It felt like an intense feeling was held in his hands.
When she realized that Yong-Ho wasn’t the son of Cayenne, her younger brother, she was disappointed.
But she couldn’t give up.
Maybe he was Cayenne’s descendant. Maybe not his son, but either his grandson or great grandson.
Kaiwan even asked how her brother was doing.
However, she couldn’t talk. Besides her feelings, there were other things that she wanted to say, but she still couldn’t say anything.
It wasn’t because she was trying to control her anxious and impatient emotions. She simply wasn’t allowed to speak. Kaiwan’s lips didn’t open and just twitched. Yong-Ho knew why.
Gusion.
He was controlling Kaiwan. He didn’t give her permission to speak.
Yong-Ho was able to imagine it in his head.
He also had an idea as to how Kaiwan was alive despite the rumors saying that she had died.
Gusion was still looking at Yong-Ho. It was cold. His eyes were filled with many different emotions, but it was obvious that Gusion didn’t like him.
Yong-Ho felt Gusion resisting.
It was more like impulse. It was probably because of Kaiwan.
This was the first time he had ever saw Kaiwan up close. They had never talked before.
But Yong-Ho always felt thankful towards her. He pitied her and felt warmth after seeing how much she loved her younger brother.
Yong-Ho didn’t know the details, but after knowing that Gusion was controlling her, he didn’t like him.
“Cayenne is the name of the owner from two generations ago. It’s been over a decade since you’ve disappeared.”
Yong-Ho spoke.
Intense emotions filled Kaiwan’s eyes. She gasped when she heard about her brother. She wanted to hear more.
Yong-Ho then realized that he had made a mistake.
Kaiwan was expecting it.
When Kaiwan disappeared, she was in her 20’s. Her brother, Cayenne, was a teen, so even if it had been over 10 years, there’s a very high chance that he was still alive.
Isn’t it possible for her to meet her brother?
Wouldn’t she be able to reunite with him?
She couldn’t open her mouth. Kaiwan couldn’t continue the conversation and she didn’t want to hear mention of his death.
She desperately desired to see him. Tears were rolling down her white cheeks. Despite having fierce-looking eyes, her eyes were filled with different emotions and Yong-Ho felt sorry for her.
He was the owner from two generations ago.
Whether he died from an accident or at an early age, there was a high chance that he had died.
Kaiwan didn’t consider that possibility. No, it’s more like she was deliberately ignoring it.
Her eyes moved to Yong-Ho’s finger. The ring that she gave to her brother.
The object that contained the Power of Distortion.
You’re Cayenne’s successor.
Are you his grandson? Is Cayenne’s blood flowing through you?
Yong-Ho felt like he could hear her. She sounded so desperate that it was painful to just look at her.
Tell me. Tell me. Tell me something, anything!
It was a quiet cry. And it was completely blocked. When Gusion’s hand came between them, the darkness consumed Kaiwan. The darkness covered the location where Kaiwan was standing.
Yong-Ho glared at Gusion. Gusion enjoyed the way Yong-Ho was glaring at him. He enjoyed how hostile Yong-Ho was and his expression told Yong-Ho to come at him.
“I think the gatekeeper was acting very rudely. I just wanted the minions to take her, so just stop. It looks like you’re going to hit me.”
“Gusion.”
Aamon spoke quietly. He was slightly angry.
But Gusion chuckled as if he didn’t care.
“One greeting is enough to show respect. And I only did it because of you, Aamon. Just because he has the power of Greed doesn’t mean this kid is actually Master Mammon. And just because he’s the owner of the House of Mammon doesn’t mean he’s my owner as well. I’m Mammon’s spirit. Mammon is my only owner.”
Gusion looked more fierce. He was almost growling towards the end.
“This is the Arena. And I am Gusion, the manager of this place. The Arena has its own rules and the only one who can break them is Mammon. So obey the rules.”
The already big Gusion looked even larger. Yong-Ho felt like he was going to be crushed. Aamon released his fire and managed to protect Yong-Ho and Catalina from Gusion’s pressure, but it wasn’t enough. Catalina’s body was covered in sweat and she was panting and Yong-Ho had to use his remaining power to release the fire.
A faint smile appeared on Gusion’s face.
“You returned to your previous form on your own, Aamon. Is it to match with the owner of an empty house, huh? This place is filled with Master Mammon’s power, but that’s all you can do. As your rival, it’s very disappointing.”
“That was my choice. Don’t look down upon my young owner, Gusion. Like you had mentioned, you should be following the Arena’s rules. I’m not your opponent. Face the King of Greed.”
“You’re still acting like a teacher’s pet.”
Gusion stretched and gathered his strength. The enormous amount of pressure disappeared and the blank space consumed Catalina and Yong-Ho once more. Yong-Ho tried his best to stand still while Catalina was holding onto Yong-Ho’s arm that was wrapped around her waist.
“The King of Greed, Aamon’s young owner. I’ll introduce myself again. My name is Gusion and I’m the manager of Master Mammon’s Arena. Out of Mammon’s spirits, I’m definitely the greatest of them all.”
Gusion extended his hand out for a handshake. Yong-Ho wasn’t sure if Gusion was being considerate or if he was left-handed, but he extended his left hand out anyway. Yong-Ho looked at Gusion as he extended his left hand out.
His hand was rough and strong. It felt like he was touching a hard rock and not a person’s hand.
“A guard that relies on her owner. Even if it’s an empty house, the House of Mammon has definitely fallen.”
Catalina flinched when she heard Gusion’s comment.
When anger filled Yong-Ho’s face again, Gusion released a satisfied laugh.
“Let’s not talk while standing. Like Aamon mentioned, we need to follow the Arena’s rules. Shall we go inside?”
The Arena was dangerous.
Gusion wasn’t friendly.
But Yong-Ho didn’t want to avoid his provocation.
He wanted to know about Kaiwan and the Arena’s rules that Gusion had mentioned earlier.
“Young master, he will not be able to harm you directly. Don’t worry. You are the King of Greed and I am here with you.”
Only Yong-Ho was able to hear Aamon’s voice.
Like Gusion mentioned earlier, Mammon’s power was filled within the Arena. Normally, Yong-Ho wouldn’t be able to talk with Aamon like this, so just how powerful was Aamon?
Greed opened its eyes within Yong-Ho. The fire within him told him to move forward.
“I’ll go with you.”
Catalina gritted her teeth. She didn’t rely on Yong-Ho and stood on her own.
Gusion ridiculed Catalina with his eyes.
Yong-Ho felt angry again.
Aamon calmed Yong-ho down. He supported Yong-Ho and gave him strength.
Even though Catalina didn’t have Aamon’s protection, she still stood up straight and met Gusion’s eyes.
Catalina’s determination and feelings could be seen in her eyes. She didn’t care if others talked badly about her. She did it for Yong-Ho, to protect her owner’s honor, so she decided to endure it with everything she had.
Because of that, Yong-Ho calmed his anger. Instead of losing it, he spoke to Gusion in an angry tone.
“Lead the way, Gusion. Explain the Arena’s rules.”
“As you wish. This way.”
Gusion turned around and took the lead. It was only for a moment, but right before he turned around, he had a pleasant and kind smile.
Every time Gusion took a step, the light on the ceiling turned on and lit up the dark hallway. Gusion started to speak.
“Master Mammon built this place to help the future generations grow and for me. Well, half of it was also probably for entertainment.”
Yong-Ho understood the part about the future generations. But, for Gusion?
“Including myself, a lot of spirits exist within the Arena. The Arena is a separate area from that empty House of Mammon. There are many levels within this place and there are spirits that are in charge of those levels. I call them Floor Masters.”
Yong-Ho read about this in Kaiwan’s journal.
Yong-Ho analyzed Gusion’s explanation. When he called the House of Mammon empty, he was probably looking down on Mammon’s descendants for not being able to control Greed’s labyrinth and remaining on the first floor.
‘Or he could’ve used that word because it was actually empty.’
It was something he had been thinking about ever since Sitri mentioned Greed’s labyrinth.
Could it be that there were two dungeons within the House of Mammon?
Greed’s labyrinth and a dungeon to hide Greed’s labyrinth.
Gusion continued explaining.
“The Arena’s rules are simple. The challenger will go up against the Floor Masters on each floor. If the challenger wins, then they’ll receive the reward that Master Mammon has prepared and if they lose, they’ll be punished. The punishment is different for each level. Well, the master did build it for future generations, so the punishments aren’t that bad. But there are levels that are still pretty bad.”
Yong-Ho recalled Kaiwan’s face.
She made the House of Mammon stronger through the Arena, but she eventually disappeared one day. But now, Gusion, who managed the Arena,was treating Kaiwan like a slave.
Yong-Ho was sure it was her punishment.
“Anyone can become a challenger. A guard, butler or even an ordinary spirit can become a challenger. The reward is the same despite of status. However their punishment is a lot worse. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, this place was built for future generations. It’s only fair that the reward and punishment are on the same level.”
Gusion stopped walking. Once they passed the dark hallway, an extremely large room appeared. It was as big as the Colosseum in Rome. There were thousands of seats and below them, there was a giant circular arena.
Even though it was indoors, they could feel a cool wind. Gusion turned around with his back towards it. He looked at Yong-Ho and opened up his arms.
“And the Arena’s last rule. Master Mammon left this last rule for the future generations as well as for myself. The challenger that beats every level will become the owner of the Arena. They’ll be able to control all the spirits that’s within the Arena as well as myself.”
Another strong wind blew through the room. Gusion had a big smile on his face.
“Aamon’s young owner. Do you want to know about Kaiwan? Do you want to free her? Do you want to make me kneel? In that case, conquer the Arena. Become the owner of this body. Only if you believe you can do it!”
Only
Gusion laughed out loud. There was a loud roar and the door to the hallway suddenly closed.
“Another rule. Those that enter the Arena can’t just leave. They need to try at least one level. When in a group, it’s fine if only one of the members fights.”
Gusion looked down at Yong-Ho. Instead of answering, Yong-Ho raised his right arm and released green flames. Aamon, who was wrapped around Yong-Ho’s wrist, transformed into a fiery lance and Yong-Ho grabbed him.
Gusion laughed. He was laughing because he was actually having fun. He laughed out loud for a long time.
“We have a new challenger. Welcome to the Arena, King of Greed.”
Mammon’s Arena.
The fight on the first floor had begun.
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