Tens of thousands of individuals, making up a grey wave of people, roared as they struck leather drums.

“YAAAAAH!”

“LET’S GO!!!”

“TEAR APART THOSE LONG-EARED BASTARDS!”

“CHWIK! LET US AVENGE OUR PEOPLE!”

It was an allied army of orcs and centaurs, both inferior races that usually resided in the southern grasslands, and were well-known for their tight alliance. Orcs were born fighters, and centaurs possessed exceptional agility and archery skills.

Although they were individually inferior races, an orc warrior on a centaur’s back could easily square up to an intermediate race. Centaurs handled ranged combat, while orcs were melee fighters. They made up for each other’s weaknesses, and both had similar tough natures.

Two individuals—one orc and one centaur—stood at the forefront.

A large, grey orc with tusks reaching his cheekbones shouted, “Hear me, fellow orcs! Chwik! Over five hundred thousand have been sacrificed to the World Tree! Chwik! That is almost an entire clan! The elves must answer to this atrocity! Chwik! If they do not, we will burn down Forestis! I swear it in the name of Bodonchar Solho Abkai!”

Bodonchar was ninety-second in the world ranking. The orcs cheered as they drew out their Battle Force.

“Chwik! All hail Joint Chieftain Bodonchar!”

“Let’s decorate a tree with the elves’ heads as a trophy!”

“I’ll cut off their ears and make a necklace with them! Chwik!”

The madness of war spread like wildfire. A centaur with a red mustache, red hair, and red eyes walked to the front from beside Bodonchar. His upper body was that of a human, as beautiful as a sculpture, and his lower body was that of a muscular horse covered in red hair.

His dignified, deep voice echoed throughout the plains, “Hear me, fellow centaurs. We are in the same situation as the orcs. Blood must be washed off with blood. If Sefirot does not make a statement soon, I, Chiron, will get an answer from them by force.”

Chiron used to be an upper Spare Ranker. However, Lasapi, ninety-ninth in the world ranking, died at Uriel’s hands, and Hadafu, eighty-eighth in the world ranking, was killed by Kang-San, allowing him to take one of the two vacancies. He was the new ninety-ninth World Ranker.

“Neigh~! Follow Chief Chiron!”

“Whinny! I’ll kill them all!”

“I will spread my seed throughout Forestis!”

The centaurs kicked the ground with their hooves and shook their heads, wanting to race through the plains with their Gale Force.

“Chiron. Chwik. There is a limit to keeping morale up this way,” Bodonchar whispered.

Chiron nodded and replied, “Forestis is the stage of both world quests. We are at a massive disadvantage.”

He turned to Forestis, surrounded by thick trees. Orcs and centaurs could bring out their full power in the open plains. They were disadvantaged in forests and jungles, where their sprints would be interrupted.

“It would be great if we could drag out the elves, but... I highly doubt that would be possible. The third, fourth, and fifth zones of Forestis are already surrounded,” Chiron remarked.

“Chwik! I’d bet almost every race in the Mirror World has joined in!”

As they mentioned, Forestis was currently surrounded, leaving no room for escape.

“Chwik! At the very least, the Sēmen prohibited the Ten Lords and Fiends from participating. This is our chance!” Bodonchar shouted, his eyes blazing red from his Battle Force.

Chiron agreed, “Lumber the World Tree, and Kill Insectum. If we use the disorder to obtain the Race Stones of the elves and insectoids...”

Chiron and Bodonchar smiled as they glanced at each other.

“Chwik! We’ll wait for our chance. Once it arrives...”

“We charge!”

***

I’d bet the area around Forestis is unreal right now, Seong-Hwi thought as he transported his teammates out of the sinkhole one by one after the battle.

“Thanks,” Yuki said as she got out of Seong-Hwi’s embrace.

“Don’t mention it,” Seong-Hwi replied as he sprouted the Wings of Evolution to fly down the sinkhole again.

Just then, Yuki asked, “You’re... not overdoing it, are you?”

“What? Oh, I’m healing my injuries as I go. I’m the healer, after all. I take extremely good care of my body,” Seong-Hwi said as he rubbed his abdomen.

His puncture wound was closed, albeit superficially.

“I’m not talking about that.” Yuki tapped the side of her head and continued, “I’m talking about this.”

“My head? Oh, my cheekbones are a little caved in, right? I also have an orbital fracture. This is gonna take a while to heal—”

“Huuu... That’s not what I mean either. I’m talking about your mental state.” Yuki stared at Seong-Hwi with a stiff expression, her eyes filled with worry. “The ayahuasca... I don’t know what you’re using it for, but it’s a narcotic. In the first place, it’s used for torture.”

Seong-Hwi remained silent.

Yuki continued, “I’ve heard a few raumdeuters use it during combat to boost their focus, locate their targets’ weakness, and change the trajectory of their attacks when needed, but they only use F or E-rank ayahuasca. It’s nothing compared to the B-rank one you use.”

She thought nothing of it when Seong-Hwi asked Sonya to get him some high-ranking ayahuasca because she thought he would use it for torture purposes. However, Seong-Hwi had used it on himself.

“Forcibly extending the time in your mind... isn’t normal, you know?” Yuki said.

Seong-Hwi smirked and remarked, “Are you saying I’m abnormal?”

“Are you claiming you’re normal?”

Seong-Hwi jumped into the sinkhole and replied, “No, I’m abnormal. You’re absolutely right, my friend.”

The stiff-faced Yuki disappeared from Seong-Hwi’s field of vision as he descended.

***

Seong-Hwi thought about what Yuki had said once he landed at the bottom of the sinkhole. The ayahuasca undoubtedly put a toll on his body; even now, he had a splitting headache.

Taking a B-rank ayahuasca allowed him to experience three days in his mind in three seconds in real life. Not only that, but he also didn't take breaks during those three days; he lived someone else’s life through Borrowing Destiny, which overloaded his brain and consciousness with enormous amounts of stress.

But I have no choice. The ayahuasca is the only way to make up for the weakness of Borrowing Destiny.

Seong-Hwi was not omniscient; he could never have realized he would need Orpheus’s destiny during this exploration and borrow it three days in advance. He couldn’t randomly borrow a bunch of destinies either, since it would result in unimaginable corruption of his psyche.

I’m barely holding on as it is, he thought.

He felt like he was balancing on a tightrope. However, the result was outstanding. He grabbed a small, shining, red-brown fragment from his pocket, resembling a quartz fragment.

[Earthquake Stone Fragment

Description: A small fragment of the Earthquake Stone. It holds the past, present, and future of the race Subterranean.]

It was a fragment of a Race Stone; it was no exaggeration to say that it determined the fate of an entire race.

Seong-Hwi smiled widely and thought, This is a game-changer for the World Tree War. What use is it to worry over myself when I got this?!

The object was veiled in mystery; it was neither classified as an item nor an artifact, nor was it ranked.

It’s the same as back then, he said inwardly as he recalled the Destiny Stone, which he had possessed for a short while in his past life.

Just then, Tellus’s voice echoed from the Earthquake Stone fragment, Thank you.

“You were still here?” Seong-Hwi asked.

I am the last to go. The grudges of all the others have been purified. Tellus continued bittersweetly, With me as the last... the subterraneans are truly eradicated.

Tellus remained silent, and Seong-Hwi respected the silence.

I understand how he feels.

Tellus was likely feeling the same way Seong-Hwi had felt when the Destiny Stone was on the verge of being taken by Regnator. It was a mix of regret, powerlessness, void, and resentment.

It cannot be helped... If that is our race’s destiny...

Red-brown smoke rose from the Earthquake Stone fragment, and Seong-Hwi saw a face smiling sorrowfully inside. It was Tellus, scanning Seong-Hwi from head to toe. Tellus smiled wider once their eyes met, and he nodded.

I have a final gift for you, as thanks for purifying our grudges.

“A gift? Huh?”

The Earthquake Stone fragment flashed, and something flowed toward the Wings of Evolution through his right arm. Another wing appeared, and it was red-brown with a pattern resembling comb-pattern pottery.

[Absorbing the gene of the race Subterranean.]

[Stealing the caliber of the race Subterranean.]

[The Wings of Evolution have evolved.]

[All stat calibers heightened.]

[Converting Twelve Wings to Thirteen Wings.]

[Available Stats: Battle Force, Sorcery Force, Harmony Force, Draconic Mana, Demon Force, Wraith Force, Kinetic Force, Holy Force, Chaos Mana, Mineral Force, Beast Force, Seismic Force.]

...

“What the...” Seong-Hwi slurred.

His caliber was heightened after gaining a new wing, and he could now use the subterraneans’ secondary force.

Seeing Seong-Hwi’s shocked expression, Tellus said, Consider it my greed of wanting to leave my final mark in this world. Use that power to survive. I hope you won’t have to experience the same despair I did. Tell Bafor... Thank you... And that... I’m sorry.

With those as his last words, he vanished from the world, and Akasha Messages appeared.

[Dungeon Quest: Rest to Subterra, cleared.]

[100,000,000 Karma obtained.]

[Stat cube (A) x 4 obtained.]

...

“I... cleared the quest?” Seong-Hwi mumbled, unable to understand as he recalled the clearing conditions of the quest, Rest to Subterra.

There were two conditions: to obtain an object that held the dungeon together, and to defeat all subterranean residents inside the dungeon. The object was likely referring to the Earthquake Stone fragment.

“Defeating all subterranean residents inside the dungeon... Oh, is that what it meant?”

Seong-Hwi and his teammates interpreted the condition as that they needed to defeat every Chaos monster in Subterra. However, that was not the case; the quest mentioned subterranean residents. Although the Akasha Message rarely told everything, it never lied.

Considering that... the subterranean residents weren’t their physical forms that had become Chaos, but their grudges held inside the Earthquake Stone fragment. That condition was fulfilled when Tellus disappeared after the others.

Seong-Hwi turned and saw the corpse of Tellus, reduced to rocks and dirt. Tellus, the Subterranean King, was the final subterranean who did his best for his fellow people, even in death. Seong-Hwi had earned much thanks to him. Although the subterraneans were eradicated, humanity would prosper through his legacy.

I will make good use of it.

Seong-Hwi momentarily prayed before Tellus’s corpse, grabbed the unconscious Evgeny, and flew out of the sinkhole.

***

Countless humans filled the streets of South Earth’s entrance in front of the Vivienne Information Center, staring fixedly at the dungeon entrance.

“Hmm... When are they coming out?”

“The other clans have already come out. RB’s party is the only one remaining.”

“Could they be dead?”

“No way. Who else could have closed the dungeon but them? From what I’ve heard, it was an S-rank dungeon quest.”

“What?! S-rank? For real? A single party closed an S-rank dungeon, which the entire Seven Swords clan couldn’t do?”

They were waiting for Record Breaker, Cheon Seong-Hwi. The Capital had been in an uproar for the past few weeks. Kang-San suddenly went radio-silent immediately after declaring the establishment of the Underground Confederation, and Steel King Bafor, the World Ranker, visited the Capital.

Also, not only were two world quests generated, but the details of Seong-Hwi’s Operation Pest Control spread through the Network. Roughly thirty thousand humans purchased admission tickets to Subterra and entered, but only a few clans came out a few weeks later, all lifelessly mumbling that RB was the Devil.

They had been the ones who spread the information that Seong-Hwi had used Subterra as bait to lure the Dark Humans and wipe them all out in the dungeon. Roughly ten thousand Dark Humans died inside the dungeon. The black clans throughout South Earth were understandably furious, and the Union confronted them with a chilling war of nerves that could lead to an all-out war with just a little push.

Most powerless Capital residents cheered at Seong-Hwi’s assertive actions.

“Cheon Seong-Hwi! Cheon Seong-Hwi! Cheon Seong-Hwi!”

“Whistle! You’re the best!”

“Screw the passive Union. Cheon Seong-Hwi has the will to act. He’s the hero of humanity.”

Humans affiliated with the Union frantically kept the people gathered in the streets at bay.

“Break it up! Break it up!”

“Over there! Stop them!”

“It may only be the entrance, but this is still South Earth!”

Just then, the rectangular pillar flashed, and nine bloody individuals exited the dungeon.

“YEAAAA—Huh?”

“Cheon Seong-Hwi! Cheon...”

“The hero has...”

The cheering humans were left silent once they saw the state of the man leading the group. He was a mess; his flesh was ripped apart, his cheeks were caved in, and his hair was greasy and hard from the dried blood. His eyes, still exuding fierce bloodlust, were red from the ruptured blood vessels. He scanned the group of people.

“H-huh?”

“That’s... Cheon Seong-Hwi?”

“H-he’s scary...”

“Such intense bloodlust.”

He did not look like the hero they had anticipated. They expected a hero to be like Kang-San—always filled with confidence, merciful to the weak, every step filled with power, and a tidy appearance. However, the man before them was more like a serial killer who had crawled out from the depths of Hell.

Seong-Hwi ignored them and continued going about his way. The gathered humans hesitantly backed away.

Just then, a man holding a smartphone D Weapon courageously shouted, “S-Sir Cheon Seong-Hwi! Is it true that you led Operation Pest Control?”

Seong-Hwi turned to look at the man.

“E-eek!” the man shrieked. He could feel himself stiffening from the bloodlust Seong-Hwi unconsciously exuded.

He’s gonna kill me! the man shouted inwardly.

However, Seong-Hwi simply answered, “It is.”

The man regained his courage and continued, “W-was Operation Pest Control the Union’s idea? W-were you ordered to do it by the Tortoise Emperor?”

Seong-Hwi smirked and answered, “The Union? The Tortoise Emperor? I don’t work for anyone. I came up with Operation Pest Control by myself.”

He looked around and sensed bloodlust from the few Dark Humans hidden in the crowd. He smirked, but it looked hideous and terrifying because of his partially healed face.

“I’m aiming for the Ten Thousand-Man Killer trait, but it’d be troublesome if I randomly killed ten thousand people, right? That’s why I’m aiming for Dark Humans. They proliferate like cockroaches, after all. They’re like an infinite resource.”

The Dark Humans gritted their teeth, greatly angered by Seong-Hwi’s statement.

“Son of a bitch...”

“How dare he?!”

The humans who had gathered to cheer for Seong-Hwi were just as shocked.

“T-Ten Thousand Man Killer?”

“So, it wasn’t for us, but... purely for himself?”

“He’s the Devil!”

They believed Seong-Hwi had exterminated the criminals for the good people of the Capital, but that had not been the case. He had planned all of this for personal profit.

Chaya, wearing a black robe at the back of the group, gritted his teeth and mumbled, “Fucking cowards! How dare they condemn hyung-nim when they can’t do anything by themselves!”

He thought, Hyung-nim made himself the villain. Since a war could break out between the black clans and the Union at this rate, he directed the Dark Humans’ rage and resentment to himself!

If the black clans of South Earth and the Union were to clash, humanity’s forces would be weakened and cause immense casualties. To prevent this, Seong-Hwi decided to endure the disdainful gazes from countless people.

“How dare they act this way... to a hero?!” Chaya mumbled in rage.

Ha-Eun stared at Chaya in silence and bit her lip. She recalled what Chaya had said the day they first met.

“Hyung-nim is not vicious. He is doing this because he is too kind. He doesn’t hesitate to dirty his hands for others.”

“Too kind, huh?” Ha-Eun mumbled.

The kind man smiled nastily as he showed the crowd his first-class murder license ring, saying, “If you have a problem with that, feel free to come at me. I’ll kill you legally. I only need to kill a few more until I get the Ten-Thousand Man Killer trait.”

He walked through the crowd, enduring countless emotions like fear, rage, disdain, envy, and bloodlust piercing his heart. He stopped in his tracks soon after, seeing Bafor with a conflicted expression standing before him.

“You’ve returned. You’ve truly cleared it,” Bafor remarked.

“As promised, I’ve cleared the purification quest,” Seong-Hwi answered.

“Purification, huh?” Bafor stroked his dark grey beard and asked, “What... happened to him?” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“He left in peace.”

“I see...”

“Yes, and he asked me to thank you, and tell you that he is sorry.”

Bafor remained silent. It was rather concise for a best friend’s final goodbye.

“My foolish friend... Wherever you are, I hope you rest in peace,” Bafor mumbled.

Seong-Hwi bowed and said, “I am quite tired, so if you’ll excuse me...”

Once he took a step past Bafor, Bafor said, “I see the cultural difference between dwarves and humans. Don’t pay much mind to their reactions. You did what you had to do.”

Seong-Hwi did not look back and said without hesitation, “It doesn’t bother me.”

***

We can really respect a man only if he doesn’t always look out for himself.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe