'No wonder they say that archenemies always cross paths.'

Woohyuk concealed his murderous intent and watched the two new intruders.

They had probably come for the Sangreal Chronicles.

The reason he wasn’t accompanied by other demon kings or witches was probably because they were in other ruins of the Talis Kingdom.

They didn’t know where the Sangreal Chronicles was hidden, so they had most likely scattered around and spread the search area.

[What should we do now? It wouldn’t be bad to deal with Ivanov right now.]

Helena spoke through a message magic spell.

Through message magic, the caster could communicate in real time with targets they were in physical contact with.

[No, there is no need to make a fuss outside the ruins for nothing. He might call reinforcements.]

While it was irritating, it was better to let Ivanov enter the ruins first.

As Woohyuk observed the situation, Carnelian suddenly turned around and stared at him.

Even though Helena was using high-level stealth magic, she could sense Woohyuk’s demonic energy.

“What's wrong, Carnelian?”

“I can feel the energy of a demon.”

“Of course you can. Demons are currently attacking that pyramid.”

Fortunately, Ivanov didn’t think too much about it.

As he continued walking, Carnelian spoke up again.

“It’s still strange. We should investigate before entering the ruins...”

“…Sigh.”

After stopping his steps, Ivanov slowly turned to Carnelian.

He then mercilessly slapped Carnelian on the cheek with his rough hand.

Slap!

“Kyaaah!”

“Know your place, Carnelian. You’ve been defiant these days because I haven’t been paying attention to you.”

“Tha, that's not it…”

“After we’re done with this job, I should go back and torture you a lot more painfully. I have to make sure to engrave in your brain who your master is.”

Ivanov treated Carnelian like a slave.

Catsy ground her teeth at that inhumane treatment.

[That person is bad, master. He’s a.s.saulting a child so mercilessly.]

[In the past, Ivanov was notorious for being impatient and violent.]

The red dragon baby was like a G.o.dsent gift for him, as he was someone who solved all his problems through violence.

Woohyuk’s eyes brightened because he believed he could tame and treat Carnelian better than that.

“Please, I beg you… Anything but torture…”

Carnelian was on her knees, begging Ivanov and hugging his feet.

“Oh my, we’ve lost a lot of time. I don't have time to admonish a b.i.t.c.h like you, so just follow me silently.”

Ivanov grabbed and lifted Carnelian by her hair with one hand.

Soon enough, as he disappeared into the ruins.

Helena sighed and deactivated the stealth magic.

“Whew… We almost got caught. Thank goodness she was a baby dragon. If she were grown up, she would’ve noticed us right away.”

“Lia’s senses are also very sharp. Someday, her abilities will be useful.”

Lia was currently steadily being educated about the human world at Leifina's mansion by the countess herself.

Because she was the daughter of the Yellow Dragon King Adakar, her growth rate was incredibly fast.

When she polymorphed, she appeared like a kindergarten girl.

If nothing unpleasant were to happen in the future, she would surely grow up and become a splendid beauty who would not be lacking in any aspect.

Helena laughed at Woohyuk's words of antic.i.p.ation and excitement.

“You’re really trying your best to be a good Dad. You surprisingly have a caring side.”

“Now that it’s come to this, it’s best to raise her with care.”

“But how are you going to deal with Ivanov? The demon king's army and his men are in the ruins, so it won’t be easy to explore the ruins.”

“I have a plan in mind.”

In fact, Woohyuk was very familiar with this kind of situation.

He had been competing against others in many historical ruins for big and small rewards in his past 40 years of life.

In addition, it was not difficult to come up with countermeasures for this ruin, as he was very knowledgeable about the White Ghost King’s Sand Temple.

Woohyuk’s eyes lit up as he walked toward the entrance to the pyramid with his companions.

***

[You are on the RED team.]

[To survive the first stage, kill all the members of the BLUE team.]

[The time limit is one hour.]

[If the goal is not achieved within the time limit, the game will be forcibly ended and a new match will start.]

[New teams are created at random, so you may confront allies from the previous game as enemies or meet new members.]

The system guidance voice echoed in Ivanov's head who entered the alternate dimension.

Ivanov looked around with an expression of ridicule.

'What the h.e.l.l is this...’

Suddenly, he recalled the time he was forcibly summoned into this world.

A tent and campfire in an open s.p.a.ce in a dense forest.

All sorts of people were lying around him.

The survival game then began out of nowhere.

This situation was very similar to that time, except that there was no blond girl acting as a guide.

'This must be why I lost contact with the men I sent in before me.'

He had thought that they were attacked and incapacitated the ruins, but he now knew the true reason.

When Ivanov tried to talk to a demon in the same camp, a trumpet resounded and a red sign appeared in the air.

[60:00]

It meant the countdown had begun.

The battle stage was a sandy colosseum with sandy ground and high stone walls surrounding them.

'I see. We don't have time to talk leisurely.'

In the stadium, the RED and BLUE teams were facing each other.

Everyone knew the rules of the game and silent gazes were being exchanged from each side.

Ivanov was also ready to begin fighting. Carnelian was standing next to him with a serious expression.

'We've become measly gladiators.'

However, the difficulty of this stage was nothing compared to the adversity he had faced so far.

He had killed countless people starting from his days as a wandering mercenary to the day he became the ruler of the Talis kingdom.

In this world, he was called Dragonlord Ivanov.

He was strong enough that demon kings had asked for an alliance with him first.

Ivanov took out his greatsword and ran toward the enemy camp first.

Swoos.h.!.+

As he swung his weapon diagonally, a flame sparked from the blade and rose into a fiery flame, burning the enemy frontline.

He had used Carnelian's ability to imbue a fire attribute in his skill.

Although she was still young, it was still a dragon's flame, so its power was enormous.

“Attack! We must kill them all within the time limit!”

It was a rule similar to the one during the battle in the Adventurer's canyon.

The difference was that back then, it was more than enough to destroy the guardian stone of the opposing faction instead of killing all the enemies.

As Ivanov fought in the front line, the RED team, who’s morale rose significantly by his actions, shouted and rushed to the enemy line.

Clang clang clang!

Clang clang!

Swooos.h.!.+

Boom!

Swoos.h.!.+ Puck! Puck!

Chaos ensued.

Ivanov played an active part in the battlefield with Carnelian, who had returned to her red dragon form.

Boom!

The path he took would be stained with blood and dead bodies.

Thanks to Carnelian’s various buff spells, his physical abilities were sky-high, and his will to fight was burning with energy.

'You have to find the Sangreal Chronicles before the other demon kings.'

For some reason, they were completely obsessed with it.

If he obtained it himself, he could ask them to pay him a considerable price.

Moreover, seeing how this kind of challenge remained after climbing to the top of the pyramid, Ivanov deduced that something else of value was hidden deep inside the White Ghost King’s sand temple.

His compet.i.tive spirit grew anew and he shouted out.

“Carnelian! Use your breath in that direction!”

"What? But there are allies over there. Are you certain?”

“I don’t have enough time to pay attention to friendly fire.”

Moreover, if they couldn't finish the stage right now, they would continue to fight again in another round.

Most of them were monsters that were treated as expendables, and even if they accidentally killed some demons, they would not be very helpful later on as they were low leveled.

After testing his communication-type artifacts, Ivanov realized that it was impossible to contact the outside from here.

So he didn’t have to worry that the demons would tell the Demon King.

When Ivanov showed a steadfast att.i.tude, Carnelian no longer refuted and glided with her mouth wide open.

Afterwards, a breath of fire spewed out of her mouth and swept across the colosseum.

Swoos.h.!.+

Booooooom!

Although it was not comparable to the breath of an adult dragon, Carnelian's breath was still strong and destructive.

The monsters within its range quickly turned into ashes, and even the sand on the ground melted from the flames.

Everyone quickly fell before its formidable power.

“Kekekekek! How’s that?! This is the power of a red dragon!”

It was the greatest reward he had obtained after climbing a high cliff in the Primordial Forest.

As long as he had the dragon, no one would be willing to challenge him.

No one else could have found the dragon's nest by doing such a dangerous and reckless thing.

'I will be on par with the 72 Demon Kings.'

Now that the demons had begun to invade the nations of the continent would collapse one by one.

Not only the small kingdoms, but also the Holy Aperian Empire.

He planned to quickly expand his territory during this period of chaos.

Even now, he was silently following Demon King Astaroth’s instructions, but later on, even Astaroth would not be able to offend him.

The 72 Demon Kings always needed cooperators and allies to compete against other demon kings for the ranks.]

If an influential and powerful ally were to turn their back on them and join hands with another demon king, it would be the worst case scenario for them.

'From now on, I will prove my worth to them.'

Simply acquiring a small kingdom would not convince them of his value.

That was why he had secretly trained an army to invade the Izuna kingdom.

After finis.h.i.+ng this mission, he was thinking of making a big deal with Demon King Astaroth.

Ivanov continued shredding the enemies before him as he daydreamt.

Soon, all the members of BLUE teams were killed, and a series of system messages floated before his eyes.

[Congratulations. You have cleared the first stage.]

[You will be given a 10-minute break.]

[When the break is over, you will automatically be sent to the second stage.]

[There is no penalty for attacking a challenger who was previously on the same team as you or for stealing an item from them.]

There was a very vicious message hidden in the last text.

By reminding them that they could attack and loot each other, they would be induced to battle against each other during the break.

Ivanov was irritated but just lay down on the spot.

There was no one who would challenge him, and if there were any, Carnelian would take care of it.

And there were only weak people on this battlefield, so he didn't think he would get anything good from looting them.

It was a better idea to take a break and prepare for the next stage.

“Krrrrr!”

“Kueek!”

Ivanov closed his eyes and the monsters who were being cautious of him began to growl and fight against each other.

After some turmoil, the break ended, and he was summoned to an unfamiliar s.p.a.ce again.

'Is it a tournament this time?'

The battlefield itself hadn’t changed a lot compared to the first stage, but there were only three partic.i.p.ants.

A black-haired young man stood far away from Ivanov and Carnelian.

Ivanov slowly stood up and spoke towards his opponent.

“I haven’t seen him before. Are you under Demon King Astaroth’s command?”

"No."

“Then why are you here? Did you enter the ruins before us?”

He wasn’t informed that there were other intruders and hindrances to his men.

The other person replied to Ivanov's question and solved his confusion.

"No. I came in after you. But I guess I cleared the first stage faster than you.”

The other person’s eyes sharpened and he glared at Ivanov.

He was Chun Woohyuk.