'It's Saint Sophia.'

Although he didn't know what she truly looked like, his instincts told him it was her.

Woohyuk was about to talk to her, when Martinus stopped him.

“It'll be problematic if you talk to her now.”

“Why?”

“Sophia isn't ready.”

He was telling Woohyuk to wait for the incident to occur and to spectate only.

Woohyuk nodded and stared at Sophia.

'Seems like she's waiting for someone.'

He could see the expectation glittering in her eyes. She was most likely waiting for a lover or a crush. That didn't mean that it couldn't be a friend she hadn't seen in a while.

“What did you mean by the divine lineage earlier?”

“Exactly what it says. Figure out the details for yourself in the future.”

Martinus did not tell Woohyuk all the information he needed, showing that his trust for Woohyuk wasn't strong enough yet.

“Are you talking about the Sangreal Chronicles?”

“...Well, you could say so.”

Martinus was dumbfounded for a moment due to the vast knowledge Woohyuk had about Eteria Rodinus.

However that only lasted for an instant.

Martinus soon regained his calm mind and pointed in a direction.

“There comes Roland.”

An indigo-haired knight.

He happily waved his hand in the air once he noticed Sophia.

“What is their relations.h.i.+p?”

“It's slightly unclear, but it would be accurate to call them lovers.”

Roland was the commander of the Trinity Knight Order, a group of knights who helped Eteria Rodinus in Port Delphoa.

He began walking away with Saint Sophia, and Woohyuk asked another question.

“Shouldn't we follow them?”

“Let them spend some time together. We need to go this way.”

Martinus answered as he gestured in the other direction.

On top of the hill was a magnificent structure made of white marble.

“Is it the academy?”

“Indeed. That's our base of operations.”

The secret base where the members of Eteria Rodinus encrypted their ancient books and doc.u.ments.

However, after the attacks committed by the fanatics, the building and base were burnt down to the ground.

Thankfully, before that event transpired, most of the ancient doc.u.ments were transported across the sea to a secret location.

“Then did p.r.o.noia manage to steal some of the doc.u.ments?”

“Not just them. Many other groups with evil intentions plundered our ancient books.

The main group to do so was the Golden Rose Society.

To gain the secret knowledge of the G.o.ds, they had cooperated with demons.

'As I thought, there were demons helping them behind the scenes.'

He had heard of some uncertain information in the past while investigating the Golden Rose Society.

The rumors said that they began partic.i.p.ating in evil rituals after meeting and cooperating with the Witch Cult.

However, there was no conclusive evidence to back these rumors.

“What would happen if they manage to decode those stolen doc.u.ments?”

“The Eeth Continent will fall into chaos unlike anything it had seen before.”

Many of the secret knowledge could cause ma.s.sive disasters if put in the wrong hands.

That was the reason why Eteria Rodinus had encrypted the doc.u.ments and hidden them away.

“So the main mission of the group is to keep the secret of Rosa Eterna from spreading.”

“n.o.body outside Eteria Rodinus can learn the language.”

They couldn't teach Rosa Eterna even if they got captured and tortured by enemies.

In the past, Saint Sophia did not reveal the secrets as she got brutally tortured by p.r.o.noia, and the group never managed to decode the ancient doc.u.ments they had stolen.

'I'm learning quite a lot right now.'

By observing Martinus' imaginary world, he could potentially learn a clue about the whereabouts of the Sangreal Chronicles.

He could also figure out how to get in touch with Eteria Rodinus.

As he sorted his thoughts out and walked with Martinus,

'Hm?'

He sensed a group of people following him.

Instead of turning around to check these individuals, Woohyuk stared at Mertinus.

“So you've noticed. They are minions of the Golden Rose Society.”

The Golden Rose Society was obsessively chasing after Eteria Rodinus with the help of demons.

In a way, they were even more annoying to deal with compared to p.r.o.noia.

Since they couldn't leave those minions alone, Martinus began walking towards an alley with few people.

And soon enough…

Boom! Cras.h.!.+ Cras.h.!.+

The two followers were lifted in the air with the use of magic and were slammed against the wall several times without mercy.

“Urgh…”

“Keuk…”

The two men's eyes were rolled back as they let out painful groans.

After dropping the men on the ground, Martinus spoke to Woohyuk.

“Why don't you do the interrogation? I'll be watching on the side.”

This was also part of the trial.

Woohyuk picked up one of the men and grabbed him by the collar.

“Who sent you guys?”

“I, I can't answer that.”

A typical response.

They were reluctant to confess due to their fear of the Golden Rose Society.

But that didn't mean that Woohyuk would be considerate and merciful for them.

Slit!

Woohyuk cut the man's throat with the Vampiric Dagger.

“Argh…”

Soon, he couldn't even make a groan and breathed his last.

The other minion who was observing the scene began to tremble in fear.

“Will you also keep your mouth shut?”

“N-no. I'll tell you everything I know, so please spare me…”

He quickly showed his obedience due to the death of his partner he had witnessed.

Woohyuk was satisfied. He dragged the man towards Martinus.

“Is this fine?”

“You used quite the extreme method.”

“I'm not the type to show mercy to my enemies.”

He also didn't plan to compromise or cooperate with the Golden Rose Society.

The chances of them selling wildfire to Woohyuk was currently zero.

During the affair with the Cohen Merchant Group, Woohyuk realized the current objective of the Golden Rose Society. Meanwhile, he himself had become a person of interest to the society members.

'This place may be a fictional world, but I still won't change my ways.'

He hadn't actually returned in time to Port Delphoa in the era before the War of G.o.ds and Demons.

This was just a stage Martinus had prepared for Woohyuk to challenge the trials.

“Either way, that was good. Better than those whose beliefs prevent them from committing such acts.”

Martinus nodded with acceptance as he watched Woohyuk's clear eyes.

The regressor was one step closer to the old man's heart.

“This isn't the end, right?”

“Of course. Have him lead you the way.”

He was telling Woohyuk to find the Golden Rose Society's base of operations in Port Delphoa.

Woohyuk stood behind the minion and kept his Vampiric Dagger pointed at his back.

“Lead the way.”

The man's face was white as a sheet.

The base was located in the residential area.

There was an uproar when Woohyuk and Martinus entered the stone structure.

“In, intruders!”

“Keep your calm! There are only 2 of them!”

The ground floor was mostly filled with mercenaries, around 30 of them.

While they greatly outnumbered the duo, they weren't a match in terms of fighting prowess.

Slas.h.!.+

Slas.h.!.+

Woohyuk swiftly slaughtered the mercenaries by wielding Grandia.

Martinus was partic.i.p.ating in the battle as least as possible.

He only faced the enemies who attacked him first.

“They, they're too strong!”

“What do we do?”

As the one-sided battle continued, the mercenaries were losing their morale.

At that moment, the voice of a young man resounded from the top of the stairs.

“What's all the fuss? I'm certain I asked everyone to stay quiet within the building.”

“Sir, Sir Aleister…”

Aleister Crowley was the young man's name.

Not only was he the head of the GOlden Rose Society, he was also a genius alchemist whose skills were unparalleled.

Woohyuk was somewhat knowledgeable about him thanks to Martinus' explanations.

“Are you the alchemist who sold his soul to the devil?”

“That's me. And who are you? Since you're with the White Sage, are you part of Eteria Rodinus?”

“Let's just say that I'm a mercenary who was commissioned.”

Woohyuk spoke emotionlessly as he brandished Grandia.

Aleister made a sly smile as he watched the intruders.

“An outsider… You must be feeling desperate these days, Martinus. Or is it that you're planning some scheme?”

“Who knows? That's a hard question to answer. In any case, your opponent is this young man.”

Martinus pointed at Woohyuk with his cane.

As he stepped back, Aleister observed Woohyuk as he summoned Abyssal Spears in the air.

“Aren't you a demon? I don't know why you're helping Eteria Rodinus, but I'll have to kill you right now.”

“Nonsense. The only one dying today is you.”

“Let's see how long you can keep that show of pride and confidence.”

The Abyssal Spears ripped through the air and flew towards Woohyuk's head.

He immediately expanded the demonic energy within him outside and absorbed the overwhelming attack approaching him.

“Is that it?”

“...How problematic. Are you a Demon King? There shouldn't be many being who are able to block my spells so easily.”

“No need to know.”

“Oh dear oh dear… I can't comprehend how things have escalated like this. A demon king… I will have to use my full power to win against you.”

Aleister was already considering Woohyuk as a demon king.

With a spooky look, he raised his staff high in the air.

Kuoooo!

A pitch-black magic sigil appeared on the floor and a dark vortex began spinning around it.

'A summoning spell.'

Taking Aleister's skills into account, a high-level demon would most likely be summoned.

The situation would get complicated if left alone.

Once he made his plan, Woohyuk took out Verserios.

“You should stop your petty tricks and worry about your life now, Aleister.”

“Oho, is that your exclusive weapon? It's quite gorgeous. It almost looks like the abyss of origin.”

Aleister ecstatically observed Verserios, his eyes filled with greed.

Woohyuk took advantage of the short instant when Aleister let down his guard and reduced the distance between them.

And then…

Slas.h.!.+

He swung his sword horizontally and severed this opponent in half.

'Hm…?'

After verifying Aleister's insides, a deep frown appeared on his face.

The bisected part revealed dark insides. Blood and flesh were nowhere to be seen, and only pitch darkness was visible.

“Aha, don't be too surprised. I'm a little bit different from ordinary people.”

“Just what are you?”

“The human who was closest to finding the world's origin? Well, that sounds about right.”

The severed Aleister's lips curled upwards.

Immediately, an enormous black snake's head emerged from the magic sigil on the floor.

Leviathan. It was a mythical monster rumored to live in the Abyss.

'It's already too late.'

If such a monster were successfully summoned in the middle of a city, there would be enormous casualties and deaths amongst the innocent citizens.

Although he was merely in a fictional world, this was also part of Martinus' trial.

Woohyuk turned around and performed a downward slash with Verserios at the leviathan's head.

Stab!

With a dull sound, dark energy began to spill out of the monster's wound.

But that was the extent of the injury.

Due to its incredible size, the leviathan hadn't even flinched at the attack.

“Since it's come to this, let's offer the entire population of Port Delphoa as sacrifices, including you, the members of Eteria Rodinus!”

Aleister, who had somehow returned to his previous form, snickered audibly.

Woohyuk ignored him and began to ponder on how to defeat the leviathan before him.

'The only way is to destroy the magic sigil.'

It would take far too long to suppress the leviathan. Even Aleister wouldn't just sit still watching Woohyuk defeat the monster.

He could only try to send it back to the Abyss before the summoning would become complete.

As he laid out his options in his head, Woohyuk jumped off of the gargantuan monster's head and…

Boom!

Swung Verserios down to the floor and destroyed the jet black magic sigil.