MDPS 34

Chapter 34

My Dark History is Too Strong

The Young King

It was really by chance that I ran into the raid team in the Tower of Fierce Battles.

It was just a normal day.

I had simply finished the raid, checked my rewards, checked the market prices, and was inspecting the equipment supplied by Manij. Then, at the entrance to the Tower of Fierce Battles, I happened to meet the raid party.

“Hah. I should have held back a little.”

Normally, I wouldn’t have discussed how far I had cleared, or where I planned to go next. I would just show the results. I had no desire to flaunt my abilities to others.

After all, if relationships soured and a fight broke out, it would just be a hassle.

But… looking at the performance of these people claiming to be a large guild alliance raid team, I couldn’t hold back my anger.

“Still at floor 96? This is hopeless.”

I didn’t even ask for their clear time. I could tell without looking.

Connecting their incompetence with the way they’d controlled information until now made my irritation surge.

So, I went ahead and made my move…

[Mysterious Adventurer Declares Raid of Floor 90?]
[Poor Performance of Large Guild Alliance Raid Team – Is it the People’s Fault?]

…Rumors were already spreading everywhere.

There was a large guild meeting, and everyone was panicking about this and that.

No doubt they were obsessed with the title of “First Korean Clear of the Tower of Fierce Battles.”

They cared more about the glory of the achievement than eliminating the dungeon threat.

Still clinging to such meaningless prestige… pitiful beyond words.

As I recalled the events of yesterday, Hertia’s shout snapped me back to attention:

“The attack of Iris, Shadow of Verdure, has missed.”

“Pathetic.”

“Ehh?!”

“To still be merely mimicking archery despite the master’s grace… do you truly wish to die?”

“N-no, of course not!”

“The first to reach the top of this tower must be our master, Lord Lucifer. Absolutely!”

…I didn’t particularly care about being the first to clear it, but Hertia thought differently.

Of course, Lucifer never tolerated second place in any competition, so that expectation makes sense.

Even when I was resting at home, Hertia and Caligo would occasionally descend to ask about my plans.

When not summoned, they could only sense the level of threat my body posed.

Each time, I shared my general plans and the public’s reactions—achievements like defeating Varg or the Twilight Colosseum.

“-Finally, even these ignorant beings of this dimension realize the greatness of our master!”

That was their reaction.

They’d babbled nonsense about how I monopolized people’s worship, leaving no one else to rely on.

“…Wait.”

Could it be that the title of first clear was that important?

Right, I’d forgotten!

Next to me were none other than the Seven Deadly Sins, followers of Lucifer.

If I failed the first clear of the 100th floor in front of them…

“Damn it. If I don’t move fast, these two might kill me!”

There was only one solution:

Reach the 100th floor quickly.

Thanks to the motivated Hertia and Caligo, I was able to clear Floor 90 of the Tower of Fierce Battles.

[Cleared Floor 90 of the Tower of Fierce Battles: ‘Engineering of Despair’]
[Unbelievable Record!]
[Elapsed Time: 1 hour 48 minutes 21 seconds]
[New Record for Clear Time Ranking]
[Clear Grade: ‘SSS’]
[Clear Grade Record Updated]

However, judging by the clear time, it would be difficult to continue the same unstoppable raid as before.

Because of variables like Karmar’s schemes, the difficulty of the raid had significantly increased.

To overcome this, it was time to consider recruiting the “Next Seven Deadly Sins.”

“The problem is… where do I hide from people’s eyes?”

That was the issue.

I had become somewhat famous.

Although Manij and the government were concealing my information and blocking access…

“I can’t rely on that alone and act carelessly.”

It seemed best to refer to the message that arrived last night:

“Notification from the Adventurer Management Guild: A massive magical emission has been detected near the birch forests of Inje County. This area is expected to be updated as part of a new episode, so please refrain from visiting.”

Right. There shouldn’t be many people there.

I packed my things and headed straight for Inje County.

Episode 8 – The Returning Elf Army

Inje County, designated as the expected update site, had been neglected after the great upheaval. Infrastructure was poor, and public safety had deteriorated.

Even though I left early in the morning, by the time I reached the forest, it was well past 2 PM.

“Definitely, signs of magical emission here.”

The forest had completely transformed from ordinary Korean scenery.

Was it a lush “fantasy-style elf forest” with vibrant greenery and ancient trees? Not quite.

The towering trees were withered, rotting, and lifeless.

I’d seen such a forest before—Hertia had done this to an elf forest.

So the returning Elf Army would likely be very different from the elves we imagined.

Especially anything related to the World Tree—those creatures were always like this.

I surveyed the surroundings to check for people.

Better to be cautious.

Someday I might publicly announce that I handle “villains,” but not yet.

“People must believe in my achievements and what I can do before they accept the power I wield.”

Until then, the Seven Deadly Sins members must not be exposed.

There was already one concern: since clearing the Twilight Colosseum, I had occasionally felt strange gazes.

“Since the first stage of the Dawn Star Remnants, something has been happening to my body.”

I needed to be prepared.

As night fell, I entered the birch forest, avoiding the public eye.

I could hear the cries of wild animals, but I wasn’t afraid.

The real fear was what kind of creature might appear.

First, I checked the status of the Apocalypse Summon:

[Currently Inherited Assets]
▶ 2/7

[Points Remaining Until Next Asset Inheritance]
▶ 0/2,000 pt

“You can offer low-grade summon tickets as tributes to gain tribute points.”

I needed 2,000 points to summon the next villain.

Fortunately, I had enough summon tickets to cover this.

But an unexpected development occurred. After sacrificing 100 high-grade summon tickets:

[High-grade summon tickets will no longer convert to points.]

“What?”

I hadn’t expected quotas per grade.

I only met the conditions after burning rare and hero-grade tickets as well.

“At auction value, that’s about 170 million. I planned to stay under 100 million using only high-grade tickets.”

Of course, at this point, the money wasn’t a concern.

Yes, spending this to recruit a Seven Deadly Sins member was necessary.

The fourth one’s cost, though… made me a little uneasy.

[Apocalypse Summon Ticket has been provided.]

Along with the long-awaited message, the list of remaining inheritances appeared:

[Inheritance List]

• Baekgok King’s Siren Ruinbringer (Dark)

• Mareina, Divine Priestess of Rebellion (Light)

• Ariel, Lord of the Sky (Light)

• Dark Prince Theo (Dark)

• Lucébar, Lion of Purity (Light)

Any of them would be powerful.

However, since Hertia and Caligo were both Dark, I thought maybe it was time to acquire a Light attribute too.

So, I hoped Ruinbringer and Theo wouldn’t appear.

I took a deep breath and tore the ticket.

Screech.

[You inherit one of the legacies left by the Rebel of the Dawn Star.]

The torn ticket burned in midair, and pitch-black darkness spread around.

Moonlight was blocked; not a single point of light remained.

Jingle!

From beyond the darkness came the chilling sound of a bell.

“Oh, great.”

A frown naturally formed on my forehead.

Jingle!

Accompanied by the bell, the new summon appeared.

A boy with a dazzling golden crown and black rod, topped with ornate decorations and bells.

Despite his small stature, he carried the dignity befitting the king of a nation.

He slowly raised his sharp eyes and stared directly at me.

“Are you the one who summoned me?”

“Yes.”

He tilted his head and let out a bitter laugh.

“Your head is high. Repay that disrespect with death.”

Right. Familiar.

This nonsense had happened three times already.

[Dark Prince Theo breaks the summoning contract and attacks the summoner!]

At that moment:

[Apocalypse Witch Hertia descends at will!]
[Liberator of Death Caligo descends at will!]

“Master!”
“Are you alright, Sage?”

They probably sensed Theo’s murderous aura.

But it was not a good situation.

Especially since the opponent was the infamous Dark Prince Theo.

“Return immediately, Hertia! Theo!”

I urgently ordered them to retreat, but—

“Hertia. Caligo. You’ve betrayed him!”

Theo, furious, thrust his rod toward me.

Hertia blocked in front of me.

She probably intended to use the “Logic of Hertia,” but…

“Stop, Theo! This person is—”
“Hertia, your magic cannot stop me.”

Jingle!

[Theo’s 1st Skill, Absolute Monarchy, activates.]
[Theo is unaffected by ‘Slow.’]

Hertia’s skill failed, and Theo’s rod surged toward me.

Caligo appeared and caught it.

“Haha! As expected, I’ll handle this… uh…”

Caligo fell silent, bowing his head deeply.

[Second effect of Absolute Monarchy, ‘King’s Command,’ activates!]
[Liberator of Death Caligo obeys Dark Prince Theo’s command.]

Caligo had been taken over by Dark Prince Theo.

“Damn. This just got complicated.”