"Why did you do that?"

Once Lee Shin-Woo and Lloyd’s duel came to an end, Prince grabbed Lee Shin-Woo's arm instead of Lloyd's and dragged him away from the other heroes. She wanted to know why he had concealed his true capability. While she didn’t want to leave Lloyd’s side, she was bothered by Lee Shin-Woo pretending to be weaker than he actually was.

Such a troublesome person, Lee Shin-Woo thought as he replied with a smile, "I didn't want to embarrass Senior Lloyd."

"Are you an idiot? We're going to be fighting one of the twelve generals soon. Do you really think you'll be able to hide your abilities then?"

"Yes."

Lee Shin-Woo's nonchalant response made her rosy cheeks twitch.

"You really are..."

"Ah, I'm not saying that I'll be playing around while you're in danger. There are many ways to do my part without revealing my abilities."

Prince was fed up with the unashamed smile on Lee Shin-Woo’s face. However, before she could criticize him further, Lee Shin-Woo grabbed her shoulders suddenly with a serious expression.

"W-What is it?"

"More importantly, you remember your promise to me, don’t you?"

"That's... I remember, I do. I just need to stay near you, right? Anyway..."

It seemed like she'd say something strange if he let her be, so Lee Shin-Woo took the initiative.

"No, please stick close to Kratia."

"...Huh?"

"You have to stay near Kratia for the duration of this battle. She will need your help. Please, you must help her."

"Wait, that's... Huh?"

Prince tilted her head, unable to decipher the meaning and intent of his words, but then a single strand of mana coiled around her. It was Lee Shin-Woo's darkness element. He was trying to locate the root of Prince's boundless trust and confidence in Ethan Cruz.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"It's nothing."

Ethan Cruz had used a high rank spell on her. While the other heroes might not have noticed, it didn’t escape Lee Shin-Woo's senses when he was actively trying to find it.

Things would've been easier if Lee Shin-Woo had found the spell when he formed the contract with Prince, which reminded him that he still had a long way to go.

Ah, is this it?

Lee Shin-Woo discovered the darkness magic and gently erased it on the spot. Of course, he did it covertly enough that the caster, Ethan Cruz, wouldn't notice. Ethan Cruz would probably find out eventually, but by then it would be too late.

"Wait, did you just do something?"

"I dispelled a small debuff that was applied to you."

"A debuff? Mm, now that you mention it, I do feel refreshed for some reason."

The feeling likely stemmed from her mind rather than her body. Since the spell had been applied covertly, she wouldn’t feel the difference just yet. She would still find it strange if he started talking to her about Ethan Cruz.

"In any case, just remember one thing: please stick with Kratia."

"You want me to stay with her instead of with you? I-I'm straight! No matter how cool or mature I look as a man..."

"Please don't worry about that. I'm straight too."

Lee Shin-Woo snorted and returned to the group with Prince. No one was suspicious of them since they knew the two of them had fought together before.

"I’d continue this conversation forever if I could… Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. The Beast General will be here soon. Everyone, get ready for battle."

Ethan Cruz gathered all the heroes in one place. Aside from Seira Von Retadane and Kratia, everyone was focused on him. Lee Shin-Woo was the only person to notice the quietly exchanged glances, as well as the plot being pushed forth and the hidden scheme beneath the surface.

I guess it's true. Mentes Orun...

Mentes Orun was the more obvious of the two; he stared at the mastermind, Ethan Cruz, with irritation, resignation, and fury, and he couldn’t stop looking at the other heroes.

One might think he was merely feeling anxious before the battle, but to Lee Shin-Woo, who knew of their plan, he looked ridiculously transparent. Mentes Orun was one of the variables that could affect the coming battle...

Yeah.

Lee Shin-Woo decided quickly that he would have to take this guy down first. That was why he had arrived before anyone else and prepared a secret weapon, with Seira Von Retadane and Yasunori Akira none the wiser!

[Master, Chi Paul, and Shino Rendu have caught up with Target 1.]

Oh, good. What about Yasunori Akira?

[He’s still in hiding. Target 2 is getting close, but Bisher Moon will stop him soon.]

Lee Shin-Woo received his long-awaited report from Rem. Looking up, he snuck a glance at Ethan Cruz. The relaxed smile on the middle-aged man’s face had instantaneously stiffened. Yeah, he’s definitely shocked.

"What's wrong, Senior?"

"Oh, it's nothing... Mm, don't worry about it."

Ethan Cruz hadn't been able to properly control his facial expression. Lee Shin-Woo knew he would act like this after two level 7 elites popped up out of nowhere and attacked his subordinate. There was no way he wouldn't be surprised. Also, since one of the two elites was Shino Rendu, it would make Ethan feel like the world was acting against him.

"Senior, are you alright?"

"You're the most important person here, so please tell us if something is wrong!"

"Haha, you rascals. I told you, there's nothing wrong."

Ethan Cruz's comrade and the other heroes soon realized something was up. His juniors were concerned about him, and Ethan Cruz flashed them an uncertain smile. It would have been better if they had left him alone so he could think; he couldn't come up with an appropriate response with all of them fussing over him. Oh, how embarrassing it must be!

"Senior, are you really alright?" asked Lee Shin-Woo.

"Yeah. Of course I am. Whatever the case, we should be focusing on the upcoming battle, shouldn’t we?"

He was absolutely right. Lee Shin-Woo nodded and acted like he was moved by the dedication, while Ethan Cruz's expression tightened even more. Ah, his undead must've encountered Bisher Moon.

Bisher Moon was powerful. The fact that he could use the darkness element made him the undead heroes' worst enemy. Moreover, Lee Shin-Woo's contract had strengthened him significantly, so Bisher Moon could now take on as many level 7 undead heroes as one could throw at him!

"Why is that bastard showing up now..."

"What did you say, Senior?"

"Hahahaha! Nothing!"

He must be pissed! Ethan Cruz must want to punch Lee Shin-Woo for prodding him with all the questions! Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that, or his image as a friendly senior would be shattered! With difficulty, Ethan Cruz smiled at Lee Shin-Woo; his mind might as well have been laid bare before Lee Shin-Woo.

'Are you having fun?'

'Ah, this is the best.'

Lee Shin-Woo pretended to be concerned about Ethan Cruz. Jin was the only one who could tell his real intentions. Jin had once said that Lee Shin-Woo was a good man, but that was a mistake. This guy was definitely something else; he was more wicked than the devil himself!

[You have acquired 2 Secret Shop permits and 76,335,710 Perium.]

[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest and acquired 1 Secret Shop permit. The maximum level of Invisible Heart has increased by 1.]

Then he was notified of another kill by Chi Paul and Shino Rendu. The first of Ethan Cruz's eight undead heroes had gone down!

"Keuk..."

Ethan Cruz acted like there was nothing going on and maintained a serious expression, pretending to prepare for the upcoming battle against the Beast General. However, it was obvious that he was desperately thinking 'what the hell is going on?' or 'what should I do to keep the other one from dying?'.

Unfortunately, Ethan Cruz was already too late. He should've been prepared for this when he left his subordinates to operate independently. They were as good as dead the moment Lee Shin-Woo located them!

[You have acquired 2 Secret Shop permits and 31,632,240 Perium.]

[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest, and have acquired 1 Secret Shop permit. The maximum level of Invisible Heart has increased by 1.]

Ethan Cruz was here, while his remaining six subordinates were with the Beast General's forces, so there was nothing he could do. In the end, his second undead hero was killed as well.

Right before it died, Lee Shin-Woo saw Ethan Cruz flinch and attempt to use his darkness magic. It seemed to be a buff or a healing skill of some sort.

With all the eyes on him, however, Ethan Cruz had no choice but to stay his hands; his plans would be ruined if he got caught right now. As a result, the undead hero was futilely killed by Bisher Moon.

Who would’ve thought it’d be so easy to take down two level 7 undead heroes?

Lee Shin-Woo ended up getting 6 permits and 100 million Perium in total. The bones would soon be his as well. Ethan Cruz might as well be Santa Claus coming to give him presents in his eyes. Better yet, there were six more presents still to be collected!

"Senior, you look uncomfortable. Shall we call things off?"

"No... It's fine. If we don't do it now, we'll lose our opportunity. I’m simply feeling a little off-kilter today. Don't worry about it too much."

"But still..."

Ethan Cruz had sent his undead out to eliminate anything that could put his plans at risk, but he ended up losing 25% of his forces instantaneously. No wonder he would have such a tense expression on his face.

Even Lee Shin-Woo, who had spent all his time hiding his true intent from everyone, would find it difficult to remain calm in such a situation. Moreover, Ethan Cruz had no way of knowing who his opponent was, which compounded his despair.

That's why I can't back down, thought Ethan Cruz.

Forego the opportunity to procure several undead heroes just because of some unknown variables? No way. Although he had lost two of his undead heroes, there was no going back for him. He had no choice but to respond to the unknown variable and ensure the success of his plan.

"Everyone, get ready! Concentrate. Our opponent's one of the twelve generals. You never know when you might die!"

"Yes sir!"

Though they were worried about Ethan Cruz, the heroes immediately nodded and got ready.

Lee Shin-Woo saw one of Mentes Orun's hands shake. He saw Lloyd, Prince, and Erian looking at each other, restless. Seira Von Retadane was eyeing him with gentle eyes. And he felt like he could hear Yasunori Akira drawing his sword from afar.

"Before we go, let me buff all of you..."

"I don't need it."

Kratia flatly refused and grabbed Prince with one hand before leaping up into the air. Her orb manifested and shone, creating a disc of ice for her to land on.

"The magic we've prepared doesn't mix well with darkness. We'll be going first."

"H-Hey!?"

Kratia wasn't someone Ethan Cruz could control. He gaped, as right before he cast his 'buff' on Prince, Kratia had grabbed her and gotten away, far enough that they couldn't be seen.

"But I'd like to get the buffffffffffff!"

Prince's voice echoed; they had definitely entered the mountain range. Ethan Cruz looked agitated, and Lee Shin-Woo made up an excuse for Kratia in her stead.

"She's a mage who doesn’t even want the goddess’s power. She'll do her part, though. Please don't worry about her too much."

"Is that so...?"

There was nothing he could do, so Ethan Cruz simply nodded. He kept his eyes on the mountain range they had disappeared into. Lee Shin-Woo didn't miss the wicked intent behind the gaze.

"To think they'd refuse Senior Ethan's buff. It was a bit too much for her to prevent Prince from getting the buff as well."

"Mages may have different rules, no? Senior, I'm in your care."

"Yeah. There are fewer people, so the buff will be even stronger than before."

Lee Shin-Woo accepted Ethan Cruz's buff. Since he had Darkness Resistance, he had to stop it from activating as much as possible. Otherwise, Ethan Cruz's 'buff' would disappear in no time.

Oblivious, Ethan Cruz smiled inwardly the moment the buff took effect.

"How is it? Do you feel stronger?"

"Indeed I do."

Once the duration of the ‘buff’ came to an end, the target’s body would become heavy, making them defenseless against Ethan Cruz's curse; it was an incredibly wicked trick. The moment the buff took effect, one would be playing in the palm of Ethan Cruz's hand.

But that's only if you don't have Darkness Resistance: MAX and High Rank Darkness.

Lee Shin-Woo was actually happy about this newly formed connection between himself and Ethan Cruz. All he needed to do was change the dominant party of this relationship when the time came... While the task would be difficult, it would be great for advancing his darkness element.

"I'm good. Light and darkness do not mix."

"Is that so..."

Retadane turned down the buff as well. As she did so, she looked at Lee Shin-Woo worriedly. He nodded at her to tell her that he was alright.

Ethan Cruz had no idea the two of them were in on this together, and decided that he would have to procure Retadane as an undead subordinate no matter what.

After 10 minutes, the army led by the Beast General, Jilun Pelta, emerged.