on the shelves before looking at the chests on the ground. Most of them were empty but some contained old gold coins.

‘Are these ancient gold coins?’

The value of an antique gold coin was significant. In-gong filled his inventory without thinking.

After dozens of minutes. In-gong suddenly felt uncomfortable as he looked at the chests.

‘This feeling is?’

Despite clearing the shelves and chests in the room, he felt like he had missed something.

What was it? What did he miss?

‘My nerves are irritated.’

His gaze went to a chest in the middle. It wasn’t because of anything special. It was just a feeling. However, it was a feeling that absolutely couldn’t be ignored.

In-gong stretched out his hand unknowingly and touched the chest. His hand touched something.

‘Heok, a secret device?’

He could feel a catch under his hands. In-gong swallowed his saliva and pressed the device.

‘This is what I felt. As expected of Protagonist Correction!’

He heard the familiar sound of a machine and the wall behind the chest opened. It was a secret place to hide the really important things.

“Prince?”

Carack was surprised by the sudden machine noise and came to In-gong while only half clad in the armour. However, In-gong didn’t look at Carack. In the middle of the secret place,  a steel gauntlet were floating silently.

“Enchanted by Enkidu… Earth Quaker.”

The name popped into his head the moment he saw it.

It came to the top of his arms and resembled the wyrm Enkidu. The steel plates were like the scales of a dragon while the arm was sculpted like a dragon head.

“Oh… it looks awesome.”

Carack muttered with a blank expression. Breathing heavily, In-gong reached out slowly to grab the gauntlet.

[Your level is not high enough.]

[Your magic power is not high enough.]

[Your mental power is not high enough.]

[Your strength is not high enough.]

[Your persistence is not high enough.]

Numerous sentences popped into his head the moment his hand touched it. It was a powerful magical artifact that was impossible for In-gong’s current state to use.

However-

[Earth Quaker has recognized you as its owner.]

[Earth Quaker’s user has changed to ‘Shutra.’]

In-gong found Earth Quaker. It accepted the one who conquered the Thunder Light Anvil as its master.

A yellow light shone and the gauntlet was disassembled. He was surprised to see that it reformed around In-gong’s right arm. It was a perfect fit.

“Did you see? It acknowledged Prince as its master!”

[Strength has increased by 10.]

[Magic Power has increased by 10.]

[Persistence has increased by 10.]

Some of Earth Quaker’s features were activated. In-gong formed a tight fist and was thrilled at the power he felt at his fingertips.

‘Wait for awhile. I will train hard to restore your original features.’

It would probably be a S rank weapon if all its original functions were working. He knew this because he had felt Enkidu’s magic power when using the anvil.

‘Permission is needed.’

It seemed like the dwarves had known this and left Earth Quaker behind. If In-gong hadn’t dominated the Thunder Light Anvil, he wouldn’t have obtained the Earth Quaker.

In-gong dismantled the gauntlet and put it in his inventory. He then turned around and told Carack,

“Carack, I have something to say.”

“Prince… Is it to keep the mysterious magic where you take things a secret?”

Carack said with a smile. Indeed, a genius orc. He had noticed In-gong’s intentions. In-gong nodded with a pleased expression.

“Yes. Keep it a secret from my sisters too.”

“Understood. I am proud to serve Prince. I will keep it a secret until the knife is at my neck.”

He felt a little uneasy but it was realistic.

‘Come to think of it.’

He had forgotten about it until he was reminded of it due to Carack.

‘The King’s Knights.’

The new skill he had gained when the level of Conquest had increased.

What type of skill was it? Was it a summoning skill as expected?

‘I will know soon.’

It was a saying that a picture was worth a thousand words.

In-gong breathed in lightly and declared,

“The King’s Knights.”

The new power of Conquest was activated at In-gong’s fingertips.

[The King’s Knights Lv1]

[A group of knights will be generated. Please wait a moment.]

A woman’s voice rang in his head as he activated the skill. In-gong’s eyes widened.

‘A group of knights will be created? Perhaps this is similar to a guild creation?’

A window of light stretched out in front of him after the order of knights was completed.

[The King’s Knights Lv1]

[Knight Leader: – ]

[Knight Personnel:  0/2]

[Knight Skills Lv1]

[Knights Protection Lv1: Health of the knights will increase by 5%]

[Nurtured Knights]

[ – ]

[Special Skill]

[Call Lv1: -You can summon the leader of the knights. (Once every three days)]

‘Ohhh?’

It was similar to an online game guild. No, it was much better.

‘The knight skill isn’t a problem.’

The members of the group of knights would have their health increased by 5%. It was definitely a good option. It was still level one, so the effect would definitely get better. There was a possibility that new options would be added.

However, there was something else that caught In-gong’s eye.

The nurtured knights.

There wasn’t a detailed explanation but he could guess by the name.

Nurturing the knights… He could make them stronger!

‘Call is also amazing.’

It could only be used once every three days, but there was unlimited potential in being able to call the leader of the knights.

‘If the number increases when it levels up, I might be able to summon general-level knights.’

In-gong’s excitement grew as his imagination spread. However, Carack couldn’t see the window of light and he thought In-gong was crazy.

In-gong caught the gaze of his impudent subordinate number one. He then coughed and turned to face Carack.

“Carack, there is something I want to suggest.”

“What is it?”

Carack asked with wide eyes. In-gong felt strangely shy and spoke after a little bit.

“You- Would you like to keep moving forward with me?”

“Uh… are you asking me to be your direct subordinate? Just like those women called Seira and Delia?”

“That’s right. If you want to, I will ask Chris hyung if I can keep you.”

In fact, it was possible if he just asked Chris. In-gong had built up quite a lot of merits, so he could do as he wanted.

However, In-gong wanted to respect Carack’s will as much as possible. It was a relationship that needed to be maintained in the future.

‘Although, what will happen if he refuses?’

In-gong stared at Carack with uneasy eyes. Carack scratched his chin and replied,

“Well, okay. I like Prince as well.”

It was fortunate that he agreed. In-gong laughed and told Carack,

“Okay, then fall to your knees. A simple ceremony is needed.”

In order to use The King’s Knights skill properly, it was necessary to ‘appoint’ a knight. Just like when he took control of the Thunder Light Anvil, the method popped into his head.

Carack fell to his knees in front of In-gong without any complaints. In-gong took out a dwarf sword from the inventory.

“Uh, how can I rebel against Prince?”

Carack leaned back as In-gong suddenly pulled out a short sword. In-gong clicked his tongue and approached Carack.

“Don’t worry. I am going to make you a knight. Just stay calm and cool.”

“Uhh, I will trust you.”

Carack was as gentle as a sheep. He kneeled down but he wasn’t that much shorter than In-gong. In-gong raised the sword to each shoulder and said,

“The mighty orc warrior Carack, I appoint you as my knight.”

It was a simple ceremony but the effect was obvious. As soon as he finished speaking, a white light wrapped around Carack’s body.

“Ohhh?”

It was a little different from Below the King’s Flag. The light was much larger and brighter.

[The King’s Knights Lv1]

[Knight Leader: Carack]

[Knight Personnel: 1/2]

[Knights’ Personal Information]

[Carack Lv24 (Rank: Soldier)]

[Nurtured Knights]

[Carack Lv24 (Rank: Soldier)]

There was only one person, so appointing him to a position wasn’t necessary. In-gong smiled happily at the Nurtured Knights section.

‘Is this achievement experience?’

If a certain amount of achievements were consumed, a person’s stats could be raised or new skills could be obtained. Indeed, it was called a king’s reward.

In-gong formed tight fists as he thought of the rewards he could get from the achievements. He understood why there was the rank of ‘soldier’ next to Carack’s name.

Once he reached a certain level, his rank would be promoted. As far as chess was concerned, the pieces could be promoted through special rules (such as a pawn being upgraded to a queen or knight).

‘Good, very good.’

The most powerful orc he had seen in Knight Saga was the Orc Emperor, the pinnacle of all orcs. In-gong pictured Carack standing side by side with the Orc Emperor.

“Excuse me, Prince. Is everything alright?”

Carack’s voice pulled In-gong back to reality. In-gong closed all the skill windows and nodded.

“Yes, for now.”

“Umm, it is a strange feeling. I was enveloped in a white light and could only think of my loyalty to Prince.”

‘That’s great.’

The words weren’t bad.

‘I should increase the personnel in the group of knights quickly. Knights are preferred.’

In-gong was reminded of Caitlin for a moment but quickly shook his head. The position would be like Seira and Delia.

‘In fact, the most attractive one is Vandal.’

He had obtained Vandal when playing Zephyr.

Something he wanted to put his hands on Vandal again.

‘Yes, someday.’

In-gong’s resolution hardened after obtaining Carack. Thanks to discovering the armoury straight away, not much time had passed. Caitlin and Felicia would be sleeping for a while, so it was now time to look around the dungeon.

“Let’s go to the next room.”

Carack followed In-gong without saying anything.

&

Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything good in the other rooms. Moreover, he needed to leave a share for Caitlin and Felicia, so In-gong only took a few dwarf weapons and armour, as well as Earth Quaker.

‘Will it be more expensive after thousands of years?’

Of course, that was under the premise that they weren’t damaged.

Once In-gong and Carack returned, Seira, who had been looking after Felicia and Caitlin, got up.

“You’ve come back? I was worried.”

“Uh, thank you. There wasn’t anything special.”

Seira’s reaction was a little surprising, but he always welcomed it from a beauty.

‘Wait, she was worried about something else?’

Seira’s gaze was directed towards the dwarf armour that Carack was wearing. In-gong realized the reason behind the scene.

‘Ah, that’s it.’

Caitlin was part of the group that discovered this ruin. In other words, some of the finds inside the ruin belonged to Caitlin.

‘If I take too much, Caitlin will lose her share.’

He felt a little bit of regret, but he also felt good. Seira was truly loyal to Caitlin.

‘I wish for Carack to be the same.’

Following that thought, In-gong’s gaze moved to Carack’s almost empty bag.

“There was nothing surprising. There is enough for my noonas. So I took this armour from the armoury.”

“You found the armoury?”

Seira’s face became animated. In-gong grinned and nodded.

“Yes, there were many things.”

Due to In-gong’s conscience, he didn’t collect all the equipment in the armoury. He left 30% of the total amount.

‘Umm, it is a small prick.’

However, now wasn’t the time to be brazen. In-gong knocked on the armour that Carack was wearing and said.

“This armour will be part of my share in the official distribution. I will give it to Carack.”

“You will give it to Carack?”

“Yes, he is my number one subordinate.”

After In-gong’s words, Seira stared at Carack with a little bit of envy. Carack just accepted Seira’s glance with a smile.

“Anyway… How is the situation with the two of them?”

“Their stamina is depleted, so they need to rest a little bit longer. We will stay here today and leave early tomorrow morning.”

Anyway, the Red Lightning tribe was already in a state of collapse. There was no reason for fugitives to run here, so it was a safe place.

“Okay, let’s do so.” The fight is already won, so there is no need to overdo it.”

Chris would be worried but it was unavoidable.

‘He already knows that we have succeeded.’

It was only a day or two, so he could wait that long.

“Prince, I will prepare the camp now.”

Carack said while taking off the cumbersome armour. In-gong just nodded.

&

As expected, Felicia and Caitlin turned a blind eye to Carack’s armour after waking up the next morning.

In fact, they weren’t greedy over the artifacts in the ruin.

Just like in the dwarf cave, Caitlin wasn’t worried about the merits and was more upset that she couldn’t break the cliff. On the other hand, Felicia was focused on the anvil.

“I am sorry that there are only a few artifacts, but there are other things. There is a huge income, starting from the Thunder Light Anvil and the arc golem. This is really a great discovery!”

Caitlin’s eyes shone.

‘There is no need for me to worry.’

He felt full of energy like it was a spring day. So, In-gong decided to worry about Caitlin.

“Is your body okay?”

“Yes, I felt better after waking up. Shutra, what about you?”

“Me too.”

The two people gazed at each other with warm expressions before being summoned by an excited Felicia on a phantom steed. In order to explore the ruin some more, Felicia didn’t want to go back. However, she realized that she couldn’t be foolish and had to return.

Due to the reversal of the losing battle, Chris and Vandal’s base was filled with vitality.

As soon as he was informed that In-gong’s party was approaching, Chris leapt out of the tent and welcomed them with open arms.

“Oh! These lucky people!”

Chris rushed over to the phantom steeds. The first thing he did was hug Caitlin then In-gong tightly.

‘Keook!’

Due to the fact that Chris was big and powerful, the hug itself was close to torture. However, it was still quite a good feeling. Chris released In-gong and headed towards Felicia, but he stopped short just before hugging her.

“You did great work, Noonim.”

Chris greeted her with both arms in an awkward position. Felicia, who shuddered like she was a little afraid he would hug her, grinned at him.

“Well, it was nothing because I am me.”

She lifted her chin with the arrogance of a princess but her words weren’t over yet.

“Shutra and Caitlin helped me a lot.”

Although her voice was smaller than before, she definitely mentioned them.

‘Her ears are red.’

In-gong just smiled while Caitlin alternated between looking at Chris and Felicia.

“It is good to see Prince and the Princesses.”

Vandal simply summarized the situation and Felicia nodded in response. Chris laughed and spoke to In-gong and Caitlin.

“Take a break. I will take care of all the chores.”

“What chores? Wasn’t the Red Lightning tribe swept up?”

In a game, it was the end after defeating the enemy. However, reality was different. Moreover, there were still leaders in the Red Lightning tribe such as Kairam.

Chris replied to In-gong’s question,

“There are still things like the swamp monsters. We have to negotiate with the lizardmen.”

The lizardmen attacked the expedition along with the Red Lightning tribe. It couldn’t be allowed to continue.

“It will take more than a fortnight to finish. Troops will then be stationed here to take care of the Red Lightning tribe.”

Chris looked briefly at Vandal’s army that would be left here and asked Felicia.

“Noonim, what will you do now?”

In-gong didn’t understand the question but Felicia replied without hesitation.

“Well, shouldn’t I follow you? I have to report the discovery and use of the anvil.”

“I will be returning with Caitlin.”

In-gong was now able to understand what the two of them were talking about.

The Red Lightning tribe mission has been accomplished. There was only one thing left to do:

Return to the castle to receive the rewards for the merits.

It was a return to the Demon King’s Palace.

Since Chris was responsible for the work with the lizardmen, In-gong was given his first period of free time since entering this world.

‘I should use this opportunity to train harder.’

There was nothing for In-gong to do right now, so he just had to become stronger.

In-gong had a fairly realistic personality.

He didn’t know if he had entered a game world or a world similar to a game. So, what was important?

The reason why he entered this world? Survey the people in this world? Explore the world similar to playing a game?

It was all wrong. The most important thing was to survive.

If he died, then everything else would be for nothing. He couldn’t do anything unless he lived.

Fortunately, In-gong’s method for survival was pretty simple:

Become strong.

The strong wouldn’t die easily. If he got stronger, his position would be reinforced. There was a lot of work he had to do.

In-gong had built up tremendous merits in the battle against the Red Lightning tribe. Due to the merits, In-gong would be able to put his hand on more strength.

There were different means to become strong and In-gong wanted to be stronger than everyone else.

‘I need to make a plan.’

Until now, he had become stronger in a fairly random manner. He learnt many things but he didn’t feel like an all-rounder.

‘The basic things are Aura and Beast Authority.’

In-gong confirmed his course. It was due to the S rank Divine Beast Authority but also Earth Quaker. An S rank martial art and S rank hand weapon meeting each other was almost like destiny.

‘My hidden card is Telekinesis.’

Although Telekinesis was still weak, he had a clear image of how to use it. Instead of directly attacking the enemy, he was going to use Telekinesis for other purposes.

‘Unfortunately, magic will have to become secondary.’

Among the skills learnt, magic was the most numerous. The problem was that they were all level one.

‘Even having many low level spells is enough to become a magician.’

He would just have a little bit of recovery magic and secondary magic. The magic could be sometimes used to strike the enemy.

That should be enough. Even though In-gong was a protagonist, it was better to concentrate on a few abilities in the early stages.

‘There is Earth Quaker.’

In-gong looked around and after confirming there was no one in the tent, he activated the inventory. Earth Quaker was at the top of the inventory that contained dozens of objects.

‘Does it have a built-in ability?’

With S rank armour and weapons, special things were often built into them.

The mighty sword that Locke used had a built-in ‘Warrior’s Field’ that bombarded a wide range with Aura. When he played Zephyr, he liked picking Dragon Slayer and Dying Sleep which had ‘Dragon Strike’ and ‘Curse of Death’ built-in.

He had never found Earth Quaker in Knight Saga, so he didn’t know what type of special weapon it was. However, there was a possibility it would have a built-in technology.

‘Controlling the special skill… Earth Quaker can overcome a completely different level or ability.’

In-gong nodded quietly and closed his inventory window. He would have started practicing straight away but he had one more thing to think about.

‘Returning to the Demon King’s Palace.’

The fight against the Red Lightning tribe was, in a way, simple. He just had to fight the Red Lightning tribe. It was a simple battle without any compromises.

However, the Demon King’s Palace was different.

‘There are three factions in the Demon King’s Castle.’

In-gong placed a cup of water, a dagger and a kettle on the table.

The cup of water represented the eldest son of the Demon King, 1st Prince Baikal Ragnaros.

The dagger was the second and worst prince, 2nd Prince Zephyr Ragnaros.

The kettle was the 4th Princess Anastasia Nekrion.

Baikal and Zephyr were brothers but they each led different factions. In a historical drama, it would be a fight between the elder son, with a legitimate claim, and the powerful second son. However, it had been somewhat different in Knight Saga.

The order of birth had been meaningless in the war to become the Demon King’s successor. It was a structure where a pile of accomplishments were built and those who were more capable would stand at the top.

Baikal and Zephyr had been equally capable. While they received the support of their mother’s family, they had been proud that they had been able to stand alone above the other princes and princesses.

Dragon blood –  they were draconians that inherited the blood of a great dragon species.

They had been the strongest among the families of the five queens.

‘Of the two, I prefer Baikal.’

To distinguish between the two of them, Baikal was a dove and Zephyr was a hawk. Since he was the oldest son, Baikal had treated the other children of the Demon King as siblings rather than enemies. When he played Zephyr, the warm Baikal would host the tea parties that other children of the Demon King participated in.

Baikal had been relatively safe until Year 516 when the lycanthrope subjugation occurred. After that day, Zephyr’s nature was exposed and the relationship between the brothers became the worst. Baikal had picked up his sword and maintained a moderate stance.

‘He would have been great if only the draconians weren’t enemies with the gandharva.’

One of the reasons why Shutra’s clan, the gandharva, was small was due to the clash with the draconians.

The gandharva had been reduced by more than half, thus making them mortal enemies.

‘I have to keep my distance from Zephyr.’

There was nothing good about getting close to him. Of the three factions, Zephyr had the second largest but that only lasted until the Day of Massacre. None of the Demon King’s children under Zephyr survived.

‘Anastasia… I don’t know. Would it be better to just keep a distance?’

The 4th Princess Anastasia Nekrion.

Her mother, the 2nd Queen Titania Nekrion was queen of the nighthags. (Nighthags/nightmares: a collective word for creatures that appear in dreams e.g. incubus and succubus)

Among the three major human desires, the nighthags were extremely involved in sexual desire while sleeping.

A gifted seductress – Anastasia was talented in enslavement and had many devoted servants under her. He wasn’t sure when, but at some point in Knight Saga, Silvan and Felicia had joined her faction.

‘If I manage to take Felicia and Silvan… there might be some friction.’

No, perhaps she would try to take In-gong from Chris.

‘I have to maintain my spirit.’

She was a succubus; an innate seducer and enslaver. He wondered if he could hold out if she decided to seriously acquire him.

‘Next are the Demon King’s bastard children.’

In addition to the five queens, there were more than 10 concubines. Although Wang Geon of the Goryeo Dynasty had used this system to control his enemies, the concubines of the Demon King differed by species.

There were roughly 20 of them. Unlike the legitimate children of the Demon King, they didn’t deserve to be called the successor of the Demon King. Therefore, they usually played support or management roles under the children of the Demon King.

The faces and names of the bastards In-gong encountered while playing Zephyr came to his head. There were those who truly adored Zephyr and those who In-gong liked. Yet, he had to get rid of all of them. It was a forced event, so In-gong had to curse every time he played it.

The dryad druid, Daphne.

The blood vampire knight, Silas.

The high elf archer, Selene.

‘Let’s see if I can gain as many of them as possible.’

Of course, he was currently Shutra, so he needed to accumulate more achievements to acquire them.

‘Anyway, this visit will be a scouting mission.’

In fact, he was apprehensive about what type of situation Shutra would be in. He didn’t have any information about Shutra’s situation in the Demon King’s Palace.

He didn’t know if there were any servants or maids in his home. No, was there even anyone to take care of Shutra?

‘This is like my debut in the Demon King’s Palace.’

He had quite a few merits, so his treatment would obviously improve. Additionally, perhaps the children of the Demon King and their followers would start paying attention to Shutra.

‘It’s okay, I’m not alone.’

He had Caitlin and Chris as strong allies and Felicia was likely to help him.

‘Okay, then shall I start training?’

In-gong cleared away the troublesome thoughts and took a deep breath. He started to earnestly train in Beast Authority.

&

The next morning.

Felicia headed to the ruins with some dark elves, stating that she would investigate a little bit before leaving. Meanwhile, Chris headed to the swamp for negotiations with the lizardmen.

Due to this, only In-gong, Vandal and Caitlin remained at the base.

Caitlin came to In-gong’s tent early in the morning.

“Today, I will start the special training. Are you ready?”

Unlike her normal appearance, she was wearing really thick clothes.

“I am ready.”

As In-gong replied confidently, Carack leaned towards Caitlin and said,

“Please do something. He does something else at night. It is his growing period, so I am worried about him not sleeping enough.”

He was more like In-gong’s nanny than his knight. ‘Doing something else at night.’ He didn’t know what he would say if Caitlin misunderstood.

However, there was no need to worry. Caitlin stared at In-gong before nodding toward Carack.

“Don’t worry. Starting from today, I will make sure he gets a good night’s sleep.”

Her expression said that she would force him if she had to.

Caitlin’s words weren’t a lie. The training wasn’t a joke and she made sure that In-gong didn’t train separately at night.

And on the 11th day of Caitlin’s training:

[The level of Beast Authority has risen.]

[The level of Aura has risen.]

Beast Authority and Aura had both become level five.

The moment that In-gong heard those words, Caitlin looked at him differently. She looked In-gong up and down and said.

“You learn really fast. This is…”

Caitlin, with a slightly clouded expression, looked around before whispering in In-gong’s ears,

“Should I introduce you to Divine Beast Authority?”

The fact that In-gong was learning Divine Beast Authority was a secret.

In-gong’s expression brightened as he exclaimed,

“Really?”

“Yes, I think it would be good to introduce you to Divine Beast Authority now. I am honestly really surprised. This is the first time I’ve seen someone learn so quickly.”

Although In-gong’s Aura level was too low to enter Divine Beast Authority, he had the minimum requirements necessary for the training course.

‘Hehe, the protagonist body.’

Of course, it was also thanks to investing some skill points in Aura. Otherwise, In-gong wouldn’t have qualified so quickly even with Protagonist Body.

Caitlin looked around again and said,

“Divine Beast Authority is an evolutionary version of Beast Authority. Now, I will teach you a new aura management method.”

Caitlin said in a sitting posture with In-gong and extended both hands forward. This had already happened a few times, so In-gong grabbed Caitlin’s hands naturally.

“I’ll start.”

Caitlin closed her eyes and a dark blue aura formed around her hands. The white aura produced from In-gong’s body started to circulate along with Caitlin’s aura.

At first, it seemed like Beast Authority.

However, In-gong could feel the difference in the depth.

Aura.

It was life force. Once it reached the ultimate state, it became the power of the soul.

In-gong had yet to reach the end of Aura. However, he roughly knew what the power of the soul was:

Conquest.

The brute power of subjugation.

It allowed him to feel a little piece of it. It was the first time In-gong felt true aura since beginning aura training.

One minute, two minutes, maybe a few hours or days – he didn’t know how much time passed.

As time flew passed, In-gong awakened naturally.

He could see Caitlin sitting in the darkness with her eyes closed.

[You have learnt Divine Beast Authority Lv1.]

[The level of Beast Authority has risen.]

[The level of Aura has risen.]

His understanding of aura itself had risen; he had crossed a wall.

And the last one…

Crossing the wall was an achievement.

[Your level has risen.]

A white light surrounded In-gong’s body.

‘Level up.’

In-gong was now level 14. Now, his abilities had increased to the extent that he couldn’t be compared to Villager A anymore.

However, it was Aura that made In-gong more excited.

‘I have been wrong so far.’

He’d thought that Aura was growing with every level, but now in hindsight, he felt like a frog inside a well.

‘I am looking forward to it.’

He would need to cross a mountain then another mountain but it felt rather pleasant. He was thrilled to see what type of landscape would unfold beyond the mountain.

‘Caitlin.’

In-gong settled his excitement about Aura and looked at Caitlin sitting in front of him. He could still feel Caitlin’s aura through their entwined hands and In-gong could see something.

Caitlin also crossed a wall. Whether In-gong influenced Caitlin or she influenced him, it was clear that both of them had grown one step further.

As he watched, Caitlin sighed suddenly. She was surrounded by a blue aura as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled.

“Thank you, Shutra. It is all thanks to you.”

She was enlightened after feeling Shura’s aura. She had found a new and unfamiliar road in Divine Beast Authority, a technique that she had been training in for many years already.

Caitlin was able to gain a deep understanding from the aura that came from In-gong. In-gong and Caitlin’s auras had harmonized. They had pushed and pulled at each other like water.

It was a pleasant surprise.

In-gong and Caitlin had both felt it.

“Interesting.”

In-gong and Caitlin looked around in surprise as a voice was suddenly heard. A man was sitting inside the tent where In-gong was doing his martial arts training.

“General Vandal?”

As In-gong exclaimed in a shocked voice, Vandal touched his chin and said,

“8th Princess and 9th Prince haven’t slept or eaten in a few days, so many people are worried. In particular, the aide of the princess.”

In-gong and Caitlin were surprised to learn that it had been a few days. It seemed like now was the time to sleep.

A new voice interrupted then.

“Right. Seira is pretty worried.”

Carack was sitting next to Vandal. Carack had a hulking figure but he seemed small next to Vandal.

In-gong asked hurriedly,

“Carack, how many days have passed?”

“Uh… Now, it is dawn.. At a rough guess, I think it has been four days? That reminds me, aren’t you hungry?”

Once Carack rubbed his belly while asking, In-gong also looked down at his belly. Now that it was pointed out, he was aware of an empty feeling in his stomach. Caitlin didn’t say anything but her red cheeks indicated that she was also hungry.

‘By the way, four days… Has it been that long?’

He hadn’t been able to feel the flow of time properly until he opened his eyes. It had seemed like a moment or a few years.

‘Was I in a trance?’

It was a fairly fresh feeling.

‘Anyway, it has passed.’

“I am hungry. Give me something to eat. Prepare some for Noona as well.”

He glanced at Caitlin and saw her smile slightly. Caitlin was definitely hungry.

It was at that moment. Vandal, who they had forgotten about due to the sudden switch in topic, spoke again.

“Let’s eat together. I am also hungry.”

“Then I will get some food.”

As a competent subordinate, Carack read the atmosphere and rose from his seat.

Vandal spoke again,

“Both of you are strong. You have crossed one wall. Congratulations.”

As a blood ogre, an ogre variant, the strong Vandal was also a master of Aura. Caitlin smiled at the heartfelt praise.

“Thank you, Vandal.”

“9th Prince and 8th Princess, I will have high expectations of you in the future.”

Both of them showed dazzlingly fast growth. In particular, In-gong’s growth was astonishing.

It was difficult for In-gong to miss the admiration in Vandal’s eyes. Once again, Vandal was Vandal.

‘That reminds me, he saw the level-up effect… Does he think it is the effect of Aura?’

He didn’t say anything, so it didn’t seem like a big deal to him.

“Let’s eat!”

At that moment, Carack rejoined them with two large food baskets. As if that wasn’t enough, Seira appeared behind Carack with a basket in both hands.

Whether it was because he hadn’t eaten for four days or because he was starving, he didn’t stop eating once food entered his mouth. Caitlin seemed self-conscious at first, but after seeing Vandal and Carack eating quickly, she started to eat comfortably without worrying about the situation.

Everybody focused on eating for a while. An hour and a half later, the food baskets were empty and they faced each other with relaxed expressions.

“Both of you seem healthy, so I will be leaving. I’ll see you later.”

Vandal stood up first. Caitlin’s posture became more relaxed and she said,

“Oppa will be back in a day or two. Unfortunately, I can only give you this much special training. You should review what you have learnt slowly over the rest of the year.”

The fact that Caitlin was teaching In-gong Divine Beast Authority was even kept a secret from Seira. Therefore, Caitlin lowered her voice.

“I will try to find some extra time later.”

Caitlin was telling him to hide Divine Beast Authority and In-gong nodded with a pleased expression.

“I understand, thank you.”

Although it was the result of a political deal with Chris, he had received so many things from Caitlin that it was difficult to be calculative, especially in regards to her hospitality.

‘I’m glad that I met Chris and Caitlin first.’

If those two people hadn’t been in Knight Saga, he might have died.

‘That reminds me.’

Something probably popped into his mind. In-gong cautiously asked Caitlin who was still looking at him warmly.

“Uh… Caitlin noona. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Um… You don’t have to answer if it is difficult to talk about.”

“What is it? Please speak.”

There was something he had been curious about. Carack was eating fruit as dessert but he started to look at In-gong curiously.

In-gong laughed awkwardly and said,

“Why is Chris hyung at odds with Felicia noona? Did something bad happen between them? I think there has to be something. Was there an incident in the past?”

It didn’t seem like there was direct hostility between the two of them. Although Chris sounded a little sarcastic, he still called Felicia by the honorific Noonim. It might be ironic but Felicia also didn’t seem to hate Chris.

Felicia was a talented person who had to be brought into his alliance in the future. It would be difficult if she didn’t get along with Chris who was equally important.

“Uhh… I don’t think there was an incident directly related to Chris oppa and Felicia unni.”

“Then?”

“I think it is a problem between Chris oppa and Felicia’s oppa. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened between the two of them.”

Caitlin’s expression darkened as she thought about the problem, but then she smiled brightly.

“Still, it is a good thing. I think that I have become good friends with Felicia unni during this expedition. Unni’s relationship with Chris oppa also seems to have improved.”

In-gong had to agree. The relationship between the two of them had improved after the Red Lightning tribe was defeated.

Caitlin sighed and wriggled her fingers.

“I want to be close to my other brothers and sisters… but my mother and Chris oppa don’t like me going to the Demon King’s Palace. It has been a long time since I’ve been back.”

It made sense if it was the 4th Queen Elaine Moonlight. However, she said that Chris was also nervous about it.

‘Does Chris know? That Caitlin isn’t the child of the Demon King?’

The nature of the lycanthropes meant it was possible that Chris was already king of the lycanthropes. It was likely that Queen Elaine had told him her secret so that he could protect Caitlin.

“Then I will be leaving now. Shutra, have a good night’s sleep.”

Caitlin said while getting up. In-gong also stood up and replied,

“Yes, Noona should sleep well also. Thank you for the last few days.”

It might have been a few days but it only felt like minutes.

“Goodnight.”

Carack also got up and bowed to Seira, who said goodbye back. During the last fortnight, In-gong and Caitlin had been training together, so they were forced to become friendly with each other.

Once Caitlin and Seira left the tent, In-gong lay down. Carack shook his head and while removing the food baskets, he said,

“At least lie down on the bed, the bed. And you should wash up first.”

“Yes, it has been a few days. I don’t know what I did.”

“Well, rest well. I will check up on Prince once in awhile.”

Carack smiled as he left the tent with the food baskets. In-gong closed his eyes instead of following Carack’s nagging and fell into a deep sleep.

&

Chris returned the afternoon after In-gong finished his special training with Caitlin. His face was bright, so it seemed like his negotiations with the lizardmen had gone well.

Felicia returned to the base in the evening of the same day Chris returned. Unlike Chris, her face was upset but they couldn’t delay any longer.

“The princes and princesses are impressive.”

The next morning, Vandal said goodbye to the party that was ready to leave.

Chris faced Vandal with the dignity of a prince while Felicia arrogantly said goodbye to Vandal. Caitlin smiled honestly like always.

Vandal said goodbye to In-gong last. He stared down at In-gong and extended a finger.

“I am looking forward to seeing you again, 9th Prince.”

“I am as well, Vandal.”

In-gong shook Vandal’s finger. It was a brief goodbye but it seemed like Vandal was very impressed with him.

‘Someday.’

Vandal was expecting In-gong’s growth. Then what if they met again? He might be strong enough to acquire Vandal.

In-gong nodded energetically at the thought. Felicia, who was staring at them, gave a strange smile.

“What?”

“No, it is like seeing a connection between a boy and a wild animal.”

After that, she summoned the phantom steeds for the party.

&

The return journey was fairly simple.

Felicia summoned the phantom steed to return to a transfer formation, where the transfer magicians returned them to the Demon King’s Palace.

There were transfer formations installed in various parts of the Demon World to allow for long range space leaps.

In Knight Saga, it had been written that the transfer formations were a key that allowed the Demon King to control the entire Demon World.

The closest transfer formation was far from the base, so they had to travel there using the phantom steeds. It was a short flight, so they hadn’t considered staying at a hostel. They had to set up camp at night but it felt like a camping trip without any discomfort.

‘It is good if everyone uses this time to get to know each other better.’

The relationship between Chris and Felicia was still ambiguous, but there was fairly big progress between Felicia and Caitlin.

And on the third day, the party arrived at the tower where the transfer formation was installed.

The tower was small and the number of people staying there was smaller.

As four children of the Demon King appeared at once, the tower’s manager became frantic but Chris handled him. Felicia stepped forward and directly manipulated the transfer formation.

‘Aren’t both of them strangely excited?’

Chris was slightly more subtle but Felicia’s emotion was obvious. As first she didn’t want to go back, but now she wanted to return as soon as possible.

Thanks to Chris and Felicia, In-gong’s party only stayed at the tower for 20 minutes. He prepared his mind for moving through the transfer formation.

In-gong closed his eyes reflexively when moving through the transfer formation. Unlike the dwarf portal, he felt the movements clearly. It was like experiencing a rollercoaster ride.

It was big. The tower that they moved to was much bigger and filled with gorgeous decorations.

The biggest difference was the number of people gathered in front of the binary formation.

“Felicia unni!”

“Noonim, I have been waiting for you.”

“You’re still beautiful, Felicia.”

Boys and girl in the mid-teens and mid-20s flocked to Felicia like the fan club of an idol.

“Hung, you came here again.”

Felicia scoffed but her ears and cheeks were red.

‘Are they her subordinates?’

It seemed like three or four of them were children of the concubines while the rest were subordinates.

“Your Highness, Prince Chris.”

“Caitlin, it has been a long time.”

There were fewer people compared to Felicia, but some still came to Caitlin and Chris.

‘Is there no one?’

In-gong didn’t have anyone come to greet him at the transfer formation. Most of them weren’t looking at In-gong, but a few people smiled at him.

‘It is easy to understand.’

He roughly knew what type of treatment Shutra received here.

‘Okay, things will change from now on.’

In-gong took a deep breath and straightened his posture.

This was a house, a battlefield and a place of conflict.

He had arrived at the Demon King’s Palace.