Yong-ho slowly opened his eyes. Just as he woke up from a pleasant deep sleep, he regained consciousness naturally and calmly.

First, it was cold. He felt someone's familiar softness all over his body.

'Scathach.'

Specifically, it was the blue liquid that Scathach used to handle.

As if he was asleep for quite a while, his eyes hurt, but he couldn't properly move his arms and legs. After struggling in the blue liquid, he gave up and looked straight ahead. Somebody's pleasant smile welcomed him.

"Let me wipe it."

Scathach, sitting on the ice throne, moved her fingers lightly. Then, some of the blue liquid came up like tentacles and wiped his face.

Her service didn't end there. One of the blue liquid tentacles stopped near his mouth and spewed clear, cold water.

He didn't feel like drinking it, but it tasted slightly sweet and fresh.

Resting his chin on her hand, she said, "Don't worry because this is a clear water I've drawn nearby. It wasn't the blue liquid or your purified urine."

"Uh… Really?"

Scathach giggled at his question. He felt nervous because he couldn't understand why.

He shook off useless thoughts and looked around. He saw dungeon spirits sitting at regular intervals around Scathach's throne. Her whole body except her head was covered in blue liquid.

"Everyone is recovering, except that cheerful skeleton."

He got confused again at her statement. She gently moved her hand and turned the blue liquid containing him halfway around. At the entrance to her small palace was Skull lying naked with his armor removed.

"I tried to adjust his posture several times... Maybe he feels the most comfortable in that posture, namely rolling on the floor…"

She was correct.

He asked her, "Can't you recover Skull? Are his injuries too severe?"

"No, his injury itself is not very severe. But he needs a different type of treatment. I treat people here by sharing my vitality. But because Skull is an undead, his body will be broken and destroyed if I share my vitality with him."

Yong-ho could understand it. Just like in games, casting heal magic to an undead damages their physical health rather than healing it.

He looked at Skull with a bit of anxiety. He didn't think of any other way to heal Skull than evolving or advancing him.

Scathach said again, "Don't worry too much. I think a special skeleton like Skull can recover naturally. With sufficient mana, he will stand up quickly. Actually, he has recovered quite a bit."

"What?"

Then, did Skull have something like a natural recovery function?

He had never heard about it.

Scathach tilted her head and asked, "Uh? You didn't know? Is this the first time Skull has ever been injured?"

"No, he was injured before…"

Did Skull get this new ability when he had a consolidation evolution or advancement?

Skull was now out of the lineage of the general undead monsters. Maybe he got it while he became a Magic Knight. Since becoming a knight, he was not injured so much. If that was the case, it was reasonable to think that Yong-ho didn't know his natural recovery function.

'But…'

Why? Yong-ho felt somewhat strange about Skull.

Skull was the type that rolled on the floor as usual, but he felt different about it this time.

To be precise, there was something different about Skull before and after fighting Baphomet.

"Skull?"

When Yong-ho called, Skull replied back immediately, "Skull Skull."

But he still didn't stand up.

Scathach added, "Well, it's very hard for Skull to stand up now. All the joints of his body were broken. His upper body was restored yesterday... If his recovery goes well, he can stand up tomorrow."

She was optimistic, but Yong-ho couldn't be relieved to hear that. The fact that Skull's upper body had recovered "yesterday" meant that Yong-ho himself was unconscious for at least a day.

"How many days have pa.s.sed since I got here?"

"Three days. About 62 hours, exactly."

"Really? Three days?"

"Since you fought Baphomet, you were shocked mentally rather than being damaged physically.

Besides, you used up all your energies, more than you could. Because of that, I am completely exhausted, as you see."

Smiling warmly, she let her shoulders droop. Come to think of it, she looked more pale than usual. The reason she didn't get up from the throne was probably because she was weak.

Yong-ho instinctively realized it. Scathach's vitality, which offset Baphomet's death, was not just power stored in her G.o.dly Energy. Actually, she drew it from herself, just as Yong-ho took his dungeon spirit's power through Brigada.

He also understood how he could defeat Baphomet and why Scathach and Gusion asked him to challenge Baphomet.

Apart from Yong-ho's suffering, Baphomet's body was clearly weakened, so much so that it was incomparable to the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon such as Gusion and Scathach.

Nevertheless, Baphomet was strong. Its power of death was overwhelming.

Yong-ho could defeat it because he could offset Baphomet's death with her vitality.

Otherwise, even if Yong-ho himself managed to overcome its death with the power of greed, he would have been defeated in the end.

"Is it true that I can use G.o.dly Energy to draw out the power of the 12 Spirits that recognized me?"

"That's why it's called G.o.dly Energy. However, you can't do it freely, like drawing out the power of your own dungeon spirits because they haven't fully recognized you. In order to derive their power, you need the corresponding power. I don't know what method you used, but in this fight you made it, and you stole my power. Because of that, you won, but I was exhausted."

It seemed that she referred to the mana of greed that Yong-ho amplified by the outburst of his anguish.

Yong-ho asked again, "Then what is Baphomet's power?"

"Same thing. Baphomet can use its power, but not completely. Just like you used my power, it needed to pay the price. You defeated him, but... you are not yet capable enough to control Baphomet's 'death'."

After stopping there, she took a big breath. She looked at Yong-ho quietly, with his chin resting on her hand, and continued again softly, "You don't have to be too impatient. Someday you will get the power of everybody. I can guarantee it for you."

Strangely enough, Yong-ho felt relieved to hear what she said. He leaned against the blue liquid. After relaxing anew, he looked back at his own spirits, especially Catalina.

He felt rea.s.sured. Scathach laughed at that.

"Oh my G.o.d! Your affection for her is obvious now."

Yong-ho decided to become impudent at that moment.

He calmly turned his gaze to her and said, "I heard from Aamon that the third floor belongs to Elune."

"Right. And given her personality, she is probably fully ready for any attack. In a sense, you might find her tougher than Baphomet. So, I recommend that you challenge the 3rd floor after getting stronger."

Suddenly, she closed her eyes tightly then snapped her fingers lightly. Then, the blue liquid surrounding him was sucked back to the floor. Like before, the magical power arising from her dressed him back.

"I'm done healing you, little master. Your spirits need to recover for another half a day, so go up first. I think Lucia has lots of things to report to you."

It had been as many as three days since he got here. So, he was curious about what was going on on the ground.

"Thank you, Scathach."

"You're my little sister. You can always rely on me."

With a smile, she waved her hands, and Yong-ho responded quickly then hurried out of her place. At that moment, he immediately heard Lucia's voice, as if she had been waiting for him. [Master!]

[Butler Jun and Tigrius, head of the House of Randolt, have something to report to you.]

Jun, the only female dungeon spirit among Goblin Rangers, had been on the job training as a butler apprentice under Eligos for a while. Since Eligos was absent for the past few days, she probably took over his job.

Salami, who was rolling around at the entrance to the Garden of Life, recognized Yong-ho and quickly approached. He quickly climbed on Salami's back and heard Lucia's report.

[Jun's report is about the current status of the dungeon spirits, the number of gold mines, the tax collected from the Free City for this month, and the control of the dungeon of the House of Abigale.]

Briefing him quickly, she showed him light sentences and a few numbers. It was a much more simplified report than usual.

Yong-ho understood why Lucia was in a hurry. So, he gave it a quick look and asked for the next report.

[This is a report from Demon King Tigrius under your command.]

[The fight between the Western Owners' Alliance and Embrio is over.]

[Embrio has won. Embrio seems to be realigning troops.]

[Tigrius got this intelligence 12 hours ago.]

After all, Yong-ho was sliding into the inevitable fight.