Dungeon Maker

Although Gusion asked back instinctively, he could confirm Yong-ho's reply in his face.

Gusion put out the cigar that he had just lit. Then he looked down at Yong-ho and asked, "Let me ask to double-check. Are you now asking me to teach you?"

"Well, I heard you are the strongest Red Demon ever. Wouldn't it be nice for me to learn from the strongest one if I had to learn at all?"

Gusion turned his mouth up at his words. He liked Yong-ho's description of him as the strongest Red Demon, but he had another reason.

Gusion burst into a loud laughter for a while before opening his mouth.

"Man, it's the first time I've ever seen a guy like you for ages. Even Kaiwan didn't tell me to teach her."

In fact, most of them around Gusion couldn't even speak to this guy with Herculean strength.

Gusion corrected his posture. With his arms folded, he looked down at Yong-ho as if observing him then he immediately nodded.

"Okay, if you can run up to the 7th floor at once, I'll teach you."

Now that Yong-ho ran up to the 4th floor, he had to cover the remaining three floors at once.

Aamon, who had been looking at them quietly, showed a little anger for the first time. Catalina looked at Yong-ho with anxious eyes because she could predict how her master would react.

"Okay, I accept that condition," Yong-ho replied.

Gusion smiled big then pointed at the arena leisurely.

He kept puffing out cigar smoke. He looked down at Yong-ho, who was lying on the floor of the arena like a lump. Then he said with an empty laugh as if he was dumbfounded, "Man, how come you really did what I told you?"

It would be a lie if Gusion didn't expect it at all, but he gave Yong-ho such a condition, thinking he would not accept it.

In the arena, one was supposed to fight a stronger floor master as one moved up the floor.

Moreover, the level of difficulty went up sharply, starting with the fifth floor, so Gusion thought that Yong-ho would crumble on the sixth floor. And even if Yong-ho managed to get up to the 6th floor, Giant Bear, the floor master on the 7th floor, was far from an easy enemy.

But Yong-ho beat all of them. Granted that he skillfully used Brigada and the magical power of greed, his achievement was more than what Gusion expected.

Aamon was also surprised.

[My little master.]

[Your greed... No, your anguish is really amazing. Who could have expected your delusions brought about such enormous greed?!]

The source of greed was desire, and Yong-ho's greed didn't know its end.

Gusion tilted his head.

Yong-ho asked, "Anguish? What the heck are you talking about?"

[We decided to keep it a secret.]

"Secret?"

[Yes, a secret. Well… Honestly, it's a little embarrassing for me to talk about it.]

"Embarrassing?"

Yong-ho wanted to cut off their conversation at once, but he was too weak to speak.

His fingertips trembled. Perhaps, it was because he was stung by the giant spider, Ongoliant, the floor master on the 6th floor.

"Master, are you okay? Can you hear my voice?"

Only Katarina was sincerely worried about Yong-ho. She let her ears drooped with a sad look.

'It's harmful.'

Her face was too close to him so was her breathing.

Yong-ho calmed down by reciting some passages of the Buddhist scriptures that he had learned a while ago then took a big breath. After standing up with the support of Catalina, he absorbed the magical power of Mammon left by the floor master on the 7th floor.

"Whew!"

It worked. He felt that his magical power had increased, and at the same time, his body got more energized than before. He broke through the 7th floor with an unyielding spirit.

Although he was out of shape in body and soul along the way, he got lots of things.

It wasn't just Mammon's magical power and rewards that he got. His evolutionary skills leveled up almost entirely while he was desperately fighting with his peers or stronger beings. With little more effort, it seemed that he could achieve the next level of evolution.

Above all, he remembered the promise Gusion made to him.

"You will keep the promise, won't you?" asked Yong-ho.

"Yes, of course. However, you're too weak to learn from me today, so if you visit me next time, I will teach you the basics first."

Gusion was also satisfied. Honestly, he wanted to teach Yong-ho even if he didn't make the promise, for Yong-ho's growth was so fast and dazzling.

"By the way, do you have any good healer under your wing or something like a clinic?"

The injuries Yong-ho suffered in the arena were not real. However, he was mentally bruised like in the real world. A strong mental shock could inflict damage to the body, so him getting proper treatment was very important.

But Yong-ho had nothing to say because the best healer in the Mammon family was Yong-ho himself. It was a long time ago when he could talk about evolution or advancement.

He thought of Oros that he had just obtained, but he was staying in the Free City, not in the dungeon of the Mammon family. So, Yong-ho could not use him immediately.

From the looks of Yong-ho and Catalina's expressions, Gusion could find the answer, so he said with a sigh, "Alright. As we have ended up like this, we have no other choice."

Gusion displayed his fingers in the air. As if examining a document, he rolled his eyes and said, "First floor… look for Scathach on the first basement floor."

It was a presence on the first floor of the labyrinth of true greed at the bottom of the shallow Mammon family.

Catalina's eyes opened wide at the name of Scathach. Yong-ho had also seen the name in the record.

Gusion nodded.

"Scathach, the Immortal Witch. Among the 12 Spirits of the House of Mammon, she is in charge of healing."

***

Perhaps because of breaking through the three floors at once, Yong-ho realized that a lot of time passed when he left the arena and returned to the dungeon of the House of Mammon.

After calming down Lucia and Eligos who was nagging at him, he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

How many hours passed again?

Yong-ho woke up at dawn, when everyone was asleep, and left the Demon King's room. He was looking for the door of space whose construction was in progress.

Since it was under construction, there was no spirit involved in it, for its external construction was almost completely finished on Kaiwan's watch. What was needed now was the maturation of the magic circle to operate the door of space, namely, enough time and magical power.

Yong-ho stood at the door of the space, which looked like a portal that he had seen in games.

It was in the shape of a large, round metal circle on the altar.

After looking at the door of the space for a long time, Yong-ho giggled.

'Is it just chicken and coke that I miss the most now? Dang it! How miserable I am?!'

He missed his parents' faces, but what occupied his mind at the moment was something to eat. It had been several months since he came to the demon world.

He would be lying if he said he didn't miss them. He really wanted to go back home after riding out the danger of his life several times.

But he took a big breath. He now sat down and looked at the door of space.

Lucia remained silent, not to disturb Yong-ho, so did Catalina, who was seated in the hallway.

After some time passed, Yong-ho stood up and turned around without any regrets.

Someday he would go back home through the door of space but not now. He had no intention of leaving now, neglecting the members of the House of Mammon irresponsibly.

Yong-ho himself was the head of the Mammon family as well as the new King of Greed.

"So, you don't have to worry," he said loudly.

He seemed to have heard some flapping sound from the corridor.

He giggled but stepped forward without looking back. Then he moved forward.