After dealing with the guards, Mike encountered a new problem.
"How do I purify this Abyssal Core?"
[Requirement for purifying an Abyssal Core: a human Nine-Star Lord.]
That requirement alone was a dealbreaker.
He was only level 499, not even a Chief, let alone a Nine-Star Lord.
"Does it have to be a human Lord?" Mike frowned, confused.
[Other races will be corrupted and assimilated by the Abyssal Core.]
According to the Eye of Truth, anyone other than a human attempting to purify the core would become a "candidate for the Ninth Demon God."
If the current Ninth Demon God were to perish, these candidates would receive the favor of the Ninth Abyss's source, their power skyrocketing as they vied for the vacant position.
Mike could ask Vladimir or Dracula to purify the core, but the price... might be gaining another Demon God as a sidekick.
"That doesn't sound too bad, actually."