Three days had passed since the massive explosion in Kigali, a city in the eastern region of South Earth. Douglas Montgomery, the Union’s spec force captain, officially announced the death of High Ranker Filipe Kabuka, sixth in the human ranking.

This news caused an uproar throughout the Capital with people speculating who could have killed Kabuka. Some believed he committed suicide due to guilt over his countless crimes, others thought his contracted demon took his soul, and more.

As the rumors grew, the Union’s ranking bureau announced the new human ranking. The many humans who saw the ranking could more or less guess what had happened in Kigali. Kabuka’s sixth place was occupied not by the seventh place, Gao Weiguang, but by the former ninth place, Onie Yuki.

People couldn’t help but assume from the new ranking that the Puppeteer, Onie Yuki, had killed Kabuka in Kigali.

***

Lambs were chatting in a certain hotel in Beverly Hills on Middle Earth.

“Are you going outside the Capital today?”

“Yeah. There’s too much competition for quests in the city. I’m gonna be forced to check out of the hotel if I don’t clear a quest by today.”

“Have you heard? There’s gonna be a clan orientation at Edu after 6 PM today.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard they’ll be selecting recruits just by looking at their D Weapons.”

“I can already see how it’ll turn out. My D Weapon is a goddamn nail clipper.”

It was the first Fence for the Lambs hotel, which Jurie had developed a chain of throughout the Capital. The Lambs commonly abbreviated it to the Fence Hotel. Poor humans could usually never even set foot in Beverly Hills because it was filled with luxury item stores, but it was now bustling with Lambs after the Fence Hotel’s grand opening.

The main branch was twenty minutes from Edu and thirty from the Empire State Building, the best property one could buy with money. Because Edu could no longer fit every Lamb in their dorms, they switched the dormitory system to a commuting system. Hence, there was always a battle for rooms in the hotel.

The Beverly Hills residents disliked having so many poor Lambs filling their streets. However, the vast majority of humans praised the Fence Hotel business because anyone could see the hotel’s goal was to help the Lambs survive rather than for profit. Many wanted to know who started this virtuous business, but only the manager was present in each branch; no one knew who the founder was.

A man walked down the hallway on the top floor of the Fence Hotel’s main branch. He was an average Caucasian, wearing a baggy tracksuit; anyone could tell he was a Lamb. He entered the room at the end of the hallway, closed the door behind him, and placed his hand over his face.

[Canceling Myriad Faces.]

The man turned into an Asian with black hair and eyes. His clothes also changed; he was in a black hoodie, combat boots, dark green military camouflage pants, and a dagger on his back. Anyone could see he was not a newbie.

It was Seong-Hwi, who had disguised himself as a Lamb, avoiding the Union’s pursuit. Although he wouldn’t have to go to trial since he had a first-class murder license, he would rather not deal with Clan Black Market trying to avenge their leader.

I hope Sonya takes over Black Market soon, he said inwardly.

Black Market was undergoing an internal war. The directors of each department were clashing with one another. However, Seong-Hwi already knew who would win.

I heard Sonya is trying to recruit Onie Yuki.

If Yuki helped Sonya, it would cement Sonya as the leader of Black Market.

Seong-Hwi sat on a couch and thought, It’s time to open the cube.

His eyes lit up. Since the trouble he had caused had mostly died down, it was finally time to use the most valuable reward he had obtained in the dungeon.

[Item Cube

Rank: S

Description: An 8x8 diamond cube made up of 512 small cubes. The user will obtain an item with minimum S-rank potential.]

“Huuu,” Seong-Hwi took a deep breath as he pulled a golden card from the Tarot Deck of Destiny.

[Activating Unique Skill: Borrowing Destiny.]

[William the Foolish Gambler]

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Dice Gimlet]

[Activating Exclusive Skill: Craps Game.]

Seong-Hwi borrowed William’s destiny, chugged the Dice Gimlet, and let the dice remaining in the cocktail glass roll on the floor. He opened the S-rank item cube without looking at the ground.

The beautiful cube, made up of 512 small diamond cubes, was shuffled. The 512 cubes then spread out, revealing a white light enveloping something.

What’s that? It’s tiny. Is it an accessory? Seong-Hwi wondered as he grabbed the white light.

The white light disappeared, and only the item was left in his hand. It was only as big as his pinky fingernail.

“Is this... a rice grain?”

[Steel Rice Grain (Item)

Rank: F(0)

Description: A rice grain that was said to have stopped all wars long ago. It is unbreakable.]

Seong-Hwi remained silent after examining the Akasha Message. His head slowly got hot as if he had placed a hot pack on his forehead. He looked at it from different angles, but all he could see was just a rice grain. Not a dagger, armor, or even an accessory—just a rice grain. It was only slightly bigger than a regular grain of rice. However hard he looked, he couldn’t see anything special about it.

“Was it... nothing?” Seong-Hwi mumbled in disbelief.

William’s destiny was based on all or nothing. He had only been getting all, but had gotten nothing in the most crucial moment.

“My S-rank item cube...” Seong-Hwi trailed off as he dropped the Steel Rice Grain. He clenched his hot forehead and denied reality. “No... It’s an item with S-rank potential. I’m sure... it has some kind of unfathomable power lying dormant. Yeah... I’m sure of it.”

Just then, the silver-grey rice grain entered his field of vision. Once he was met with the undeniable reality, his sanity, which had remained intact even in the S-rank dungeon, shattered.

He screamed, “AHHH! FUCK! DAMN IT ALL! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS SHITTY ITEM OF ALL THINGS?!”

His scream echoed throughout the Fence Hotel and continued until the hotel’s guards barged in, thinking there was a murder.

***

A beautiful man with silver hair and eyes, nine pairs of wings on his back, and a golden halo above his head, stared blankly into space. He was Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation.

“Yes... I understand,” he answered solemnly, staring into thin air.

The golden light from his halo dimmed. He gritted his teeth. He had just received orders from the God of Heaven to return to Orbis. He wondered if the God of Heaven had lost faith in him due to his repeated failures.

Just then, his halo glowed with a golden light again.

— Ahaha! You messed up big time, Gabriel! You’re way too cautious. You shouldn’t have entrusted such an important task to those lowly birds. You have no idea how disappointed the God of Heaven is!

“Uriel!” Gabriel shouted.

The voice from the Halo Channel belonged to Uriel, the Angel of Destruction, a first-grade angel and one of the four archangels. Unlike the cautious Gabriel, Uriel always impulsively accomplished his missions. Hence, they always clashed over the smallest things.

“The Sēmen had their eyes on me. I simply chose the option that brought the least harm to Orbis,” Gabriel replied.

— And you still failed! That moronic Remus can’t do anything right, can he?! Return, Gabriel. It’s my turn now. It’s been so long since I’ve been allowed to descend to the mortal realm!

Gabriel scowled intensely as he heard Uriel’s ecstatic voice. He sprouted his wings and flew straight up. He had planned to return to Orbis without Uriel telling him, since the God of Heaven had already ordered him to do so.

“Humans... I will remember this,” Gabriel mumbled as he recalled the faces of the humans who escaped the encircling net.

Especially the human with black hair and eyes who exposed the angels’ intervention during the dungeon excavation. I will never forget him! He shouted inwardly.

The sight of an angel flapping his white wings as he flew up to the sky looked majestic, but the ground under him was nothing of the sort. A metropolis was burning in flames. It was Pollon Nest, the city of the birdfolk, the angels’ subordinate race. Gabriel had kept his promise with Fragor.

***

“Hmmm. I have no idea what kind of metal this is. I don’t hear a voice at all. I wonder if it’s sleeping?” Muka mumbled as he stared at the Steel Rice Grain in his palm.

Seong-Hwi had visited the small smithy beside Naviglio Grande in Milano, on East Earth, to meet Muka and inquire about his new item.

[Steel Rice Grain (Item)

Rank: B(10)

Description: A rice grain that was said to have stopped all wars long ago. It is unbreakable.]

Seong-Hwi, with dark circles under his eyes, glared at the rice grain as he put pressure on his temples. He was getting half as much sleep lately due to the side effects of Borrowing Destiny. His dark circles grew thicker by the day, but the rate accelerated when the unknown item appeared from his S-rank item cube.

“I raised it to B-rank, but... Nothing about it has changed. That confirms it’s trash, right?” Seong-Hwi asked.

His original plan had been to use the Karma he had collected to raise the rank of whatever item he obtained from the S-rank item cube to at least A. His despair over the Steel Rice Grain had been short; he soon began to invest Karma into it.

Yeah, I’m sure it will reveal its true form once I raise its stat! Seong-Hwi had thought as he continued to raise the item’s rank.

However, even after raising it to B-rank, nothing had changed compared to its F-rank state.

“There are a few possibilities. The item might be a dud, as you’ve said. It might reveal its true potential once it reaches rank A or S. Or, perhaps it needs a special condition,” Muka replied.

“So... I should invest more Karma into it?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“That’s the only way at this time.”

Seong-Hwi sighed deeply and stuffed the Steel Rice Grain back into his pocket.

“No, I can’t afford the Karma right now,” he said.

He would have invested as much as possible if he saw even the sliver of a possibility, but he couldn’t see such a thing in the Steel Rice Grain. It was much more worthwhile to raise his basic stats.

Lina is also extracting the genes as I speak. My stat calibers will rise again, so I need Karma to boost my stat ranks accordingly. I can’t afford to invest in something I have no idea about its utility.

Seong-Hwi put his attention elsewhere since not even Muka knew the Steel Rice Grain’s true nature. He was certain that its potential was high since it had come out of an S-rank item cube, but he did not have the leeway to use Karma so recklessly.

“More importantly, Seong-Hwi. I made up to the 288th steel while you were gone. I also tried mixing the warriorteel the Blue Anvil guys made!”

Muka ran throughout the smithy to gather metals so Seong-Hwi could use Rust of Ruin on all the steels he had forged thus far.

Seong-Hwi stared at Muka and asked, “Muka, this year’s Ferrum Festival is next month, right?”

“Huh? Oh... Has that much time passed already?” Muka answered uninterestedly.

Seong-Hwi continued, “Why don’t you present the steel you’re making at the Ferrum Festival?”

“What?” Muka, gathering the metals, asked as he turned to Seong-Hwi.

Seong-Hwi shrugged and said, “If you’ve polished your skills, you should show them off, right? Even better if it’s on a stage as big as the Ferrum Festival. You still don’t have an artisan certificate, right?”

“Keh! It’s not that I don’t have one, I’m not getting one. I hate the Ferrum Festival,” Muka responded as he turned away.

Just then, Seong-Hwi provoked, “If all you do is hammer metal in a smithy by yourself, you won’t be acknowledged by anyone, Muka.”

“What? Hah! I’ve never swung my hammer for acknowledgement!”

“Liar. You told me that you’d surpass the Steel King. Doesn’t that mean your goal is to be acknowledged by him?”

Muka frowned. Seong-Hwi was certain that Muka secretly wished to surpass his master and say to his face that he was right. After all, what disciple did not wish to surpass their master?

“Keh, the steel isn’t complete yet. It needs more modifications,” Muka remarked as he scoffed.

“How many more modifications? What you need right now is a broader view, Muka. There’s a limit to doing things alone. You must absorb more ideas and techniques, and what better place to do that than at the Ferrum Festival?”

Almost all artisans in the Mirror World gathered at the Ferrum Festival. There was no better place to broaden one’s field of expertise.

Seong-Hwi continued, “I’m sure you already know this. You said you tried mixing warriorteel with the steel you’ve created, right? It means you know the importance of embracing new techniques.”

Muka’s expression grew solemn as Seong-Hwi continued to persuade him. He knew his goal to create a steel that did not corrode from the Rust of Ruin was a lifelong challenge. The more people he challenged it with, the better.

He slightly nodded after much thought and mumbled, “I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to visit my home after so long.”

***

A beautiful crystal chandelier was hung on the ceiling over a table covered by an extravagant silk tablecloth, luxury chairs, and silverware for seven people. The sound of roasting, boiling, and frying stimulated the appetite. Western, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine chefs borrowed the powers of their D Weapons—a knife, a wok, and a gas stove—to create the greatest cuisine known to man.

The door opened, and seven VIP guests entered.

“Alright! Enjoy, everyone. Everything is on me,” Enrique said with a charming smile.

They were at the fine dining restaurant his acquaintance owned. The meals were a hundred thousand Coins per person—not even those rich in Coins could regularly visit. However, Enrique had rented the entire place for one day, something regular humans could never dream of doing. However, it was merely a trivial matter for him since he had earned two hundred million Coins.

“Whoa! Amazing. I never even knew a place like this existed,” Yuri remarked.

“The smell is mouth-watering,” Frank added.

They were the first to sit at the table. Beautiful men and women soon entered the hall with the course meals.

“It’s not a bad deal for you either, Onie Yuki. There are signs that Black Market is trying to oppress you because of this incident,” Sonya said to Yuki.

“So?” Yuki asked.

“Join forces with me. If you support my item faction, I can keep the clan in check so you won’t have to deal with such pestering matters.”

Sonya, the item director, was in a succession battle against the other Black Market successors. She continued to persuade Yuki as they walked to sit at the table. Seong-Hwi and Leo also followed suit.

“You said you were staying here for about a month, right, Seong-Hwi?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, I’m waiting for something. Once I get it, I’m going to Ferrum,” Seong-Hwi answered.

“I see. That means you’ll be in the Capital for a month, right?”

“Mostly. I’ll be going on the occasional hunts to collect Karma, though.”

“Take me with you if you decide to go hunting. Oh, and I will invite you to the Maasai village one day.”

Enrique raised his glass once Seong-Hwi and Leo sat at the table, and shouted, “Alright! It’s time for a toast! Congratulations on our survival and jackpot!”

He had prepared a farewell party with his teammates, who had shared sorrows and joys, and traversed the boundary between life and death together. Farewells always came with encounters. They all raised their glasses in relief that the farewell had not been through death.

“Look at this! This is the A-rank claw, Kanzo’s Claw! It cost seventy million Coins!” Yuri said proudly as he flaunted a bluish claw.

Frank also unsheathed the sword at his waist and said, “This is the Divergence Sword. It’s my first time using an A-rank item. It’s so sharp that blood just flows off of it!”

“Did you guys spend the past three days buying items? Come to think of it, are you okay, Seong-Hwi? You’re the only one who didn’t take any of the artifacts,” Enrique, his face flushed after only one glass of wine, asked.

Seong-Hwi answered, “I took the remaining one after you distributed it among yourselves.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“Are you talking about that weird syringe? Anyone could see it’s a useless artifact.”

“It doesn’t matter. I got what I wanted, after all,” Seong-Hwi said as he put his hand over the outside of his pocket, feeling the two Elixir bottles.

Two bottles! Has there been anyone in the Mirror World who possessed two Elixirs? he wondered.

He could feel his sorrow over the Steel Rice Grain slightly fading away from the dependable feeling of having two Elixirs.

Yeah, it’ll be fine if I profit as much as possible from my negotiation with the Steel King.

Yuki, her face almost completely hidden by her windbreaker hood, approached Seong-Hwi in thought.

She asked, “Can I have a moment, Cheon Seong-Hwi?”

“Hm? Sure.”

Seong-Hwi stood up and followed Yuki to the terrace.