I knew that the rewards for discovering the rules would be extraordinary.

Since the Dark Spiritualist didn’t divulge this information lightly, it was likely a precious item worth being attacked over.

However, this…

“I obtained something far beyond my expectations.”

As I gently infused mana into it, Lemegeton resonated with me, emitting a subtle black light.

Having already used it for some time, I was now certain.

It was the genuine Lemegeton, known as the Necromancy Stone.

And yet, what inevitably raised doubts was whether someone could really create an item of this caliber easily.

Regardless, it is impossible to mass-produce something like this.

However, the sensation and effects that firmly wrapped around my hand were unmistakably reminiscent of Lemegeton.

“How peculiar.”

This mansion…

Though I have only briefly been in the Demon Dream Manor, it was an undeniably strange place.

Despite there being people from the past, there were no restrictions on sharing information about the future with them.

Moreover, this Manor gave out items like Lemegeton as seemingly trivial rewards.

As I pondered more than a couple of these ambiguous aspects…

Boom!

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash from outside.

Judging by the sudden loud sound from the wall, it seemed like something had hit it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The impacts didn’t stop there. The sound kept resonating and was now accompanied by a woman’s piercing scream.

I rushed to open the door and stepped out into the hallway. There, I saw a huge man breathing heavily through his nose; he pinned a woman to the wall and was striking her.

“Again! I dare you to say it again!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The man with copper skin appeared to be another guest. Though I’d never seen him before, I recognized the woman he was beating.

She was the one I saw sewing her own hand when I first arrived at the Manor.

After her initial cry, the woman seemed to have lost consciousness and could no longer scream. Her body twisted grotesquely as the man continued to beat her in silence.

I wondered if I should intervene, but the other guests who peeked out or stepped into the hallway simply watched the scene impassively.

I was a bit surprised to see people ranging from elderly folks to young children. However, regardless, no one took any action.

“Say it again! What were you planning to do with my bones and skin?”

It seemed that the woman had stared at the man’s body and made some remarks about it according to her taste, much like she did to me earlier.

Crunch!

The brutal sound of bones breaking resounded, indicating that she was no longer alive.

When the man stopped his assault, she slid to the floor lifelessly.

”Hmph! Worthless bitch.”

After dusting his hands in satisfaction, the man noticed us watching and snarled a warning.

“What the hell are you looking at? Unless you want to end up the same, look away.”

Upon hearing the short-tempered man’s warning, only one child, who had been peeking, quickly retreated into his room, but the others remained in their spots.

Among them was a young man with a low ponytail, his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled and asked.

“Judging by your copper skin, are you a champion1 from the Jerman Kingdom?”

“Huh? Yes, I’m Jortu from the Jerman Kingdom.”

After the huge man introduced himself as Jortu. In response, the man with the low ponytail smiled and answered.

“I’m Han So from the Han Empire.”

“Han So? The War God Han So?”

Han So was someone I also knew. He had been mentioned in the game and I’d even helped his soul find rest.

He was one of the victims at Magan’s banquet.

Han So was one of the envoys from the Han Empire. Before I returned to Deus’ body, he had already been defeated and killed by Magan’s secretary.

He was quite an old man back then, but seeing how young he was at the moment, I assumed that this was Han So in his prime.

Jortu stroked his chin and looked down at Han So with a subtle expression.

“The Han So I know of is a middle-aged man.”

“It seems like you haven’t figured out what kind of place this is yet.”

Enraged by Han So’s guffaws, which were unlike those of a young man, Jortu immediately swung his fist. However…

Thwack!

Han So’s fist moved at a speed that was hard to follow with ordinary eyes, striking Jortu’s solar plexus and then withdrawing immediately.

Watching Jortu fall to his knees, I realized the result of the match was quickly decided and turned my head slightly.

Actually, rather than the fight between the two men, what took my attention more was the woman who had been beaten to a pulp.

There is not much blood.

Given her condition, there should have been enough blood to soak the floor, but surprisingly, very little blood flowed from the woman.

Thinking this, I checked on the woman.

She had somehow managed to crawl back to her room, number 108.

Creak.

Thud.

Despite seeming already dead, she entered her room without letting out a single groan.

I had a feeling about this earlier, but I was now certain of what kind of person she was.

She’s a Cadavermancer.

However, I wasn’t sure if what I saw just now was her real body or a corpse she was using like a puppet.

Either way, it meant Jortu’s efforts hardly affected her.

”Keugh! Cough!”

Meanwhile, Jortu was crouched down, screaming as he received several more blows from Han So.

At that moment…

Stab!

A black blade shot up and crushed Jortu’s hunched spine.

Han So, who had been grinning slyly, quickly backed away in surprise.

As the cold footsteps of the 18-year-old Dark Spiritualist approached, Jortu spewed blood from his back and mouth, closing his eyes.

“Quiet.”

The chilling word served as a warning, causing all the other guests, except Han So, to retreat back into their rooms.

A sinister aura unique to Necromancers surged around her shadow, spreading outward.

“No matter how evil a person is, is it okay for you to take a life so carelessly?”

Han So, the only one who didn’t retreat, frowned and warned her, but the Dark Spiritualist didn’t even flinch at his words.

“There’s no one who treats life as lightly as Necromancers do.”

“Then I hope you value your own life just as lightly as this.”

“You should know that twisting your neck and twisting a chicken’s is not that different to me.”

We all observed silently as the two of them stared each other down, neither willing to back off.

Jortu’s blood, pooling on the floor, began to rise and form letters in the air.

22. Any deceased guest will leave behind the rules they knew.

23. The belongings of a deceased guest will remain in the mansion without an owner.

24. When a guest dies, the room they occupied will be opened. However, until then, entry is forbidden even with permission from the room owner.

“So, there’s this way too?”

The Dark Spiritualist looked intrigued as she stroked her chin, observing the text formed by blood floating in the air.

The letters, written in Jortu’s blood, soon fell back to the floor, further soaking his body in misery.

After confirming the rules, Han So and the Dark Spiritualist turned to look at each other again.

“If you plan to kill the others to discover more rules, I suggest you do not.”

The stern warning was met with a sardonic smirk from the Dark Spiritualist.

“It looks like he tried to use the rules he learned to create a ruckus.”

“…”

I agreed with her.

It made sense that Jortu had realized he could find more rules and gain rewards by killing other guests, and had thus waited for an opportunity.

Unable to deny it, Han So kept his mouth shut.

“It seems there are no rewards if someone else already knows the rules.”

Even though she looked disappointed, the Dark Spiritualist muttered as if she had learned something new.

I realized once again how different this Dark Spiritualist was from the one I knew; she issued a warning to me, who was standing quietly behind Han So.

“I helped you earlier just because you’re a fellow Necromancer. But if you get in my way, it’ll be the same for you. Don’t expect any special treatment from me.”

Seeing her raise her bristles like a hedgehog, I realized just how much more dangerous the current Dark Spiritualist was.

However, I didn’t bother reacting.

After all, her bravado was more bluster than anything.

She just discovered a rule suggesting it wouldn’t be unusual for her life to be targeted anytime, anywhere. Therefore, she issued a warning to deter anyone from recklessly pursuing her.

As I heard her thorny words, I naturally turned my gaze towards Jortu, but the Dark Spiritualist, seemingly thinking she was being ignored, continued talking.

“What? Do you think he’ll become an evil spirit? People like him are the type to do whatever they want. They don’t carry enough regrets to become evil spirits.”

The Dark Spiritualist said this nonchalantly because she was able to see evil spirits filled with strong resentment.

However, as someone with spiritual eyes, I could see all sorts of souls.

There is no soul.

It was unclear whether Jortu, who had just died, had no soul to begin with, or if it had been absorbed somewhere before I could notice.

It was just like what happened to Ophelia’s lover, whose soul had disappeared.

”Sigh. How boring.”

Seeing my lack of reaction, the Dark Spiritualist went upstairs.

I recalled that she had also come down from the second floor earlier. It seemed like I needed to check what was up there.

Then, maids suddenly appeared from somewhere.

Dressed in neat and vintage maid uniforms, these maids had such pale skin that they appeared almost white, likely due to excessive makeup. They deeply bowed towards Han So and me.

“We will clean up the body.”

“Apologies for the inconvenience.”

As I watched them mop up the blood and remove Jortu’s body, Han So quietly approached me.

“Hello, I see that Room 110 is the last one in the corridor.”

“I just arrived.”

“Hmm, may I know your name?”

Han So asked politely.

It felt strange to see the man standing before me, knowing what kind of fate awaited him.

“Deus Verdi. I am from Norseweden.”

“Norseweden? Is that in Griffin? I’m sorry, my knowledge is limited; I’m not familiar with you.”

Of course he wouldn’t know.

Because at Han So’s current age, Deus had not even been born yet.

Perhaps Han So knew this and subtly gave me a chance to introduce myself.

However, my attention kept drifting toward Jortu’s corpse rather than Han So.

Somehow, I had a strange feeling that I shouldn’t take my eyes off it.

“Hmm? Is there a problem?”

Ignoring Han So’s question, I remained silent as I stared at Jortu’s body being carried away on a stretcher.

I wondered where they were taking his corpse.

As that thought crossed my mind, drops of his blood began to pool on the floor and move.

Soon, they formed the shape of letters.

28. There are no servants in the Dream Demon Manor.

Swish!

A maid’s mop quickly erased the letters.

As I slowly raised my gaze from the dirty mop, the round eyes of the pale maid who was mopping apparently stared at me.

Her eyes were so wide open that it was like they might pop out if she were hit on the back of her head. She continued staring at me without blinking, almost resembling a doll.

She was probably trying to gauge if I had seen the message.

Unfortunately, keeping a straight face was my specialty. In response, I glanced at her back, silently conferring a question if there was any issue, and she resumed mopping up the blood.

Crackle!

Suddenly, the space before me rippled, and soon, a long golden staff emerged from it.

The reward for discovering the rule had been given.

“The Heavenly Oath Martial Staff?!”

Han So, who recognized the weapon, exclaimed in surprise.

However, the eerie gazes of two maids were already fixed on me.

“So, you saw that just now.”

1. The word signifies: A person distinguished by wisdom and courage, possessing fortitude and distinctive traits, a person with exceptional abilities transcending the realm of ordinary people