Youngwoo drank a lot the previous day, but the burden on his body was small. It was because he drank very slowly. This was the advantage of controlling his pace. 

“This is a hangover soup that Mother cooked.” Jishuka came and handed Youngwoo a bottle of water as he woke up. She was dressed comfortably, but it was a bit too comfortable. Her alluring collarbone and omitted were more alluring under her loose top.

“T-Thanks.”

It was a happy thing to face the sexy features of one of the world’s best beauties in the morning, but it was also a challenge. Jishuka watched as Youngwoo drank the bottle of water. “Aren’t we like newlyweds eating together in the morning?”

“Pfft!” Youngwoo spat out the water and turned his gaze toward the window. It was toward Jishuka’s building that was completed a few days ago. “When are you moving in?”

“Once the interior is completed. The smell of plaster isn’t gone yet, and the furniture I ordered from Italy will come in 10 days. Are you unhappy because our time living together will soon be over? Shall I not go?”

“No?”

‘Please go quickly.’

Jishuka’s aggressive behavior of clinging to him every time she spoke was both enjoyable and burdensome. He knew that South American beauties were supposed to be enthusiastic, but it was a difficult stimulus every morning.

“Your body is getting better every year. Grid, you are really steady.”

Youngwoo reflexively covered his body with the blanket. Jishuka smiled brightly at his unexpectedly chaste behavior. Her long fingers poked Youngwoo’s hard biceps and chest.

“...” Youngwoo couldn’t stop Jishuka. He enjoyed the pleasant sensation while admiring her tan skin glistening under the sunlight coming through the window.

“What are you doing in the morning?” Sehee suddenly appeared in an apron and glared at Jishuka and Youngwoo. She showed a heartfelt disgust toward her brother. “Yura unni is pitiful. Shouldn’t you give a clear answer to Yura unni before playing around?”

“No, you are misunderstanding...”

“Quickly get dressed and eat, playboy.”

The door banged shut.

...He was a playboy who hadn’t even kissed anyone yet.

Youngwoo quietly rose from his bed while Jishuka was humming happily.

***

“I am honestly nervous.”

‘Let’s no longer cling to first in the overall rankings. Don’t be obsessed with it.’

Chris became determined after seeing Grid’s level-up speed and was happy for a while. He felt liberated from the pressure to maintain his first-place ranking. It made hunting, which had seemed like labor, feel fun again. Now, a new worry made him uneasy. The problem was Rose, one of Yatan’s Servants.

“Rose isn’t an easy opponent. I think it’s better not to provoke her more than necessary.”

He wasn’t talking about her individual power. No matter how strong Rose was, she couldn’t overpower the top rankers of the Overgeared members. Of course, it would be a problem if she aimed for the non-combatants of the Overgeared Guild, but they would be thoroughly prepared for that.

Then what about the Yatan Church behind her? There was no need to worry too much about the Yatan Church either. Since the Yatan invasion, the Rebecca Church had been stepping up efforts to punish the Yatan Church. Currently, the Yatan Church didn’t have the capacity to deal with a country.

Lauel had negotiated with Rose because she knew this fact and couldn’t ask for cooperation with the Yatan Church in this incident. That’s right, but there was a separate problem. It was the summoning of a great demon.

“Rose already has a history of summoning a great demon. It wouldn’t be strange for her to summon a great demon again. She has a grudge against us, and the damage will be disastrous if she summons a great demon in the Overgeared Kingdom.”

The main project of the Yatan Church was summoning the great demons. The emergence of a new great demon was a scheduled thing.

The listening Lauel shook his head. “It is impossible to summon a great demon in the Overgeared Kingdom. One of the conditions needed to summon a great demon is a large number of human lives, and it is practically impossible to pay with such a large number of human sacrifices in our kingdom. Our security isn’t lacking in comparison to that of the empire.”

After the founding of the Overgeared Kingdom, the guild had been more concerned about security than anything else. The Overgeared members took turns patrolling the territories of the kingdom because they were overly concerned about security. This was the result of Grid’s strong tendencies to take care of the NPCs. This didn’t give any room for summoning the great demon.

“The emergence of a new great demon is likely to be in the kingdom with the lowest security. Additionally, a great demon at the level of Belial can’t be controlled by Yatan’s Servants. Rose can’t deliberately send the summoned great demon to invade the Overgeared Kingdom.”

Yes, the possibility of direct damage from a great demon was very low at this point. Lauel reached out to Rose because he had detected this.

“We have to wait for the great demon to be summoned. No matter where it is summoned on the continent, we will be the first to challenge and gain the rewards from the raid.”

“I see...” Chris’ expression brightened. His anxiety turned into anticipation, and he put on a subtle smile.

Then Lauel asked something he had been wondering about, “Did you see Grid’s video?”

“The video shot in the tent stall? Of course, I saw it.”

“Chris, what do you think? Grid’s ability has evolved noticeably since the Battlefield.”

“You saw it properly. It seems the demon king subjugation was a catalyst for growth.”

The video had become a hot topic over the course of a day. Chris was very impressed when he saw Grid overpower four men easily. Grid had scanned the shoulders and feet of the four people while talking to the stall owner. He had predicted their movements through careful observations and looked for gaps in their breathing as they spoke. Thus, he managed to overpower four of them in an instant.

“The experience of fighting alone against a number of rankers has strengthened his combat ability.”

Chris and the other high rankers already knew from experience that accumulated combat experience in Satisfy also affected reality. Now Grid was becoming a master in reality. He had been polishing his techniques for more than 10 years, and the concept grew in reality.

“This is good news.” Lauel grew more relaxed upon hearing Chris’ reply.

It was an optimistic thing that Grid had the power to defend himself.

***

[Your execution day has been decided.]

[Four days from now, you will be executed in the capital city of the Glaucian Kingdom.]

[Your sins are the murders of seven craftsmen. After the execution, your level will be reduced by four and your highest level skill will be reduced by one level.]

[After being executed, you will be freed from the identity of the sinner and liberated from all types of constraints. However, your affinity won’t be restored with the seven kingdoms that are hostile to you.]

[You must remain logged in for at least four hours a day while in jail. If this condition isn’t met, the punishment will increase.]

Agnus had already been trapped in the damp dungeon for three days. However, he had to stay here for four more days. Isolation for one week—this alone was fatal damage to a ranker. Agnus would suffer a very great loss from the execution. It would be wasting a few months worth of effort.

Nevertheless, Agnus didn’t blame anyone. This was nothing compared to the nightmarish life he had suffered. False accusations? No. This was a deserved punishment. He was being punished for harming many people in the hopes of never being weak again. If he refused this, he was afraid that even his old lover would come to hate him.

That’s right. Agnus conscience was based on his love for his old lover, Luna Caroline. To him, Luna was everything.

[Someone has requested a visit, but the Glaucian Kingdom has rejected it.]

Jail was a space where all communications, including whispers and exchanges like mail, were blocked. There was no way to know who requested to visit him. Even so, Agnus was reminded of a girl. It was Euphemina. She was a funny little girl who had been meddling in his business since the Murray Kingdom. Euphemina was the only one who would ask to visit him...

“...No, it can’t be. Kukukuk.”

It was probably one of the high rankers who had been one of his victims. They came to laugh at his miserable self and would feel relieved when they saw him being punished.

“...”

Agnus had no allies. It had been like this from the beginning. The time when Luna stood beside him had been short but very special. Yes, he was alone. It was nothing new.

[There are three days left until your execution.]

One day passed.

[There are two days left until your execution.]

A few days later...

[There is one day left until your execution.]

The last day passed.

[The morning of your execution has dawned.]

Finally, the day arrived. Agnus completed the daily access time restrictions, locking himself in the dark and cold jail. The pain was a gratifying means of forgetting his longing for his old lover.

“Come out.” The jailers dragged Agnus’ skinny body roughly. Agnus’ body was in chains and handcuffs, and he was unable to move properly. He was pushed by the guards’ wicked hands, and his face was stuck in the dirt. The guards started laughing.

“KIkik.” Agnus laughed along with them. It was funny because the things he experienced after becoming a criminal were no different from his weak past. Weakness was sin. It was the greatest sin in the world.

“Agnus is being escorted!!”

Agnus was trapped in a carriage with metal bars. He was pulled to the square and could see that many people were gathered—the best and the worst ranked players. It would be strange if the execution of Agnus, one of the world’s most famous rankers, wasn’t a hot topic. Countless people visited the Glaucian Kingdom, including a large number of media reporters and private broadcasters. Through the thick iron bars, Agnus saw the laughing faces of the people.

Agnus, who had been maintaining his madness under the guise of composure, started to tremble. The eyes of tens of thousands of people stimulated the trauma in his deepest mind. At this moment, Agnus became weak. He stood alone among those who laughed and trampled on him.

“Oof...!” Feeling panicky, Agnus started retching. He wanted to escape from here. However, he couldn’t escape. The handcuffs and chains holding him were taking away all his strength and courage. 

‘Agnus, remember. You aren’t alone. I’m there for you. Have courage,’ he thought about Luna’s words.

In the midst of the panic, he tried to feel Luna’s presence. His trembling gaze was looking for Luna. However, as always, he didn’t find her.

‘I’m sorry. I can’t forgive myself for getting dirtied in front of you. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,’ the last words she told him entered his mind.

It was a testament he couldn’t forget, no matter how much he wanted to. Agnus was soon placed on the guillotine. He was forced to kneel. His trembling gaze was filled with tangled green hair.

‘I like your hair. It is a pretty green like the forest. Agnus, do you know? To these children, you are a forest. If it hadn’t been for you, these children would’ve died lonely by now. I like your kindness. Without the forest, neither humanity nor the world can exist, just as I can’t exist without you.’

One morning that was no different from usual, Luna had come to his side and told him these words when he was feeding the abandoned dogs. Why did he remember that day? Agnus’ eyes became red and his veins bulged.

“I...!” Agnus shouted. He barely managed to speak the truth that no one would believe. “I didn’t kill them...!”

It was a cry for Luna. He prayed that she wouldn’t be disappointed in him. In the end, his cry reached the demon, not Luna who wasn’t present in this world.

[The 1st Great Demon Baal is speaking with a smile.]

-Get rid of your resentment.

[Baal wants to give you a chance. The quest you rejected will be regenerated.]

[Massacre (1)]

[Difficulty: Class quest.

1st Great Demon Baal wants human souls. Slaughter humans and give their souls to Baal.

★ Quest Acceptance Reward: Freedom from all the curses you are currently under.

Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 1,000 players (0/1000)

Quest Clear Reward: 200,000 demonic power. Quest linked to Massacre (2).]

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

“...”

Before answering, Agnus once again looked at the people. They were still laughing. Some people enjoyed Agnus’ misfortune while others ridiculed his words. Among them were those who hadn’t been harmed by Agnus. They were the so-called underdogs. Agnus felt something breaking in his head. Uncontrollable rage soared, and his sense of reason fell into a deep swamp. It was at this moment that...

“That’s right! He didn’t kill anyone!” A blonde girl shouted as she came forward. “The Yatan Church framed him. I have a witness. The seven kingdoms should listen to the arguments first and make a fair judgment about his execution.”

A young girl presented a Yatan Church member as a witness. She was Euphemina. Agnus’ expression, which had been distorted like a demon’s, instantly blanked.