Chapter 217

: Encounter with Yankoun (2)
 
Ian, who had gone up to the 10th floor of the Tower of Punishment, was able to find Yankoun without much difficulty.
This was because right in the middle of the 10th floor, which looked like giant circular jail, he immediately saw Yankoun sitting cross-legged.
An interesting point was that Yankoun was not locked up.
There were no such things as anything like bars, and instead, with the spot Yankoun was sitting on as the center, there were just five pillars standing in five different directions.
Ian carefully approached Yankoun.
‘He probably still remembers me, right?’
Because their relationship was formed through an abnormal method before there was the large-scale patch, Ian was a little nervous.
‘However, well… Since the quest remained as it originally was…’
Ian, who stood right in front of Yankoun, slowly opened his mouth.

Yankoun, I’ve resolved your favour and returned.

However, even at Ian’s words, Yankoun didn’t react the slightest bit.
‘What the hell? Is he asleep?’
Just when Ian was about to nudge Yankoun’s body, his eyes snapped open.

You’ve returned faster than I was expecting, Ian.

In other words, this meant that Yankoun still remembered Ian.
Despite having thought that would be the case, Ian was able to let out a sigh of relief.
‘Whew, it looks like my master plan can proceed without any setbacks.’
Yankoun’s words continued.

When you say that you’ve resolved my favour, does that mean that you’ve found out the reason why contaminated evil spirits form?

Ian nodded with a grin.

Huhu, that’s right. Not only did I find out the reason for them, but I’ve uprooted the source itself.

At Ian’s response, Yankoun’s two eyes shone, and Ian slowly began to explain.

So, the cause for why magical beasts began to become contaminated were ‘Chaos Stones’.

Ian briefly explained the incidents he experienced while resolving the quest to Yankoun.
And as his explanation ended, at the same time, a system message notifying him of the success of the quest popped up.
Ring-.
• You have successfully cleared the ‘Request of the Devildom Chief Gatekeeper Yankoun I (Connected)’.
• Clear Rank: SSS
• You have obtained 100 thousand Fame.
• You have obtained 157,688,900 EXP.
• You have obtained 20 Intermediate-grade Magic Stones.
• You have obtained the ‘Pure Blood of the Devil’ item.
• As you have achieved a triple S-rank for your clear rank, your Affinity with ‘Yankoun’ has increased by 5.
And amongst the system messages that popped up one after another, the first thing that caught Ian’s eyes was definitely the ‘Pure Blood of the Devil’.
‘Keuh, finally! I finally have the Pure Blood of the Devil in my hands.’
The Pure Blood of the Devil was a key for Ian that was the same as the core of all of the quests and assignments he needed to achieve.
As that was the case, Ian felt like he was on cloud nine.
Meanwhile, separate from Ian, who was happy, Yankoun’s mouth slowly opened again.

Ahem… So there was such an incident. To think that the power of the Chaos Stone was contaminating the evil spirits up until now…

Yankoun continued his words while maintaining his cross-legged position without even the slightest budge.

Anyways, thanks to you, it looks like I’ll be able to reduce my sentence quite a bit.


…?

At Yankoun’s words, Ian asked back with a quizzical expression.

What do you mean by that now? Reducing your sentence.

Yankoun smiled as he replied.

As you can see, I’m now locked up here. Originally, I wasn’t able to leave this place for at least two months, but as you have solved one of my offenses, it seems like I’ll be able to leave this place in about a month.

At his words, Ian whisked his hand around the area that Yankoun was sitting in and checked to see if there was anything like a limiter.
However, nothing collided with Ian’s hand.

Huh? You’re locked up right now? Can’t you just stand up and leave this place?

Yankoun smirked as he shook his head.

Although it may seem like that on the outside, I’m currently in a state where I cannot even move one limb.


Huh…?


The only parts that I can move right now is basically from my neck up. Even that, I can only move a little.

Ian pointed to the pillars that were raised around Yankoun as he asked.

Is that associated with the pillars that are raised around here?

Yankoun responded.

That’s right. Those pillars have sealed my Devil Energy and are controlling the movements of my body.

At those words, Ian pulled out the Judgment of the Spirit King that was on his back as he swung it around.
Whoosh-.

Then what if I destroy all of those?

Yankoun wore a bitter smile as he shook his head.

Then you and I both will most likely not be able to see tomorrow. The moment that you attack the pillars, the owner of the tower will probably go through a portal and come down to here.


The owner of the tower? Is there a separate owner for this Tower of Punishment?

Yankoun narrowed his eyes as he replied.

It is Lusika, the Devil of Hatred that holds the 15th place in the Devildom rankings. He is the owner of this place. You, Ian, who has made me surrender, you are also strong, but that devil is a powerful being that cannot even be compared with me.

At Yankoun’s explanation, Ian grumbled to himself.
‘Devil of Hatred or whatever, I don’t have any intentions to fight against him either when his name alone sounds terrifying.’
Yankoun continued.

Even if it is you, you are lacking to the point you are nowhere near sufficient to face him yet.


Well, I see.


So, this is shameless of me, but do you think you could do me another favour?

And the window of the connected quest of the ‘Request of Yankoun’ quests popped up in front of Ian’s eyes.
Ring-.
• The Request of the Devildom Chief Gatekeeper Yankoun II (Connected)
One of the Twelve Chosen Generals of the Devildom, Yankoun was also a chief gatekeeper that guarded the gateway that led to the Devildom.
Yankoun received a 100-day sentence from the elders of the Devildom and was locked up in the Tower of Punishment.
His offenses were that he didn’t properly fulfill the commands he received from the elders of the Devildom.
He was locked up in the Tower of Punishment for his offenses of not guarding the gateway of Zone 120 of the Devildom from other species, and for not accomplishing the assignment of finding out the source of the contaminated evil spirits.
However, the gateways outside of Zone 50 of the Devildom were places that High-rank Devils didn’t pay much attention to up until now, and because that was the case, it was common for others to be able to get through Gateway 120, which was the farthest gateway amongst all of them.
Also, as expected, many devils failed at the assignment of finding the source that was contaminating the magical beasts up until now, but they didn’t receive a large punishment.
As that was the case, Yankoun is assuming that there was some sort of dark secret as to why he was locked up in the Tower of Punishment.
Help Yankoun resolve his false accusation and pull him out of the Tower of Punishment.
Quest Difficulty Level: SS
Quest Condition: A user that has received acknowledgement from Chief Gatekeeper Yankoun.
A user that has successfully cleared the ‘Request of the Devildom Chief Gatekeeper Yankoun I (Connected)’ quest.
Time Limit: None
Reward: Low-grade Magic Stones x30, Intermediate-grade Magic Stones x15
You will be able to take in High-rank Devil ‘Yankoun’ as a retainer. (However, this only applies to users that have obtained the Pure Blood of the Devil and have succeeded in becoming Half-Human, Half-Devil.)
If you reject the quest, your Affinity with the ‘Devildom Chief Gatekeeper Yankoun’ will drop drastically.
As this quest had the longest story of all time amongst the quest windows that he had seen up until now, Ian read it thoroughly.

So… Yankoun, you’re saying that you think you’ve been framed, right?

Yankoun nodded his head.

That’s right. I’ve been framed, or I’ve been sacrificed by someone of concern.

Ian shrugged his shoulders as he replied.

Sure, well, I’ll help you. But I have something that I’m curious about.


What is it?

Ian pointed to the pillars that surrounded Yankoun as he continued his words.

A sentence of 100 days, that means you need to be locked up in this Tower of Punishment for 100 days, right?


That’s right.


But is that such a big punishment?

For Ian, it was content that he could be curious about.
This was because even in the human world, a punishment of having to be put behind bars for 100 days, which was a little over 3 months, could not really be seen as severe, so for devils, who let alone have been known to have a much longer life span than humans, it looked like an even lighter punishment to him.
However, he was curious because it was described as a heavy punishment in the quest window.

Hmm… It seems you don’t know much about this Tower of Punishment. But then again, it is quite reasonable.


Huh…?

Yankoun smiled bitterly as he continued his words.

Proportionate to the time that a devil is locked up in this Tower of Punishment, they lose Devil Energy.

Ian’s eyes slightly grew.

You lose Devil Energy?

Yankoun nodded his head.

That’s right. After I’ve completely fulfilled my sentence of 100 days, I would have lost a tremendous amount of Devil Energy that’s about 1/5 of the Devil Energy that I had been collecting up until now.

Ian wore a puzzled expression.

What meaning does that have?

Yankoun just stared at Ian for a moment before he opened his mouth again.

To think that you wouldn’t know about the concept of Devil Energy. Although weak, I even feel Devil Energy from you, but you’ve been carrying it around without even realizing what it is?

It was only then that Ian remembered that he had obtained a stat called ‘Devil Energy’.
‘Oh, right. That stat that dealt a fixed amount of damage was Devil Energy.’
Ian hadn’t been putting a great emphasis on Devil Energy, which was a stat that he had received as a reward for being the first discoverer of the Devildom, despite having constantly invoking it in battle up until now.

Oh, I remember now. I have a little over 2500 Devil Energy right now.

After hearing Ian’s words, Yankoun’s explanation on ‘Devil Energy’ continued.

Yeah, you just have about 2 thousand Devil Energy, but before I came into this place, I possessed an enormous amount of close to 50 thousand Devil Energy.

At those words, before he even realized, Ian sucked in a sharp breath.
‘Huk! What the hell, if he has 50 thousand Devil Energy, it’s an incredible amount even if the activation rate is just 10%! If you think about having a fixed amount of damage of 50 thousand come in at once, it’s seriously terrifying…’
Yankoun’s words continued.

However, while I’m locked away in this Tower of Punishment, 100 of my Devil Energy evaporates each day. That’s why, after I’ve completely fulfilled my sentence of 100 days, I’ll lose a tremendous amount of Devil Energy that amounts to 10 thousand.


…

After he had heard up to this point, he certainly felt that Yankoun’s punishment was severe.

I’ll have to pull you out as quickly as possible.

At Ian’s words, Yankoun nodded his head.

That’s right. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible in order to preserve my Devil Energy even the slightest bit. On top of that, the part that enraged me was that before I came here, I was just around the corner from hitting 50 thousand Devil Energy.


What kind of meaning does the value of 50 thousand hold?


There’s a huge meaning to it.

Yankoun, who paused for a moment to take a breath, opened his mouth again.

If you have over 50 thousand Devil Energy, a High-rank Devil can obtain the right to challenge to become a Noblesse.


…!

Ian’s head began to spin quickly.
‘So… Let’s organize this.’
Starting from the content that was written in the quest window, to the content he heard from Yankoun, he organized it in his head.
‘Once I properly succeed in this current connected quest, I can for sure recruit Yankoun as my retainer…’
There was the requirement of having to become Half-Human, Half-Devil, but as Ian had the ‘Pure Blood of the Devil’ item, it was basically the same as it already being an achieved requirement.
‘Guessing from what Yankoun said, this dude’s current Devil Energy is probably around 46-47 thousand, right?’
Yankoun stated that before he was confined in the Tower of Punishment, his Devil Energy was close to 50 thousand, and as it had been about a month since Yankoun had been confined, he was able to make an approximate calculation.
‘If I rescue this dude as quickly as possible from here and take him in as a retainer, then I can obtain a Noblesse-rank devil after helping him out a little more, no?’
The expression of Ian, who had thought up to this point, turned even more enthusiastic.

Alright, Yankoun!

While looking at Ian, who suddenly called him with a voice full of spirit, Yankoun wore a bewildered expression.

What are you suddenly saying?

Ian grinned.

I will pull you out of here as fast as possible.

As Ian fired up his will while even clenching his fist tightly, Yankoun wore a touched expression.

Ooh… It was a shameless favour, but for you to do this much for me. I will repay this kindness no matter what.

And one system message popped up.
• Your Affinity with High-rank Devil ‘Yankoun’ has additionally increased by 5.
As the Affinity with an NPC had a direct correlation to their Loyalty once they were appointed a retainer, Ian was all smiles.

Yankoun, then, what do I need to do first?

At Ian’s question, Yankoun immediately responded.

If you look around the outskirts of the City of Rage, you’ll be able to discover the second-largest mansion.


Huh…?


That place is where ‘Seraphim’, the castellan of this part of the City of Rage, as well as one that has high-ranking fighting power even amongst the Noblesse, resides.

Ian, who heard the name ‘Seraphim’, tilted his head as he quickly opened his quest window.
‘Seraphim? I’ve heard that name before somewhere…’
And he was able to discover that name in the ‘Beginnings of the Devils II’ quest that he received from Iriel.
‘Ah-ha, it was someone that I needed to visit anyways!’
Yankoun’s words continued again.

Ian, I hope that you will go to Seraphim to tell him of the fact that I’m locked up in here, and pass on to him the fact that the source that was contaminating the magical beasts has been disposed of.


Then is that the end?


After that, Seraphim will probably handle things on his own. Ian, you may have to fulfill some sort of assignment for him…

Ian’s expression slightly crumpled.
‘Of course, there’s no way that a double-S ranked quest would finish that simply.’
Ian slowly nodded his head as he stood up from his spot.

Alright, Yankoun. Then I’ll go find him and start moving immediately.


Thanks, Ian.


But, the mansion that Seraphim is living in…


Hm?

Ian let out a sigh as he continued his words.

Do you not have any other information besides the clue that it is the second-largest mansion in the City of Rage?

The City of Rage was tremendously wide to the point that it was equivalent in size to having combined multiple decently-sized zones of the Devildom together.
As that was the case, a sigh escaped Ian’s mouth.
This was also because as he had even left all of his retainers on the outside of the fortress, it was even harder to thoroughly look through such a wide area.

Ah, unfortunately…


Well, it can’t be helped. Besides looking diligently.

However, just then, it seemed like Yankoun remembered something, as he said something towards Ian.

Ah, right, Ian. On your way into the City of Rage, by any chance, did you meet Heiska?


By Heiska… Do you mean the Common Devil dude that was guarding the door to get into the city?

Yankoun nodded his head.

Yes, exactly him.

At the same time, a small scroll fell out from within Yankoun’s chest before it floated in front of Ian.
Yankoun’s words continued again.

If you go find him with this in hand, he will probably help you.

Ian rejoiced as he asked.

Oh-ho, it looks like Heiska is like your subordinate, huh?


Well, something similar.

Ian, who took the scroll that he received from Yankoun and put it away into his chest, turned around without any lingering feelings.

Then, I’ll be off.

Yankoun responded with a voice full of strength.

I pray for your success, Ian.

Ian grinned.

Don’t worry and just wait. Since I’ll solve this soon and return.

The footsteps of Ian, who left the Tower of Punishment, grew faster and faster.
And as Ian moved his feet, he pulled out the one red marble that was sitting in his inventory and lifted it up.
That was the ‘Pure Blood of the Devil’ item that he had received from Yankoun.