Believers began to gather one after another in the cave. “Assistant Writer? You’re still alive? That’s surprising.” “I heard there was chaos at the Magic Tower yesterday. I take that that was your guys’ doing.” Some of the people dwelling here had lost their Constellations long ago. Others hadn’t yet lost their Constellations but were hiding after getting on the Magic Tower’s bad side. This was the minority group of the fiftieth floor. A woman with the hood over her head tapped the Assistant Writer on the shoulder. “The Magic Tower has given out an order to kill you guys. Hey, this is amazing! How much did you piss off the Spiders for them to give out such an order? Gosh, I envy you. Hey, Assistant Writer, hurry up and abandon a Constellation like Hamustra already. Join us! We’ll treat you well!” “Not twisting your wrist is my last courtesy toward you since I’m the one who invited you here. Be grateful for my sensible and elegant manners.” “I have a feeling that my life will be over if I mention this again. Hehe.” The believers chatted away. Some sat on flat stalactites, some lay down, while others rested on rag cushions they brought. At first glance, they looked like a bunch of ragtags idling around. However, my sense had been staying sharp for a while now. These Hunters are strong. The Guardian crossed his arms. —Well, these rascals are being chased by the Magic Tower, which means that they haven’t been caught yet. They’re clever, super lucky, or strong. If any of these three traits apply to someone here, that means that person is strong. Every single person gathered here is at least as strong as the Paladin. The top ten from my world, or perhaps the top five, would be average here. As expected, the fiftieth floor isn’t easy. The Hunters I had met in the Monopoly City so far were somewhat lacking. However, that didn’t make them weaklings. At best, they were like ‘you know your way around aura. Not bad.’ However, the believers gathered before me now were different. Someone else is also hiding, whoever it is. I glanced across the dark cave. There was a Hunter who was quietly looking this way, hiding their presence. It proved why they were on the fiftieth floor. The Assistant Writer stood up and walked to the center of the gathering. “First of all, thank you all for coming here today, even though you probably don’t even have money to eat.” The believers looked at the Assistant Writer, some with focused attention, others with distracted looks. “There are some people whose faces I haven’t seen in ten years. There are others whose faces I can no longer see. I—” The woman who had tapped the Assistant Writer’s shoulder earlier raised her hand. She was chewing on something. “Hey, Miss Writer. I’m sorry to interrupt you expressing such overwhelming joy to meet us again.” The Assistant Writer narrowed her eyes. “What is it?” “I’ve been feeling extremely uncomfortable for a while. I’m probably not the only one who feels this way. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you for calling us and not preparing even a single chair or cushion. I know you can’t afford it.” With a smile, the woman looked right in my direction. She had blue eyes. “Who is that guy?” she asked. Seeing that the Assistant Writer chose to stay silent, the woman went on. “My stomach isn’t taking this well right now. The rat tail I ate yesterday is about to come up my throat. Miss Writer, think about it. You’ve been invited to your friend’s house after a while, but your friend is raising a penguin at home. And there’s no iron bars or anything keeping it away from me. Do you think I can eat in peace?” Despite her humorous tone, the Hunter’s eyes were sharp. The chaotic air subsided, and I realized that the believers didn’t pay attention to the Assistant Writer not because they were rude, but because of me. Just as I was amazed by their capabilities, they, too, noticed my presence. The Assistant Writer sighed. “Yeah. I was going to tell you about him anyway. Let me introduce him. He’s—” I stood up from my seat. “Hello. Nice to meet you.” As soon as I got up, some of the believers reached for their waists, probably to draw their weapons. It was inevitable. This was our first time meeting each other. I tried to be as friendly as possible to them, so I made sure to smile. “My name is Kim Gong-Ja. I appreciate you calling me a penguin. When I was little, I also wondered what being a penguin was like.” “Kim Gong-Ja? Hey, that’s your real name, not your title. Stop joking around and tell us your title.” “Okay. My title is Death King.” The air in the cave became tense. This was not a metaphor. Several of the believers who had been holding back their energy suddenly unleashed their auras. “The Death King? The one that Mahos gave orders to hunt down?” “You’re the leader of a cult that devoured countless worlds and turned millions of humans into undead!” “Assistant Writer! Why did you invite a lich to the meeting?” I guess my beaming smile had no effect... I was a little discouraged but still managed to smile. “Everyone, calm down. I’m not a lich.” “I won’t attack you unless you attack me. I’m as safe and harmless as a penguin. Look at my smile. Would a lich smile ?” “Hmm. Are you saying that you’re not a cult leader?” the woman asked, looking uneasy. As politely as possible, I said, “I’m in charge of a group, but it’s not your typical cult.” “Have you ever resurrected the dead and made them your undead slaves?” “The definition of undead is a bit vague. I do have the ability to summon the deceased, but I don’t turn them into zombies or vampires. On the contrary, many people have become happy thanks to my summoning Skill.” “Mahos said you’ve been killing Constellations.” I shook my head. “That’s harsh. I’ve only killed one or two.” “Fuck, this kid is really the Evil No-Life King Overlord Lich!” “What are you doing, everyone? Take him down now! Otherwise, he’s going to get us!” This was difficult. Why was this happening, even though I had answered kindly? —Hey, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you? That is a wrongful accusation. Please stop the slander and defamation. I never did it on purpose, but I found a strange pleasure in seeing people screaming at me as if I were some scary villain. I took off my sheathed holy sword from my belt. The believers who had been wary of me froze. To show that I posed no threat to them whatsoever, I slowly placed the scabbard down at my feet. I then lifted my empty palms toward them with a big smile. “Okay. Look, I don’t bite. I know that the Eternal Plains Warhorse has declared me a public enemy, but he doesn’t really think of me like that. I just happened to show up at the right time, so he’s using me for your sake.” “Mahos is doing this for us?” the woman asked back. “Brat. What do you mean, for our sake?” “I heard from the Assistant Writer that you can’t even go up to the fifty-first floor if you aren’t affiliated with the Magic Tower. But you don’t want to belong to the Magic Tower, nor do you have the power to destroy them. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend you. I’m just trying to say that the Constellations might find the current situation frustrating. Maybe Mahos thought that I could be a breakthrough of some sort.” Why did Mahos act hostile toward me as soon as I reached the fiftieth floor? Because I killed his apostle? Was that the only reason he decided to fight? Perhaps, but if he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t have gathered a bunch of idiots and ambushed me. He should have gathered only powerful Hunters like the ones here and attacked me. “Mahos wants to make me the evil mastermind on behalf of the Magic Tower,” I said with conviction. The woman closed her eyes for a moment and squinted at me. “I see. Yes, they want to make you a new evil boss before subduing you. Yes, I see. Just like the Constellation Murderer, you became a seasonal event boss.” “Yes, that’s what I think. He’s making do with what he has.” The other believers also hummed in agreement. They got the gist of things. I looked up at the cave ceiling with a silent smile. [The Eternal Plains Warhorse is silent.] At times, silence was a form of affirmation. The woman stood up. “Okay, Death King. That’s a very good point. But why did you tell us this? It wasn’t a wise choice on your part. It just gives us more reasons to think of you as an evil lich.” She giggled and stroked the hilt of her dagger. “It would definitely be a lot easier to kill you than to destroy the Magic Tower, don’t you think so? I’m getting tired of being a beggar on the fiftieth floor! I also want to join Mahos’ quest.” Her provocation was clear. I laughed out loud and spread my arms wide. “Oh, of course. If that’s what you want. But would it really be easier to kill me than to bring down the Magic Tower?” “If you are as skilled as I am, you would have killed countless enemies by now. And you would be used to putting your life on the line,” I said with a kind smile. “But don’t you think killing someone should be really difficult?” “What are you trying to imply?” “It’s simple. I’m saying that Mahos wouldn’t have thought of me as a replacement for the Magic Tower without a good reason. Maybe I really am an enemy as difficult to defeat as the Magic Tower. I alone can replace the entire Magic Tower. Do you think you can take me down?” Everyone, including the Hunter who had been provoking me, groaned. I scratched the back of my head, smiling humbly. “You guys can’t even take down the Constellation Murderer.” Responding to provocation with provocation was what I knew best. The woman smirked. “Ha. Alright then! Let’s see if you’re really at the level of the Constellation Murderer—” “No, drop it, Berserker.” Someone walked out from behind me. The man’s whole body was wrapped in bandages. There was no sound of footsteps or even breathing, yet his voice echoed all around. The believers were startled when they became aware of his presence. Even the woman, who was about to pull out her dagger, frowned. “Paparazzo? What is that? How long have you been hiding like a cockroach?” “Before you guys got here,” the Paparazzo answered quietly. “It seems my skills haven’t rusted yet. That’s a good thing. None of you sensed me.” “Huh? Of course we didn’t. If you decide to hide, no one can find you.” The Paparazzo pointed at me. “He did. He noticed me a while ago and has been on guard since then. It sparked my competitive spirit, so while you guys were talking, I constantly aimed for that man’s blind spot because I wanted to cut off his head when I saw an opening. However, I couldn’t find one for so long that I decided to put down my sword.” “That means he’s clearly stronger than us.” The Berserker gritted her teeth. “He’s really at the level of the Magic Tower? Come on, don’t make me laugh.” “I don’t know what level he’s at exactly, but I know he’s at least one level above us. I don’t have the hobby of risking my life to train with someone clearly stronger than me. I believe you think the same.” The Berserker glared at me, her gaze scanning me from head to toe. Her eyes were filled with murderous intent and burning with competitive spirit. Still, she suppressed her pride. Yes, I liked the look in her eyes. “It’s okay,” I said with a beaming smile. “I won’t kill you!” For some reason, the Berserker clenched her fists despite my gentle remark. She let out a long sigh and slowly removed her hand from the dagger. Uh, is she not going to fight me? That’s kind of a shame. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of martial arts the fiftieth-floor master fighters have to offer. The Guardian laughed as I smacked my lips in disappointment. —Dude, your initiation ceremony is quite something. A fight was avoided thanks to the man’s intervention. However, the air in the cave remained unchanged. In actuality, it became more tense. Even the believers who had been relaxed until now began to be wary of me after hearing the conversation between the Berserker and the Paparazzo. Many believers gulped. This was awkward. I was afraid that the atmosphere would remain this way, so I tried to be as gentle as possible. I scratched my cheek. Not everything in the world could be solved with words and smiles, so it was important to think positively. “Well, maybe it’s fortunate that things didn’t end in a swordfight. This is a good start! There’s only one reason I asked the Assistant Writer to gather you here. It would be difficult for me to take down the Magic Tower alone. It’s not impossible if I gather all the forces I have, but that’s not a lot. It’ll just be the Sword Emperor’s return.” “What does that mean?” I clapped. “Beating the Magic Tower isn’t enough. I’m more interested in you guys winning than me winning.” “Miss Assistant Writer, you said that you aren’t the protagonist of this story.” The Assistant Writer was silent. Still, some answers could be conveyed through silence. She probably wouldn’t have said that to self-deprecate herself. Her evaluation had been objective, but... “Why shouldn’t you be?” “I’m not just saying this to you, Miss Assistant Writer.” I looked around at the believers. “The Constellations that have been forgotten on this floor and that may lose their divinity due to their weakened power, please contact them. Since you are their believers, I think you have the means to talk to them.” The believers looked at me with suspicious eyes even though I hadn’t done anything yet. I felt the horror of prejudice, but I didn’t give in to it and laughed instead. “Please collect all of your quests. I’ll put them together so you can all reach the fifty-first floor!” Silence. Behind me, the Assistant Writer whispered, “I’m sorry, but did no one tell you that your smile is suspicious? If you smile while saying something like that, anyone will think of you as a heartless son of a bitch that treats other people’s lives like trash and cares for nothing but power.” That’s harsh. Raviel likes my smile.