*Fully* funded?
Mike: *Bro, I had no idea you were loaded…*
Had he been too soft on Foreskin during his previous profit-skimming operations? Was this some kind of delayed rebellion?
Mike couldn’t believe someone had the audacity to flaunt their wealth in front of Thor.
He mentally added Foreskin to his “targets” list, right below Maxen.
The conversation had reached a dead end.
As the Mystic Market Manager, Foreskin was a busy man. He couldn’t just hang out and shoot the breeze with Mike all day.
After setting up a teleportation array for Mike, connecting directly to the Forest of Truth, Foreskin took his leave.
The teleportation array was conveniently located in Mike’s bedroom, right next to his bed. He could literally roll out of bed and activate it.
It was a high-end model, impervious to even Joseph’s attacks during transit. Safety first.
After Foreskin left, Mike stared at the teleportation array, deep in thought.
He had nothing better to do. Why not take a stroll in the Forest of Truth?
New York’s superpower university didn’t exactly offer much in the way of entertainment.
He was level 499, with the stats of a peak Chief and the combat prowess of a Nine-Star Lord. He had even killed two level 1,000 enemies!
Pretending to be a lowly Soldier or General, hanging out in the library or training grounds… it was beneath him.
He set his villa to “do not disturb” mode, activated the defense systems, and even placed a puppet doll in the basement, just in case.
Then, with a flash of lightning, he activated the teleportation array.
He arrived at the edge of the Forest of Truth.
Within seconds, Shadow Four appeared, looking flustered. “Fourth Bro, what’s wrong?”
As far as Shadow Four was concerned, if Thor was making an unscheduled visit to the Forest of Truth, it had to be something serious.
“Nothing. Just taking a walk,” Mike said casually.
Shadow Four: “…”
He shoved the book he had been reading back into his pocket, relieved.
“Well, since you’re here, there are a few things we need to discuss.”
The Forest of Truth was no longer the peaceful sanctuary it once was. Construction was underway on various defensive fortifications, and the air was thick with tension.
Mike strolled along a forest path, Shadow Four trailing behind him.
“What’s happening at work?” With the Shadow Sigil in his possession, Mike was responsible for the Guardian Shadow’s well-being. Their livelihoods depended on him.
Of course, in return, if Mike gave the order, these shadows would rob a bank for him.
Whether they succeeded or not was another matter.
“The Guardian Shadow has been asked to deploy ten Lords to the Forest of Truth,” Shadow Four explained, spreading his hands. “Excluding the top three and Shadow Nine, that means everyone ranked within the top fourteen has to be stationed here. We’re stretched thin…”
The Guardian Shadow’s top fighters weren’t just powerful in combat; they were also highly skilled in various other areas.
Mike nodded. “Give me a second. I’ll check something.”
He focused his mind, and a prompt appeared.
[Methods to enhance the Guardian Shadow: 1. Improve shadow quality. 2. Increase the number of Lords.]
Shadow Four was already at the peak of shadow quality.
Due to his incomplete soul, he couldn’t get any stronger.
Reaching Quasi-God level, surpassing the level 990 barrier, was incredibly difficult.
That option was off the table for now.
Increasing the number of Lords…
[Refine the Shadow Sigil, expand the Shadow Fortress, and increase the total number of Lords within the Guardian Shadow.]
[Doubling the Shadow Fortress’s size doubles the number of Lords.]
Two hundred Lords would solve both the Blood Shadow placement issue and the Guardian Shadow’s manpower shortage.
Mike raised an eyebrow. This was good.
A new question popped into his mind.
“How much will this cost?”
[Estimated cost: 11.6 million Lord merits.]
Mike winced.
The Shadow Fortress was expensive!
11.6 million Lord merits, or 116,000 per Lord!
From a business perspective, it was a worthwhile investment.
116,000 Lord merits to train a Lord seemed extravagant.
But these Guardian Shadow Lords were forces to be reckoned with on the battlefield!
They had already died once. They had nothing to lose.
If they fell in battle again, they would simply return to the Shadow Fortress and await their
next awakening.
The only concern was losing their sanity after too many deaths, becoming Blood Shadows.
But with Terenas around, even that was no longer a problem.
Mike rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“How much money do we have?”
“9.45 million Lord merits,” Shadow Four reported.
“Not enough. We’re 2 million short…”
“Is there a subsidy program for Shadow Fortress expansion?”
A stronger Guardian Shadow benefited not only the organization itself but also humanity as a
whole.
A subsidy was perfectly reasonable!
Of course, even if it wasn’t reasonable, Mike would still want it.
“Only 2 million short?” Shadow Four hadn’t expected the shortfall to be so small. “We can
pool our resources, take out a loan… we should be able to cover it!”
He was a senior member, frugal, and had reached his peak strength.
He had saved up quite a bit from his salary over the years.
“That’s not how this works.” Mike’s voice was firm. “We don’t mix personal funds with
Guardian Shadow finances.”
Separating personal and organizational finances was one of Mike’s core principles.
He wouldn’t touch the Guardian Shadow’s funds, and he tried to avoid using his own money
for Guardian Shadow business.
Shadow Four understood. “You’re right, Fourth Bro.”
“As for subsidies,” he continued, “we’ll need to hold a meeting. We’ll prepare a budget
proposal and submit it for approval…”
“Good. Do that.” Mike nodded. “I’ll give you a list of the necessary materials. You’re in charge
of this.”
“Understood.” Shadow Four readily agreed.
If everything went smoothly, the expanded Shadow Fortress would house 200 Lords.
A significant power boost!
With business matters out of the way, Mike relaxed.
“Shadow Four, a friend of mine asked me to ask you something.” Mike winked. “How much
money do *you* have saved up?”
[623,456 Lord merits]
The number flashed before Mike’s eyes.
“Not much,” Shadow Four said with a sheepish grin. “Around 620,000.”
“You’re a rich man,” Mike muttered, impressed.
Even with Mike’s money-making schemes, it would take him several days to amass that
much.
Shadow Four had saved up a small fortune over the centuries.
Impressive! Following the Eye of Truth’s prompts, Mike wrote down a long list of materials.
These were essential for expanding the Shadow Fortress, both expensive and in high demand.
He handed the list to Shadow Four. “Get this process started ASAP. Let’s see how much of a
subsidy we can snag.”
“Roger that!” Shadow Four was a bit too… compliant for Mike’s liking.
“We need at least a 30% subsidy. If they offer anything less, I’m going to have a ‘chat’ with
them.”
The Guardian Shadow had a little over 9 million Lord merits in the bank. The Shadow Fortress expansion would cost 11.6 million.
A 20% subsidy wouldn’t even cover the shortfall. They would be broke.
And if Mike couldn’t even pay his shadows, he might as well pack it in.
With that settled, Shadow Four departed, and Mike resumed his leisurely stroll through the
Forest of Truth.
He somehow ended up at the base of the Tower of Truth.
“Well, isn’t this convenient?”
He hesitated, not approaching immediately.
He had been planning to chat with Apollo, but now that he was here, he wasn’t so sure.
To chat, or not to chat?
That was the question. Foreskin’s revelations had been… unsettling.
Mike was worried about Apollo’s state of mind.
But this wasn’t exactly an easy topic to discuss. Apollo’s decision was made for him.
A white cloud descended before him.
[Your chat buddy is online!]
Back outside the familiar ninety-ninth floor…
“Good afternoon,” Mike greeted politely.
“You too,” Apollo’s voice echoed from within the tower.
Mike was trying to figure out what to say next when Apollo spoke again.
“Have you eaten?”
Mike: ???
Normally, such a greeting would be considered awkward small talk.
But when a Supreme Being like Apollo asked if you’d eaten, it took on a whole new meaning.
Mike’s eyes lit up.
Was Apollo… inviting him to lunch?
“Not yet,” he replied truthfully.
Apollo nodded. “Good. You eat first, then we’ll talk.”
Mike: “…”
He pulled out a burger, a carton of milk, and two freshly cooked chicken legs from his private
space and started munching.
Five minutes later, he was back online.
“Foreskin visited you, yes?” Apollo asked calmly.
“Yep.” Mike nodded. No point lying about it.
Apollo’s next words brought a smile to Mike’s face. “I’m not going to die.”
Mike breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”
“Are you afraid of death?” Apollo asked.
Uh…
Mike wasn’t sure how to answer that.
Was that even a relevant question? Seeing Mike’s hesitation, Apollo said, “I am afraid.”
Coming from Thor, the God of Thunder, “afraid of death” would have been hilarious.
But coming from Apollo, it felt… strange.
In Mike’s mind, Apollo was the epitome of a Supreme Being.
Of course, this was also a matter of perspective.
Supreme Being Morpheus, Supreme Being Ares… in their respective eras, they had been
untouchable, effortlessly suppressing the Abyss.
“I’m afraid.”
Those words, coming from Apollo, felt like shattering a carefully constructed illusion.
But only by shattering the illusion could Mike see the *real* Apollo.
He thought about it and understood.
About a hundred years ago, facing his mortality, Apollo had chosen to awaken his talent and
enter the Tower of Truth.
Of all the people Mike knew, only two could honestly claim to be unafraid of death:
The Fifth Demon God, and Violet (Tyr).
The former was actively seeking death.
The latter was genuinely willing to self-destruct.
“It’s normal to be afraid of death,” Mike said, agreeing with Apollo. “That’s why we should
cherish life.”
“Indeed.” Apollo didn’t elaborate.
“You can enter the Tower of Truth tonight…” he continued.
Before Mike could respond, Apollo added, “Floors 31 through 49 have been… claimed by the
Supreme Demon God’s minions.”
Mike: ???
So, that’s why he had been banned from the tower. The Supreme Demon God had been busy
staging a hostile takeover.
Good to know.
“Is… is this part of the deal?” Mike’s mind raced.
He knew Apollo and the Supreme Demon God had made a deal.
The deal involved Thor, the potential Supreme Being, facing off against the Progenitor of
Ghosts.
Regardless of the outcome, the Supreme Demon God would provide Shadow Nine with a map ƒrēewebnovel.com
of the Supreme Abyssal.
And the Progenitor of Ghosts wasn’t the only demon creature who had escaped the Supreme
Abyssal!
Mike remembered the two shadowy figures, both level 999 powerhouses, connected to the elves and angels.
After Mike had soloed the Progenitor of Ghosts, they had retreated, their whereabouts
unknown.
Now, it seemed they had been helping the Supreme Demon God corrupt the Tower of Truth!
“Yes,” Apollo confirmed. “They gained access to the Tower of Truth in exchange for Afterskin entering the Supreme Abyssal.”
It sounded like a fair trade.
If that was the case, Afterskin had entered the Supreme Abyssal with the Supreme Demon
God’s permission.
And Afterskin’s last known location was the Second Abyss.
Which meant Afterskin would have left traces connecting the Second Abyss to the Supreme
Abyssal.
Shadow Three was probably in the Second Abyss, digging a tunnel to the Supreme Abyssal!
The pieces were starting to fall into place.
Mike had a rough idea of what was happening, even if some of it was guesswork.
“So, what now?” he asked, scratching his head.
Floors 31 through 49 were now enemy territory.
What were they supposed to do?
“Reclaim them,” Apollo said calmly.