Chapter 131: Time to Level Up
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When the Demon King of Confusion saw Ryo's translucent figure radiating a faint glow, he was immediately startled.
"Wait... is that an incarnation?"
"It's just a projection—an avatar infused with a bit of power," Ryo replied casually with a smile. He walked over to the sofa across from the Demon King and sat down without a care in the world.
"How are things going on your side?"
"A bit of power, my ass" The Demon King mentally scoffed. "If that's just 'a bit', I'd probably drop dead if he tried!"
He didn't dare voice that thought, of course. It was painfully clear now—his strength wasn't even close. Ryo Yagami could probably nuke him from hundreds of kilometers away.
"The gap's just too damn big…"
Even being a five-digit ranked powerhouse was pretty useless in this situation. In [No Name], aside from the kids, the only one he might be able to beat was that snake water god. That's it.
He sighed inwardly.
Seeing Ryo made his own strength feel like a joke, like tossing a handful of salt into the ocean. The difference was massive—at least a hundredfold, if not more.
After that brief moment of self-loathing, the Demon King lowered his voice and said, "I've managed to gain the trust of a small group."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The leader on my end is called Highness—one of Vishnu's ten avatars. I suspect he has control over Leo's Solar Authority, which he might have snatched from… uh, someone."
He actually made a confused 'uh' sound when trying to recall who exactly the power was taken from.
Then, with a complicated expression, the Demon King added, "Also, Ouroboros has completely erased any records of [No Name]'s old name from their system. Seems like Highness has been flagged as a high-priority individual."
"Highness, huh..." Ryo muttered, thinking it over. He briefly considered taking action—but then quickly abandoned the idea.
Highness was basically the savior figure from the Indian pantheon and clearly one of Vishnu's top-tier incarnations.
Even more importantly, big names like Buddha, Kurma, and Noah's Ark—those high-ranking double-digits—were backing him.
In short, Highness was a Big Deal, the kind of second-gen elite whose connections reached straight to the top. Killing him might be possible... but definitely not wise.
So Ryo gave up on that idea.
"Since you've earned their trust, just keep monitoring him. If you get any intel, hide it under the biggest pine tree in the [No Name] manor and then send me a coded message."
He paused, then added with a slight smile, "Oh, and if you really want to see Sun Wukong… I'll try to arrange a meeting when the time's right."
"I understand," the Demon King replied in a low voice.
Ryo hadn't placed any more restrictions on him, but even so, the Demon King had no plans to rebel.
After watching Ryo for this long, he could tell—Ryo was a man of his word. If he promised something, he'd follow through.
Which meant the Demon King now had to get mentally prepared to meet Sun Wukong.
After a few seconds of silence, he said steadily, "I'll keep an eye on [No Name]'s flag within Ouroboros for you."
Ryo raised an eyebrow, his tone amused. "Even if you hadn't said that, I was planning to give you that job anyway."
The Arcadia flag wasn't just a symbol—it carried weight.
For Ryo, it was a core element of rebuilding and growing the community. He had no intention of letting his group remain nameless forever.
"I'll stay on it," the Demon King replied solemnly.
It was the least he could do in return for what Ryo had offered.
Seeing his attitude, Ryo gave a small shrug, his figure slowly fading away. "Then I'll be waiting for good news."
Once he disappeared, the Demon King was left alone in the room, sitting on the floor in silence.
— — —
No Name Headquarters – Room beside the bathhouse.
Ryo lay shirtless in a recliner, eyes half-open.
"Telepathy's a pretty convenient ability. Especially when it comes to long-distance support…"
This was the psychic ability was a minor sixth-sense offshoot from his cosmos.
It worked by wrapping his will in his cosmos and projecting it over long distances—perfect for supporting allies or disrupting enemies from afar.
It was one of the main abilities Sasha—Athena's incarnation—had thoroughly researched, clearly aiming to support Saints anytime, anywhere.
She'd even filled her journal with training notes, which made it super easy for Ryo to learn.
And just now, he'd used it to hold that meeting with the Demon King.
"A neat little trick," Ryo thought.
Just then, he felt a small, delicate hand land on his shoulder, fingers kneading into his muscle.
"How's the pressure?" a soft voice asked.
Leticia, dressed in a white robe and with a dab of essential oil on her hands, was behind him.
"Just right," Ryo said with a relaxed groan.
"By the way, do I get a massage like this every time I finish a workout?"
"You might want to rethink that," Leticia replied as she poured a bit more oil into her palm, giving him a light shrug.
"What's there to rethink?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Leticia shot him a look, then squeezed his shoulder harder. "Because Black Rabbit wants to massage you too."
"..."
"…How about we take turns?"
"If that's what you want, I won't stop you."
Leticia pushed gently against his back, then suddenly stood up—and stepped right on him.
"How about this pressure?"
Having a vampire princess walk on his back, Ryo's face twitched a little, but then he let out a small groan. "Actually… not bad."
He lay there, enjoying it for a bit, then murmured, "I've planted a spy in the enemy camp. Things should be a bit easier for us from here on."
Leticia paused, then let out a soft sigh.
"You know… sometimes it's okay to share what's on your mind."
"Ah… next time. Promise," Ryo said with a nonchalant chuckle, clearly dodging the topic.
"You…" Leticia sighed again, shaking her head as she continued walking on his back. "So, going into closed-door training again?"
"Yeah. Don't know how long. Could be a day, could be longer."
He closed his eyes again.
Now that Ouroboros had been temporarily suppressed, it was the perfect time to isolate himself, push his cosmos to its limit, and level up his spirit rank.
After all, a strong spirit rank was the foundation for evolving the sixth sense—and breaking through to something even higher.
"Black Rabbit's going to complain, you know," Leticia said with a playful smile. "You better bring her a peace offering when you get back."
"What about Black Grass?" Ryo grinned.
"If you don't mind making her cry, sure, go for it."
Leticia let out a giggle.
"Noted…" Ryo smiled too, then opened up the dimensional forum.
Time to ask the group how to wake up that overly sleepy guy who'd posted earlier…
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